Zwift, my journey, ...
 

Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

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polarized training init 😉


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:19 am
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Sheeesh, that went OK. Went off hard and stayed on the pace.

Group of 30-35 of us in the lead bunch after the warm up 4km.... Onto the next full lap, i felt great, HR over the line was 162 and over 3w/kg average around then, over the next 3 km it held together, then ramped up, a bit, a bit, a bit, into the last km i was hanging in there in the lead bunch, HR was 170 by now, with 600m to go it all got a bit excitable and people kicked on.. I didn't have much in the sprint but still picked off some, lost to some, but overall it was 10th in B and i think 20th overall.

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4660/39646411451_8888b0baa3_h.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4660/39646411451_8888b0baa3_h.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/23pqdS8 ]20thoverall[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:28 am
 mos
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Good going that Weeksy. i think the only race i did was with you back in October, were you a C then?


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:44 am
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Yeah i was but crosshair shamed me into moving up


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:50 am
 Alex
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I got on the back of a bunch of Cs earlier and it made me realise how rubbish I am at this! Still I seemed to beat a lot of people on the 'hilly'bits of Richmond. Be good to see the other world. This whole flat thing is a very odd experience!

I've upgraded my drafting skills from 'non existent' to 'rubbish' 🙂


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 2:11 pm
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I love Richmond in that context, it suits my power/weight/riding massively. I can hold wheels, kick when i need and really enjoy the racing on it... I'd be happy if they put it in a LOT more. I know it doesn't suit many.... but me... i'm more than happy on Richmond days.

Today got me 9 points on CVR, which is about all someone at my level can expect for a low entry field. So i'm happy enough with that... I am kicking myself for not having more of a try at the end though !


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 2:21 pm
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I learnt a valuable lesson today and that is dont go in to the menu in a race as regardless of whether you are still pedalling or not you actually stop moving! I put out massive power for the first 2 mins just to hang on to the A group and realised my cadence sensor had not paired so quickly went to the menu to pair it, back to the race and i was on my own and the group 10s ahead. So it was a rubbish race and i ended up miles behind for that 1 mistake.


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 2:55 pm
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Inspired by todays racers and I missed a ride last night found a 1 lapper to do.
Bigger effort than normal to hold the front group from the start and stayed with the front group until a km to go when I couldn't hold onto the increase in pace at the front. Beat those left around me in the sprint.
[s]Currently sat 4th in B waiting for a possible upgrade to the podium as 3rd pace currently doesn't have HR weight or Strava listed[/s]
Scratch that upgraded to 3rd :0)
I appear to be reasonably good at 1 lappers and being a draft dodger as my w/kg is a chunk lower than all those around me.


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:20 pm
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I've just set up my new Elite Novo Smart, paired it with Zwift, got the HR & cadence sensors paired, and did a lap of the UCI 2015 course. I could feel changes in resistance so it looks like I'm all set. Zwift tells me my FTP is 244. I felt pretty wobbly getting off the bike, perhaps two glasses of red were not ideal preparation...

I guess my question is what do I do now?


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:35 pm
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Work out what your w/kg is and do a race :0)

Or do a proper FTP test once rested but they are horrible so just get in the right category. Depending on your weight you'll likely be a B or a C.

Also back to Watopia map tomorrow so go and explore the main map.


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:39 pm
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Work out what your w/kg is and do a race :0)

Or do a proper FTP test once rested but they are horrible so just get in the right category. Depending on your weight you'll likely be a B or a C.

Also back to Watopia map tomorrow so go and explore the main map.

Thanks. Is it just FTP divided by my weight? If so I'm 2.98 w/kg. So I just join a race in the appropriate category?

Probably won't get back to it until next week as I have a club ride on Sunday morning.


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:45 pm
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Well done Tom, my new 1 lap super rival!


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:45 pm
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Thanks. Is it just FTP divided by my weight? If so I'm 2.98 w/kg. So I just join a race in the appropriate category?

Yep. I’d start in C and see how you get on.

And don’t fall for the warm up lap...


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:54 pm
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Yep. I’d start in C and see how you get on.

And don’t fall for the warm up lap...

Great, thanks. I'll report back...


