There was a time when I felt like I had to be fit by the beginning of every May. I had WORS and WEMS races to consider … maybe even a Wisport race if it were close enough to West Bend. More recently I have targeted events in late summer or fall, and this season I am shifting the focus even farther into the second half of the calendar year. My 2022 racing season will begin in four weeks, on September 10 or 11. Yes, September 10 is back in play: the Milwaukee Bicycle Co. CX Classic might go on after all. And who knows? With mild weather I might make it all the way to the state cyclocross championships on November 19. But when that season ends, I want to try racing on Zwift.
Last winter I didn’t get out of Zwift everything that I could have, and that’s partly because I didn’t participate in any special events. For me, Zwift was a solo training platform only. Its competitive and social aspects didn’t really appeal. I need to embrace them. Zwift offers a way to do a road race without spending an entire weekend in some remote corner of northwestern Wisconsin. Zwift offers a way to do time trials without a time trial bike and all of its ridiculous accessories. And OK, it’s not the same as racing outside, but it’s still competitive. It’s still something to motivate me at a time of year when almost nothing can. You know I hate winter and you know that our “spring” is an annual disappointment. I can’t continue to write off half of every year. Zwift events have to become objectives for me in the same way that outdoor events have been.
Zwift Racing League offers a chance to race with teammates every Tuesday in the fall and winter, but I don’t think it’s a good fit for me. Not yet, anyway. If riders could compete as individuals, then I would be more interested. Instead, I will look for pop-up races and other challenges. It shouldn’t be hard to find a selection of those that will accommodate my weird work and sleep schedules … if I can be said to have a sleep schedule.
My new Framed Gravier is going to be my Zwift bike. Initially, I thought my Trek Boone would be my Zwift bike once cyclocross season ended, but that’s not going to work. I will be training on Zwift during the cyclocross season, and I really would rather not switch the Boone back-and-forth between trainer and CX racing configurations. The Boone is going to be strictly a cyclocross bike from now on. I hope that will encourage me to practice more, as the bike will always be ready. The Gravier is getting a big upgrade in a couple of weeks: HED Belgium+ rims mated to DT Swiss hubs. Paired with my much-loved Continental Gatorskin 32mm tires, the new wheelset will be for outdoor riding and the Gravier’s original wheelset—very strong but far too heavy—will see only indoor trainer duty. I have a new, trainer-only rear tire for the upcoming season and I’m feeling good about my setup. The Maxxis Raze tires that came with the Gravier are going on a spare wheelset to serve as cyclocross season backups. And since I’m going to try to get through this season without a tubeless setup, I may actually need those pit wheels to get myself out of trouble. I’ve been spending money freely and I’m not done yet, so I admit it’s odd that I have drawn a line at buying new tubeless cyclocross tires. But with two sets of new non-tubeless tires already in my garage, I decided to take my chances.
So, I guess I’m a fall/winter racer now. I’ll get whatever I can get in spring but my expectations will be low, and summer will be a time to fortify that deep base fitness with long road rides. I was moving in this direction for years without a plan. Now I’m more conscious of what I want to do, and this plan should hold up well … unless I return to mountain bike racing.
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