Zwift Tour for All - pro races - spoilers

245

Comments

  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Not as good as the men's race today, but better than the men's stage 1 yesterday. The last few km was probably better than the Stage 1 womens yesterday, but overall perhaps not quite as good. So for me:

    1. Men's stage 2
    2. Women's stage 1
    3. Women's stage 2
    4. Men's stage 1

    In terms of how good they were to watch...
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,123
    The men's race today was a proper decent race. I'll watch another one of those.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    It really matters who shows up I think - todays was improved by VDP and GVA competing properly, yesterday was a bit softer.

    Tomorrow finishes on a climb which will take these guys ~16 mins (KOM is around 15 mins but the credible looking ones start around 16 mins, I'd expect the pros to put in similar times). So it'll need to be won by a different type of rider.

    I know Dan Martin raced yesterday, it would seem like a good one for him tomorrow if he races as there are some flatter bits towards the top and he has a good kick as well as being a good climber.
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,066
    I'm looking forward to the start of "real" racing again when the riders are so used to zwift they all hit 700w+ when the flag drops and we see some real fights to get in the break of the day.

    There'll be none of the old fashioned cruising along for the first few hours waiting to pull back a doomed 2 man breakaway post-lockdown.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,123
    They should put some 35km lumpy stages in a GT :smile:
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Bit of info on today's route and climbs, and a link to the Strava segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/20655505

    The first climb proper is the Volcano KOM. This comes quite early on, beginning around 14.5km:


    Worth noting that the middle part of the race between say 30.5-44.5km (highlighted below) is on a dirt loop which is accessed/exited by a moderate climb (tarmac). The dirt has the effect of increasing rolling resistance for normal tyres, and in the game you are much better off switching to a mountain bike or gravel bike. I assume that won't happen in this race, but because it makes the effort harder it could have a similar effect to a climb in that it may split the group up a bit.


    Finishing Climb (Epic KOM):

    You can see there is a flat/downhill section of this towards the top, it will be interesting to see what happens.

    Normally for an outdoor race you would say that a breakaway would get established on the Volcano KOM and then be caught around the foot of the finishing climb, but who knows what will happen here.

    All in all, it will be interesting to see what happens on this course, because typical amateur races on Zwift take place on significantly shorter circuits (most races in the 15-45 minutes range).

    The KOM on this route is around 1 hour 45 mins so I expect that the pro times will be similar-ish.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Provisional start list includes both Yates brothers, Hugh Carthy, Pozzovivo and Pello Bilbao:


    So some proper climbers there.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    Nice to see a race thread generating some interest and some serious input.
    If only real race threads were as well supported.

    Will try to catch up on some of this on the player.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • poptart242
    poptart242 Posts: 531
    Been loving the racing so far. It's not the road but it stands up pretty well as a format, and the pros seem to be taking it seriously. MVDP set his highest 60 min HR and watts for the year yesterday!
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196

    Nice to see a race thread generating some interest and some serious input.
    If only real race threads were as well supported.

    Will try to catch up on some of this on the player.

    I mean, there's 40 posts and most of them are by me...
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    The women are way ahead of schedule, live now with 10.6km to go. Looks like a significantly reduced group.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Moolman Pasio putting out the watts on the foothills, stretching it out with 7-8 w/kg there. Has one rider with her, and 4 or 5 a bit further back.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    edited May 2020
    Group of 6 at 7 seconds, a couple at 20 seconds, Niewiadoma is back at 30s in 10th. Bigger gaps than we've seen previously already.

    7.2km to go so onto the climb proper now.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196


    Significant improvements in race graphics for this tour IMO
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Gap out to 30s... The question is, how long can she keep up with 5.5-6.5 w/kg?
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Worth noting that Ella Harris in the chasing group, riding for Canyon-SRAM, was originally scouted via the Zwift academy, and holds the accolade for the first rider to be selected in this way to win a professional bike race.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/ella-harris-becomes-first-zwift-academy-winner-to-take-victory-in-pro-race-448533
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196


    The gap was out to nearly two minutes at one point, but she did more than enough to stay away.

    Quite aggressive for second place at the end.

  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,123

    Worth noting that Ella Harris in the chasing group, riding for Canyon-SRAM, was originally scouted via the Zwift academy, and holds the accolade for the first rider to be selected in this way to win a professional bike race.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/ella-harris-becomes-first-zwift-academy-winner-to-take-victory-in-pro-race-448533

    And she was the one without a power-up in the last few metres.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Just done an interview with Adam Yates about the new UCI race calendar... Interesting.

    Now live in the men's with 39km to go, they have just come onto the dirt roads which I mentioned in the preview. I rode these on a mountain bike yesterday :)
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,123
    Has Pello Bilbao been on any of the other races? Got to be in with a shout today.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196

    Worth noting that Ella Harris in the chasing group, riding for Canyon-SRAM, was originally scouted via the Zwift academy, and holds the accolade for the first rider to be selected in this way to win a professional bike race.

    https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/ella-harris-becomes-first-zwift-academy-winner-to-take-victory-in-pro-race-448533

    And she was the one without a power-up in the last few metres.
    Yeah, potentially she didn't get a useful one at the last banner? Imagine getting the XP boost in a race like this :lol:
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196

    Has Pello Bilbao been on any of the other races? Got to be in with a shout today.

    I am not sure he's ridden so far. The Yates brothers haven't either.

    We are going to see a lot more of the men's race. Big group at the moment.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Attack off the front from an FDJ rider (Konovalovas) on the climb out of the jungle really stretched it out, but he's dropped back now and the race is a lot more stretched out
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Oooh, Mader and Campanaerts off the front coming back onto the tarmac roads, like I said there is a decent dig coming out of there.

    Great pain face from Campanaerts. 10-15 seconds ahead.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Back together. Not sure what that was about, as they were both NTT riders and it was clearly coordinated. Perhaps trying to give one of their other riders an easy job in the bunch?
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Carthy's not in the bunch so we won't get to see him on the climb
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Yeah OK, NTT were trying to get the intermediate sprint points.

    De Bod (NTT) used an undraftable power up to get away, but Madouas for FDJ took it in the end.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Bilbao going quite hard with 21km to go, a bit of a hiding to nothing I think because there is another 13km flat or rolling before the KOM starts. Has a handful of seconds but he's not really stretching it out despite him doing 6.5 w/kg and everyone else doing 4 w/kg, he's just going to get tired...
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    15km to go now, Bilbao has 21s but I don't think he'll be able to win from here as he has been going hard for a while now, the others are all still 4w/kg or so
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,123
    41 seconds now - still a chance for a climber like him