Rob Lloyd
Well-Known Member
For those that don't know (maybe you're wondering what trply is posting about every week), there is a recumbent racing team that is participating in a couple of different racing series within Zwift. Both racing series are managed by a group called WTRL (I don't know what it stands for, either). More info at WTRL.racing...
We race in 2 series: ZRL (Zwift Racing League) - An 8-week Tuesday night points series currently in Season 2, week 7. And, TTT - a weekly Thursday night Team-Time-Trial.
The points series is a mix of scratch (individual) races and Team-Time-Trials.
The weekly Team-Time-Trial, is well just a Team-Time-Trial.
Most of our races are about an hour long, some slightly longer, some shorter. We pick start times around 7:30pm eastern.
We currently have enough riders for 4 teams in the Tuesday races and 2 or 3 for Thursday. But, week by week of course some riders drop out due to other obligations and we often pick up new riders. trply is is the team leader and is always looking for new riders as people move up in category, or just to expand our teams. If you're interested in Zwift riding or racing, please check it out.
Some more background/FAQ :
1. Wait, Zwift has a recumbent bike? -- No, Zwift does not actually have a 'recumbent' bike. Yet. We pick the best bike for each race just like everyone else. But, many (most?) of us do ride a recumbent on the trainer. Even if your avatar doesn't ride a 'bent.
2. But, Zwift is boring. Who wants to ride virtual? -- If you find riding alone in Zwift to be, well, rather boring (I do), then consider joining us. It really does make the entire Zwift experience more entertaining. Especially when there are (still) no outdoor races available.
3. Yeah, but if you're riding alone in your basement, how do you interact with others in Zwift? -- We do talk to each other while racing using a VOIP (voice over IP) app called Discord.
4. OK, that kind of sounds like fun, how do I get started? -- Unfortunately, it's a multi-step process. You need a Zwift account, of course. And the equipment necessary to make it all work. Zwift has several of their own FAQ's that I won't repost here. You also need an account on WTRL.racing, and on ZwiftPower.com. You will also need the Discord app on your phone or PC to communicate with us during the race. And, the Zwift Companion app is really helpful, though not necessary.
5. Ugh! Why do I have to join all these places? I just want to race! -- WTRL.racing runs the races within Zwift. They manage the racers that are entered for each race. You have to register with them in order to enter. But, it doesn't cost anything at all, and the registration is simple.
ZwiftPower.com is a kind of racer database. ZwiftPower's database is a way to rank all Zwift racers against each other, and keep track of race results. Also, since it's possible to cheat in Zwift (I won't go into all the how's - you can look that up if you want to); ZwiftPower's database gives a way for serious racers to check each others stats - keeping things as honest as possible. It will be obvious if anyone is cheating looking at their stats. ZwiftPower was recently acquired by Zwift, and the integration is on-going. Again, there's no cost to join ZwiftPower and the registration is simple.
Discord is just a voice over IP app typically used by gamers to communicate with each other. We use it the same way. We have a channel for each team to use. It's just a channel for us to strategize our race plans was we're waiting for the gate to drop, and to group up during the TTT events and keep our pace line together. Well, that and trply plays some terrible music if we're not riding well
6. OK, that's a lot to digest. Anything else I need to know? -- Well, it would be helpful to know your FTP in watts/kg. But, you can figure that out as you go. We usually have 2 teams running in category 'D' which is an entry category and ranges from 1.0 - 2.5 W/kg. One of our teams (Low Drag) is a 'development' team and will therefore be a bit slower. The other is High Speed and is much more competitive with most racers near the top of the D category break point. High Speed and Low Drag both race on Tuesdays and Thursdays events. For the Tuesday races, we also have competitive C (3k2Cure) and B (Vendetta) category teams.
We race in 2 series: ZRL (Zwift Racing League) - An 8-week Tuesday night points series currently in Season 2, week 7. And, TTT - a weekly Thursday night Team-Time-Trial.
The points series is a mix of scratch (individual) races and Team-Time-Trials.
The weekly Team-Time-Trial, is well just a Team-Time-Trial.
Most of our races are about an hour long, some slightly longer, some shorter. We pick start times around 7:30pm eastern.
We currently have enough riders for 4 teams in the Tuesday races and 2 or 3 for Thursday. But, week by week of course some riders drop out due to other obligations and we often pick up new riders. trply is is the team leader and is always looking for new riders as people move up in category, or just to expand our teams. If you're interested in Zwift riding or racing, please check it out.
Some more background/FAQ :
1. Wait, Zwift has a recumbent bike? -- No, Zwift does not actually have a 'recumbent' bike. Yet. We pick the best bike for each race just like everyone else. But, many (most?) of us do ride a recumbent on the trainer. Even if your avatar doesn't ride a 'bent.
2. But, Zwift is boring. Who wants to ride virtual? -- If you find riding alone in Zwift to be, well, rather boring (I do), then consider joining us. It really does make the entire Zwift experience more entertaining. Especially when there are (still) no outdoor races available.
3. Yeah, but if you're riding alone in your basement, how do you interact with others in Zwift? -- We do talk to each other while racing using a VOIP (voice over IP) app called Discord.
4. OK, that kind of sounds like fun, how do I get started? -- Unfortunately, it's a multi-step process. You need a Zwift account, of course. And the equipment necessary to make it all work. Zwift has several of their own FAQ's that I won't repost here. You also need an account on WTRL.racing, and on ZwiftPower.com. You will also need the Discord app on your phone or PC to communicate with us during the race. And, the Zwift Companion app is really helpful, though not necessary.
5. Ugh! Why do I have to join all these places? I just want to race! -- WTRL.racing runs the races within Zwift. They manage the racers that are entered for each race. You have to register with them in order to enter. But, it doesn't cost anything at all, and the registration is simple.
ZwiftPower.com is a kind of racer database. ZwiftPower's database is a way to rank all Zwift racers against each other, and keep track of race results. Also, since it's possible to cheat in Zwift (I won't go into all the how's - you can look that up if you want to); ZwiftPower's database gives a way for serious racers to check each others stats - keeping things as honest as possible. It will be obvious if anyone is cheating looking at their stats. ZwiftPower was recently acquired by Zwift, and the integration is on-going. Again, there's no cost to join ZwiftPower and the registration is simple.
Discord is just a voice over IP app typically used by gamers to communicate with each other. We use it the same way. We have a channel for each team to use. It's just a channel for us to strategize our race plans was we're waiting for the gate to drop, and to group up during the TTT events and keep our pace line together. Well, that and trply plays some terrible music if we're not riding well
6. OK, that's a lot to digest. Anything else I need to know? -- Well, it would be helpful to know your FTP in watts/kg. But, you can figure that out as you go. We usually have 2 teams running in category 'D' which is an entry category and ranges from 1.0 - 2.5 W/kg. One of our teams (Low Drag) is a 'development' team and will therefore be a bit slower. The other is High Speed and is much more competitive with most racers near the top of the D category break point. High Speed and Low Drag both race on Tuesdays and Thursdays events. For the Tuesday races, we also have competitive C (3k2Cure) and B (Vendetta) category teams.
