Today I ventured outside for my slow spin ride as ive been on zwift all week and figured some fresh air may do me good. I got bored having to think about potholes and traffic wishing I was back on the trainer. Addicted.

I’ve entered into the tour de zwift ride tomorrow morning, 530 people in cat c so far, I can see it being carnage!

couldnt be bother to wait for a race so did the road to ruins loop.

I know in a race you dont see other non-racers, but when you are just riding around do you see racers?

I have the tron bike but riding the madone recently – is the tron markedly faster?

Messed up tonight- wife and daughter are away this weekend, and I’ve been itching to Zwift all day, but stuck at work. So get home, straight in, planned on 20 miles up and around the Volcano.

I was feeling pretty in the zone- too much, it seems, at mile 1. Average FTP was about 4.6 w/kg, whereas I’m usually 3 or so. Thinking it was just a Zwift bug, and feeling good, I pressed on.

By about mille 5 or 6, I realised that this odd power increase was still present. What was more was that I’d seemingly just won a sprint, which hasn’t ever happened ever. It couldn’t have been the turbo, I calibrated it the other day. So….I kept on.

By mile 13 or so I spotted something was seriously adrift. I remembered that Zwift has a viewpoint feature, but had never used it. After 2 or so miles, I worked out how its done, and shifted the viewpoint to a frontal view. Something oddly….female about my avatar tonight? This is some serious glitching! And a heck of a lot of thumbs-ups from other riders tonight….

Anyway, blind to my obvious stupidity, I carried on to mile 20 then quit. Only to be told that my estimated FTP had risen from 209…..to 239….whereas my norm right now is about 245.

The penny dropped as I was mopping up. I’d accidentally logged in on the Apple TV as my 14 year old daughter……she’s very precious about her stats and won’t be happy 🙁

😆 at Cody

LOL – crying!

@mashiehood

Tron bike: 50:52/lap

Trek Madone: 51:05/lap

https://zwiftinsider.com/5-fastest-bikes/

It’s not about the bike.

just read that zwiftinsider article – seems that height doping is also possibly a thing 😯

Yes – height affects how it works out your drag & has a marked effect apparently. Glad I’m a short arse for once 🙂

but when you are just riding around do you see racers?

i think so, often see big packs of riders thundering through!

yes, me too – at 4ft8 there’s little else in life to celebrate 😉

Bloody hell, that was the hardest race I’ve done so far. Not had a chance to pour over the stats properly yet but started getting tingles all over my body like I was coming up at one point. Every incline had me pushing to stay with the lead group but just couldn’t hack it just as we went into the 4th lap.

I had about 1:20 on the chasers with 10k to go but they were reeling me in, one got past me in the last 500m but held the rest off.

Absolutely nothing left in the tank, im still shaking like a leaf now an hour (a chocolate yoghurt thing and a nana/oats/honey/milk recovery shake later)

Edit WBR 4 lap wattopia flat

I know in a race you dont see other non-racers, but when you are just riding around do you see racers?

Not sure if they were racing or it was fast group rides but I have been swamped by big groups going passed me.

Did the three sisters today to get my vertical metres up for the Everest challenge. 900m put me at 43% completed. I was worried as the last time I did it both my calves seized and it nearly killed me but if seemed a lot easier today. It was nice for the confidence in passing a whole lot of people as well. Zwift even said I had increased my ftp to 218w so I am on the cusp of racing (and getting spanked) in the Bs. That was a surprise as I wasn’t flogging myself.

I am not sure it was a fair increase though as on the hills you are pumping out more watts anyway. Saying that they must makes some allowance for it as my best 20min is 229w which I equalled today.

Thanks for the ride on scaredy!

Tour de Zwift was fun – 156th out of 450 so not too bad after a week off the bike 3.5w/kg

mashiehood – Member
Tour de Zwift was fun – 156th out of 450 so not too bad after a week off the bike 3.5w/kg

Nice job. I only noticed the email at 10am this morning, will try for the ones next week.

Shandy – Member
Mine connected with both my iPhone and Surface via Bluetooth the other day when I set it up. Tonight the Kikr was showing as connected on the Surface, but Zwift couldn’t pick it up at all.

I tried to Join and pay on the iPhone and got an error message. I paid on PayPal in a browser and and then managed to get the iPhone working and start an FTP test in erg mode. Did the whole warmup routine and then erg mode cancelled itself when the FTP test started, all the resistance fades and the most I could spin it up to was about 135 watts. I’m using a 29 hardtail frame with a 36 front ring but 36-11 for 20 minutes flat out would be a lot more than 135 watts.

I don’t know if you got to the bottom of the FTP test thing, but we’ve just had the same issue using a Kickr and a MacBook Pro. My gf tried to do the short FTP test workout and when the FTP test started, she basically lost all resistance and the trainer topped out at a steady 130 watts or so.

After a bit of digging, the answer for us seemed to be to connect with ANT+ rather than Bluetooth and select the FEC mode when pairing the trainer. A quick spin through the test suggests that’s sorted it.

As far as I can work out the FEC mode thing seems to be the key to it. With the MBP, I don’t think it’s actually an option under Bluetooth, though I may be being thick, hence the ANT+ thing. The Sufferfest app won’t control the trainer under Bluetooth with Mac OS currently, hence having the ANT+ stuff to hand.

