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It's like me winning the Tour de Berkshire and moaning that British Cycling never gave me any points for it. If I want some of the Cat 4 points- I need to race the races where they are on offer. 😆
You could race B! Which if you did a proper FTP test is probably where you should be.
That's the other thing. Enforcement is already lenient- it's based on your race pace which is very rarely as good as you could achieve in a 20min ALL OUT effort to exhaustion. Where as Cats are your FTP.
If you want to enjoy spanking C riders then you need to accept it comes at a price.
If you raced B, you'd have a chance of getting CVR points and would probably learn more and get fitter.
If you want to enjoy spanking C riders then you need to accept it comes at a price.
LOL i don't spank anyone ! I got outsprinted into 6th...
B is coming, sooner or later... I'd imagine January will see me starting on the 1st of the month hitting B races.
crosshair - Member
It's like me winning the Tour de Berkshire and moaning that British Cycling never gave me any points for it. If I want some of the Cat 4 points- I need to race the races where they are on offer
You're just making stuff up now.
I'm not saying i should get more points for beating C riders, i'm saying i shouldn't lose points for starting 4 mins behind the As. Anyway, this isn't getting very far, so lets move on.
On that subject, I'm going to enter a 1 lap race in Cat B at the weekend or Monday to see how it goes. In the last couple of short races I've done I've been racing with the Bs and the people I've finished behind have all generally been upgraded to B. My weight means I am comfortably C but as I see it I need to make the step up to continue to progress.
Your NP was 320 for 16minutes today. Assuming you could have held that for four more mins, that puts your calculated FTP @ at least 304w!!
What do you weigh?
You're just illustrating how CVR works- it doesn't reward sandbagging. If you raced where you *should* be racing, you'd score points.
muggomagic - Member
On that subject, I'm going to enter a 1 lap race in Cat B at the weekend or Monday to see how it goes. In the last couple of short races I've done I've been racing with the Bs and the people I've finished behind have all generally been upgraded to B. My weight means I am comfortably C but as I see it I need to make the step up to continue to progress.
You'll do fine in shorter and flatter races within B mate, without a shadow of a doubt (As would i), it's only on the longer hillier stuff we're we'd both struggle. The bunch may have surges that you'll have issues with though, but you should be fine on a 1 lapper.
Stick a post up when you're decided on which event, I'll try and make it...I've got Sat daytime only really though as weekend is busy with my lads football and Star Wars 🙂
crosshair - Member
Your NP was 320 for 16minutes today. Assuming you could have held that for four more mins, that puts your calculated FTP @ at least 304w!!What do you weigh?
You're just illustrating how CVR works- it doesn't reward sandbagging. If you raced where you *should* be racing, you'd score points.
Yes i could have held the pace for 4 more mins... It wouldn't have if i've done the sprint of course, but i could have stayed at the power for the majority of the race up for longer.
Weight 95-96kg currently.
Will do weeksy. Realistically it'll be Monday. I'm out on a xmas piss up tonight and taking the kids to see star wars tomorrow afternoon, then out on the mtb Sunday.
Monday works after 2 until 4.... or after 5pm.... Either of them is good for me 🙂
Currently no MTB here due to spannering my hand a bit.
You're not losing points for starting behind A's. You're just not beating anyone who statistically you should based on previous races.
So the same as I don't get points for smashing a charity fun ride, you don't get them for beating people with less points than you already.
Frank Garcia himself races A and he's only got about 3.5w/kg. Why? Because he's a big guy like us (and Zwift is kind to big riders) and that's where the points and potentially the prizes are.
So you can either race for C Cat glory or chase CVR points. Two different systems require two different approaches.
Righto, after 5 is good for me as I get in around 4ish.
Those gold cups do look nice though 🙂
So you can either race for C Cat glory
LOL i race Cs for fun and battles, not for the glory of the trophies.. 🙂
It's just enjoyable to have plenty of others to battle against.
I do get your point and i'll jump up Cat.
Yeah, so in all out 20min to exhaustion test you are at least 3.2 FTP/kg- probably a touch over.
You've been easily top ten in C for well over a month with the exception of the KISS race. So my original response still stands. Either race higher profile races with a better standard of C rider and try and nab their points or race B in the daytime races.....
Profile edited... I'm now 'officially' going to get battered by all the Bs on here like Scaredypants and Zilog !
I race C at the moment but would probably do OK bringing up the rear in B! Maybe I'll make the switch 🙂 Well up for a 1 lapper on Monday though!
I feel chastised by association of having a similar FTP. I'll race B from now on also. Not that I know or have a plan on when to race next.
Plus if I go up I should keep ahead of Weeksy on CVR ranking ;0)
I'm not getting my hopes up. Recovering after minor surgery currently, mostly by eating mince pies and cream. FTP may well be a solid cat D by the time my output and weight have settled at their new levels !going to get battered by all the Bs on here like Scaredypants and Zilog !
FFS, you're all running scared now ! Sheesh...
😉
damn right weeksy !
(Strava form is through the roof just now, mind. Not sure they have that quite right, really. Maybe I'll jump on and smash out a one-lapper just to see, followed by smashing out my innards alien-style through the incision 😀 )
I wasn't chastising Weeksy- I couldn't care less where he races but it ended up being ridiculously hard to explain to him why sandbagging in C wasn't getting him any points 😆
Race cats were originally created on an almost totally arbitrary basis to best cater for peoples desire for close racing. It doesn't actually work that well unless everybody weighed the same!
