Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

In theory, your calculated FTP 'should' be higher from a stand alone effort than from a >20minute Zwift race. Basically, you are aiming to finish the 20minute effort exhausted- like literally not able to stand up. If your best 20minute effort in a Zwift race is anything other than the last 20 then chances are you had more to give.
In practice of course, it takes a lot of motivation to do a good crisp test so the race may give you a higher figure anyway (even if it's still a little lower than you could do).

I hate the Zwift test- the warm up doesn't suit me. I generally get the best stand-alone test from Rubber Glove too.

Was thinking KISS, but 8pm is a bit late

Been lurking on this thread for a while having got Zwift and my 'dumb' trainer now setup with a speed/cadence sensor.

Joined the Strava group and think I'll have a go at the ZTR race at 6.30pm. Only done one race so far which was a four lap ride with only the last lap being a race (SZR Joy Ride I think). Basically watched everyone disappear into the distance at the start and spent the lap burying myself trying to catch anybody! Must start faster it seems!!

Ooof that was some hilly stuff going on today. Almost threw up a kidney at one stage. Then as I was flagging not too far from the top, my turbo threw a hissy fit and was stuck on 77w. I had to get off the bike, power it off and back on. Of course I'd lost all rhythm then and was just rubbish after that, but still it was a good hard climb and plenty of effort.

Of course this means no race tonight as I'm totally knackered now. Along with needing a rest day tomorrow. Phew.

Get the power on hard as the clock ticks down, don't start from 0 pedalling

Do any of you follow a scheduled training plan (from a coach)???

If so, how do you tie it in to zwift?

I have a turbo session scheduled by my coach this evening but it doesn't really match any of the zwift event rides.

What intensity/duration/spec are you looking for Gazhurst?

So basically...5min Z1 WU, 10min Z2 then 3 x 10min at sweetspot with 5min recoveries taking me to the hour

If I didn't want to use Workout mode, I would probably select Fig8 course, use ocean boulevard as a warm up and then do Reverse KOM hill repeats as the intervals. Should be about ten minutes each.

I tried the FTP test last night, tried to hold 200W but I was being a bit optimistic and blew up after 10 minutes. Back to the drawing board

Yeah, I did very similar. The second it hits the big 20 minute block I exploded. I tried to sneak down through the gears, it raised the braking on the turbo to compensate.

I then stuck it down to a slightly more sensible 164 or something (doing the short test), which was much more doable. Not sure why I bothered as it was pulled to 194 after the first race. I doubt I'd do the FTP test again, it really doesn't motivate you at all.

In real world terms, my current fitness equates to not really having done any riding in the last year. Last time I went to Cannock Chase I pushed up the big hill 🙁

I dont mind using the workout mode...I just wondered if people substituted anything in their schedules for events/organised rides in zwift

I personally find I test better if I can't see a live wattage or HR.

I find racing so dynamic that I use it instead of pretty much any interval work. Sometimes I'll set myself a HR limit and end up sitting in with the groups from the back of a race Cat then attacking climbs or sprints etc.

Attacking, there's a concept. I just try and hang on mostly!

Inspired by this thread I treated myself to a T2240, joined the STW Zwift group and had my first proper ride last night.

I have been ill and have barely been on a bike for 4 months. My heart rate is too high, so I was really attracted to having a fun way to get on my bike and stay at home. It's reassuring that if things start going wrong I can just stop and lie on the sofa. There is no way in the world I would have risked going for an outside ride.

I managed an hour and three quarters. Not racing, just pedalling around. Rode just over 50k which I was quite happy with. Sadly my heart still got too high (Strava has me at nearly 18 mins in Z5) so I am going to need to slow down more and I will have to avoid the races for the time being. However I felt great this morning for having had some enjoyable exercise and am going to be riding regularly.

