Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

Good power effort on the climb..

Looks like you went off a bit slowly though! As I said in earlier post that tt is the only one I have a half chance of doing ok in...they need a few more tts with hills!

I went for an IF of 1. For that length I could prob get away with 1.1 or even 1.2 so could do a bit quicker possibly.

I used best bike split to pace it.

Wow, that looks serious! I just tried for "not ow" on the flat and "please be over soon" on the climb.

Zwift racing is beginning to get on my tits..
... but less watts per kilo than me.

It's a funny one, they've got to split it somehow, I think actual ftp would be better rather than weight dependent but that's because at 81kg I'm neither heavy enough to drop a cat nor light enough to storm the climbs where as just plain W would solve any competetivity issues on the flat for me. The down side is on the hills it would make the light folks impossible to catch.
There's got to be a better solution but I'm not sure what it is, unless you run a points type system but that's getting very complicated.
Really I think the issue is there are a lot of very fit folks over 20st and masses of people under 70kg which I'm not sure is entirely honest (it amazes me how many people weigh a lot less than I do at similar height without only having one leg)

, I think actual ftp would be better

Definitely. 95% of the races are determined by ftp on zwift, power to weight is relevant on about 5% so it feels like they have it the wrong way round.

Just to be clear I wouldn't win the races either way! But it annoys me when I bust my ass, don't even make the top 10, then get disqualified for apparently being 'too good'..

don’t even make the top 10, then get disqualified for apparently being ‘too good’..

Thing is I can* make to 10 in b, I couldn’t make top 40 in c.

In c I found on anything hilly I was getting stuffed by people weighing in at 50kg or less, on the flat the top of the field were 120kg putting our 360w and untouchable. I don't belive either.

I spent enough time playing on line games to realise there are always folks who cheat and they tend towards the lower ranks

Where are all the hilly races then? I know of 2, but if there are road races in zwift that include the hills I may give then a go

Look on Zwiftpower for routes with mountain symbols next to them.

You always choose the flat ones tp

I pretty much always chose the hilly ones. They exist. Look for rides going over epic Kom and over weekend up alpe dzwift.

Anything bar those that say flat in New York Harrogate or Yorkshire will be w/kg led London only really has the one " climb" the rest are more rollers.

I don't find it that much of an issue tbh but I'm very much an all rounder. ....too heavy to be a climber not enough power to be a pure TT but powerful enough to cling on and fast enough to drop heavy pure power riders.

Also bear in mind a good C should be a rubbish B.
That you're to good for C but not competitive in B isn't a failing it's the system working.
It's not great for you I get that but someone has to be at the back, being disappointed not to play at the front is like villa being pissed at not making top four this season.

For comparison, today I was a sniff off being into A* in the TT (circa 4w/kg). I was (in a small field.%) 22nd overall, 2nd in B best I can tell.

My last crit I was 8th in B & 3.9w/kg** had I been an A*** I'd have been 2nd to last and I was ruined.

*based on average power if I'd been riding another 2 mins [I think] I'd have been promoted to an A but it wasn't long enough to generate an FTP.

**depending on when I weigh myself I possibly should be an A, 1.5kg off would see me tick over but I've weighed my self on a Sunday evening after dinner for years and I'm not changing that routine for zwift.

***crits don't suit me the course is too flat and I'm crap at draft, a bit hillier and I'd be an A as I kick on hills.

This is why I lost interest in Zwift for a year before the lockdown. I have a pretty good balance now - I do a lot of TrainerRoad workouts but do them in Zwift for entertainment. The social rides have been great as it is actually like riiding with mates and having fun rather than blasting along. I still dont have a great interest in the races. I enjoyed last night but I only viewed it as racng myself. I might look out for some more time trials now though as I feel that I can at least compete to my best and improve myself.

Dangeour have you done a race on the UCI Innsbruck route? It's a climb then a descent reckon that could be a good fit for you and some of the other folks on the thread at the minute

Did my first on that route last night, was a single lap TT though so no descent. As a course it suited me well enough and I enjoyed it, sort of!