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:56 pm
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Yes top end of C. As it's probably not your true FTP you might find you get upgraded as you'll probably work harder in a race and not have wine beforehand...

But todays warm up lap was a 300+ watt affair. Perfect for going into the full lap warmed up.


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 10:59 pm
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Yes top end of C. As it's probably not your true FTP you might find you get upgraded as you'll probably work harder in a race and not have wine beforehand...

I did a ramp test a few years back, I think it was about 270, but I was fitter then. Something to aim for anyway.


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:04 pm
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Just seen as I was in the same race as tomlevell (I was in catC), where once again like my only other race yesterday (also a one lap affair), I was far too slow off the starting blocks and then in nomansland during a large chunk of the race... I have lots of room for tactics improvement! 😆

Pleased with my sprint finish though, 7.3W/Kg for 15secs.

CatC was supposed to be sub 3.1W/Kg average, which going off the average power column, 10 of the 15 (including me) were above. Would we be excluded from results in a more strict race, or do they look at other stats like the "95% (of 20min)" column?


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:17 pm
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It's up to 3.2w/kg so I could have snuck in as a C.
It's the 95% column which is equivalentish of a 20min FTP test.

Yes had to pull 400watts for 40 seconds to stick with the front group at the start and probably from a further 5 seconds beforehand.

I had nothing like that left at the end but enough to crawl past a couple of people who must have been in real trouble. In fact it was worse than my opening effort but that did the job it was supposed to do.


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:40 pm
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Just joining this thread as I have taken out a subscription earlier this month and am just finding my way about. FTP tests put me around 240 and with current wieght I am running about 2.6-2.7 so have entered a couple of races in Cat C around London. Found them really tough and was runnning at 90%+ HR for most of the races and was past 100% (of what I thought my Max HR was) for the last 500 metres and the sprint finish (186 bpm - I am 51!). Anyway, I have finished 3rd or equal 3rd in both races in Cat C so happy with that. However, I am in the STW Fat club and have already dropped 2 kgs since start of year. So what happens in Zwift if I update my weight? Do I go faster or slower?

Looking forward to learning from the hardened pros in here as I progress. Probably will carry on until lambing at end of March and then give up for the summer so need to focus. Hope to see some of you out there in VR world


 
Posted : 12/01/2018 11:51 pm
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If you drop your weight, in general you'll go quicker overall IMO. 2kg won't matter much either way.

Looking at the flat results yesterday for my race you can see my w/k is low compared to them around me, but that's because my weight is high, what you do notice though is that all our power outputs are very very similar.
But on a course with more inclines, the extra 2kg less will benefit you.

The reason the 65kg riders struggle on flat sections is not because of their weight as such, but because they have a lower power output.


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 8:39 am
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Nope the heavier you are with increasing wattage will mean you be faster according to this...

https://zwiftinsider.com/tests/

I can do under the hour for a tt but boy even the C/D races I struggle to keep and just A/B riders disappear up road. Zwift is highly addictive though and nice to see it taking off, Ive enjoyed reading this particular thread, carry on or is it Ride on ! 😉


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 9:15 am
 Alex
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Had another go at a group ride. Managed to stay in the main bunch this time. It is quite addictive. Which isn't the same thing as enjoyable 😉 Like Watopia, few more things to look at especially after I turned the resolution up in the game settings. My 2011 MacBook air can just about support that.

I appear to have ridden 125km since Tuesday. At some point I might have to think about some kind of structure but at the moment I'm going to stick with the group rides. Might try a C but I don't think I could hang in there for an hour.


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 12:12 pm
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TdZ Stage 4 done....... and in the draw for the trainer.

That was fun until I rocked the trainer after the radio tower climb and shook the power cable out. Was in 75th at that point. After faffing to get it running again I was 150th. Grrrr! finished in 143rd (atm).
Power is now right on the C/B (edit cos brain is frazzled) threshold. There were a lot of people above 4w/kg avg in the results for C.

Next plans are Zwift Fondo next Saturday
Think I'll follow the 12 week FTP builder workout to see how much I can increase it. Would be very happy to be mid B in 3 months.
Another option will be the Ride London Workouts if I win a place in the ballot. Never ridden over 80 miles.


