vEveresting Training Weekend 2: Alpe Du Zwift x 3

My estimated 4 to 5 hours on the bike today completing (3 x Alpe Du Zwift) was spot on. It took me 4 hours 23 minutes to complete 3 laps. The first two laps went on quite well without any hiccups and was well paced. On each descent I got off the bike to stretch, during the second descent I went back to the apartment to use the restroom and refill my water bottles. I also took some much needed coffee back with me.

The one mistake of the day occurred when I went back to the apartment with my iPhone which I use as a hotspot for my iPad during my Zwift rides, that caused the iPad to lose an internet connection and I went into a small panic and had to toggle to the Zwift app to update the wi-fi settings, this has happened before where I did just that and the Zwift app crashed. Thankfully today this did not happen.

Being in panic mode I ended up pushing initially up the third lap way harder than I should have, this definitely lead to some unwanted lactic buildup early during the last lap which caused me to slow down on some occasions and completely stop on others to stretch my hamstrings and regain power to turn the pedals.

Lesson learned today:

Don’t untether the iPad when going back to the apartment.
No need to panic up Alpe Du Zwift even if it’s the last lap, you will pay for it, it’s a long climb.

Nutrition

Nutrition went well. I had two gatorade bottles, one was a mix with maltodextrin. I took 2 – 3 salt tablets every 45 minutes. A nutrition highlight of the day was finding a starburst that my son left in the car, It really helped with getting some sugars slowly as I just sucked on them up the climb.

Mental

Mentally the ride felt great, I listened to some NPR fresh air podcasts to make the time. However for next weekend’s 5 x Alpe Du Zwift I will have to ramp up my entertainment selection.

Overall a great weekend of vEveresting training in the books 🚴🏾‍♂️.

Strava ride.