Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

@mlpinto it has been perfect up until now.

The only things that have failed are: the power to my router, the garage door coming off, remote desktop crashing on my pc so racing blind and now mobile link failing.

Roll on the iOS app!!

When's the iOS app due out? I may hold off buying a new laptop if I can run it on my iPad.

Hob nob, have a browse around, ZTR races are 18:30 and are just as slick. The only difference is that PU's and TT bikes are banned. They often have some longer races too and the starts aren't quite as manic.

Then, if you look around to different timzones, you'll find stuff like SZR (Swedish Zwift Race) and ODZ (one of the few series enforcing a neutral start in some of their races) running some great events.
EVR, Bolt Racing Series and of course, The Friday Criterium are other top brands and then you have some niche races like the ZHR Hare and Hounds.

My impression is that KISS are angling to be 'the' race series when racing finally gets too big for Zwift to ignore which is why they pioneer so much stuff these days.
But their races aren't necessarily better.....

Third time lucky! I finally got everything organised and lined up for the KISS TT tonight.

Painful stuff, my legs still feel like jelly, but really enjoyed it. Like THV3, I have also been listed as U, so clearly the third time wasn't the charm that I imagined. I've checked strava and the race hasn't transferred over.

Was it just me or do you get lower power on the TT bike, tonight was the first time i've used one.

Matt

Not sure about lower power, but you don't get drafting effect AFAIK.

An update on the power readings: I was right, the Tacx WAS reading high. Compared to the calibrated readings on the normally-pretty-accurate Stages crank, the numbers the Tacx was feeding Zwift were 10-15% higher, which wasn't physically possible.

However, I downloaded the "Tacx Utility" app for my iPhone and ran that, which updated the firmware and then calibrated the unit (it needs a LOT of pressure between the roller and the tyre!) and the numbers started looking more normal. The Stages and the Tacx were usually within 1-3W of each other, which was quite reassuring.

...of course, it meant that my "new FTP" from my first ride has to be discounted, because it was erroneously measured, but at least it gives me something to train for!

The cadence issue was also fixed by using the Stages as the cadence sensor, although that's highlighted a separate issue where occasionally it will only register half my cadence (thus half my power). Time for a new battery and a firmware update check... all teething troubles, I'm looking forward to getting some more proper training in!

Also, I changed my reality setting to 100% because a) I'm training to ride in the real world and b) I've got all those gears on my bike, I should probably use them! I don't think it gives me any particular advantage or disadvantage compared to other riders except having to change gears more often - Zwift say that the power output is what moves the rider.

when you calibrate where are you sitting between the lines? mine is about 1/3 of the way inbetween towards the low side. any tighter and the calibration seems to fail.

I've also found a lag of a second or so between the grade on the road stepping up and the tacx upping the resistance. one the rollercoaster section on watopia flat it is particulary noticable.

also, i did the specialized 50k challenge last night only to find it didn't bloody register.

Right, I need some advice 🙂

I'm just coming back to doing things after 6 weeks off riding/running (broken foot healing). Its been tricky getting a shoe to fit well without pain, but it feels a lot better now.

So I did a Zwift "FTP" test on Tuesday night. This seemed to be a 70 min one; warmups at certain power levels (I have a 2240 now), then a 20 minute ride at FTP, then a cooldown. It was hard and I felt it, its been a long 6 weeks.

Numbers wise, my FTP averaged 198w, which is more or less where I thought it would be- I'm generally a bit sub-par, back of the bunch kind of rider.

This would make me (I think) in 'D'?

Does Zwift have a training course I can follow to get me where I want to be- in 'C'. I need to lose weight (11.5 stone and 5' 7") and I'll work on that at the same time, but is there a Zwift plan I can follow?

This would make me (I think) in 'D'?

Does Zwift have a training course I can follow to get me where I want to be- in 'C'. I need to lose weight (11.5 stone and 5' 7") and I'll work on that at the same time, but is there a Zwift plan I can follow?

@codybrennan - If your 95% FTP is 198W and you weigh 73kg then you will be at 2.7W/KG = Zwift Category C

Just noticed than on the KISS Europe, Tue Dec 6th 2016 14:00 the results have changed, looks like a few folk have been DQ'd. I'm 23rd now 🙂
http://www.zwiftpower.com/v2/race.php?id=1970

Looking at the stats from last night so far, it's sickening if they stay like that as I was pushing out the highest W/KG I've ever done and only 8 secs from the leader. 😐 http://www.zwiftpower.com/v2/race.php?id=1971

@jam bo - I'm also around 1/3 of the way across from the left, between the lines, on the loose side. I cranked up the tension on the adjuster knob and could feel the plastic handle flexing alarmingly as I pressed it onto the tyre. It was showing green, the app was happy, the calibration seemed accurate, I decided that was "good enough".

