Hi everyone. If you're anything like me, all of this hunkering down is getting old, and we probably still have a long way to go. As much as I dislike the trainer, riding alone to stay safe isn't nearly as fun as group rides, so I'm going to try blending trainer rides with group rides.
So whether you are a regular PBC rider or do any other rides with MBC, please join me Tuesday at 6:15pm for a virtual ride. ALL paces are welcome! The ride will go 75 minutes, but you can quit early if you'd like. You will need to be on at the start though... no one will be added after 6:15pm. The main purpose of this ride is social, so that we can reconnect with some friends that we haven't seen lately. The ride part is a bonus, which everyone can do at their own pace.
If you want to join, post here, or send me a text message. I'll need to send you an invitation to the Zoom meeting. We will also have a test run of the Zoom meeting at 8:00pm on Monday night to make sure your technology works and we'll answer anyone's questions
This is how it will work:
Requirements:
1) A trainer of any sort. Smart trainer preferred, dumb trainer 100% okay
2) Any device that supports video... iPhone, Android phone, tablet, computer, etc.
3) A free Zoom video account. Use this link https://zoom.us to sign up, but use your personal email address even if it asks for your work email address when creating your account. If you want to participate, create your Zoom account today... don't wait until 5 minutes before the ride!
If you don't want to be a part of the optional Zwift ride below, that's all you need. We will log into Zoom and be able to chat and see each other as we all ride our trainers. If you have a loud "wheel-on" trainer, you'll want headphones of some sort, and I'll ask you to stay muted unless you want to speak, so that the sound of your trainer won't overwhelm everyone.
Optional -- Only for those that want to do Zwift at the same time:
For those that would like to ride along in a group Zwift ride as part of the Zoom ride, we will post information on how you can join the Zwift ride. The Zwift ride will use the rubber-band feature that keeps us all together regardless of speed, as long as you keep pedaling. Stay tuned for more details on how this works. You will need the following for the Zwift ride:
4) Zwift account. If you don't already have this, please get it set up now. We won't be able to help with Zwift technical questions at the ride.
5) You'll need a 2nd device. The larger device screen will be for Zoom, so we can see each other, and the smaller device will run Zwift.
6) If you're a hard-core Zwifter, and can't stand the idea of Zwifting without Zwift Companion, then you'll need a 3rd device. If you only have 2 devices, please use one for Zoom and one for Zwift
I hope to see a few or many of you on Tuesday at 6:15pm (and on Monday at 8pm for the Zoom test-run)!
For the folks that want to Zwift along with Mark I’ll be setting up a Zwift ride. To join the ride you will need to follow me on Zwift to get an invitation. I will be the ride leader. Look for me at the start. I’ll have a yellow beacon above my head. We will be using a flatter route on this ride. When you get the invitation on the companion app just click on the orange plus button to confirm. Be sure and do this well before start time. On Tuesday night log onto Zwift early. A few minutes before start time you should see a prompt on the lower left screen to join the ride. Click on this and you will be transported to the side of the road in the world where we are starting. You will find yourself sitting on a trainer. Start pedaling when you see the countdown clock getting close to zero. Don’t be intimidated by the speed of other riders. With the Keep Together function in Zwift it will speed up the slower riders and slow down the faster riders as long as you keep pedaling. This will be a social ride to try out all these new features. Feel free to sprint at the banners. It will just drag us slower riders along at a faster speed. If you need any help getting set up or have any questions feel free to contact me. If you want to do a short trial run before Tuesday I’ll set something up. Ride On!
Vergle Young
615-542-2324
Here’s the link for Monday’s 8pm Zoom trial run. I’d encourage everyone that wants to join the virtual ride on Tuesday to join me on this test run on Monday night. When setting up your Zoom account, please use an ID/Username that I’ll be able to recognize as you, or as an MBC rider. I’ll accept each participant separately to keep any ”Zoom-bombers” from crashing the party.
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3791648389
Here’s the link to join the Zoom video on Tuesday. I’ve made it so that you’ll have to use the audio from your device.
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3791648389
Everyone needs to join Zoom by 6:15pm. We’ll use 5 minutes to settle in and warm up, and then the Zwift ride starts at 6:20pm. Contact Vergle if you need an invitation to the Zwift ride.
Reminder... if you don’t want to Zwift, just join the Zoom meeting so we can see each other and talk, and you can do your own ride of any sort on your trainer.
Looking forward to it!
thanks for setting this up Mark! Hope to see lots of you out there tonight. Missing my peeps!