Anyway, thought I’d leave this here in case it helps anyone else. There’s also a thread about it on the Zwift support hub thing: https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/115018151903-FTP-test-bug-fail?page=1#community_comment_115001500531

There’s a Clyde race today. Cats based upon weight. So I’ll be in the 90+kg cat. Up a Hilly route. Should be quite interesting to see how people go.

mashiehood – Member
Tour de Zwift was fun – 156th out of 450 so not too bad after a week off the bike 3.5w/

Nice work indeed. I fancied that one but I wouldn’t have quite finished in time for family stuff

What’s the tour de zwift – the whole of watopia? (at 3.5 w/kg? 😯 )

Nah it was 3 laps volcano flat

I really enjoyed the ride today although it was bonkers with so many people.

On screen i came 55th in cat C but got dq’d as i rolled over the line at 3.4w/kg. There was a group about 15secs in front that I felt needed bringing back and led a charge out to it. Unfortunately once I made it to them there was a slight incline and I had nothing left to stay in the group. I think if i didnt try and bridge my w/kg wouldnt have gone over which is frustrating.

One other thing I got a new max hr on the ride of 176bpm, avergae hr was 167bpm. Dead.

Oh jeeeez that killed me. I can’t actually speak, trying to hold back the puke.
In all honesty it wasn’t the most exciting race, groups split lots, had a 4 man group but the incline after bridge goes on forever and my legs didn’t have it.
Got caught with 300m to go by 3 others and passed, I was toast by then.

Utterly destroyed

The P-race wasn’t any more fun Weeksy. A huge group got away at the start and I just couldn’t hang on. Spent the remaining 3 and 3/4 laps in a small group trying to catch back up. Never did.

I’m just back into zwift after a forced layoff bikes, and life in general. I broke/shattered T3 vertebrae after a OTB and into a tree in the local forest back in September. 8 weeks flat bed rest (op was too risky apparently) was the treatment, which is pretty savage to your muscles. I came out at the end of November with a spinal brace and just standing was an achievement.

Well Christmas came and so did my enthusiasm to get back on a bike, so into the house came the turbo and fired up Zwift. Just building up general strength again at the moment just 30mins or so at a time (1lap wattopia just!), but its so nice to back in a saddle, even in this straightjacket of a brace. Looking forward to pushing on.

Welcome into the topic Nuts (you see what I did there)

Good luck with the recovery mate

Glad to hear your back on the road to recovery, that accident sounds grim!

Would it be worth organising a stw group ride at some point?

I got thrown off the TDZ stage 1 leader board too! I usually manage around 3 to 3.3w/kg so thought it would be sensible to go for Cat C over the 20 odd miles. Went off thinking the pace of around 3.5 wouldnt last but everyone was hammering away still after the first lap and by that point I got carried away keeping with groups as opposed to watching the power. The clue should have been how I was dying by mid way in to lap 3. I ended up 74th in C after a gruelling final sprint, but then to my horror saw 3.5w/kg. Will have to go in B for the next stage to avoid the same again even though I don’t reckon my abilities will serve me so well on the next course.

That’s a fine power there buddy! I feel a little inadequate today compared to many STWers.

Cheers. It’s not really a fair reflection I doubt though, as z power only on the turbo bike and not been outdoors for weeks so haven’t had a chance to check my current abilities with the power meter! Only managed 3.1w/kg for last weeks medio Dolomites Fondo and I’m 6’2’ 79kg so looks better than it is. First hill and I go backwards quick haha.

@79kg you’re getting sold all sympathy from me

@cycle86 I must have been in the group just one in front of you, I was holding on for the pace to drop a little before lap 1 was over, shocked it stayed at full beans for the whole race.

I dont think it helped the way they staggered starts, there were A’s in my group that I think pushed the pace up. I notice for the next stage they are letting the faster groups go off first.

Quite possible. Tried 2/3 times to bridge across in lap 2 & 3 but pace was too high for solo efforts. There were D riders in front I never reached. Looking on zwift power there were riders with a listed 3.3w/kg who didn’t get dq’d from D though which was odd. Definitely a messy one! Aiming to do the full 5, but stage 4 on three sisters worries me most.

Enjoyed the TDZ, but found the pace brutal.
In group C at the end of lap 1 I was in 170th position, lap 2 180th, and lap 3 215th. Everyone around was over 3w/kg for most of the time. ZP has me in 86th position now???
I was blowing at the end. One guy admitted to puking at the end.
Only saw C’s.
Kept having to remind myself it wasn’t a race, just finish to qualify to be in with a chance for one of the Elite trainers.
There was some good banter afterwards too, and exchanged a couple of words with Eric Min too?
Looking forwards to next Saturday’s ride around the three sisters, even at 192cm and 90kg.
Is everyone in the STW Team?

First ride on zwift yesterday evening – where/how do I sign up to the races .. and STW team?

signing in to races is easiest on the zwift app (“mobile link”) – you need a zwiftpower registration to race too, I think. It’s worth doing anyway, even if it isn’t essential

Can’t remember how to “join” team STW. I’t just a matter of typing STW in a box somewhere but I can’t remember where 😳

Can’t find it…. Hmmmm.

on the zwiftpower profile page (access from icon @ top right of the zwiftpower page), my team is listed as STW and if I click on that it just takes me to the STW team page. I wonder if that section of my profile was blank I might be able to type something in ?

I was thinking of entering a race tomorrow morning and the schedule says London but most of the races indicate Watopia apart from a couple of WBR races which say London. Any ideas what’s up?

Not sure what is happening there Forza but i will likely be on the 10:15 4 lap flat race. I will be riding the mountain beforehand to warm up and gain some height as i inch closer to the tron bike.

I was thinking of entering a race tomorrow morning and the schedule says London but most of the races indicate Watopia apart from a couple of WBR races which say London. Any ideas what’s up?

Switchover on US time?

The switchover is at 04:00 GMT. All the confusion is after that.