Zwift - Cruzbike Activities (races and group rides)

[ratz]

What recumbent effect?

General accepted theory; power output of average none heavily trained rider is about 15% lower on a Recumbent do to horizontal breathing overhead. It's a generalization; that appies less to the high end athlete. This is relative to the speed you'll go for the power applied. Hills not withstanding; hills it's more or less reversed but due to weight; but there's no generally agreeable %.....

So

Classification of W/kg for recumbent racing on the the flats. Watts give speeds that rank like this in the levels.



On a DF those Watt Levels would yield speeds that rank like this.





mostly just an academic thought exercise....

 

[Bill K]

Mountain Goat A category race report.

Rojo, I like reading your race reports. It makes it seem virtually (pun intended) real!

I finally accumulated all the hardware I need to try it myself and did my first ride today.
It was surprisingly motivational (much better than the TrainerRoad + Rock N Roll that I have been doing).
I was going to do an easy ride, smell the roses, etc, but that didn't work out.
As soon as I saw riders to catch and riders were passing me, it was pedal to the metal time, and I got a great workout!
Funny, yesterday I did the TR 20-min FTP test, got a disappointing result so I rode another hour doing sweet spot intervals.
Today riding on Zwift, it was way easier to hold high wattages (higher than the 20-min FTP test yesterday which should have worn me out).
I will try and join in on future rides, but I will be in the 3 w/kg group (on a good day).

For those of you that are on the fence about joining in here: I say go for it. There is a good chance you will like it more than you think you will.

 

[RojoRacing]

General accepted theory; power output of average none heavily trained rider is about 15% lower on a Recumbent do to horizontal breathing overhead. It's a generalization; that appies less to the high end athlete. This is relative to the speed you'll go for the power applied. Hills not withstanding; hills it's more or less reversed but due to weight; but there's no generally agreeable %.....

So

Classification of W/kg for recumbent racing on the the flats. Watts give speeds that rank like this in the levels.


mostly just an academic thought exercise....

I think I loose a touch on the 5-15 second stuff because I can't stand and the frame flexes more than a carbon race bike. I loose again on the 1-2 minute stuff because my neck is closed making breathing constricted. Above 5 mins I feel there is no difference in my power output which you guys have all seen time and time again on my lunch ride efforts. First step in reducing that 15% is to not believe it's set in stone, just like telling yourself you suck at hills will keep you from ever improving in the hills. One of the other racers today made a good comments on my strava ride after the race when I told them my injury situation.

"Jason, having spent many hours riding with a good friend of mine that rides a recumbent, all I can say is that I'm glad that I don't have to try to draft one in Zwift! "

 

[RojoRacing]

Rojo, I like reading your race reports. It makes it seem virtually (pun intended) real!

I finally accumulated all the hardware I need to try it myself and did my first ride today.
It was surprisingly motivational (much better than the TrainerRoad + Rock N Roll that I have been doing).
I was going to do an easy ride, smell the roses, etc, but that didn't work out.
As soon as I saw riders to catch and riders were passing me, it was pedal to the metal time, and I got a great workout!
Funny, yesterday I did the TR 20-min FTP test, got a disappointing result so I rode another hour doing sweet spot intervals.
Today riding on Zwift, it was way easier to hold high wattages (higher than the 20-min FTP test yesterday which should have worn me out).
I will try and join in on future rides, but I will be in the 3 w/kg group (on a good day).

For those of you that are on the fence about joining in here: I say go for it. There is a good chance you will like it more than you think you will.

Glad you're having fun as well as enjoying the reports when I actually do post them. I only write reports for races I deem eventful which is partly why I never wrote one for the Berrego 24hr. I tried several times but the race was mostly uneventful compared to so many of my others that I can't make a fun story out of it. I'm also typing out these little zwift race reports on my game pad sized wireless keyboard which is great therapy for my injured thumb.