Ultimately though I'm not much of a racer I've a reasonable but not pointy end sprint and I'm a reasonable but not pointy end climber so what tends to suit me isn't the course it's getting lucky and having a rubbish field to race against.

I do a tt and because I’m not a 16 stone brute I get hammered. And I do a crit race and again because my outright power is not great I get dropped within first lap.

Speaking as a 15 stone brute i do like zwift's valuation of big muscley man power - long may it continue.
The game isn't quite as polarised as all that, though - even on tempus fugit it's not completely absolute power driven. Did a TT with a friend who is low A, around 12.5 stone, I'm mid B 15 stones and he beat me by 30 secs. Think he did 350 and me 370. So very roughly half a cat diff (based on Wkg) was more than enough to overhaul differences in abs power.

Half a cat is a very substantial difference, mind, but that's on the flattest course on the books. Like trail_rat says above, just get on something rolling and put the hurt on the fat lads. Some of the hare and hounds routes are lumpy and holding the main B group is v tough once it goes up.

That's not what i would have expected at all, interesting

Anyone watching the INEOS pro race in by sport?

Yeh sitting watching it. There is talk of a virtual TDF now - 7 stages including Paris held during July. Apparently Zwift are creating new stages which will be good if we gat some new ones.

I watched most of it, had to miss the end because the Crit City race I was riding was starting so went back afterwards to see who won.

I think that until the parcours is changed from the zwift standard issue 1hr effort riders like Dennis are going to be at a huge advantage.

Anyway, enough about them lot and more about me...

9th/48 on ZP in the Crit City Cat C race, rolled off the front of the group with about 700m to go so decided to go for it with an aeroboost and headed that group home quite comfortably. Still a minute down on the front group though - just not quite quick enough to stick with them at the start.

I miss C races. I can hold my own in B for 70% of a race but I'm then done.

Good work dobski

Chris Froome is chasing some celebs up Watopia volcano climb tonight at 7.30. It is on YouTube and sky sports mix.

Now if those celebs were Nino and Ganna that might be interesting.

Freddie is in STW kit! What’s his login? 😂

Anyone want to take on this format for a Tuesday night ride? Just need someone the calculate the time difference and stop people from going until the right time!

Anyone want to take on this format for a Tuesday night ride?

This is surprisingly entertaining with the commentary. Some impressive numbers from the slebs. How is Froome’s HR so low?!

I think he has a very low max hr anyway.

I love for a televised event they still had the hack-y wait in the pen system used by the TTT and everyone jumped the line

They could’ve done with @Phil56 on the stopwatch 😂

With the amount of exposure Zwift is getting plus the massive increase in use during lockdown, maybe they will start taking the racing as seriously as everyone else does!

I love for a televised event they still had the hack-y wait in the pen system used by the TTT and everyone jumped the line

I did the Bologna time trial on Friday and they had a conveyor belt system that released you at your designated slot. You could pedal to warm up no problem. I think 1 rider was released every 10 secs. Worked really well. Why don’t they use this elsewhere?

maybe they will start taking the racing as seriously as everyone else does!

I do feel that folk need to wind their neck in a bit on the seriousness of the racing.

Until we are all using the same device with someway of weight verification-say your race standard static bike has scales built in.

Racing will always be sketchy and tbh I think it's a good thing zwift have not them selves tried to make it too serious...... It means folk like me can avoid those race events where the organisers take it so seriously they have forgotten what it's like to ride outside.

Anyway we did our club ride of 70k on Bigfoot hills yesterday morning. Slept in hit woke at 7:10 it with an espresso and was on the bike at 7:28 for a 7.30 start.

First climb in titans was good. In touch with the front runners and a new pr. Volcano was pretty much a pr and was 3rd. .. last epic Kom nearly ended me. There was nothing in the tank and from there it was a grovel to the finish.

It means folk like me can avoid those race events where the organisers take it so seriously they have forgotten what it’s like to ride [s] outside [/s]

There's plenty of that in the real world too, in fact I think they're by and large the same people but at the moment they're cooped up inside. The sort who think "the rules" really are and enforce sock length on club rides.