I also got started on the 50km Specialized Roubaix thing, but met a friend on the road and attempted to keep up with him up a mountain (he's around the same weight as me but happy to sit at 2.7W/kg for ages, I can't sustain more than about 2.4 for more than ten minutes or so (yes, I'm unfit at the moment) so once he went offline to have some dinner I attempted to keep riding, but had a "soft bonk" about 35km, just about made it to 40km and thought "stuff this, I'm going to have some dinner. I'll try and ride somewhere flat on Sunday morning!"

You can leave your computer logged in and finish a challenge later if that helps 🙂

That's worth remembering, thanks! Although at 10:20 last night, with slightly jelly legs, packing everything in the living room away so my little boy could get to his advent calendar in the morning seemed like a better idea. 😉

I'm doing mainly workouts on Zwift and they seem OK. The 6 week FTP builder was a bit easy so I've moved onto hard/easy days and made up my own recovery workout.

I'd be interested in TrainerRoad but they demand payment up front that you can claim back within the first 30 days. I'd prefer a login and try for a couple of weeks like Zwift first.

@AdamW
I think you can import custom work outs, in fact I think there are websites dedicated to them.

Such as: http://www.zwiftworkouts.com/

@nathb - yes I've grabbed them. I did Sufferfest - The Hunted yesterday. 🙂 I'd like their workouts to be extended more. TrainerRoad has oodles apparently and structured training plans. But then this could be trying to make Zwift into something it isn't meant to be.

TrainerRoad has oodles apparently and structured training plans. But then this could be trying to make Zwift into something it isn't meant to be.

I'm not sure, I imagine the FTP test I did on Zwift to be more interesting than just a blank screen with a graph. The resistance was constant and didn't change for the hills etc but the little virtual guys speed was being adjusted.

Solved my issues (so far).

Zwift is running windowed on my PC, this allows me to minimise etc on teamviewer running on the iPad. Turns out my Ant+ works from upstairs (I've ordered a USB extension to make the gap shorter).

Result = I just won a race 🙂

Awesome! Which one?

The WBR 5km Race at 7:05pm 😆

There's no record of it on Zwiftpower!? How annoying, I won by like 20+ seconds too with only my [url= https://www.strava.com/activities/797131380/segments/19468685785 ]STRAVA[/url] to prove it.

You're as bad as Weeksy. He's started racing obscure ones that nobody has heard of since our other mate is also a C cat 😉 😀

Haha they're advertised on Zwiftpower though?!

The main thing is I seem to have (touch wood) ironed out my issues. Did a fresh install of Zwift for good measure too!

I'm rather happy with the stats on that ride, 414W average for 6:37 so circa 5.9w/kg (5.6w/kg using 95%) - if only it meant something on a leaderboard 😳

I'm only messing- it's awesome! Well done you. 🙂
You may have to have a chat with ZADA soon to authorise your performance in some events- I think they double check people over 5w/kg.
But hey- what a great problem to have 🙂

Nah after 10 minutes I would have bonked back to well below 5w/kg 🙂

Still waiting for the company I want to rent a Stages power meter from to get back to me.

I did the KISS race tonight. I had just eaten, and wasn't really motivated to race. So started and just took it fairly easy in a reasonable size group, I think the front group was about 30 seconds ahead of us when we got to the bottom of Box Hill. I was feeling pretty fresh at that point so thought I may as well put a bit of effort in on the climb. Passed quite a few on the climb, got a PB for the climb too. Then backed off on the descent, ended up with a sprint finish in a small group at the end. It made a change from just riding the whole race at 110% and in the end I finished fairly high up in the C group. Race was a bit short at just over 30mins.

Nath well done on the result. The 95% relates to your 20minute power, which you wouldn't have got in that race. Another way of working out FTP is 90% of your 8 minute effort, which you almost did in that race.

Well done Jason! It's nice when tactics get a chance to work. The mental starts can actually spoil any chance of good racing sometimes (although it's better in staggered starts).

@Jason sounds like a good ride!

For my next long distance race attempt I may drop myself down a category and keep mid pack. In my normal cat everyone is tanking it (at least I hope they are), and they're generally thinner on the ground, so it's all out or come last.

