Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

I didn’t think that lone rider drafting us was ever going to twig that he needed to drop off mind.

Odd thing is his team came through a bit later so not like he didn’t know what was going on, he just wouldn’t go away!

I averaged 300w for the race and got an ftp increase to 293w.

That’s some good numbers and ?30W? Up on last week so that’s a heck of jump too.

On the typical 30-40km races I have been hovering just under the 4w/kg for some time now.

Tonight I entered the 16km Team Italy Superveloce Race, knowing full well on a very short and more or less flat course I, and most other B cat riders in the top 20, would go over the 4w/kg.
Sure enough all except 1 of the top 20 B cats went over 4w/kg … I finished 7th B cat but disqualified for going over the limit (not in race results – but show me in unfiltered results); how does ZP decide who to disqualify and who to enter when almost all top20 finishers had gone over??

@mooman this is something I’ve noticed about the shorter courses too! Begs the question tho, if you KNEW you were going to be over, why d’you enter the wrong category? 😉

If it’s under 20 minutes and your I’m your ZP cat you can’t go over.

What was your TTT time? Think we did 37:06 in espresso 🤮. Really hard this week,

Sure enough all except 1 of the top 20 B cats went over 4w/kg …

You should enter a cat C race. That would have been the top 50 riders at over 4w/kg

For normal races, they use 95% of 20min power in that race to approximate everyone’s FTP, and then give some leeway against category wattages – it used to be 0.2w/kg I think but in the last few weeks it has been tightened to 0.1w/kg.
For races under 20 minutes they can’t do the first bit. So I thought they used a modified formula (some other % of some shorter time) to approximate riders’ FTP. If they do, I don’t know if it’s publicised what that % is or how long it’s taken over.

So in your race they’d use some formula a bit like .95 of 20mins to generate an FTP, then WKG everyone at 4.1 and above. I don’t know how those two riders who averaged 4.3 for less than 20 minutes got away with that today. nixie’s answer might be fairer (and would bin those two, and maybe some others, but wouldn’t help you…). They might disappear when the minute-by-minute data pulls through. (Which might make nixie right after all!).

42:38 I think. We rode latte, but I think we had 4x category B riders which will mean recategorisation into frappe when the results are finalised.

37:06 is at the top end of espresso isn’t it nixie?

I finished 7th B cat but disqualified for going over the limit

No idea what the difference is but, if you look at the unfiltered results, those who weren’t DQ’d have a “category” – far right column) of <4.1w/kg

Oddly on the filtered results that’s not the one it displays though.

Nice work. 👍

Think it’s more mid pack espresso. Our other espresso squad was a cool 1 minute faster!

So next weeks has the Volcano KOM https://zwiftinsider.com/out-and-back-again/

Have done that one before. Evil! Hard work holding the bunch together.

Thanks to the TTT guys tonight. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Legs didn’t quite have it after last night’s crit effort but I was glad to hang in until the end. Thanks for dragging me round and sorry for my turbo dropping out. Seems to be happening every couple of rides since I started using my garmin watch as HR monitor so i’m wondering if it’s bluetooth interference between my watt bike and my watch with the laptop…

Think my FTP went up too (although not sure how to check). Is there some way to see the curve?

I’ve been moved up to B now though so a whole new experience for me from now on!

We rolled round in 42.50 or thereabouts. Had to do it as a trio as we lost one team mate on the line. Steamed round in good order but lost our shape back half of the second lap and had to regroup.

Do some of the more experienced guys have good comms during these events? I can’t really hear / be heard over the fans with the headset I’m using, tried both zoom and discord. Would make all the difference to know if someone has a connection problem, but can get back on with big legs, or if you need to dial the pace back a touch to keep everyone together etc etc.

That one isn’t for me, I’m out.

We used discord tonight but I struggled to hear above my bike and the fan with the phone resting on the holder on the bike. I just eased up if I heard anyone say anything as generally I assumed it meant someone was dropping.

I lost connection early on and the guys slowed for me so I’m assuming that they could hear me OK.

Gonna test out my headphones before the next one.

As a gentleman of a more “robust” build that course really doesn’t suit me but I’ll sign up to make up the numbers, do what I can to help on the flats then drop out when it gets to the main climb.

Unless we get a group of whippet climbers in which case I’ll bow out.

zilog6128
Subscriber

@mooman this is something I’ve noticed about the shorter courses too! Begs the question tho, if you KNEW you were going to be over, why d’you enter the wrong category? 😉

Valid question I guess.
The reason being that I know I am not an A cat rider; if I had entered that category I would have simply been dropped from the front group within 2km because those fellas would also have been pushing 1w/kg above their typical 30-40km power … and then very likely riding the course on my own, or with 2-3 others, and not getting a solid workout.

I not concerned the result was disqualified because it would have bumped me into A cat .. and as said – I simply not an A cat!

I don’t understand what difference the course makes? If as a group we can sit at around 300w like we did last night, what difference does it make if we’re doing that effort on the flat or on a climb- surely the effort is the same? Or am I missing something?

It’s because of the weight difference I guess. My 300W at 76kg will pull me up the hill faster than a 100kg rider doing 300W. More noticeable than on the flat.

I’m willing to give it a go though.

I not concerned the result was disqualified because it would have bumped me into A cat .. and as said – I simply not an A cat!

You’d have been 21 of 38 in the A cat on zp with your time, that’s pretty decent

I don’t understand what difference the course makes?

I think you’d need to handle slightly differently, so you might want to aim hold a specific wattage on the flat but then change to aim for a w/kg for the climbs.

I’m very much up for giving it a go.

Good effort in last night’s TTT chaps!