You're right though, as an amateur endeavour it's very open to abuse and there's little point in zwift taking racing too seriously until there's a solution for that. It would be nice though if the televised/pro end didn't look quite so amateur though.

It means folk like me can avoid those race events where the organisers take it so seriously they have forgotten what it’s like to ride outside.

Have you seen the Facebook group "Zwift Transparency" in which is racers in their bib shorts and clattering SPD cleats videoing themselves getting on the scales with and without kettlebells to prove their weight? Some even show a copy of that day's newspaper to prove the date!

which is racers in their bib shorts and clattering SPD cleats videoing themselves getting on the scales

Why, why, why would you want to watch this? Drp's mid ride sausage retrieval is bad enough.

indeed and i find it laughable.

If im going to race im going to go race somewhere where handling and such like come to the fore more than just brute strength .... its essentially the bike equivalent of a smith machine. lift the weight but you dont need the core skills such as if it were a olympic bar lift.

this wednesday in non serious racing

we have moved our local TT onto zwift.

Wednesday times from 19:25 - tempus fugit out and back. Lotta big names (in scotland) turning up......

I can confirm you wont have to stand in cleats and shorts weighing your self holding todays newspaper.... even if you win - No Zpower though.

You’re right though, as an amateur endeavour it’s very open to abuse and there’s little point in zwift taking racing too seriously until there’s a solution for that. It would be nice though if the televised/pro end didn’t look quite so amateur though.

I'm not even really bothered by people who feel the need to cheat tbh (because I'm not & never will be at the sharp end 😃) as for me Zwift racing is more about challenging myself than other people.

Well the ZHR turned out a lot better than expected given at 17.20 I was debating taking some paracetamol and going to bed. Good to see weeksy and Ivan in there.

I think I'm about 2W from tipping into A now though so I imagine my racing success is about to take a massive knock.

I was on my 2nd ride of the day having done 40km this morning outside.. It went really really badly !!!

We all have those ones!

I remember once getting off my bike at the top of a hill and just collapsing in a heap on the floor trying to shovel in the few snacks I had in the hope of getting me back to the car

I wasn't best pleased to find it was a draft-free TT, especially after closing the gap to the guys who went off like rockets only to not get a rest in the nonexistent slipstream!

I don't think I was the only one, there were def some others finding out the hard way.

Pretty pleased with the result though, 7th in cat and 33rd overall - if I'd had an actual TT bike then who knows, I might even have got 32nd.

You were flying btw dangeourbrian.

I don’t think I was the only one, there were def some others finding out the hard way.

Nope you weren't the only one!

I am thinking of doing a ITT tomoz evening.

Got a choice of 3:

Newbury Velo at 19:00 (this is prob the preferred one)
XRS at 19:10
Deeside Thistle at 19:25

None fit great with bed time for the little guy though. Might have to let him stay up a bit late!

I would join you but Wednesday night is my night off.

Does remind me though, are we TTTing on Thursday? I'm looking out of the window trying to resist the temptation to book something in if the real world

Thursdays have been become one of my real world ride days so I'm not likely to be TTTing if one does get posted.

I've just signed up for the HERD Racing points race for tomorrow night though, I've not done one before so it should be pretty interesting to see how it pans out.

pretty inbreeding

No matter how hard you try you're not going to tempt me to race on a Wednesday. Even if your sister has a mytee puurty fayce

Deeside thistle in B cat are giving you times around 7.40 now if that helps.

its a scratch race so CAT doesnt matter.

Don't know what you mean...

I swear my predictive text waits a few seconds and then changes what I wrote!

Deeside thistle in B cat are giving you times around 7.40 now if that helps.

its a scratch race so CAT doesnt matter.

Going to try and get on this - the TTT goes over the epicKOM climb on thurs, did it last night on a gp ride and I'm just going to be a portly handbrake for my team, so need to do something else.

Changed to my cross bike on the turbo and it seemed good on the Alpe at the weekend, might eek out a couple more Watts. TT bike was OK but giving me a few aches and pains I think.