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 12:33 pm
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Nope the heavier you are with increasing wattage will mean you be faster according to this...

Interesting data. Funny how Zwift has brought a lot of focus on the w/kg number but that’s not nearly the full story in Zwift (and largely irrelevant for most UK racing too.)

Was surprised to see height making such a difference. I guess in the real world there is a general correlation between aero and height but tall folk who want to be fast do put a lot of work into being aero which wouldn’t be reflected in Zwift. You can set height and weight, maybe if you have some data to back it up you should be able to set your CdA too 🙂


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 1:22 pm
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Another option will be the Ride London Workouts if I win a place in the ballot. Never ridden over 80 miles.

It’ll be the easiest 100 miles you ever do.

I could do with losing a few kg, I can hold my own in flatter races but go backwards as soon as it goes up in a sustained climb.


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 1:23 pm
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Trek ride at 2.30pm for me today, I was going to take the day off and ride with Crosshair outdoors tomorrow, but it's looking cold and yukky tomorrow so I'm not playing that game.


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 2:41 pm
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3 degrees with no wind and some nice cozy cloud! 😯

I’ll probably wear short sleeves 😆


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 3:30 pm
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Indeed, about as good as it gets in Jan tomorrow!


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 3:38 pm
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3 hour orienteering race tomorrow on a "real" bike 🙂 Outdoors, in the real weather. Not sure if I can handle it lol

Ah well, let's see if all the turbo work has paid off?


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 4:09 pm
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Oooops, that was harder and quicker than i planned. Just one of them days where your legs work and you fly along. Did 1 lap of the Road t Ruins, was supposed to be Z2 but i had a 155-160 a couple of times on the HRM, ooops.

Bailed after the lap end with another 40 mins on the clock countdown, but i don't want to push too much.


 
Posted : 13/01/2018 4:26 pm
 Alex
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I wrote a thing: http://pickled-hedgehog.com/?p=4059 - warning some naughty words contained within 🙂


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 1:48 pm
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“Lovely” morning on the turbo today, started off with a WBR 4 lap race, averaged 278 Watts with a max of 1023 on the final sprint (which I think I lost!). Then decided I’d follow it with the 1 lap TRI4 race as its only 1 lap. Yeah, 1 21km lap, so that was hard, average power of 235 Watts suggests I wasn’t going quite as hard, sat with a nice little group and hit 855 Watts at the end in the spirit.

So yeah, I’m now shattered. Lovely.


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 2:34 pm
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I wrote a thing
yeah, everybody says they could quit if they wanted 😉


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 2:35 pm
 Alex
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Doing another pack ride at 5pm. I feel my family are starting to judge me!


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 3:05 pm
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Anyone else not seeing other riders around them today? Did a 1-lap WBR 1 Flat Lap sprint race @1235 and only one of the 55 other riders appeared on my screen.

Getting fed up with Mobile Link app connection issues, which then means I don't get heartrate data via Bluetooth, going to pull trigger on a Coospo ANT+ and Bluetooth HRM from Amazon.


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 3:18 pm
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Doing another pack ride at 5pm. I feel my family are starting to judge me!

They soon get used to it


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 5:13 pm
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Today I did my first real world road ride for a few months, riding for 3hrs and with wind was tougher than I remember!


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 5:34 pm
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[quote=cheers_drive ]Today I did my first real world road ride for a few months, riding for 3hrs and with wind was tougher than I remember!

You are going to need a bigger fan in the man cave 🙂


 
Posted : 14/01/2018 9:28 pm
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cheers_drive » Today I did my first real world road ride for a few months, riding for 3hrs and with wind was tougher than I remember!

You are going to need a bigger fan in the man cave

Or less sprouts.....


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 10:22 am
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[i]Fewer [/i]sprouts 😉

Tried the new London expansion yesterday, whilst you can see the odd bit of Leith Hill they've taken inspiration from it didn't really feel like a digital recreation in the same way as Box Hill. Not convinced I'd recognise it without being told that's what it was, and I've ridden the real climb at least 100 times. Likewise the 'Richmond Park' section, didn't see that at all. Still, all extra roads.