For those reporting the race progress bar not updating in real-time, I too noticed that last night race whereas it definitely was working a few nights ago, so I'm guessing they (Zwift) have introduced a bug...
Fortunately, the total race distance is still displayed so I just tracked my personal distance using the rider nearby panel on the right had side of the screen.
Personally, when racing, it's very useful to keep a close key on that part of the screen as you can see whether you are closing in or falling back from the rider in front (and same with the riders behind), and as you can see their W/Kg, you can see when they are weakening or putting on a spurt...
As regards the starts, some racers all categories start at the same time and some are staggered. If it's a mass start the really isn't much point trying to keep up with the A's and B's if you're a D and I think Zwift needs to flag up which category each rider has entered rather than relying on them manually appending both a race series and a category to their last name.

(Oh and congratulations to timid wheeler! You've made a start!)

Back from my daughters nativity play in time. Planning to enter the KISS race in 25 mins.

gazhurst - Member
I dont mind using the workout mode...I just wondered if people substituted anything in their schedules for events/organised rides in zwift

I've switched out my long aerobic TrainerRoad sessions for potting around Zwift. 3 hours of TR watching a movie is painfully boring, but I can potter around Watopia in Zone 2 quite happily. And it's more convenient than going out in the real world at this time of year. There is coffee.

Had a bit of a sore knee last week so gave the cleats a rest and did more mtbing and climbing but back on it tonight with a proper cadence meter.

Couple of q's...

1, does anyone elses tacx flow make weird creaky noises at very very low speed? I only noticed when calibrating it when it failed a couple of times and I noticed the noise ... finally got it calibrated and riding normally was fine

2, Is there anywhere I can read into my ride data to work out how tragically unfit I am and what to expect in 2 months if I do around 30 - 50 miles a week on zwift? I obviously know it depends if I'm doing intervals ect but I'm following their 6 week ftp plan and want a rough idea of where I'll be going by the time it's done. (being impatience and not waiting for actual results basically)

https://www.strava.com/activities/801577627/analysis

Just finished the KISS race. That was painful, was feeling fine until the last 3 miles, the sprint finish between 7 of us was brutal! I didn't have the legs for it...and lost out.

Excuse: Not too bothered as I wasn't going to bother this evening. 😆
[url= ]And my sports drink didn't work....[/url]

3 mile sprint ... on a bottle of red ? Impressed !

the distance to-go counter never changed

I had this on a ride a week ago. Raised a support ticket with Zwift, and they said to raise another one if it happens again. I know some others who have had the same issue so I'd suggest opening a support ticket with Zwift so they have more info on this glitch.

scaredypants
3 mile sprint ... on a bottle of red ? Impressed !

No no, I bonked with 3 miles to go... and there was only 1/4 bottle left..

My distance to go didn't update either, it said the race was 18 miles when in fact it was more like 19?

Zwift feels different on iOS, in fact it feels easier.. anyone else noticed that? I've played around with the settings to no avail...

Yep I noticed the distance to go was bust and then when I reached the 28.9km mark which I guess was the end there was still some left on the bar?
Only my second race, flatter than last time so more tactics needed, I went out far to fast with the first couple of riders, only hung on for a few kms then dropped back in to no mans lands. most of the time there was a group 30s up and one 30s down, apart from a strange bit where one rider (Jennings) jumped from the group behind to in front within a few kms.

It's amazing how much time you can make up on the hill after bridge/sprint and the roller coaster , 30s is only say a 50w increase for 2-3 min.

I pulled back 30s on some riders on the final sprint last night. Made up about 5-6 places in the last 300m

Ah, sounds like the distance thing was for everyone. Frustratingly it did start going down as I started a second lap.

Botched it up, zoomed off the start, hung with the front groups for 15 minutes or so. Totally ran out of steam and zoomed backwards. Still finding my pace a bit, my first race was smoother, although this one supposedly took my ftp up to 219 (from 194). It seems like such a ridiculous metric, when you die straight after the 20 minutes.

well Cat c was much harder than D,my legs pretty much gave up after 30 mins

It's amazing how much time you can make up on the hill after bridge/sprint and the roller coaster

Chuffing hell Nath!! Just watched some race highlights on Twitch. You were amazing!! You beat a group of well established Zwift racing names too.

I'm going to show my hand now and say you will win a Zwift race before very long- probably by the new year if you do a few 🙂

The distance countdown didn't work for me in the KISS race, it also didn't work for my wife in the earlier ZTR race.

