Zwifting - I think I need help!

[drossall]

I missed stage 6 so will do it this week.

Me too - just that one to go. Difficult to fit in because the climbing is going to make it slow and I've got commitments every night, pretty much

Finally managed it earlier this evening, at pretty much the last opportunity. Luckily the Climber's Gambit turned out not to finish up at the ski station, so was shorter than I feared.

[Legs]

Here's a tip: the only race I have got a placing was in cat A Team Greece Climbing TT Race.

Yeah, I’ve seen that they get rather scant fields…

I think I must have a screw loose because I rather like doing TTS on Zwift, but I don’t think there’s any sense doing different courses all the time without a consistent field to benchmark myself against.  I love Bologna because it really rewards a big 8-minute over-threshold effort!

TBF I rather like the 3R races where all cats start together - in that way I can gauge myself against the strong Bs as well as the As.

[drossall]

My club and three or four others do weekly inter-club TTs, which helps with the consistent field thing. We started in Covid, when real-world events moved online. Now we do it as a winter thing, as the summer series (of four or five events over a year) has resumed.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Here's a tip: the only race I have got a placing was in cat A Team Greece Climbing TT Race.

Yeah, I’ve seen that they get rather scant fields…

I think I must have a screw loose because I rather like doing TTS on Zwift, but I don’t think there’s any sense doing different courses all the time without a consistent field to benchmark myself against.  I love Bologna because it really rewards a big 8-minute over-threshold effort!

TBF I rather like the 3R races where all cats start together - in that way I can gauge myself against the strong Bs as well as the As.

I'm a cat C, but now and then I do enter a race in the cat above.  My target is to avoid coming last!  What happens is that I find a group I can keep up with, probably near my FTP, and ride with them as long as possible.  Probably 2/3rds after the start they decide to get a move on and I get left behind, still going close to my FTP.  Near the finish I usually get passed by someone who has woken up and can do the last bit at 6 w/kg whereas I am too knackered to get much above 4.  I think it tests me more than riding in my proper category and so far I have not been lantern rouge!

Can't see any reason to ride in the lower category and anyway category enforcement seems the rule now mostly. 

[Legs]

I'm a cat C, but now and then I do enter a race in the cat above.  My target is to avoid coming last!  ...  I think it tests me more than riding in my proper category and so far I have not been lantern rouge!

Definitely with you on this one.  I did the first of the latest Zwift TT series yesterday - one lap around the Glasgow course - and managed 8th/11, though I later found out that two of my three scalps were B-riders 'racing up' in A.  I reckon I could have got 6th with a bit of course reconnaissance - the start line was quite a long way beyond the start pen, and I burnt a few matches riding hard before I reached the line.  There was even a reasonable downhill right before the timing beam!

[morbihan]

funny enough I dipped into a cat above this morning. The Muckle Yin.
I'm bog standard B but entered the A.
What I found interesting was that the Zwift power race results in the A aligned much more closely with the individual power abilities of the racers were as with the B's its all over the place.
Needless to say I was in the rear echelon after the elastic snapped on the first proper ramp, regardless of a handy feather.
I may continue to nip into an A, if nothing more than to practice the TT once uncoupled.

[drossall]

I reckon I could have got 6th with a bit of course reconnaissance - the start line was quite a long way beyond the start pen, and I burnt a few matches riding hard before I reached the line.

This is something I haven't figured out. I just go from the off. But I always end up with a time 30 seconds or so longer than the timer on my screen shows when I finish. That's the opposite situation to what you seem to be describing - the clock starts when I leave the pen. As I read what you're saying, the clock should start at the course start.

There must be some information on this pretty basic stuff about Zwift time trials, but I've never found it. I'm thinking for example of the British Cycling weekly ones.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

I've yet to try a TT and nor could I find a lot about them apart from some 3 year old stuff.  Sounds like I should give it a go.

Today converted the Zwift steed from triple to double as the triple was losing me time doing unnecessary changes.  Larger cassette, longer chain and the front shift limited to the two outers. A test run in New York went ok, so tomorrow it's the 'Climbers Gambit', attempting the Rapha Rising challenge.  I suppose triples are old hat now.

[Legs]

I have trainer difficulty on about 35% and use probably three or four gears for nearly all my riding and racing, all in the 53T ring.  I use the 39T ring only for workouts in erg mode, when using a smaller gear gives lower flywheel speeds and hence faster trainer reactions to the resistance demand.

[morbihan]

gear selection on the turbo has had me pondering.
We have a smart bike so the gears are plugged in.
I have found that the go-to gear I use racing on the flat and small bumps is 52/16 and either side of that on the cassette, so low 3's on the ratio.
Ive noted that the watts generally go up when I drop down a gear. feels kind of counter intuitive to how I would imagine, but its there to see on the read out.
RPM tends to be 80 to 90.
I don't tend to use the smaller rings racing unless its a monster climb (and I try to avoid racing hills), but do when cruising. The computer allows you a huge spread on the sprocket of course which isn't realistic on a physical bike.
 I did use the. 3rd tiny 28 ring when doing the taxc mountain climbs.

[drossall]

I have found that the go-to gear I use racing on the flat and small bumps is 52/16 and either side of that on the cassette...