But I'm not using any of those stats for anything, it was a 6:37 sprint - there's no way I could replicate that for even 8 mins. 😀

I'll be doing a ride at around 7pm tomorrow evening if anyone wants to join, looking at the events there's nothing really on other than races. I'm happy to go at whatever pace someone wants to set.

Decided to do some sprints tonight (god knows why), some horrible stepped workout, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm a bit of a diesel. No power at higher RPM at all, so could do with fixing that. Ideas?

Also, the auto resistance seemed to flop about all over the place, some sprints I'd be in top gear at 110rpm and barely scraping 250w, others I'd be bottom of the middle ring, doing 80rpm and knocking out 400w. I think next time I'll turn off the auto resistance for sprints.

I plan on doing the evr cat c ride tomorrow at 8pm
if anyone fancies it?

I think next time I'll turn off the auto resistance for sprints.

Eh? Is this something 'non-smart' trainers have? I've got a Tacx Vortex Smart and I don't see such a setting (I have a choice of 3 second average power [i]display[/i] verses instant power display)

The problem I'm having is getting the resistance high enough, [b]fast enough[/b] for very short interval sprints (my biggest weakness). For instance, I rode 'Jon's Short Mix' workout tonight as I was too late to race. Anyway, this workout calls for 3 x 10 second sprints @ 3 x FTP (over 900W for me).
As I passed under the start point, the resistance barely increased for a couple of seconds so I had to up my cadence dramatically (probably 130+ rpm) and eventually the power numbers came up - but only to around 700W before the 10 seconds was over.
For the second interval, I started sprinting before the start point - again I was probably spinning around 130+ rpm and I got my best result but even so, nearer 775W rather than 900W. The third interval was a waste of time - I think I topped out around 600W
Granted, I don't think I'm capable of 900W and I don't think my Vortex can handle that resistance either, but my natural cadence is low 80's - so I'm pretty sure I'm running out of stream prematurely 'cos I'm spinning so damn fast.
Any ideas for getting the power up quickly without resorting to stupidly high cadence?

@markgraylish Strange, the vortex is rated to 950w 10 sec brake (75kg rider), assuming you're in the hardest gear I'm not sure on that.

I think he was referring to Erg mode where the trainer sets the wattage for you for each interval.

(I hate it- I can't ever seem to get my cadence right)

Mark, for the 10 second intervals try to go into them with a low cadence (maybe 50-60 rpm) then increase your cadence as the interval starts, that gives the trainer a bit more chance to deliver the resistance. Works on my Neo.

Yeah, sorry, ERG mode. I'm just not going to connect it as a smart trainer next time, so it should just increase resistance with speed.

Oh, never used ERG mode 😳

My legs are knackered today & achy, so definitely a gentle spin later to ease myself into the weekends cycling shenanigans. I think the 3.1 mile TT did more than I expected.

Struggled massively this week due to a work night out. Set out this morning for a 2 hour Zwift ride, but only managed 50 mins... I did do a decent short KOM climb and walloped my best... but overall i was rubbish. Drinking may be fun on the 2-3 nights a year i do it, but it absolutely wipes me out.

the resistance barely increased for a couple of seconds so I had to up my cadence dramatically (probably 130+ rpm) and eventually the power numbers came up - but only to around 700W before the 10 seconds was over.

There is a setting in the zwift control panel page which swaps between whether to display instant power reading (updated basically every second-ish) and an averaged power calculated over 3 seconds ... if yours is set at 3 seconds, it may be that your trainer's resistance is being set based on that 3 second average ... which wouldn't start rising until 3 seconds into the interval. Maybe worth checking the settings?

They instant power means you fluctuate a lot around your target power on an interval, but it keeps you focussed a bit more I think.

@nathb,@ crosshair: yep, Im in erg mode so I shouldn't need to change gears

@jason: that sound like a good idea - I'll give that a whirl when I next try intervals...hopefully not too soon!

Well I might be joining the Zwift rides next week as my new Neo will be here 8)

I ended up getting a kinetic smart control unit, just set it up and gave it a quick spin on zwift, works fine using my phone as a bluetooth relay, and my other sensors using ant+

Even on a 5 min test spin it is obvious that the power control really adds immersion into zwift that was missing using my old kinetic dumb trainer. I think I will have to turn the realism down as I found myself changing gears where the change in incline really wasn't evident graphically.

But I won't do any more tonight as it is a beer night.

Well I might be joining the Zwift rides next week as my new Neo will be here

Zilog, managed to get a good deal locally so cancelled my amazon order 🙂