After an enforced rest day on Saturday, it was back into the saddle today.
I seem to remember, during my previous time on Zwift, that The Wobble Cycle Club (WCC) used to hold social rides on a Sunday morning.
There was the Sunday Breakfast for category E (everyone) followed by a slightly harder (for me) cat. D Brunch.
Checking today, I see that the earlier event is now ninety minutes long at Cat. D (1.8 – 2.1 Wkg) so, realistically, beyond me (at the moment).
The Brunch ride was still a D but at a lower output which I should, just, be able to cope with.
A little before twelve, I started Zwift and climbed on for a few minutes spinning as my warm up.
At noon, the countdown reached zero and as around two hundred riders set off, in theory following the yellow flagged rider who would be setting the pace and sticking to around 1.4Wkg.
I was a bit slow getting going as I’m still getting used to Zwift’s virtual gearing but was soon holding my own in the main group around the pacer.
As can be seen from the course profile, the route was anything but flat but it taught me how to use the gears and pacing to keep up with the ‘peleton’.
I did quite well, even being able to message the group and send the obligatory ‘Ride On’ or two.
That was until I got to that lump just after the ten mile mark where I started to flag and fell off the back of the group.
I thought that I was done for and would just pootle around the rest of the course but a couple of riders who were lurking behind (actually they were the official sweepers or Red Beacon) caught me up and by using their draft I was dragged back into the pack.
Once back in the blob, I made sure that I wasn’t dropped again and finished the ride fairly comfortably.
I am really grateful to the sweepers and it reinforces the reasons that I used to ride with the Wobble.
Next WCC ride is Wednesday evening but I’m probably cycling, IRL, to The Griffin – but we’ll see.