The Tour de Zwift began today. It was chilly outside so I signed up for stage 1 group C. The route was Watopia Waistband. At the 12:01 PM start I saw 2586 people at the starting pen. Zwift doesn’t show that many avatars at one time but it was a large number. Over the 17.33 miles (1 lap plus the lead-in) once the groups split up I settled in around 2400 out the 2586. I was glad I kept in that position. At the start my left knee was sore but once I warmed up I didn’t notice it. The 338 feet of climbing was spread out over the course, no steep hills.

I had some technical issues before the ride began but I got them resolved in time.

This was the 4th time riding the Waistband route since I started Zwifting. Last year’s ride longer and the average speed was slightly higher. I don’t think it was part of last year’s TdZ.

Only three Strava segments surprises me since this route has been around for awhile.