Overtook the Pack that Alex was probably a part of, 616 riders they were saying. Not sure I see the appeal, they were all being told to ride at <2w/kg up the hill, then to wait at the top. Waiting for 600 riders surely takes a very long time, to ride on slowly?


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 10:31 am
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Quite enjoyed the PACK ride last night but i wont be joining another 1 lap event again, will stick to workouts and timed events. The mrs was not happy with the 10 minute wait at the top of leith hill (why the **** are you not pedaling, come on crack on and get finished...her words).

Think I'm stuck between top end of catD and low end of catC, always end up in the lead group of these PACK events and well ahead of the main group but catC events always at the back 🙁

Plan 1 - No events for 4 weeks and gonna see what the 4wk FTP booster plan does, last nights ride increased my FTP from 190 -> 194 so i guess that's something 🙂

Plan 2 - Aim is for 250-300ftp at 78-70kg. Probably a long shot! But i need goals

Plus lost almost 3-4 kg since i started zwifting, probably water weight but its something to take home 🙂


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 10:45 am
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Yesterday was my first proper chance of being tested on the road for a long quickish day since starting zwift.

The pace went out where i'd normally be fighting to hold a wheel but instead I was feeling fresh and top end of zone 2. Then on to the climbs, I rode these at a similar pace to how I would normally but my recovery was so much quicker. I know I've seen numbers increasing on screen but amazed how much difference they make IRL.

I think I'll jump into TDZ tonight in D cat just as a couple of hours to gently spin some very heavy legs


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 10:47 am
 Alex
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Overtook the Pack that Alex was probably a part of, 616 riders they were saying. Not sure I see the appeal, they were all being told to ride at <2w/kg up the hill, then to wait at the top. Waiting for 600 riders surely takes a very long time, to ride on slowly?

y with the 10 minute wait at the top of leith hil

Yeah that was bizarre. I did a ZT group ride the other night with about 40 riders and it was brilliant. Got into the groove, slowed a couple of times to let the sweeps bring a few back but was a decent work out at a regular pace which is what I just need to do not having done this stuff before.

Last night tho 600+ riders, just too big, too many stragglers and being told not to have a crack at the hills which are the bits I might be better at. IT was a sub 2w/kg ride tho but after Box hill I just did a runner (pedaller?)

I will do some more group rides with the ZT crew but won't bother with a massive pack ride again. Stopping pedalling I just got cold and bored.

I'm away most of this week but will get a ride in Weds. Hopefully it's Watopia. I might just go for the hilly lap and see how I get on.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:10 am
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Yesterday was my first proper chance of being tested on the road for a long quickish day since starting zwift.

The pace went out where i'd normally be fighting to hold a wheel but instead I was feeling fresh and top end of zone 2. Then on to the climbs, I rode these at a similar pace to how I would normally but my recovery was so much quicker. I know I've seen numbers increasing on screen but amazed how much difference they make IRL.

Always excellent to hear of people improving in the real world 🙂 Nice one.

Plus lost almost 3-4 kg since i started zwifting,

Great work 🙂 keep going !


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:13 am
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Yes, I thought >600 was far too big to realistically expect it to stay together. There was some chatter going on, like 2-3 messages a minute pr so, but amid 600 riders that's nothing, and many of them were "about to get level 17 bitches" and stuff, not actual conversation. Is there a Discord chat or something? I genuinely don't understand the appeal, there's no social aspect without interaction?

Don't blame you not wanting to wait 10+ minutes, that's just mad. Can you turn around and ride back down the hill to the back of the pack and then ride back up? Or can you not turn around if you're in an 'event'? I've only done races, and never dared try it!


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:20 am
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WKG London Pretzel race Saturday morning on what's probably my least favourite course I've raced on Zwift!

Got in the front bunch from the start but up Northumberland Av. 5km in I just missed a break of 5 A's I couldn't get across so decided to drop back to the main B pack and try to recover whilst they pulled out over a minute lead.

