I rode the Tour of Watopia Stage 1 on the Figure 8 route. Group B started at 12:02 PM with about 660 riders. In hindsight I could’ve rode outside but the forecast contained a wind advisory with a strong cold front arriving around noon. It turned out to not arrive until a little after 1 PM. I chose the warm inside. I’ve rode the Figure 8 Reverse route but this was the first time in this direction. The “8” in the name meant climbing the one mountain in both directions and it wasn’t less steep in either direction. Short sections of the big climb hit 12% which my Wahoo Kickr Snap dutifully cranked up the resistance on. The ride came in at 18.63 miles with a total of 833 feet of climbing. It took me 58:55 to complete. The tour consists of 5 stages.

In the pen before the start several people said they weren’t racing and the tour technically is not a race but the flyers take off. Of the 660 riders I stayed in the 513 to 535 position with a few others. I rode for the route badge and the free XP’s. The Group B results from ZwiftPower.com. I slot in at 337 out of 359 in group B. Group A shows 561 results, Group C 239, and Group D 20. Looking at the flags people from around the world took part.

At the end of the ride I was sweating from the climbs and speed. It was a workout.

I noticed when I finished the last Zwift ride that my right shoe cleat was loose making it difficult to unclip. The cleat screws needed tightening and no problem unclipping today.

I was surprised with the top results in Strava since I rode the Figure 8 Reverse route three times I thought it would be hard to better those. The route profile doesn’t reflect the steepness of the climbs.