Zwift, riding and racing.... update thread, info thread, motivational thread.

[Taff]

Remember that your ftp is personal to you and is useful if you're following training plans/workouts that have specific intervals. For a more accurate idea of what it is would be to do an ftp test i.e. ramp test or 2 x 8minutes, 1 x 20 minutes etc.

You probably already know all that but there may be people that don't.

yeah, this is the first time that I've had any (assumed to be) accurate power figures so it's a bit of a learning curve to understand what it means and why.

I'm definitely getting more used to zwifting after a few weeks, I'm understanding what sort of power level I can keep working at and what pushes my HR up which helps to maintain an effort, and I know that I don't like 13% hills
tonights ride managed a average power of 184w which is a fair jump on what I've done before, and that pushed my estimated FTP to 192w. I think I'm going to do a ramp test over the weekend for the shits and giggles and see what comes of it. It may sound like I'm obsessing over the numbers but really I'm more curious and learning than anything else.


one day I'll enter an event and see what happens.

[weeksy]

192 is great. Nice one. I think you'll top 200 quickly

[Timmy]

It may sound like I'm obsessing over the numbers

Welcome to my world Your ftp is useful for gauging how long you can push over say 5 minute, 20 minute, even longer efforts without blowing up. Power zones tie in with heart rate zones to a point but personally I would ignore HR and just use power as a gauge. HR can be variable due to fatigue, caffeine, time of day so is not the best metric.

Get some structure in to your riding (if that's your thing) and I think you'll see some good gains. If not, just keep turning the pedals, consistency in all types of training is key above all else. Keep up the good work

One thing with the ramp test, stick your trainer in ERG mode and let the trainer do it's thing (assuming you have a smart trainer). Just concentrate on cadence. It will feel like nothing is happening until the last few minutes, then you'll know all about it. Keep going until you can't push any more, or fall off. Good luck

[weeksy]

Just watching the Tour of UAE and listening to them chatting about power. Sam Bennet is a 1500+w sprinter, with apparently a couple of others who on their best days are the best part of 2000w sprints, Chris Hoy was ITRO 2500w when at his peak....

I struggle massively to hit 700w, at the end of an event i'll hit 550w tops actually. LOL.

I'm still not finding my peak where i used to hit 300w averages, but some of that is down to how the races play out also. Yesterday was a particular bit of fun on a short Crit race.
https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1787322

I was sharing time at the front with a big beast of a bloke who was an automatic DQ as he never seemed to drop below 4w/kg... But even though i did well, i couldn't quite match the pace at the end in the last 400m. But trying to attack before that, well it's not going to fly. I ended up 1.3s off the win at the line, which in Crit racing, is a lifetime away from it... But was nice to be in the melting pot.

The day before i got a 2nd
https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1780648

Which again was an interesting race, but i misjudged where it was and there was a 3% climb at about 1.4km which the guy who ended up winning flew up, i pinned it and dropped the other riders trying to chase him down, but i didn't quite have it... If the finish were flat, i'd have been a lot closer.

Zwift is hard at the moment to get wins, it's not since the 5th Jan that i picked up a gold medal, which is troubling me.. but i'm racing with heavy legs most days as i'm either Zwifting or rowing.

I've got 48 hours off riding now, so if i can resist riding today, i should be coming into Saturday fresh, but whether that's indoor or outdoor i'm not quite sure yet.

[weeksy]

https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1870811

p4 on the road, which was P3 in Zwiftpower. Race went well, i tried a few splits as the pace wasn’t high, one almost paid off, we lapped 2-3 riders just after the rollers and 2 of our group had been trying to split it on the rollers for 2 previous laps, so i pinned it over the top and down the cobbles, a group of 4 of us pulled 3s on the rest, but we only held it until the end of the lap as they closed us down. I thought we were going to get away.

In the final sprint i went too early arguably, had a drafting van and went at 500m as that’s how the cards fell and saw me in the best position to attack.

Didn’t quite work and got passed by 2 riders for the line. Damn.

Good race though and felt OK considering how knackered my legs are.

[weeksy]

https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1894680

Decent 2nd place today, felt good and strong all the way, was actually leading with just over 250m to go as my drafting carried me to the front, but a kick at the end and sprint wiped out the win for me... All in all, a good result, but a tough learning curve as always without a sprint.

[weeksy]

https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1915406

Enjoyed this mornings race, a nice win in C. But not ridden that course for AGES and was great to race something different that suits my riding profile. Dictated the pace a few times and tried to split the big group i was in, but they kept coming back.

[joe19]

Nice! Has the drafting in Zwift changed? Surprised the rider in second held on with 211w ave!

[weeksy]

Nice! Has the drafting in Zwift changed? Surprised the rider in second held on with 211w ave!