35km in at the bottom of Fox hill people start attacking so I hit the feather powerup and before I know it I'm at the front of the group with a couple of seconds lead. I bury myself to the top in a PB of 6:28. My leads now nearly a minute and luckily for me the chasers are all spread out so no bunch working to catch me. A painful solo TT effort for the last 20km including nearly cramping up the escalators and I made it home with a 1:22 lead for my first B cat win.

[url= https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=38032 ]https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=38032[/url]


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:25 am
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Good effort. Long TT at the end of a race that!


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:28 am
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That's a rather fantastic performance that.... Well done indeedy !


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:34 am
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Can you turn around and ride back down the hill to the back of the pack and then ride back up? Or can you not turn around if you're in an 'event'? I've only done races, and never dared try it!

You can turn around yes, quite a lot of the sweepers do it. i had no intention of planting a u-turn and doing leith hill again 😛 although in retrospect, the time i was waiting i could have done it but would sure have been pooped for the rest of the ride, it would have given me another boost to my tron bike.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:35 am
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There was some chatter going on, like 2-3 messages a minute pr so, but amid 600 riders that's nothing, and many of them were "about to get level 17 bitches" and stuff, not actual conversation. Is there a Discord chat or something? I genuinely don't understand the appeal, there's no social aspect without interaction?
I don't mind it for a recovery-style ride, at least it gives you a pace to aim for and stops you riding too hard! I did listen on the discord chat for one ride, only a handful on there & bantz was minimal (although slightly better I guess than the text chat). Re. the social side, they have a FB page, maybe they communicate on there more so than actually on the rides? Dunno really. They must be doing something though to get so many riders on board!


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:47 am
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Yeah, definitely, I thought I must be missing something, because outwardly it seemed to be a monstrous group of people riding along steadily in silence.

I happened to be passing going up Leith Hill, and had a few jump on my wheel (I was only doing 3.5w/kg or so, but quicker than their 'limit'), so it's not like they were all maxed out.

I can definitely see the appeal of a 50 rider bunch or so at a reasonable pace. I'll have to try one of these rides sometime!


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 12:04 pm
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Cracking effort there Jamie, looks like you'd be holding your own in cat A easy enough with that power. not sure i fancy a 20km TT though 😀

I always seem to be missing a tiny bit right at the top of the climbs to make the breakaway for the descent, be that the kicker at the top of box hill after the arch or the top of the first hill on R2R/Jungle. The A's get split and i'm almost always a good way ahead of the chase group but not strong enough to hold on to the tail of the leaders.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 12:04 pm
 Alex
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I didn't think about turning around. Shame as I wouldn't have minded having another crack at it. Quite a few were pushing out more than the sub 2. Can't blame the leader/sweepers - it's just too big a group / too differentiated to manage.

There is a discord channel. It's a bit different to what my mates and I talk about on MTB rides. I didn't bother tuning in this time. FB pages are popular as well.

I really don't like racing at all (virtual or real world) so the ZF group ride really suits me. That hour went pretty quick.

Fair play to the likes of @jamie and others up there. Clearly far more committed than I'll ever be!


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 1:12 pm
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I still struggle with the logic of many of the rides/riders on social/group rides.

"This is a 2.0w/kg ride....."

Then i'm sitting about 30 riders in pushing 2.5w/kg on the flat to hold the bunch, all around me is 2.8/2.6/2.9, so i ease off to 2.0 and suddenly you're left for dead.

Why do people enter group rides and then not hold anything like the advertised pace ? I understand there's a certain amount of disparity with Zwift and W/KG, W, etc... but really...


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 1:16 pm
 Alex
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Yeah ^^ that 😉


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 1:29 pm
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Then i'm sitting about 30 riders in pushing 2.5w/kg on the flat to hold the bunch, all around me is 2.8/2.6/2.9, so i ease off to 2.0 and suddenly you're left for dead."

Isn't that just group mentality, when the competitiveness kicks in etc riders with egos to stroke, there is always several groups that storm ahead. Isn't there a rubber banding function on rides which doesn't let this happen?


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 1:30 pm
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If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times but one more wont hurt-

W/KG DOES NOT HOLD PEOPLE TOGETHER ON THE FLAT!!!!!!!!

In isolation, it’s a flawed metric being used completey inappropriately- there’s not even a pace component to it!!