At the start of the KISS C race I found myself in the strange position of being at the front of the lead group as we went into the first tunnel. We formed a fairly big of 20 or so riders and kept a steady pace up on the flat. Tactics seemed to be a big part here as no chance of going off the front, and best to let others sit on the front. The pace picked up a fair bit on the reverse KOM climb and I went over the top with a lead group of 10 riders. For the next flat section we all stuck together and increased the gap on the riders behind. The KOM climb split us further and I ended up in a group of 4 riders, chasing 2 riders who had opened a gap on the climb. We split further on the final small climb, I think I finished 4th on the road, out sprinted by someone who timely used an aero power up. All in all a good race.

Sounds great Jason, well done 🙂

You may pick up some places in the sift??

My progress bar broke about 4km into the ZTR mountain 8 race. Also, everyone else disappeared! I was on my own for the remaining 28km, which pretty much turned it into a mountain TT.

Judging by Strava results, average power seemed to be pretty bang on 2.5, so I'll wait for the results to see what the actual deal was.

You may pick up some places in the sift??

Looking at Zwiftpower probably 2nd overall. Out of the top 9 it was only Skyler and me who were under the 3.2w/kg limit. I think we both spent most of the ride sat in the group...

It's practically always a problem with your internet when everyone disappears. I run an Ethernet cable all the time now and it cured it completely. It used to be ok for solo riding and bad during races but as it got busier, it ended up being a problem that might occur at any time.

crosshair
Chuffing hell Nath!! Just watched some race highlights on Twitch. You were amazing!! You beat a group of well established Zwift racing names too.

I'm going to show my hand now and say you will win a Zwift race before very long- probably by the new year if you do a few

Thanks!

On twitch, what's that?

I concentrated this evening, attacked when everyone else did so I didn't have to TT it. Very nearly lost them at one point and worked hard to get back on their wheels, I got dropped in the sprint though.

Nathan Guerra mentioned me a couple of times, does that make me famous? 😆

One of the places that Nathan streams 🙂

https://www.twitch.tv/nathanguerra/v/107245066

I find it better for watching past broadcasts but use Beam to watch the live ones.

Could well be the Internet, I was upstairs tonight and streaming Radio 6. Exercise Man by Dean Ween came on about 500m from the very top of the mountain, spurred me on a little 🙄

crosshair -
One of the places that Nathan streams

https://www.twitch.tv/nathanguerra/v/107245066

I find it better for watching past broadcasts but use Beam to watch the live ones.

Ah cheers, yeah I watched that while eating my dinner earlier.

Will set up a strava discussion about tomorrow evening in the morning, probably not going to do a race though as my legs are shot now.

Is there anywhere I can read into my ride data to work out how tragically unfit I am and what to expect in 2 months if I do around 30 - 50 miles a week on zwift? I obviously know it depends if I'm doing intervals ect but I'm following their 6 week ftp plan and want a rough idea of where I'll be going by the time it's done. (being impatience and not waiting for actual results basically)

You'll never know from just a single workout ... you'll need to track progress as time goes on. The chap who made the comment below in italics stated that from a starting point FTP in week 1, to doing a hard regular ride at the start of week 6, his FTP had been recalculated at +40. A decent improvement if you started at say around the 200 mark.

Regarding FTP:

[i]My advice for doing the FTP Builder program would be to do a few rides with a high perceived effort in Zwift prior to starting the (FTP workout) program. Then each week on the optional 5th day of the program, do a regular ride in Zwift with a high perceived effort in order to retweak your improving FTP. This should allow for the program to adapt to your improvement and get progressively harder as the program progresses.[/i]

I would agree with that. I did an FTP test at the start, faffed around for a few days on the FTP builder and then did a KISS race for laugh, and my FTP jumped +15 upwards in just that time. ( I make quick early gains in fitness if I've not been on the bike for a long long time)

Impossible to estimate how you'll respond to the training plan. Someone relatively untrained can make huge jumps just by riding regularly, whereas someone already well trained has to work much harder for a smaller gain.

And thats before factoring in like sleep, diet, genetics etc.

I know its not quite the answer you are looking for, but after a couple of years at it, you start to learn what works well for you, and which types of workout generate what type of improvement for different target areas.

