A Whole Lot of Nothing.

Recently I passed 2,000 "miles" on Zwift.
 
That's a lot of mileage without actually moving.
 
A lot of other people have done far, far more in the same amount of time, but I'm not interested in doing centuries or seeing how long I can ride the trainer before my ass is worn completely away. Considering the size of my posterior at the moment, this is one metric where I have a considerable (some would say unfair) advantage. There's just more to grind away.
 
I'm not riding the trainer any more than I have in previous years. No multi-hour sessions where on-bike fueling becomes a concern. In fact, because of the addition of the Dome to my winter routine, I'm riding the trainer slightly less than I have in years.
 
What Zwift has done is distracted me during the time I'm scheduled to be on the trainer. When I'm done, I'm done, and no video game has been developed that can make me want to go for extra credit.
 
When I reached "Level 20", I got a fancy virtual jersey so that everyone knows that I have no life. I personally find it to be butt-ugly, but it's important that my avatar wears it so that other riders will afford me the deference the jersey demands. Prestige is hard-won in the land of virtual dopers.
 
I'll probably suspend my account as soon as the roads clear. I may lose all of the jerseys and fancy virtual equipment I've "earned". I'll probably have to start all over again.
 
I'll have plenty of time to do it next winter.
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Luke Simpson

Image
A couple years ago I participated in a stage race and had the honor to meet Saul Raisin, the former professional cyclist that suffered a debilitating traumatic brain injury during a race in Europe. As I listened to him speak and later read his book about his recovery, I (probably like most people) had two thoughts:                 “What an inspiring story.” …and more callously,                 “Wow, sucked to be him.” The second thought was just a result of thinking it would never happen to me. If you run the odds, it just doesn’t factor into the threat matrix as prominently as teenage girls with cell phones or that sketchy Cat 5 on the brand-new Madone. Then I got my bell rung. I’ve seen my share of stars and cartoon tweety birds over the years, but this was the first time I was knocked unconscious and woke up in an ER. Another driver’s moment of inattention resulted in a totaled car and weeks of disorientation, speech delays, and random face plants. It didn’t occu
Read more

Narrowed Focus

OK, here's the fun part.   You're clinging to the wheel in front of you. Doing everything to stay in contact, because you know in the deepest parts of your soul that if a gap opens, you will never close it, and you will be adrift. That few inches of space is your whole purpose in life.   People wait their whole lives to see the scenery on either side of you, but you're too busy focusing on meaningless points up the road. You're hoping that by acknowledging them that they will somehow help you climb this hill. They don't, because they're inanimate objects like signposts and rocks. Selfish bastards.   You match cadence with the guy in front of you, promising yourself that every time their right foot comes down, your right foot will come down. That you won't stand unless they stand. That you will be every bit as strong as they are, even if you aren't.   The steady ache in your thighs keeps building. You know all you have to do to make it stop is to
Read more

Perhaps Where I need to Be.

  The last time I was in Biloxi was in November of 2016. I was recovering from a broken collar bone, but otherwise was relatively fit, lean, and getting fitter and leaner. Because I had nothing else to do and energy to burn, I rode a lot. It was wasted effort that translated into burnout during the trainer season, but I really didn't care. I hadn't been riding at all. A handful of road rides before the season ended. A couple fat bike rides when the trails near my house were packed well. Mostly I've hiked, cross-country skied, and sat on my fat ass. Primarily the latter. I knew I was going to be spending the month of February in Biloxi. I swore I was going to get back on the trainer in preparation, but I never did. I came in cold. I packed all sorts of warmers and raingear and stuff that I have yet to use.I forgot all sorts of tools. My tires were excessively worn and my tubes weren't in great shape either. I ended up buying new ones after a horrible first ride led to 4
Read more