It took awhile to get on the bike for today’s Zwift ride. I started at 1:08 PM. The events didn’t look interesting or were too fast for this aged cyclist. Opening the Zwift desktop I looked at the available worlds, chose France and then the Douce France route. The description said 15 miles with 354 feet of climbing. I actually rode 15.17 miles (I didn’t stop at the finish line) and 436 feet of climbing. The flatlander that I am I watch the total climbing feet as much as the miles as I ride. When I got to 354 feet of climbing several miles still remained as you can see in the video thumbnail above. Not longer after I started I checked the active Zwifters in the companion app and saw over 21,000 online. Not all of them were in France or the route I was on. Yesterday there were large groups going by but not today.

I looked the route profile and information at ZwiftInsider.com before choosing the route to avoid a longer distance and too much climbing. My Wahoo Kickr Core does ramp up the resistance on the hills.

Outside the weather was sunny but the temperature sat just below 60 degrees moving me inside to Zwift.

Back on January 28th, 2022, I rode this route for the first time. My effort then was much faster than today. I sprinted twice today, once for a sprint and the other for a KOM. Strava reported these: PR on Marina Sprint (33s) and 2nd fastest time on Douce France from Start Pens (49:00). Strava shows 4 segments for this route.

ZwiftInsider.com describes the route, “We begin by traveling west from the start pens, taking the first right onto the twisty river road toward the hot air balloon fields and the Ballon sprint. Then another left takes us through vineyards and over the short Aqueduc KOM and quickly through town onto the Pavé Sprint. Then it’s past the sites of the Needle and Arch, Mont Saint-Michel, and the lighthouse, into the marina and onto the finishing Marina Sprint. Note: this route is a little odd, in that it doesn’t appear to have a “lead-in” from the start pens, even though the start/finish lap banner is nearly a full lap from the start pens.”