The Orwell no-drop group spin on Zwift on Sunday 17th May will be at
10.05am, 1 hour earlier than previous, and will be the
"Big Foot Hills"
route. The earlier start and the longer route are in response to suggestions in the recent forum posts.
I estimate the full ride will take between 2 and 2.5 hours. You can drop out during the ride if you're short of time but
you can't join the ride after it has started. Please allow plenty of time to get set up and do a bit of warmup - don't get left behind!
All welcome, no matter what level of rider, and from Zwift first timers to hardened old hands. Zwift's "no-drop" function means the group will stay together no matter how hard you ride on the front or how easy you take it on the back. If you need help getting set up for Zwift look at recent posts here in the forum, or just post a question below. We're here to help.
If you plan to do the full distance don't forget to bring extra water and something to eat. Or you could just arrange for your house mate to bring you a cup of coffee and a scone about half way through. Also don't forget to have your computer and phone on charger power - using Zwift discharges batteries more quickly than normal.
Registration
Please fill in this form to join the meetup:
Part of the message is hidden for the guests. Please log in or register to see it.
Registration will close 30 minutes before the scheduled start, or when 100 riders have registered.
Ride banter
We'll be using Discord for voice chat during the ride. Almost all Orwell riders are using it during spins, races, and fund raising rides. If you haven't tried it yet give it a go this time. It adds hugely to your ride experience, and it's really easy to set up - just install the software, create an account, and click on the link below.
If you've already joined the Orwell Discord channel then all you have to do is log in to Discord again before the ride. This is the same Discord channel that is used for the club races, so if you joined the voice channel for that then you only have to log in again..
If you haven't yet joined the Orwell Discord channel, then install the Discord app on your computer or phone, create an account for yourself, and then click on this link:
Part of the message is hidden for the guests. Please log in or register to see it.
If there's a choice, select "open with Discord". If required, select "Join". Click on the Orwell yellow O icon. There is a text channel and a voice channel. To get to the voice channel, click on the menu icon (3-lines) if necessary, then under "Voice channels" click on "Group ride banter". If requested, grant Discord the permissions it needs to use your microphone and speakers.
Reconnect to the Discord channel before our ride starts by logging back in to Discord and selecting "Group ride banter" as above. There's no need to keep the Discord app displayed, it will work perfectly well in the background or with the screen off.
Headphones or earbuds + microphone are strongly recommended. You'll hear better, and others will hear you better.