Quite why it’s been adopted the way it has I have no idea.

Unless every rider on the groupride weighs the same, it’s completely useless.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 1:39 pm
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Only been doing Zwift a week, but I agree, W/Kg is only a decent ballpark for hill climbs.

Maybe they should group riders by FTP, or for rookies, place them in a group according to their average power in the race.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 1:52 pm
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A rough lap time or average speed would be the best options. And then a bit of trial and error. But at least the metric would apply across ALL grouprides.

I once did a 3w/kg ride with Monica Cross Holmes leading. It was painfully slow for me- like low Z2. Because she weighs nothing!
Likewise, I’ve done a 2.5 with some beast of a guy leading it and it was crazy hard- over Threshold at the time.

It’s rubbish!


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 1:59 pm
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Whilst i get that.... clearly if you've entered a ride advertised as 2.0 then you shouldn't be seeing 2.8-3.0 on your power, even if we take into account some bit of correction for weight etc, it's clearly bonkers if the group are flying along at 3....

I'm not saying it's perfect... but if implemented even slightly correctly it shouldn't be THAT far off..


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 2:01 pm
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But if people are trying to match w/kg then they will constantly be chasing in circles as the smaller riders try and catch the bigger riders etc etc
They have no idea how fast to go so they end up building momentum faster and faster as the egos and the confusion sets in.
It literally gives zero guidance about how fast to pace.

You can’t tell people off for doing 3.0 on a 2.0 group ride because that could literally be the only way they could keep up depending on their relative weights.

By setting an objective guideline people know if they are exceeding it or not. When I used to be a ride leader for some ACF rides, we used to use a speed for the flats and a w/kg limit for the hills. Still not great but loads better than a blanket w/kg.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 2:15 pm
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Anyone fancy the 16:05 WBR 4 lap classique then today ?

I'm on a fasting day so not expecting miracles, but after a rest day yesterday i quite fancy a bit of pain 🙂


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 2:16 pm
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You can’t tell people off for doing 3.0 on a 2.0 group ride because that could literally be the only way they could keep up depending on their relative weights.

You can if they're 1min ahead of the ride leader after the first 15 mins of the ride ? 🙂


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 2:17 pm
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[quote=crosshair ]If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times but one more wont hurt-
W/KG DOES NOT HOLD PEOPLE TOGETHER ON THE FLAT!!!!!!!!
In isolation, it’s a flawed metric being used completey inappropriately- there’s not even a pace component to it!!
Quite why it’s been adopted the way it has I have no idea.
Unless every rider on the groupride weighs the same, it’s completely useless.

it should also be a bit more obvious on the screen, from memory its only next to your name in the sidebar. on a laptop thats kind of hard to see.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 2:17 pm
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By setting an objective guideline people know if they are exceeding it or not. When I used to be a ride leader for some ACF rides, we used to use a speed for the flats and a w/kg limit for the hills. Still not great but loads better than a blanket w/kg.

I've never bothered with a group ride on Zwift, but wouldn't it make more sense to have the ride leader simply set the correct pace for the type of ride and stay behind them? That's pretty much what you'd do in a real world ride rather than people messing about with watt per kilo metrics. Isn't it just common sense, like you'd do with a club ride? If people want to disappear off the front, then that's their business and they can choose to wait up for the main bunch or not.

I'm not a very sociable rider in real life where you can actually see and talk to people properly, so the concept of group virtual rides doesn't really do much for me. I'd rather hoon round picking petty virtual squabbles with people for entertainment. People are hilariously bonkers, just like in real life I guess, but the bit where you can see their power output and sometimes HR makes it even more bizarre.

Anyway...


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 2:32 pm
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Yeah I agree. The most important thing a successful group ride needs is a desire to actually ride together.

But they are advertised in advance so some kind of objective measure is required. Just not w/kg 😉

Weeksy- you can ride off the front at advertised ‘pace’. When Monica leads ZSUN, this used to happen to me quite often. I’d do a couple of weeks with Stew leading and go the next week to find it ZZZzzzzz and do ride off with a couple of others at the pace we’d done the previous two weeks.