Thanks guys - good actionable advice from fisha and a good reality check from andy! 😀

I used Zwift for about six months last winter and found my FTP increased quite a lot when I retested myself every four weeks or so, but the increases weren't necessarily because I was getting that much fitter. I think your FTP is partly a mental thing as in knowing how far into the red you can push yourself, and for how long.
Once you've done a couple, you'll figure out how hard to go out of the blocks and what pace you can sustain, plus whether you can ramp it up for the last couple of minutes to squeeze out another couple of watts.

This winter, I've done two FTP tests so far and the second one resulted in me losing 17 watts purely because I didn't get the pace right (a little rusty, I guess). I'll do another FTP test if I switch back to workouts but, thanks to this thread, I've discovered racing so will stick with that for a while.

Great evenings write up lads 🙂 Nice work all of you.

Today i'm planning on a rest day, i've ridden fairly hard since Sat every day, so the legs/body would appreciate the rest..

Although, it is Richmond today and i don't often see that course layout, i think i've only ridden it once.

I miss Richmond. I used to have some great races on there back in the day. Those triple climbs add a great dimension to the longer races.
When they added the flat route, it made for some of the most brutal online Crits too!!

Results are up for the ZTR race, but I'm not showing up on the list. Judging by the other times and my Strava data, I would have potentially come in second 😥

KISS Results are up, wow that sprint finish was close!

http://www.zwiftpower.com/v2/race.php?id=2033#

8/17 Cat D. Happy with that for my second race as a time strapped Dad with a baby in the house. Interesting to see that the winner has nearly the same w/kg as me, my tactics just need to improve.

I've only used zwift half a dozen times or so, but way better than just turboing. I'm only using it for fairly constant-effort rides though - daren't do a race yet, just in case I find myself in contention at the end ! (aye, right ! - though my w/kg would have me as a pretty decent C)

I can't get to 700w sitting down even for a second or two and if I stand up it feels like I'm going to snap the back end off the bike as it's so rigidly fixed (I definitely have had the trainer lift on one side and it has a VERY wide base). I genuinely think something'd snap if I did a sprint

Been in touch with the coplate geezer to see what he can do, or else it's possibly a rock'n'roll dumb trainer for me

Interesting to see that the winner has nearly the same w/kg as me, my tactics just need to improve.

Been in touch with the coplate geezer to see what he can do, or else it's possibly a rock'n'roll dumb trainer for me

I have a road machine currently. There's a thread on dcrainmaker's site/blog about the KK "smart" trainers though and it seems they've been really shit. I guess they may sort them out but currently I'm oot (coplate would also let you change trainer in the future, I guess)

Yeah, been following the DCR thread, and kind of hoping that KK would a) sort their shit out and b) someone would massively discount the smart control unit! (maybe they'll have to if no-one buys it!)

As it stands if I'm spending that kind of money I'd rather spend the extra & get a Tacx Neo which has a lot more features (and apparently a limited kind of side-to-side action)

8/17 Cat D. Happy with that for my second race as a time strapped Dad with a baby in the house. Interesting to see that the winner has nearly the same w/kg as me, my tactics just need to improve.

It sounds like I'm in a very similar situation, time strapped dad on his second race 🙂

12/17 here, as the "Fatigue Rating" on the right shows, I lost 18% of my power in the second half. It looks like you zoomed past at the 20ish minute mark, never to be seen again.

[url= http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#801655230?c=rtytwzrh&z=F&t=1OK5tx&a=vknIL7REyC_hOsgv ]http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#801655230?c=rtytwzrh&z=F&t=1OK5tx&a=vknIL7REyC_hOsgv[/url]

Hey Toasty - Yes I saw that on the flyby, you were a constant distance ahead of me before you dropped off. The same happened to be at about 3/4 where a couple of riders zoomed past me as my power dropped for a while. Managed to lift if for the last 5km but it was tough.
I'm not sure whether to trust zpower much but down really want to spend on a power meter, I did a real ride with someone at the weekend who is a Cat C on Zwift and I was a little bit stronger than him in real life.
I've done a hilly race and a rolling race now, if any think I struggled more on the flat that the incentive the hill gets despite a low w/kg. Will be interesting to try a flat race next time, and also not in Watopia where each of my 5 Zsift sessions have been.

