A new year is with us, and with the floods, bashed ribs and other craziness it’s really time to hit the training again. The roads are still pot hole hell, and the weather can be classed simply as atrocious so I need an alternative.

Before my JOGLE ride I trained heavily over the winter on a turbo trainer and used the Sufferfest videos. All very good but I had been reading only and had a friend mention how good Zwift was. Always up to play with something bike related, and even more so when it fires up my nerdy gaming side as well I downloaded it, sorted out the wiring and dived right in.

A couple of things though to remember about me, and a fair few of them seem to be something which many of us Type 1’s tend to get. That annoying habit of not giving up, and always trying to fight something. That must beat it attitude. Those can be good things, but sometimes it can get rather competitive, which was one of those reasons I’ve been trying to avoid Strava for many years as I know it won’t end well, and I’ll get drawn into something that will drive me up the wall until I’ve beaten everyone on it or fallen off a mountain pass trying.

So here I am, diving into this computer game come turbo training session…”Ohh a bike in front of me” I can’t have that, and another, and another and another…It soon get’s rather urmm firing on my competitive side and head down going for it. Sweating like a crazy thing, soaking the towel on the floor, fan cranked up to max attempting to cool me and me ploughing on and on into this.

Come the next day I tear into it straight after work. Lap after lap, back heavily into it but this time grabbing the GC’s Orange Jersey (for the none cyclists wondering this is the General Classification and the equivalent of the Tour de France’s yellow jersey, meaning I’m not the fastest hill climber, or sprinter, but I am fastest around the virtualised island). The next day, back in Orange again. The next day in Orange again. The next….Oi! they changed the track! And hmph! can’t get close to the jersey again grr!

Yes I know, utterly crazy and far too nuts for a “game”. But must admit the training I am loving. One of the best things I’ve ever played with. Good ol’ ACDC loud on the speakers, fan in the face, and head down charging up a mountain. Brilliant training tool!