Lateralus - Week 2

Groovy Time Trial Wheels!

Week 2 of Lateralus complete.  This is still the foundation mode that ChatGPT started with, so I've been figuring out what Z2 really means for me. Generally that means I'm spooling up an easy workout and bumping to 110% to 125%.  Which, probably isn't actually Z2 but I can also only tolerate so much slowboating around the map, and I somewhat refuse to take an FTP test yet.

Zwift Big Spin 2025 is complete. Yesterday I did Zwift Big Spin and got credit for Watopia's Wasteband. I already had the route badge but got to spin the wheel and surprisingly won the ZBS Aero Wheels for 2025. I really wanted the BMX bike and got that in the first ride, and got the wheelset (my #2 wishlist item) on ride #3.  I've been lucky!  However, while they look cool but don't perform as well as my Zipp 808s so they'll come out for special occasions.  

Today I wrapped up ZBS on Douce France. I won the 90s headphones which aren't as cool as the over-ear headphones I got on ZBS ride #2.  However, I got the mission completion badge for my achievements view and am now ready for the next ingame event - or maybe some pace partner time.

Other stuff:  I'm continuing to work on upgrading the Zwift Steel Frame. I am mostly through level 1 and looking forward to the first unlock on my next ride.  This frame is slow in the grand scheme of min/maxing but I can see this being my go-to for a lot of rides once upgraded ... the 5% bonus to both XP and drops is nothing to sneeze at.  Combined with a good wheelset and I'm sure it'll spin just fine with the Pace Partners for drop farming.

Health stuff:  I weighed in at 241.0 this week, setting a new low weight and 17lb lighter than the 258 I logged last fall.  (I am still 5-6lb from where I was in 2022 and over 15lb from my 2023 low weight, but progress is progress.)  Got the all clear from the spine doc Friday regarding the burst disc in my neck, including a chat about the bike. He was happy to hear I was riding and said (paraphrasing) "Great work. Don't come back unless you need to ... let's keep the surgeons away from your neck as long as possible."

Plan Big Picture:  Lateralus Week 3 will be a mixed bag. I should be able to ride twice on Tue/Wed and then I'm offline for a weekend trip.