 

[RojoRacing]

You should post this on the zwift riders FB page to help mitigate all those other riders complaining about their gains and getting upgraded to the next cat instead of being left in a lower rank to win every race.

Oh and sorry I can't hear any footsteps over the sound of of my labored breathing and pegged HR but I keep one eye on my mirror.

 

[RojoRacing]

There's only one winner in zwift results and that's the A cat winner, all other cat winners get upgrades. On the other hand everyone who races and finishes is a winner.

No matter how fast I get there's always at least that one person faster than me that day.

 

[RojoRacing]

Looks like ODZ is becoming the Boss group for broadcasting.

I think I prefer Nathan's broadcasts more because of his co leverage and demeanor, he makes the races fun and exciting. If he covered the pro tours I might be able to watch more than the last 2 mins.

 

[RojoRacing]

So are zwift races going to be used to determine Vendetta rights to race?

 

[RojoRacing]

True but they all had much lower Wkg which means they raced smarter. Sounds like she needs to ride more like a racer and stop pulling to group or riding on her own. Sadly road racing doesn't mean the strongest person wins like in TT or Mtbs.

Why was she so far back?

 

[RojoRacing]

One thing I hate about zwift racing is that fact I'm forced to sit in the group and leech off the stronger riders in order to pick up the scraps when they destroy the group in the last 5 miles. It really hurts my pride having to ride like that which is probably why I don't enjoy road racing in real life ether. It's a humbling experience riding with so many riders faster than you using such tactics. It is only one thing out of the many that I do enjoy though.

 

[RojoRacing]

After my missed turn yesterday I knew I had little chance of winning but the pressure was off my shoulders after that. As long as I tried I would still be a winner in my eyes. Releasing myself from that competitive burden is how I was able to push so hard up the mountain.

The number of people who have won a zwift race without making that lead group right from the start is probably zero. If you want to race in zwift competitively your primary focus should be your 1 min power from the start. After you can hang on for the first 5 mins, then you can work on everything else. For those of you in categories below A I suggest races that have separate starts since you won't be essentially chasing the A riders from the start which makes the effort even more exasperated.

I know my starting power is about 7wkg and I'm well aware of what it feels like. At the start of the race I work up to 6 or so Wkg with 3 seconds to go and then I focus on the rider list on the right. I'll see some red numbers but I don't panic, I just keep pushing at my 7wkg. I'll quickly see the red numbers change to white and I'll keep watching for the majority of riders Wkg to drop into the 4-5 range. That marks the end of the start sprint and now I can focus on the group in the center of my screen. While watch the Wkg in the riders list you're also watch the main screen to make sure your not getting totally dropped. Due to the near 2 second lag in avatar response to power you'll have to learn your own timing based on what you see.

 

[RojoRacing]

Sharing from FB, this is just one series on zwift and unique as it doesn't allow power up useage.

*** IMPORTANT PLEASE READ***
The Experimental Race Series (XRS) is a race series designed for all cyclists using a variation of tough hilly races (Ibex Race), short Criterium races (Crit Race), Time Trials (TT) and the new Decat Race (no categories). See more on our website (to be launched shortly)

~Races~
Monday: XRS ZTR DeCat (mass start with all categories)
Tuesday: XRS ZTR (EU, Americas East and Americas West)
Wednesday: XRS iTT (Individual Time Trial)
Thursday: XRS ZTR (EU, Americas East and Americas West)
Saturday: XRS Ibex (climbing)
Sunday: XRS Crit

~Rules~
All entries via the Event Module
Rider Name: your name XRS Category (A,B,C or D) - i.e. J.Bloggs XRS (B)
Fair racing and no cheating:
• Races are expected to race in the correct division (see below for the categories). Start in the corresponding starting pen and have your category in your name
• HRM is encouraged in all categories, but mandatory in category A & B, correct weight and ZADA approval for riders with ~5.0w/kg ftp
• No power Ups (60s time penalty). Please ensure you clear/use any power-up before entering the Event to avoid accidental power-up use
• TT bikes only allowed in TT events (TT bike is mandatory in iTT events)
• zPower (ZP) is allowed in cat B, C and D (but no podium finish for ZP). Racers intentionally drafting ZP may face DQ

