Kate Hector

Jim's Basement Blog #3: Virtual Drafting

Jim's Basement Blog #3: Virtual Drafting

So yeah, I’m competitive


It will come as surprise to exactly nobody who knows me that today, when someone started to draft (virtually) me (virtually) on a climb (virtual climb) in Zwift (a virtual world of little import) I abandoned my workout entirely, rode as hard as could and turned my face into this;

Take that virtual dude!


Sometimes I think my life consists of 2 equal parts:




  • Eating, breathing, sleeping, touching my face

  • Anger management


Any free time I have outside of those 2 equal parts is mainly dedicated to making comments related to this meme;

What happened?


A friend of mine read the previous 2 blogs (first and second) and noted to me;
"The vast majority of people on Zwift don’t ride ERG. Most people do wacky group rides and just ride around. Me included."

First of all, what are you guys doing, ERG mode is for winners.

Second of all, this is the same person who once called me and started the conversation with this;
"JIMMY! YOU POOPIN?!"

And I was. So I tend to respect his opinion. I also stopped answering the phone on the toilet.

SO, knowing this, I figured I would try just riding around in Zwift. Of course, I still loaded a workout on my test Dash M50 GPS cycling computers because it’s amazing and I can’t imagine why riding around (virtually) would be motivating at all. There I am, noodling around, doing some intervals (actually was kind of not doing them) and such and some guy starts drafting me on the climb right about…

LET'S GOOOOO I LIVE FOR THIS

And that’s that. I went all out on a climb (virtual) and then when I got to the top I exploded across the finish line (virtual) a mess (not virtual, very not).

What does this mean? I’m a terrible person?


Maybe so. Maaaaybe so.

In my journey back to fitness it means that I just did what basically amounts to a fitness test. Let’s check how it measures up to my previous data. Let me just pull out the Stages Link app, open this ride, and…

Well, at least Link sent me a lot of nice little achievement notifications for this ride;And my time in zone was admirable;

All in all… I think I can be happy with this.

Sandbagger


Again, sure. That seems true. At least I finally updated my weight in Zwift to be the real one and not the weight I used to have when I rode all day. But ultimately, yeah, this reflects moderately poorly on me for complaining about fitness. It seems even worse that I then rode back up the climb just to take a picture of my time since I wasn’t sure I could get a screenshot after the ride;

OH YEA!!! You must have crushed that guy in some basement somewhere!

Well. Maybe tomorrow? Still waiting to see the effect it has on my ego, which we were not testing for early enough so the impact could be pretty bad, we will know more in 14 days.

Jim's Basement Blog #1 - Blog from recovering pro cyclist, current Stages engineer

Jim's Basement Blog #1 - Blog from recovering pro cyclist, current Stages engineer
Hi! My name is Jim. I’m the director of program management at Stages Cycling and, like many of you, staying home to hopefully flatten the curve. I make sure the Stages Dash GPS Cycling Computer and StagesBike SB20 Smart Bike do the things cyclists of all types want them to do. My last job was racing road bikes, I never made it to the big show, but at least I got into Phil Gaimon’s first book and apparently met Patrick Dempsey while getting an aggressive rider jersey at Tour of California (I had no idea who that was at the time).

Those days were long ago and now my legs look like this:

Let’s just say the Stages Dash cycling computers make their owners stronger, unless you’re the guy in charge of making it, in which cause you trade FTP for LBS and laughs when trying to put on some old racing jerseys. Not really haha laughs, but more laughs you might get when being squeezed into something comically small for your body.

What is this for?


Well, human connection! We’re all entering a strange time with this COVID-19 situation, and I realized something I’ll try to convey by cartoon:

Well, heck that. It’s time to get back on the bike.

Turns out, while stuck in the house testing our new smart bike yesterday I had the best time I’ve had on a bike in as long as I can remember. I had a Dash M50 and L50 running our next update alongside a workout in Zwift while our bike followed the workout steps perfectly and gave me that great feeling I used to get when I would keep hammering away even though it would be so easy to just stop.

That’s the feeling we are all hunting for. During all this craziness, I was able to find it for the first time in years! That’s why I’m writing this. We made the Dash and it’s awesome. We made this smart bike and it’s awesome. I gotta tell someone.

My setup


My wife and I just bought our first house, so we’re light on furniture. Someone’s gotta put all these books to good use;

The Stages Bike actually comes with a tablet holder but I took it off because when I’m testing I have:




  • MacBook that logs raw data from the bike for feedback to the developers in charge of making the bike amazing

  • MacBook that runs Zwift or another application that can control the bike (and slack questions while testing)

  • Speaker plugged into the Stages Bike USB charger playing Vulfpeck at Madison Square Garden for the 100th time

  • Dash M50 with the latest beta firmware

  • Dash L50 with the latest beta firmware

  • iPhone running Zwift companion app plugged into the other Stages Bike USB charger

  • Android phone testing our Link app


And, importantly, this:

The remote for my fan. This is as smart as I need

DC Rainmaker Reviews Stages Dash

DC Rainmaker Reviews Stages Dash
Check out the new DC Rainmaker for an in-depth review and get the smartest bike computer out there.