Getting changed to go out, but then another shower hitting as I was about to put my shoes on, pressured me into fitting the new Direto belt yesterday afternoon. However, following the instructions from

The best calibration value I could get was 6335, when the sticker is 6336, gave myself sore finger trying to tighten tightener bolt!

Didn’t get chance to see how it felt on Zwift or see how the power numbers compare to my 4iiii, I’m dreading seeing where my stats are now and getting back to some regular sustained power efforts, I feel positively “slob-like” compared to Feb due to extended mild COVID-19 symptoms. https://www.strava.com/activities/3327535203/analysis/482/1681 is the closest thing I’ve done to a 20min FTP/race and given how I messed up my estimation on when 20mins was up and then backed off ~2min50secs too early, I shouldn’t complain too much.

I don’t understand what difference the course makes? If as a group we can sit at around 300w like we did last night, what difference does it make if we’re doing that effort on the flat or on a climb- surely the effort is the same? Or am I missing something?

In simple terms for me, i’ll hold you back in the results if i race this one. I can pretty much hold my own on the flat course, but w/kg is king going up the KOM and at a reasonable guess i’d lose you/us a minute or maybe even 90s on the kill compared to if i’m not there and you’re waiting for me. Sure i can put out 280w all the way up it, but that’s only 3w/kg, if you guys are climbing at 4w/kg that’s easily a minute.

Depending on numbers Weeksy we could have designated people towing on the flats and then let the 4 fastest climbers go.

Results are up from last night 143rd in frappe.

143 STW 3 7 Frappe 00 : 42 : 38 .452 40.67 kmh

the only minor issue with that is the Out and Back layout does the Watopia Hilly over the bridge climb as well, which is going to cost you climbers 30s too. It’s an idea for sure and i’m not fully against playing it like that to try and help out… But you saw at NY the difference you climby guys can make over us flat riders even on small climbs, it’s absolutely huge. For the Hilly climb it’s only a 3 mins section say, so i can put in 400w for a chunk of it… but then i’m cooked for the next bit where i’m supposed to be helping/pushing.

143rd in frappe.

Out of 202 so pretty reasonable.

Time wise though even if you cut the couple of massively off time teams we were about 4 minutes off the first team and about 4 minutes ahead of last so we’re in the right ball game at least

I’ve got this confusion over categories also.   Because I am orientated toward 4-12h mtb, I’ve been doing longer races, pushing the top end of C at 3.3wkg over 1:45 – Gold in the Newbury RR 2 weeks ago and 7th last week (although three above me have no HR data and the top 2 were at 3.8wkg)

Although I’m no crit racer with an ftp of 3.8wkg people keep telling me “Your a B!”  But if I entered a shorter 20/30 min race would I enter as B or C?   Zwift power says “almost a B”.  Yet looking at the above, I can’t manage 4wkg so it doesn’t seem correct albeit one of my Club colleagues just scored a bronze B at 3.8wkg – depends on the oppo I guess?

The wtrl site (and zwift itself) is now showing a course change for next week … to Greater London Flat like yesterday.

Do we have any ‘climbers’? I weigh exactly the same as you Weeksy. Kelvin would be, but looking at the five of us who finished together last night we’re 76, 80, 87, 88 and 101kg – so no lightweights.

My point is that as a group, on any route, there’s a maximum effort we can sustain. On climbs we’re going to be slower – that’s a given.

Last night I though we did a pretty good job of working as a team, staying together and pulling each other through.

On a hilly course we can still work together – and all we can do is the best time we can manage as a team on that course – that’s good enough for me.

I think it would be a shame if anyone drops out because they think they’d slow the team down – you won’t

Kryton – why don’t you join one of the STW group rides? There is one at 10.30 tomorrow. THey are good fun.

Do we have any ‘climbers’? I weigh exactly the same as you Weeksy

Whilst that may be the case, you’re head and shoulders above me in terms of performance buddy. I’m not dismissing myself here, i’m a top class C racer on flat courses, but uphill i’m honestly weak a heck…. How and why, i really really don’t know, i just don’t have the 300w uphil i can find on the flat, is it a cadence thing, a power thing or just a psychological thing, not really sure…

Well I think I found the problem with my trainer.

Seems the axle had wound up tight enough to lock the flywheel. Took a hammer to slacken it off but suddenly my “commute” on video actually feels like my commute not a 25% incline. I’ll see if it holds true in zwift later.

The problem with my legs last night may be less easy to fix.

Maybe not my legs that kept me from hanging on to you lot. Maybe zwift just didn’t like me last night 🤔

That’s weird. Where is that screenshot taken from?

Where is that screenshot taken from?

My phone 🙂

Lifted off the WTRL results page.

It fits with where I reckon I was sitting for the first 25minutes or so. Everytime I looked at my power I was a fair bit over 300w. I seem to recall saying at one point when Weeksy was on front I was holding 350w and being shelled out the back of the group. I thought he was just trying to upset me!

Kryton – why don’t you join one of the STW group rides? There is one at 10.30 tomorrow. THey are good fun.

I’d like to but my riding is very prescribed (coached training) and have sweet spot sessions tomorrow and that’d only work if you have rubber banding on, so I could knock out my intervals and stay in the group…?

‘group’ is a very loose term.

What are you training for ? there’s no events 🙂

Live a bit and enjoy a ride 🙂

I seem to recall saying at one point when Weeksy was on front I was holding 350w and being shelled out the back of the group. I thought he was just trying to upset me!

TBH i was doing 400w when you mentioned it… I wasn’t messing about on that section.

Oh so you were just trying to upset me 😜

that’d only work if you have rubber banding on,

This sounds like all our group rides to me.
Fly off the front, fall out the back, hook up for a few minutes, repeat.