That's going some. I'm still using the single-speed set-up I described on page 1 here, on 50*19 I think. So 70" to your 85.5". But it works really well for me and at least I'm not worrying about what gear to choose all the time.

I had forgotten how important this thread was in getting me going on Zwift.

[MattH]

MrsH has expressed an interest in trying the trike on Zwift. So, how can I do that without upsetting my stats? Is it just a case of not saving at the end? Obviously weight etc. will be wrong, but just to give a taste.

I'm actually not too worried as I'm not a serious zwifter, just interested. If she likes it, we'll just sort out a trial account then a full one.

[Legs]

Of course, it's against Zwift's terms of service for you to share accounts, but that's not to say that people don't do it.

If she's doing it for the sake of having a bit of scenery to see as she rides, and some feedback about her power, and isn't too fussed about having 'real' riders around her, perhaps she could set up a free RGT account instead?

[gibbo]

Week 2 of Tour of Watopia starts today - double XP and double duration powerups 

Last week, at the expense to all the group rides I normally do, I only did ToW rides so I can level up quicker.

[JonBuoy]

This is what happened to me when I tried one of the Tour of Watopia rides last week!

[morbihan]

Ha yes. Thought I'd eaten a magic mushroom power up!
I did all three distances on the TOW last week, as did Ms Morbihan. The workout space needs airing out!
Ive found it a good way to get some threshold efforts done without playing in the traffic outside.

[Phil21]

I need to get a cheap bike for Zwifting purposes so I can put the nice road bike back on the road where it belongs. Trying to find something on Gumtree has been a frustrating experience. Any opinions on this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225476683606?hash=item347f752756:g:GNUAAOSwKQ9kDaek&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4K5FMBSZv6gNAGmJ%2BsgWCVn8MBPM8J1tBrP1ciJKItk9LpmCHC6cYWg1cHO0LADBOiHjGVL%2B2fF5E3tyqJDbQJ6Ol09r%2BtvbNzawXWueVhR0NUdSYwrsR0obxopEs5fXAV0CEPXfIThRm6x6riuSPi7aiUuuMArvUAgW5Fr%2FLOlrlY1KCvYm%2FtnvhURjW1XuwoQzDzheesD8qsQKEUHjfea1QKILhA%2Bu3tJxYcNSTV9amLFrquWHu7DG2WPFhw0UcjsYTmwqbpyRrIOshS7kR%2FCoce8Yy3Oi68vg4Y6CYXpR%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR87ZzPvbYQ

I don't care about the cosmetics as long as the gears are in working condition.

Do you think it's a reasonable price?

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Seems expensive for something you'll just be using for Zwift.  I use an old tourer with a steel frame. It has the right geometry and enough gears.  Heavy though, it you are lugging it up to the attic.

My neighbour told me facebook market was a good place for 2nd hand bikes.

[Phil21]

Seems expensive for something you'll just be using for Zwift.  I use an old tourer with a steel frame. It has the right geometry and enough gears.  Heavy though, it you are lugging it up to the attic.

My neighbour told me facebook market was a good place for 2nd hand bikes.

I suspected it was, though I don't really have much idea of how much used bikes go for. I'm going to see a more local one at the weekend for 200 GBP. I'm so busy at the moment I don't want to have to spend any time building a frame up or anything.

I'm not on facebook so that rules that out.

[morbihan]

we just succumbed to our first dose of covid last week, so after an enforced rest its back into Zwift land for a while to keep the riding steady in a controlled environment. Im keeping an eye on the heart rate and dialling back the efforts a bit. Tour de Zwift stage 3 last night. Its actually quite nice not going out the gate like a greyhound and trying to hang on to the front!

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Tried stage 3 this morning and got to the foot of the Epic KOM when I had to stop for another commitment bought forward suddenly.  Going to try again and will definitely be finding a nice easy group to draft through Titan's Grove. 

[Legs]

I'm going to need to get onto a 4am ride to get the Quatch Quest stage 3 ride done before my family comes down for breakfast at 6am.  Alternative would be to do it in the evening and be full-on antisocial with my wife.  I've not done any of the other ToW races rides but QQ is one of the routes I've not completed yet.

[JonBuoy]

I'm going to need to get onto a 4am ride to get the Quatch Quest stage 3 ride done before my family comes down for breakfast at 6am.  Alternative would be to do it in the evening and be full-on antisocial with my wife.  I've not done any of the other ToW races rides but QQ is one of the routes I've not completed yet.

I entered yesterday evening's 17:00 version of the same ride as an 'easy' way of ticking off the badge and to see how the covid recovery is going.  By 17:05 I had my answer 

Saturday's 200k audax should sort me out 

[Legs]

Saturday's 200k audax should sort me out 

... or finish you off!

I DOMSed myself at parkrun on Saturday and am still feeling a bit tender, so pleased to be able to tick this one off.  The crests of the 'bridge' are at 95% FTP.

https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts/gp-lama/lamas-sydney-harbour-bridge

[drossall]

I haven't done Quatch Quest yet either. Not going to manage it in this TdZ either, I think. Did the medium course instead last night.