Question is, why does it bother people?? If someone had committed their 1hour slot for a workout that day to a group ride advertised by some BS metric and it ends up being too slow, why should they waste time quitting and restarting? Just let them go.......


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 2:41 pm
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Yay not quite last and managed to up my FTP by 2w, granted it’s still only 167 but it’s an improvement.

The racing really is a good motivator, having people about you at roughly the same fitness level does make you push on to stay with them where as myself I’d give up and back off


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 8:03 pm
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Congratulations and damn well done mate!


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 8:19 pm
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Agree re the group rides. It is really trial and error to find one that suits you. If they insist on sticking with W/kg then they should also give the weight of the leader so you can judge what to expect.

Alternatively an average speed would be a good indicator.

The one thing I like about group rides is I can practice staying in a bunch which I am still pretty rubbish at.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 8:41 pm
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not sure i fancy a 20km TT though

I immediately regretted it. An FTP test with Box Hill thrown in!

looks like you'd be holding your own in cat A easy enough with that power.

Hmmm never quite managed 4w/kg. I like my eat crap and un-structured training lifestyle too much to improve anymore.

On the subject of average speed group rides. The pack rides led by Steve Clogg, he messages out the speed (IIRC it's 38kmph on the flat) and manages to keep the bunch together.


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 9:45 pm
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Wife came home with a set of scales tonight. I’m actually 8.5 kgs heavier than I thought. Xmas is obviously sitting heavy.
I have some work to do now. 😳
Does this mean i’ve been weight doping?


 
Posted : 15/01/2018 11:29 pm
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Does this mean i’ve been weight doping?

On the flat, probably.... But no more or less than some/many.

I sometimes laugh... I was clicking the other week when racing and some guy was at 3.8w/kg and 94bpm heart rate.... LOL... He'd win the sodding tour if he could manage that !


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 7:37 am
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I was going on last night for a spin round London as my legs were still achy from 7 days straight riding last week, but then i saw the 20.05 kiss race & thought i'd give it ago as i haven't done one since October i think

Mistake 1 - Had a big tea 1 hour before.
Mistake 2 - My legs really were tired.
Mistake 3 - 4 minute warmup.
Mistake 4 - Trying to hang with lead group & breathing so hard i nearly inhaled my fan.

Still, its all experience.


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 9:06 am
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Trying to hang with lead group & breathing so hard i nearly inhaled my fan.

😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 9:07 am
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Double winner today. I won the mgcc pursuit ride today (B group) although i have been filtered out due to no hr but i know the race organiser who is looking in to that as its never a requirement. I did a small 14 mile warm up on Surrey Hills beforehand!!! I chose a different tactic today, rather than go up box hill at full tilt and then much slower on lap 2 i decided a fast even tempo for both laps. It worked, i did first lap in 7:20 and next lap in 7:32, i was first up on both laps and ended up winning the race by 7 secs although i spent a lot of the race on my own as i dropped everyone. Next trophy was the TRON “look at me bike” which i got on the first box hill lap and well ahead of schedule. Nothing else to aim for now so i can stop doing all the hilly routes as a warm up thank god.


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 5:19 pm
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Awesome! Well done 🙂


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 5:36 pm
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You're crazy!

Still FB zone for me. Felt great out there, ended up with a 230w average and a HR average of 137. So was just cruising along really.

Scales are dead on 15st 0 currently so past 4-5 have been mostly eating days and I'm hoping when the fasting days kick in fully by Thurs I'll be firmly in the 14s.


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 6:20 pm
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Nice one weeksy, weight heading down and cycling prowess heading up, thats the way to do it.

Both my cadence and HR have been acting up lately which makes laughable reading. In todays race my average cadence was 123rpm with a max of 185, i knew i was a spinner but thats a bit much. Race the other day in which stayed with the A group for 3 full laps out of 4 had my avg hr as 65bpm, i can assure you it was more like 65bp second!


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 7:28 pm
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Think I might have just won C in the WBR one lapper. I like short flat races like that, they suit my disposition.


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 9:49 pm
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I'm still suffering from a diet related lack of power so entered the CVR B race tonight, will see how it goes!


 
Posted : 16/01/2018 10:05 pm
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