Dunno buddy, I'm not aware of anything

[weeksy]

https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=1938431

Decent if slightly disappointing race today. Thought i'd do a longer race as i'm becoming a bit/lot of a one trick pony. Race time today was 55mins, which is more than double my usual races.

It went off completely bonkers are ABCD were all together, so as we crested the hill towards the volcano i let the split go, it was all A/B riders with a few false Cs and i was never going to hang with them, so better to wait up.. We had a massive group and i was going really well, but about 40-42 mins in i was feeling the pace and decided it was time to get the group go, not an easy choice, but i was struggling, so let them pull the gap and cruised the last 2 laps. They ended up filling the places from 2nd-4th, so if i'd hung with them i may have finished a bit higher, but the pace was relentless and i struggle with the head as much as anything in these length races and my mind says "fuck it, had enough"... I was pleased i stayed on the bike to finish as that wasn't exactly my plan at times lol.

[joe19]

New toy in the pain cave, a Rocker Plate! Moves both side to side and forwards and back

Can feel it in my core! Didn't crash which was nice.

rocker_plate.jpg (387 KiB) Viewed 864 times

https://www.facebook.com/Omnirocker/

[weeksy]

Saddle looks radical too! Comfy?

[joe19]

It works for me, but does hold you in a very specific position. I'd like to get something more conventional at some point, so I can shift about a bit more. But it's not high up the list considering this one has worked for years++

I really don't like the look of it

[weeksy]

https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=2013607

Yesterdays race was a stinger.... felt crazy strong out of the gate, but it was double-draft and trying to split the bunch was next to impossible. Well, actually impossible. I could string them out but couldn't split them into 2 groups, so i sat in.... then again i went, then sat... I was just mostly enjoying myself and trying to split it.
Then i noticed it went up the Titans drag, ouch, that's 3-4% which is right in my most hated range..... However pushing out a constant 400w i hung with the leaders.... We split but then re-grouped again....
As it was a 40km race there was plenty of time to think about tactics etc.

7km to go it went BONKERS ! This is where the splits happened finally. 2 guys went off at 7.5wkg and then a couple followed.... I ended up having to bridge it with a 500w effort and just about managed it. The problem with this was that the last 400m was 2-3% and somehow everyone found massive 10+ wkg and i lost out massively. Killed on the last 300m.

It was a decent effort though and i enjoyed myself.

[weeksy]

Went Zwift racing today, even though I rode this morning.

The 'oh crit' race is always a decent field and usually fast and high ranked riders. The course has a 5% climby bit in the middle and I always get dropped on it but today it seems was the exception to that and I managed to hold 4.2wkg up it and came over the crest still in the lead bunch. We were a group of 18 or so and the pace was ok for me. The final 2km gets a bit rolly and several 4% bits where things often kick off. But today it seemed I was up for it and again crested the last one still with the bunch.

Sadly I got walloped in the last 500m to the line. But the race ranking for me was 385. The lower the result the better, my best in 400+ races was 417. So a 385 is brilliant for me. Holding on with the big hitters was even better though

https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=2021586

[formula400]

good stuff, after watching the racing on TV and can sort of imagine how it all kicks off at the end.
sounds good fun

[weeksy]

good stuff, after watching the racing on TV and can sort of imagine how it all kicks off at the end.
sounds good fun

Sadly for me, i'm one of those at the end where you watch it and see him go backwards with 300m and think "whys he not trying"

Lets just say when you're doing a decent pace section you're riding at 200w... when they sprint, everyone seems to hit 800-1100w... I mean Cavendish only throws out 1500w, so you can imagine how fast 1100w is.... I just don't have that sort of a kick of speed. So i kinda have to rely on positioning and luck/draft. So in races of this quality, i end up with neither.

[formula400]

how comes its such a mixed pool of talent???? or do they put pro's in with mortals ???

[weeksy]

how comes its such a mixed pool of talent???? or do they put pro's in with mortals ???

I sometimes wonder if everyone cheats somehow in the sprints.. but i can't see how it's possible. I also find it hard to believe i'm THAT shit at sprints... but that's how it seems to be. At the end, i've just got no kick... TBH i could come into the last 400m only, fresh as a daisy and i don't have that turn of speed.

The racing is grouped into 20 mins power cats, so it's mostly fair... just not in the last 300m for me

[Taff]

I've just done my first race....12 lap crit and to sum it up...Holy shit

I entered cat D and not realising that all cats start together I landed up riding with a group that I just couldn't keep pace with after 4 or 5 laps.
I then noticed that I was leading the cat D but after about another 4 laps the leader came past and that was me done.
I didn't finish last, just
I didn't throw up, just, although I did have to stop with half mile to go because I thought I was going to have to make a quick exit.