Race Stage 5: Fresh Outta ’25 Gentil 8

When I first began on Zwift, I was eager to dive into racing. I timed my purchase perfectly to start with the Fresh Outta ’25 series, which featured five stages. Today, I completed the final stage—Gentil 8.

I have really enjoyed the previous stages and they have helped teach me a little about this sort of racing. The biggest thing I have learnt, is that I have a lot to learn.

The Gentil 8 course was challenging to plan for tactically. I hadn’t ridden the course before, but I doubt it would have altered my approach if I had.

Work To My Strengths

One thing I’ve discovered in my early Zwift experience is that I’m naturally suited to climbing. I’m light—around 57kg the last time I checked—and I have solid endurance to back me up. According to ChatGPT, I have the right attributes to be a strong climber.

The tricky part was that the main climb in the Gentil 8 course comes quite early, leaving over 15 km of riding afterward. Essentially, the race can’t be won on that climb alone.

That said, I still had to make that climb count.

A Fast Start

Originally, I planned to enter the fastest race available because I wanted a quicker pace that suited me. However, the participant numbers in those races weren’t very promising, so I opted for a lower category instead, which ended up with around 50 starters.

I was satisfied with that decision once the race began, as it kicked off at a predictably fast pace.

I never struggled to keep up, but I still had to put in some effort, which was exactly what I wanted.

The Climb

We reached the base of the climb, and I took a moment to steady myself as the incline grew steeper.

I wasn’t completely certain how I would play it, but once I noticed myself naturally advancing, I knew I had to keep pushing forward.

My goal wasn’t to isolate myself but to extend the race and ideally help form a small breakaway group.

I was beginning to worry when a Polish rider steadily advanced through the field as we neared the summit. In the end, he overtook me and reached the top of the mountain first.

Being beaten to the top of the mountain didn’t bother me, but now I faced a choice: sit and let the others catch up or keep pushing forward.

The Hard Way

The decision was to move forward, and fortunately, the Polish man appeared eager as well.

I knew that descending was crucial. There was no time to focus on recovery. We had to keep pushing all the way down to prevent the gap from closing.

Whether the rest of the field remained unfazed or decided to recover, I’m not sure, but we reached the flat section, and if anything, the gap was widening.

I knew I could maintain a strong pace, but there was still a long way ahead. With only the two of us, this was going to be a tough challenge.

Backing Myself

In this situation, I had to trust myself and rely on the endurance I possess. I could tell the Polish lad was strong as well.

The longer the race continued, the more I found myself checking the time gaps behind me.

I knew I could maintain my effort, but if the main pack launched a charge, we might not be able to hold them back.

The Final 5km

I noticed one rider launched a charge near the end, and the gap began to close rapidly. At that moment, I knew we had to crush their spirits.

I began pushing hard, doing everything I could to ensure anyone chasing us would have to fight to catch up.

It had worked as the gap began to open up towards 20 seconds. At that moment, I realised the race was now between just two of us—and for me, it meant facing the dreaded sprint.

It’s All About Timing

With my strengths geared towards climbing and enduring long, tough efforts, a final sprint isn’t exactly my idea of fun.

I tried to push a little in the last couple of kilometers, but my legs had very little energy left.

After watching a couple of Gentil 8 videos on YouTube I knew the finish needed to be timed late—I just didn’t realise how late.

I gave it my all with 200 meters to go and, for a brief moment, believed I had it. Then I saw the Polish rider close the gap of 4 seconds and surge past me as if I wasn’t even there.

Yes, I was a bit disappointed by that, but I have no complaints. I gave it my all, and although it was a challenging way to race—and probably not the ideal approach for the Gentil 8 course—I absolutely loved it.

Moving forward, I need to focus on faster races against faster riders, but I also suspect I’ll need to be a bit smarter in those to achieve a good result.