Ahh, I'm using a Tacx Vortex, like quite a few others in here. I don't worry too much about it's accuracy, as long as it's roughly the same every time so I can see an increase.

I tailed off to walking speed right at the end due to confusion about the finish, due to the distance not changing I thought it was the green marker at 17.1m. I'll know for next time, I don't think it cost me any positions to be fair 🙂

Yes the 17.1 marker was confusing, I saw total the 28.9 distance so carried on as I had someone only 3s behind, there was no mark at the finish so I did another few KM at race pace to be sure, was then to tired to warm down.
I'm really enjoying it so far and it fits well with the family

@alexxx

1, does anyone elses tacx flow make weird creaky noises at very very low speed? I only noticed when calibrating it when it failed a couple of times and I noticed the noise ... finally got it calibrated and riding normally was fine

Mine does, the last couple of seconds as the wheel is spinning down to a stop, it makes a weird creaking sound. I'm using a Continental Turbo Trainer tyre and it's hard to work out whether it's the bearings creaking or some sort of squeaking rubber sound against the plastic roller.

However, mine's also making weird creaking noises when I'm out of the saddle, or even just when my technique goes a bit wobbly and I start moving from side to side on the bike when putting power in - I'm not sure whether it's normal or not, I'm keeping an eye on it as the trainer's only a couple of weeks old. In the meantime, it's encouraging me to develop my inner Tony Martin and keep the core strong and stable when I'm pedalling, keeping the pedalling smooth!

However, mine's also making weird creaking noises when I'm out of the saddle, or even just when my technique goes a bit wobbly and I start moving from side to side on the bike when putting power in - I'm not sure whether it's normal or not, I'm keeping an eye on it as the trainer's only a couple of weeks old.

That's exactly the same as mine, also a couple of weeks old. I took the bike off the stand and checked everything was tight which helped for a few minutes but then it came back. Trying to just ignore it now.

Mine used to squeak with every pedal stroke on my Conti GP 4000 tyre, regardless of tension it seemed to slip. I swapped to a proper Tacx training tyre after 1 day and it's been silent, no more unexpected slipping.

A couple of rooms away there's generally a baby sleeping, it definitely seems to be pretty quiet. Tacx Vortex trainer.

1hr 25 this afternoon, longest I've done. Would have been linger but I was getting bored so sprinted a few climbs, well, sprinted in my world, not most of yours.

Big news is, weight now down to 15st 3 from 16st 8 just 10 weeks ago

Good work Weeksy!

FYI:I weighed myself before and after a Zwift session last week and I dropped 1.5kg of sweat!

It's the trainer creaking in my case I can replicate it by spinning the metal contact wheel of the trainer slowly with the bike off - it feels like something is clicking in the plastic / electronics end... can't be healthy!

I'm going to ride it and swap it before the warrantee is out!

I have no doubt I'm showing a bit light as I've just had a session but I'd guess only a tiny bit. I have until next Friday to hit my target on a 14 on the left side, if that means a 3 hour sweat fest on the Friday I'll still take it!

Excellent work mate

Anybody ever stopped at the edge of the road and failed to get going again?

Yesterday did my first race ZTR D cat - felt surprisingly good but laptop battery got critical 5km from end and I had a bit of W/kg to play with so I got off, plugged in and tried to carry on but despite sustained persistent efforts my zwift alter ego wouldn't get going again. No connections were dropped and everything was as it should be.
Milldy annoying as I averaged 2.501 w/kg according to starva and there was a bunch of d cats 20 secs behind and a few jokers over 1.30 up the road(clearly way over D cat) but the racing was really addictive. Got in some nice groups nice some excellent wheel sucking.

That is great weight loss weeksy.

Lowered your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, certain types of cancer.

Plus motivated a lot of people to try something they never would have considered - the dreaded turbo.

TOTY award contender surely.