READ RAY'S REVIEW

DISCOVER DASH

“It’s essentially the holy grail of customization and tweaking. And that concept extends straight into how you configure your data pages.”


“The Stages Dash M50 or L50 are both incredibly solid computers for the money that are ideally suited to those with structured training with a power meter or smart trainer.”

“The unsung hero of the Stages Dash lineup is actually the deeper integration with Stages Link, and the premium features they include there that other platforms like Garmin and Wahoo simply don’t have.” 


“I think it’s been clear through every iteration of the Stages Dash lineup that their ‘nailed it’ feature is the entire structured workout experience. And by and large within that ecosystem, they win there.”


“If you’re an athlete training for something with specificity, then there’s no beating the included Stages Link platform for the value.”


SHOP DASH

Dash Firmware Update 1.1

Brighter. Simpler. Smarter.
And it keeps getting BETTER.
Check out the latest DASH Firmware
to get the most out of your DASH.


DASH FIRMWARE 1.1.1


Get the Update: Plug your DASH into your computer via USB and open Stages LINK and SYNC. Your Dash will do the rest.


What's been updated?


Ride History:
Review key data from today’s ride after saving a ride file, including power and heart rate curves, speed and cadence values and more, and review previous ride data for up to 90 days.

Adaptive Zones:
When enabled, Dash will track your power and/or heart rate data over time and continuously calculate your FTP, FTHR and corresponding training zones so you can get the most out of your efforts without having to perform regular FTP tests.

Lap Data Overlay/Lap History:
Dash will now show a popup on the bottom right of the screen with a snapshot of your last lap data, and a comprehensive lap data review page for a deeper look.

New Power Modes:
Dash now features Standard, Metered and Low Power modes that automatically alter settings to maximize for your longest rides

Map Improvements:
Thicker, more readable lines for roads and buildings, faster zoom/pan features, and add a navigation cue as a data field to any screen.

Bug Fixes:
Faster ride sync, more accurate distance, elevation and gradient, and improved performance overall.

 Fields:
When using a course you can now add a navigation cue data field to a page to indicate the distance to and direction of your next turn


Next Step and Previous Step Workout Fields
Users may add data fields that report the next lap prescription and previous lap prescription in their workout


Last Lap Span 
Add a span of Last Lap to their data fields, to view the last lap average or total for most metrics on the Dash.


Workout Compliance Scores in LINK 
Any workout completed on the Dash (from LINK or most 3rd party sources) will now show compliance scores and data when the ride file is uploaded to LINK


Outer Interval Support 
Dash now supports outer intervals from the Link workout builder. This means once you start an outer interval, the inner laps will not begin until you press the lap button.


Workout Graph Auto Zoom 
At 30s before the end of an interval, the Dash workout graph will zoom to a 5-minute scale width of the workout graph so it is easy to see when an effort ends and what the next step is.


 

GET DASH FIRMWARE 1.1


GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS:




  • Faster ride sync via LiNK app

  • Text for units in data fields are now larger and more readable

  • Maps now have a status indicator for loading tiles and zoom/pan view

  • .FIT files now include summary data, which means the dash totals and averages will match TrainingPeaks summary values

  • Improved performance and navigation points when riding .FIT courses from RidewithGPS

  • Navigation Overlay Notification moved to the bottom of the page for improved readability without obscuring the rest fo the screen

  • Ride files can be uploaded to Garmin Connect

  • Add Workouts mid-ride


 

PLUS BUG FIXES

  • Time of day was not updating while the ride was paused, causing confusion about the space-time continuum, this is resolved

  • Maps would sometimes flip momentarily, now they don’t

  • Elevation Profile improvements with RidewithGPS courses

  • Battery life improvements

  • Improved consistency with workout auto transitions

  • Garmin Speed and Cadence sensors are now compatible with Dash

  • Crank length settings now work properly

  • Heart Rate Zones now work as they should

  • Elevation and gradient are now more consistent

  • Additional minor bug fixes


GET DASH FIRMWARE 1.1

The Privateer Season 2 Episode 1 - Pinkbike

The Privateer Season 2 Episode 1 - Pinkbike

The Privateer is back with season 2. Follow along as Adam heads out on a classic winter ride with Yoann Barelli and then visits the gym with his trainer, Todd Schumlick, for baseline fitness testing.

This is Adam's make or break year. With his training program and support turned up to 11, can he break into the pro ranks? We're about to find out.

Watch

The Jank Files with Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team

The Jank Files with Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team

For the Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team, the long trip and the short stay in Madeira made for a whirlwind trip. Coming from Vancouver, the 8-hour time difference and hot island temperatures had everyone in a daze - and that was before rattling through jagged boulder sections and the loose corners of each stage.

From unforgiving race tracks and talking to parrots, fresh haircuts, and a ridiculous hat for Jesse. This is Episode 2 of The Jank Files.

Presented by Smith
Filmed by Caldwell Visuals
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