The Covid Cycle Part 2

Cycling during Covid, like everything else in life required a major shift from the way I usually rode, which was mainly outdoors.  Health administrators around the world decreed that people should isolate, maintain a safe distance and wear a mask, none of these recommendations supported large groups of cyclists riding together.  In my home state of Victoria, most of the lockdowns required people to only allowed to exercise within 5km of home and with one other person.  

Virtual cycling platforms such as TrainerRoad, Zwift, FulGaz and Rouvy saw their subscriber numbers swell.  Home trainers and training platforms like TACX, Wahoo and Peloton became highly sought after as their inventories dipped and prices went up.  The manufacturing and shipping crises which were downstream impacts of the pandemic hit retailers hard.  Meanwhile the price of second hand bikes and equipment went up.  At least people were thinking about staying active.

For as long as I've ridden seriously, I've owned a home trainer and I'm probably one of the rare people who actually used it.  Infact I was still using the wheel on model I purchased back in the late 90s which still did the job.  I was introduced to TrainerRoad by a mate back around 2018 and used the platform on and off over winter for  couple of years while I borrowed a Wahoo Kickr off my brother.  My next investment was a set of Favero Assioma power pedals which allowed me to train using  power for the first time.  After trashing a decent number of old tyres on the trainer over the first few months, my next investment was a second hand Wahoo Kickr V4.  How nice it was to ride in ERG (resistance mode) and not have to change gears on the bike.  

Whilst the choice of training platforms were many, one by one my cycling group and extended network joined TrainerRoad.  One of the features of the platform was the group training option, which allows up to 12 riders to join a group ride with video and audio, so we could see and talk to each other while we were on the ride. From Sydney, Moonee Ponds, Clifton Hill, Richmond and 50 metres away in Northcote, we logged in and rode together, connecting, sharing stories, encouraging and challenging each other.  The beauty of the platform is that each rider is able to complete the same workout at their own FTP (functional threshold power, more about that in the next post).  We set up a WhatsApp group named Friends of Coach Chad, paying homage to Chad McNeese the head coach and co-founder of TrainerRoad.  

As someone who is very routine driven and often quoted by others for the saying "routine will set you free", not mine but a saying I picked up along the way, I appreciated the regular group rides on TrainerRoad and twice weekly outdoor rides.   My small local Northside Cluster group rode in pairs at a safe distance around Kew Boulevard which was within the 5km radius.  Whether it was an outdoor or indoor ride, most days of the week I would be sitting in my kitchen at 7:30am eating breakfast having done some exercise and had some social contact with a friend from outside the house, which I highly valued as it set me up for the day.

2020 was going to be my year, the one where I earned a promotion in the Northern Combine (the pinnacle of local club cycling) from D grade to C grade.  Of course you can put yourself up at any time, but as well all know, there's nothing like earning promotion.  2019 had gone fairly well, as I began to find my feet racing graded scratch races, a few criteriums and handicap races.

2020 arrived and started with a bang riding in the age group Teams Time Trial with three team mates from the Brunswick CC at the Nationals in Ballarat and then backing up with a couple of events at the club's track championships.  That's where it all ended.

With one eye on the future and the hope that the pandemic would end or at least be controlled, I loaded up future events in TrainerRoad which created training plans specific for those events.  When that didn't happen we used event specific workouts from TrainerRoad to provide the challenge we were missing from racing.  The crit race simulation Nevada City Classic became our go to target work out to replace events.  It's every bit as hard as it looks.

2021 did see the return of some racing on the Track and with Northern Combine.  I managed to hold my own, having fun but not setting the world on fire.  My best effort was a credible 3rd in the epic Hell of the West to equal my effort of 2019.  In the absence of regaular racing, AusCycling organised a Zwift series of 6 races.  Being a newbie to Zwift, I had no idea of what to expect. I was put in B grade based on my FTP.   I recall starting the first race at a reasonable pace only to wonder where everyone was.  I was clearly dropped and forced to try and catch back up with the pack which was futile.  From then on it was full gas for the first two minutes and then just hang onto the bunch.  By the end of the series I was making attacks towards the end of the race and learning how to use the gaming elements of the app.   

A few weeks later AusCycling put together a virtual 3 stage tour featuring a time trial, road race and hill climb over 3 days.  I went into the last race in 2nd place to my team mate Fergus.  Midrace Ferg dropped out due to a technical fault with his computer and in a Steven Bradbury moment I won the virtual tour.  This gave me the courage to consider doing a 3 stage tour such as the Tour of Mansfield in 2022, which I completed in March this year and Tour of Bright which I plan to race in December 2022.

Hungry for some racing, I travelled up to Kingston near Ballarat to race The John Collier Hcp a Ballarat and Sebastopol CC event.  It was a windy day, but my bunch worked hard together and took home the first four placings and my first handicap podium.   The training was paying off.  

It wasn't all serious training though.  The craze of "burbing" took off, whereby riders rode every strret and laneway in their imediate 5km.  It made for some impressive maps.  Below is one of my one hour efforts which saw me cover about 18km around the local streets without going more than 2km from home.

Another colleague Sany Wooley and Dianne Hannan established Telstra Connected Cycling as a means of keeping people connected during what was a very disconnected time for many.  Each week the team would pull in guests from all walks of life including Phil Liggett and Scott McGrory.  Around 300 people joined the Webex from around Australia, many on a Zwift and some just tuning in on their morning walk.  Again the people found a way to connect around a shared passion, which was all so important.

Coming into 2022, life for cyclists returned to normal.  I had to miss an event because I had Covid, but the training of the past two years during the pandemic has clearly paid off and allowed me to keep improving as a cyclist as I approach my mid fifties.  More on how I've been able to achieve that in the next installment.   What was your cycling experience during covid?  Did you maintain your fitness, go backwards or take a leap forward?