The BP factor is an important one for me, I've always struggled with it, even at my peak of fitness. Doctors have struggled to work it out as its been borderline high, but a HR of 43.
Once I hit 14 something I'm then at my best weight in 4-5 years. Once I hit 14st 7 then I'll be at my lowest in my grown life. I spent a chunk of my 30s up near and eventually over 20st.

Its not me who needs the plaudits, its Crosshair. I was a massive cynic and not only did he inspire me hugely and also gave me a chunk of the kit to do zwift.

You'll be believing in Santa next 😀

Good skills on the weight! I'm having an R+R week so mines going up 🙁

Wow nice work @weeksy (&crosshair)

Cat B by summer?

Have you set an ultimate target weight/goal?

Me? No chance of cat B mate, none at all. Road stuff isn't my preference, its dirt I enjoy and once the weather allows I'll be out in dirt more. My goals lie more in xc racing than roadie stuff

My ultimate goal weight was 15st 0. That was what I thought as my right maintainable weight. But now as we reach that goal a hell of a lot quicker than I thought possible, I sit and think 14st 7 by June trip, but then I think hmmm, could make 14st 0. Once I get to 15, its all a bonus.

I think once your body is used to shedding weight, eating less and exercising more the weight just continues to drop off. I wouldn't be surprised if you hit 14st by then at your current rate.

For me my ultimate aim was 75kg, I was eating healthy - little but very often. Once my body had got used to that I made it to 65kg before people started commenting I looked ill/ghostly. I then decided that I felt/looked the healthiest at 68-70kg. It's all a happy medium.

Ah I was going to say Hillingdon winter series 17/18? 😆

Gorrick.

Is Zwift Power down for anyone else?

zwift was struggling this evening. crashed several times trying to get on and everyone kept dissapearing. I had to manually upload the .fit file from my activities folder.

first time on the richmond course and i'm not a big fan.

weight now down to 15st 3 from 16st 8 just 10 weeks ago

Nice one!

Was debating rest day today, but it seems my slightly easier pace yesterday has paid off, as well as it being almost 90 mins of riding, my legs are not as destroyed as you'd expect 🙂 Of course this can all change about 2 mins into a ride and you find you have nothing at all.

I'll take a slightly early lunch-break today though and jump on the 11.05 KISS Americas C race. I wasn't initially going to, but it's now got 25 riders in C so i may find someone to play with near the back of the pack with a bit of luck, It's 2 laps of London Loop, which i'm pretty sure means twice up Box Hill, which i've really struggled with physically and mentally previously. I go off too hard, try to hang with the faster guys as i've held with them on the flat, i then pay the price massively... So today i need to hold 2.5w/kg on Box as i know i can maintain it down the back side and onto lap 2.

Well, i hope so anyway 🙂

weight now down to 15st 3 from 16st 8 just 10 weeks ago

Crazy weight loss, really well done! Are you allowing yourself to eat vaguely normally and burning it though the exercise? Just curious as it's normally how I end up going. The fitter I get, the further/harder I ride, the more calories I can burn. Stuff like My Fitness Pal just falls apart when you've got an extra 1500 or so from exercise.

I did the 50km Specialized challenge last night, on the Richmond map. I'll do the other 2 maps over the next week or so. I obviously need a £6000 road bike to sit in my turbo trainer.

Edit: Oh and the Richmond map seemed super boring, very good for spinning while watching a film though!

Toasty,
I'm using the 5-2 So 600 cal days max on the 2, then whatever on the 5. This morning for example i had pancakes and syrup for brekkie, so i'm not holding back on the 5 days. I rarely drink though if that helps. I don't use MFP or any other calorie app, i just enjoy the 5 days but don't sit there stuffing my face.
I have to admit, i'm less likely to grab a large hazlenut latte though that i would have previously.. But cake/dessert/everything else is fair game.

I've done a nice easy 30 mins warm up now pre-race, just wanted to tick over some calories really as Mrs Weeksy is WFH so i'm pretty much banned to the garage while i'm WFH.

Oof, very well done sticking to that with the hefty exercise! Sounds like you've found a good routine given your progress in races and weight loss.

I know when I first lost a chunk of weight I found it quite empowering, knowing it was something you can do again if you ever need to.