That's why CVR have developed rankings in the first place, to try and better categorise the racing based on race results not the 'finger in the air' Cat boundaries.
But the cats are ftp/kg NOT "0.95 x best race 20mins/kg" so the enforcement is already quite generous.
Under a points based system, Weeksy would have upgraded a while ago. He's chose to hang around in C so he's run out of points to grab under the CVR system.
You need to drill where the oil is 🙂
so he's run out of points to grab under the CVR system.
You need to drill where the oil is
I got 19 points for this mornings effort
🙂
FWIW, seeing how quick you were on the Compton group ride LAST year Weeksy, I'd be scared IRL now!
I'd do you on the kickers or drop you by accelerating hard every couple of minutes but a flat TT would be pretty close I think. 304w is a useful tool!!!
I got 19 points for this mornings effort
😯 Exactly- its mass start so plenty of oil!!
It wasn't. It was 2 mins splits. Cs went off 4 mins after A, 2 mins after B.
But the result is currently Cs only onto CVR, that's rarely how they do it.
Ah sorry- looked at the wrong one.
FWIW, seeing how quick you were on the Compton group ride LAST year Weeksy, I'd be scared IRL now!
I'd do you on the kickers or drop you by accelerating hard every couple of minutes but a flat TT would be pretty close I think. 304w is a useful tool!!!
Looking at Strava from them days and comparing my actual output via Zwift, I was arguably slightly better then, that ride was about the best I've ever been. I'd say even on a fully tested FTP test now I'd be very lucky to hit 300.
That said, I'm not sure how it manages with terrain etc. If it was a 2% hill I think I could possibly mange it, but if you get the kicks and drops with terrain, I'd struggle.
I could try one I guess, but curious how it does inclines/power etc.
Weeksy dont bother doing B races as you might get in the way of all my trophy glory! I really dont need more competition. Kids have broken up now so no racing for me for a couple of weeks so you guys best keep the trophy cabinet filled up.
Mate, I'm not going to be troubling the podium on a B race. No chance. I'll be back to praying for anything other than last.
I'd say even on a fully tested FTP test now I'd be very lucky to hit 300.
That's not true going on today's race. You did 320w weighted today for 16minutes. So at one speed in one gear at one cadence, 320 for 20 minutes is totally plausible!
It wasn't that many weeks ago I only managed 313 for 20minutes.
I've just been in a race with Ian Bibby from JLT Condor. I certainly taught him a lesson.............on how to get dropped from the group before the end of lap three.
I think he won the race, but I was only a few minutes behind.
Nowt wrong with being dropped by him. You're far from the only rider to have that happen.
tomlevell - MemberAre you using a smart trainer?
If so have you found the RPM gets ramped up towards the end of some of the sessions? Thought it was odd at first but is a recurring theme on some sessions in weeks 3-4.
More guidance from Zwift would be useful as your going in blind and not knowing what to expect and how much they want you to do around the 4 days a week. I'm doing the sessions when I can while doing other stuff on the other days of the week.
Sorry Tom, just seen this.
Yeah, I'm using a Tacx Flow Smart.
I'm not entirely sure, but i think that the rpm is dictated mainly by you. If you speed up, it eases off the resistance.
I've been doing workouts before when my cadence creeps up and up and wondered what was going on, but realised that if you reduce your rpm the resistance creeps up.
There are workouts where it asks you to sustain a certain power at a certain rpm.
Race just after 9 or longer and slight slower at 9.15 hmmm
Not sure I've got a race in me today, but I've felt like that before and as soon as you get going it's all ok.
But I do need some miles in to reach the 8000km target.
Nice work beej. There should definitely be an end of level boss to do battle with 🙂
Sweet. Regret all that climbing I wasted on distance challenges first 🙁 only 11% towards the tron
Did a zhr ride, was described as 1.5-2.0 but the other description had it at 2-3.
Did 65km in a decent group, but not much chat, no matter how hard I tried, it was just me and one other chatting.
Ended ride 65km in and 220w average. These was 10km left of the ride but I'd reached my attention span threshold 15 mins earlier. Wasn't a slow pace by any means, 39kmh overall. Average HR of 141
weeksy, I suspect that lots of riders (like me) have no bloody idea about chatting mid-ride
65km and not even racing? - zzzzzzzzzzz (I'm sure it's good for you though; all I do is short rides)
Wasn't too dull, Mrs Weeksy had gone Xmas shopping and my lad was shooting people on Xbox, so just passed some time really.
I'm more short than long usually, but I need a few long ones to get to 8000km. Currently on 7720km for the year now.
I'm within 2km climbing of getting an attention-seeker bike like beej up there. I'm in the middle of 2wk off work as well, but can't ride. Can you imagine any greater misery ?
😀
Did the Pretzel today, at my own pootling along pace surprisingly easy.
I did find myself wondering how a double would feel
I've done a few rides in the past 2 weeks, since buying the new 2240, and I'd forgotten how much fun it is- if also brutal.
I've got the trainer etc set up in the conservatory in the house, an Apple TV4 as the head unit, and by the time I'm finished every window is misted up!
I've only really bimbled at present, getting a feel for the courses etc. The hilly ones are attractive to me somehow, but its very immersive. I think I'm still in the STW group so will join up for some rides soon- I think my average power is about 240w according to Zwift, which seems well below where you all are now 🙁
That depends on your weight sir. 240w is great if you're 75,kg, not so great if you're 125kg