How I am finding faster by using Zwift

At the end of last year, I decided to take a break from long distance events. I have always been satisfied training to complete rather than compete at events but that changed for me, after experiencing a very, very long day out in Lanzarote. Although I felt pleased to finish, I was disappointed with my time and specifically my bike time. My run was hideously slow too but I was less bothered since I was unable to train properly due to injury. Just being able to jog-walk-jog the course was always going to be the way my race would end. Unfortunately, it just ended about 2 hours longer than I had anticipated!

For a long time after that event, I pushed my disappointment aside and focussed my energy on helping Adrian train for his big race of the year which was Kona. That gave me a few months of not following a training plan at all and just helping to support and motivate him while he got through those last big sessions in the lead up to race day. In Kona, I watched and cheered on so many amazing people take part but I did feel envy to be so far removed from those athletes in terms of my own fitness and ability.

But while I was envious, it was a strangely motivating experience. I talked to Adrian about my frustrations of being so slow and he suggested spending a year really concentrating my training efforts on going harder and faster but at shorter events.

I began back to proper training with a focus in January. Out with the long, steady endurance sets and in with short sharp sweetspots and snappy tempo sessions. When lockdown hit in March, I ramped up my sessions on Zwift and also joined in the #frodissimofriday workouts, which were all V02 max sets. I began training daily on Zwift, finding it easier to recover than before as I was not doing double sessions or any long stuff.

To help build my power further I joined group rides that really pushed me to the limit of my w/kg and I started to race on Zwift. I began with individual time trialling, which was less intimidating than a race but still a great way to push myself. I then progressed to short crit style racing, where I got completely dropped at the start of each event until I realised there are some tactics involved – basically go hard from the off and hang on! After racing a few events my FTP noticeably started to increase. Over the last few months, I have increased my ftp by almost 50 watts and I am still progressing. Perhaps, best of all I can see my fitness endurance has also come on and I can hold power at my old ftp number comfortably for a 2 to 3 hour period, which is significantly more than I could a year ago. My weight has come down too, I am not overly focussed on it but I have lost a little during lockdown and the bonus about being lighter is it means I can race slightly competitively on hilly courses as well as feel the benefit in real life once I am back out on the road again.

Now that I have started racing on Zwift, I have also joined a Ladies race team which is pushing me even further as they are super strong. I am pleased that six months into the year and without the motivation of an actual race, just by changing my training I have made good progress. The benefits of not having a race means I have the luxury of concentrating on my bike without worrying about the swim or the run too much.

That said the next half of the year is about keeping the momentum going and now starting some real efforts and focus on my run. I will let you know how that goes. Swimming can wait.

Chamois Cream - In Review

Chamois cream was mentioned in our “How to look after your bottom” blog. Here is a little more detail about the cream and some reviews on our favourites .

What is Chamois cream? Chamois cream provides slippage between your skin and your cycling shorts, preventing friction and chafing. You smear it directly onto your skin, around your bottom area, in your leg creases and basically anywhere you want to avoid a rub. You can also put it directly on the chamois pad in your shorts.

The key differences between chamois cream and an ordinary moisturising cream are it does not absorb into your skin and it usually contains ingredients that are sensitive to your genitals. I have known people to use Sudacream, but it is not really a slippage type cream, it is more a barrier to put on sores post ride. You could try vaseline, but it is very greasy and has no soothing elements to it so I would not recommend this as a replacement for chamois cream.

When I first started cycling, no one mentioned Chamois cream even existed to me until I started complaining about getting awfully sore grazing on the inside of the top of my inner thigh and pubic area where the seams of my shorts were digging in. Chamois cream was my answer and over the years I have tried a few different ones.

Here are some pros and cons of three chamois creams for you to consider.

Udderly Smooth

Pros

Good price point at around £9 for a 227g tub. The cream is pearlescent with a light, fresh scent to it. Does the job.

Cons

Recently, I have found the cream a little bit too sloppy and greasy. I am not sure if they have changed the formulae, but it is not as good as it once was and it needs reapplied more frequently than the others.

Assos Chamois Crème

Pros

This is probably our favourite brand. It is very thick and really does stay on all day. It has a menthol smell and a bit of tingle to your skin. There is a lady specific version which is equally good, but a little more expensive so I tend to just use the standard one. You can also buy this cream in a really small tub which is perfect for popping in your cycle jersey back pocket particularly if you are on long rides and suffering from sores already. Reapplying during a ride does sooth and help if you have a soreness.

Cons

More expensive than others on the market at approx. £25 for a 227g tub.

Sportique - Century Femme – a woman specific chamois cream.

Pros

This cream has a lovely botanical smell and a soothing quality to it which makes it really nice to put on your skin post ride if you are feeling a touch sore. The makers claim it specifically subdues and prevents female specific problems around bacterial infections associated with exposure to high heat and humidity. I have found it does provide a long-lasting barrier on your bottom. It is not too greasy and the tube means it is easy to carry with you if you feel you might need to reapply. There is a Sportique for men version as well.

Cons

Although, this is a chamois cream, it does not really feel like as long lasting as the Assos one or a during ride protection cream, however, it does provide a good barrier and maybe better for post ride care for your bottom.

Enjoy your ride!

How to pack your bike box

We travel to train and race all over the world and we always take our own bicycles. Packing them can be tricky so here are our tips on how to pack your bike.

We both have hard cases bought from Bike Box Allan. Our TT bike frames are both small so we find we don't need to remove the saddle to get the bikes in but we do need to take off the headset.

We start by taking the pedals off (we don't pack the pedals in with our bikes as they are power meter pedals, we carry them in hand luggage). Remove the headset screws and then rescrew them together so you don't lose them in transit. Take the tyres off and then put the frame in the box. You might want to use a chain guard to stop the chain getting tangled. We always put a an old towel or t-shirt around the chain to avoid the grease getting everywhere. Strap the bike in using the velcro and use a few additional old clothes or towels to stop rubbing on the paint work.

Deflate the tyres completely before screwing into the lid as per instruction on the box. We add in additional foam to the one provided by the box manufacturer to give it extra cushioning.

Make sure you have everything fastened in securely. You can add in your bike bottles, shoes and a few other bits and bobs but be aware most of the airlines now weigh the boxes so you do have a weight restriction. Also, if you are carrying CO2 cartridges you can usually only take two per bike box. Again see individual airlines for guidelines on this, we have had our boxes opened before and cartridges removed because we had too many inside.

We always include our name and address on a bit of paper inside each box and we take a couple of cable ties to put through the lock once the box has been inspected and ready to be loaded.

Finally, give yourself additional time to check in your boxes at the airport. Sometimes it is not easy to get the bike boxes on the airport bus so you might need to wait a bit longer and you always need to check your bike and then take it to an oversized baggage area to load it.

Make sure your name is clearly visible on the exterior of your bike box, add a few stickers to personalise it so that you can identify it easily when it comes out the other side. You will be surprised if you are travelling to a race how many people have similar boxes to you!