Zwift Fondo Series North America - Sunday - 1/21 @ 10 AM

[BikeRider]

https://zwift.com/events/view/35391

Despite the incompassionate scheduling on the part of Zwift I am going to attempt ride in their monthly Fondo event at 10 am EST on Sunday. I believe a few others are considering the event as well. I plan to do the Medio Fondo / B ride which has a some great climbing fairly early in the course. Really the perfect way to start your Sunday after a night of MRC revelry.

Event details:

GROUPS

Gran Fondo / A Group = 2 laps of Watopia Pretzel (89.8 mi / 144.4 km)
Medio Fondo / B Group = 1 lap of Watopia Pretzel (44.9 mi / 72.2 km)
Bambino Fondo / C Group = 1 lap of Watopia Three Sisters (30.0 mi / 48.3 km)

COURSE INFO

COURSE: Watopia Pretzel
LAP DISTANCE: 44.9 mi / 72.2 km
ELEVATION GAIN: 4,375 ft / 1,333 m

COURSE: Watopia Three Sister
LAP DISTANCE: 30.0 mi / 48.3 km
ELEVATION GAIN: 2,942 ft / 897 m
896.7 m (2942 ft)


PACE

All groups are “ride your own pace”. The goal is to finish the Fondo you choose in the best possible time.

[KTeves]

Thinking in, but that could change. Will probably go at a more relaxed pace than the last Fondo after being sick; Still not fully recovered.

[cbusick]

I'm doing the B. My strategy is to get into a good group over the mountain around 4 w/kg and settle in until the second time up the mountain.

[Suffering Bastard]

I'm in for the B, but my pace will be closer to 3 w/kg.

[cbusick]

832 people signed up for the B. I wonder if it will break 1000 by start time. Might be worth getting in the grid early to get a good spot for the start. They should stage us by zwift power rankings.

[Mkidd3]

FRONT ROW!

[cbusick]

Well, that was fun.
https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=35391

Coming down the mountain for the last time we were like a snowball, picking up riders, and as our group grew it was easier and easier to pick off the next guy. I really wanted to beat Brian Lucas since he kept attacking the group I was trying to hold together. He was 30 seconds up on us at the top of the mountain, but I had him down to 8 seconds at the bottom. then when I got it down to 5 one of the guys in our group tried to jump across the gap, breaking up our group and killing the advantage we had from being in mob formation. Chasing those two down was my hardest effort in the ride other than the final. Happily, Mark made it across with me. We had a group of 6 at the esses, they gapped me by a bit on the first rise, then I hit the feather and blew through them on the 2nd rise. Mark saw I'd opened a gap and yelled at me to go so I kept going. At 300m I had 6 seconds but Brian Lucas was drilling it to get me. I "sprinted" from 200m, but was only able to get 7w/kg, and I could see the meters ticking down to Brian, then I sat up at the line and the results showed I got him by 0.3 seconds.

[BikeRider]

Wow. Nice work Chris. Sounds like you had an awesome race.

I just could not resist the great January weather and did a last minute audible and rode @ Goat hill. It was ~ 48F out there and the conditions were pretty good given the recent snow.

[JeremyC]

I can't believe you beat Brian Lucas!?!?!? Oh wait I have no idea who that is.

[cbusick]

He's just the jerk that kept messing up the group I was trying to hold together.