Zwift Chat

[bobinski]

Yeah, Andy has to put our more watts than me especially now I am 72 kilos.

It does suggest that to me too. But also Andy is slightly bigger, errrr, I mean more powerfully built, than Bob too

 

[CXRAndy]

I hope this works. See last min in particular;

View: https://www.facebook.com/ZwiftLIVE/posts/567914956886164

Crazy power for the sprint, came from a quite a way back The A cat riders were a lot more closely matched overall.

Until last year I did a real life race series where each race was pretty much like the Trade Team Worlds.
We would typically avg. 38-40 kph for the 2 hours of racing.
I managed to get a BePro power pedal reading from one of the races and it registered about 260 watt avg. and 1000 and someting watt peak.

That avg. was because I got too much wind on my nose in that race. I think I read somewhere that in the best spots in a TDF peleton, you only needed just over 200 watts.

Looking at your rides at Strava it looks like Bob was a master drafter, while all others spent too much energy.

Bob from his heart rate whilst benefiting from the draft was constantly near the max. He did exceptionally well to keep with a group and work together.
Hills were 2 mins too long for my build-even though i've slimmed down a bit. Thoroughly enjoy these big ride races, just not every week

 

[CXRAndy]

It does suggest that to me too. But also Andy is slightly bigger, errrr, I mean more powerfully built, than Bob too

Im now 92Kg aiming for 90Kg. Wife thinks I'm scrawny
I was faster than Bob on the flat bits, but the handful of seconds was eaten up and gained back hugely by Bob on the long climbs. On the last lap fatigued had set in and my speed dropped off dramatically, due to me pushing whilst being solo. Bobs superior W/Kg won the cyclechat inter race

The dark horse was Lee, who took it easy in Zone 2/3 and was very close on time.

 

[LBHIFI]

Yeah, Andy has to put our more watts than me especially now I am 72 kilos.

Any drafting tips ?

While we're at: I noticed there were different starting times for A, B...
Is that the norm?. If I join a cat B race, is it just B's at the starting line?
I'm trying to find out if I should just go after the front guys from start, or if I should look after just cat B riders to go after.

 

[berty bassett]

Yeah, Andy has to put our more watts than me especially now I am 72 kilos.

fatty

 

[bobinski]

fatty

Back already?

 

[CXRAndy]

Yeah, Andy has to put our more watts than me especially now I am 72 kilos.

Any drafting tips ?

While we're at: I noticed there were different starting times for A, B...
Is that the norm?. If I join a cat B race, is it just B's at the starting line?
I'm trying to find out if I should just go after the front guys from start, or if I should look after just cat B riders to go after.

Sometimes for the mass events times are staggered, but if its a short loop faster Cats can catch up if they start later. Start like a sprint=400W+ and hold it for a minute or 2 and get near the front, stay behind riders, your avatar will situp indicating you're drafting, if it goes aero then you're not drafting.

 

[LBHIFI]

I hope this works. See last min in particular;

View: https://www.facebook.com/ZwiftLIVE/posts/567914956886164

He really nailed that finish

 

[berty bassett]

Back already?

bloody cold out there Scott !

 

[CXRAndy]

bloody cold out there Scott !

The idea is you're never found, well not for a century. Then at least you cant win our little get togethers

 

[LBHIFI]

your avatar will situp indicating you're drafting, if it goes aero then you're not drafting.

Thanks, noticed my avatar changed position, but didn't know why.

 

[bobinski]

Any drafting tips ?

While we're at: I noticed there were different starting times for A, B...
Is that the norm?. If I join a cat B race, is it just B's at the starting line?
I'm trying to find out if I should just go after the front guys from start, or if I should look after just cat B riders to go after.

Lars, Nearly always staggered starts.

Tips? I used to be crap at drafting in Bkool , just not feeling the assist others said they could. The zsun group rides and especially the small group, 3-4 rider, training rides have forced me to learn and understand importance rotation in the draft and taking your turn at front. If you don’t the group slows because riders get tired or fed up with lack of support. The two I rode a lap and a bit yesterday were clearly stronger than me but one in particular took hardly stints at front except to break away on lap 3. Used and abused! Up until then we had actually pulled back some time time on group in front, probably because they had by all accounts eased off, and pulled away from the large group behind.

 

[Whorty]

Carl, for me not one bit of yesterday’s s ride was “easy”, whether riding alone or in a large pack, taking my turn at the front, nor when I worked with 2 other riders for best part of a lap and especially not when I tried to bridge to riders in front. You may go faster when with others but you need the watts to be there and stay there in the first place. If you get dropped you then need MORE watts to get back. That may be your extra 100 Watts? And then easier?

Not to kick off an argument, which I seem to get into far top frequently on here at the moment, but I stand by my original comment. It is fairly easy to get PBs on Zwift (and I assume in real life too) when you're riding in a big group. We see this year on year in the TdF - the peleton moves at crazy speeds, the guys at the front working hard but those deep in the draft hardly pedaling.

Looking at my Strava most of my PBs were early in the ride when I was in a group of around 100 riders. I was towards the front of that group, so clearly working hard to stay in position, but for the effort I was putting out I was going way faster than I would on my own, or in a smaller group, and hence yes, it was fairly easy (relative to being on my own) to go fast and get a PB.

To get these speeds of 50 kph I was probably pushing 250 ish Bkool watts. When I was in a small group later on, with only 7 of us in that group, the same 250 watts was getting us only speeds of 40 kph. On my own to hit 40kph I was needing to hit 350 watts. Now, 250 is not easy, but 250 watts for 50 kph is easy compared to 350 to hit 40 kph

When I was on my own I was having to hit 350 bkool watts to bridge gaps. Once in a group, I could drop back down to 250 and 'cruise'.

Whilst in the groups I tried to stay towards the lead area as being dropped was painful. Every now and then my nose went in front of the pack then I would soft pedal until the pack caught me back up. I was actively trying not to be out front, but instead actively being selfish and just draft others I wasn't in a team so didn't feel it was my job to help the larger teams

I accept that others with different trainers, or power metres, may have experienced the ride differently and I may not be the most experienced cyclist but I do know how 'hard' and 'easy' feel to me personally

 

[<Tommy>]

With regards drafting in zwift. Does the avatar stay sat up while drafting, or just sit up momentarily when you’re entering the draft? I seem to sit up when I’m a couple of meters back but when I’m right on someone’s wheel I seem to tuck in again. Is that right?

 

[Whorty]

With regards drafting in zwift. Does the avatar stay sat up while drafting, or just sit up momentarily when you’re entering the draft? I seem to sit up when I’m a couple of meters back but when I’m right on someone’s wheel I seem to tuck in again. Is that right?

As far as I can see it sits up all the time you are in a draft, but goes back down over the hoods when out of a draft. Others may know better. Whilst in draft you can drop power a bit and maintain the same speed (if you keep to the same power as got you in the draft you risk over shooting the rider you are draftin - at least that's what I see personally).

Problem with Zwift (well not a bug, just the way it works) is other riders can 'push' you sideways out of the draft. You can be in a group, but you are kind of at the side of the group and hence not in draft. You have to watch for this and just keeping working until Zwift lets you back into a draft position.