~Results~
Strava save must include the XRS tag and your category (A,B,C,D). The Strava activity must be public (DQ otherwise)
If live fails, Strava will be used. In the event of ZP Live failure, results may not be finalised to avoid incorrect CVR points being applied
Riders who finish with 5.0+ W/kg for 20 minute critical power will be placed in the (ZADA)/(5W) category and will not be eligible for cat A results until real world evidence using a power meter can be produced to ZADA
Races have 24 hours to contest finish position and may be required to provide evidence.

~Categories~
Please select the correct category below (your FTP divided by your weight in kg):
(A) 4.0+ W/kg FTP
(B) 3.2 - 3.99 W/kg FTP
(C) 2.5 - 3.19 W/kg FTP
(D) 0 - 2.49 W/kg FTP

No categories required for DeCat Race. Please note: Upgrades in all categorised races plus the TTs will be as per zwiftpower.com criteria

 

[RojoRacing]

Did the KISS race today which was half a pretzel lap so yeah, strait into the big climb and all the way to the very top. Because you're basically fresh when starting the 25 min climb it makes for a good FTP test of sorts. I managed to go sub 20 mins on the EPIC KOM climb which if you didn't know is fast enough that when I see someone on the leader-board at sub 20 mins I question the accuracy of their setup. I also averaged 317 watts for 20 mins which is a new best both outside or on the trainer. New FTP is calculated at 4.5 so only another 0.5 before I can apply for my ZADA approval badge Oh and another 3rd place wasn't to shabby ether.

 

[RojoRacing]

Dead last in cat B tonight but only 1.20 minutes off the winner. I can do this. Stream worked well. If someone wants to race I'll stream it for you. Let me know.

Nice effort
That's a tight group compared to my race today which blew up 4 mins in and scattered shrapnel all over the island. Also with your time you would have won the C class by 11seconds so B is going to be a good fit in this next month.

 

[anotherbrian]

I didn't race, but I did see you guys were online when I started Zwift on my iPhone, paired it to my recently rebuilt/updated Powertap hub (now with Bluetooth) and selected Volcano laps.

43.3 real miles (about 49 in game) and 1826kJ later I only made it around the circuit 18 times, so still very short of the 25 lap achievement. I may need to read the EULA to see if Zwifting outdoors is cheating, but with the improving weather here I'm guessing my XP/day and progress towards the Concept is going to come to a screeching halt.

 

[RojoRacing]

I actually saw a zwift app notification on my phone of you starting your ride on my way home, in fact I was still 5 mins out. I got home with 5 mins till the start and ruched to power everything on. I logged onto zwift and saw your race was 57 seconds till start and I still hadn't even put my shoes on. I strapped my shoes on just as you guys sprinted away. I quickly grabbed a bottle of water and my HR strap and jumped on the bike. Last place was already a full min ahead as I sprinted from the line in an all out effort with the hopes of maybe catching Hardy and maybe the lead group if there happened to not be any super fast riders. I quickly catch second to last and started flaying by rider after ride while averaging over 300watts. I was only about 20 seconds back from Hardy when I checked my gap to the leaders which was 80 seconds at the time. I continued to dig deep as I passed Hardy with a quick Go Team Cruzbike over the open chat. I couple mins later I was starting to feel my limits so I checked the gap to the lead pack again, 75 second. I just happen to see Scott Flemming in the group who is one of my top rivals on zwift so I knew there was no way he'd ever let the group slow enough for me to close down 75 seconds. I called it a god brisk warmup and waited for Hardy to catch back up so I could play teammate for the next 13 miles. I knew he wasn't on discord so I used the PM feature on the zwift app to send him words of encouragement as well as race strategies like when to attack and such. I did my best to try and set Hardy up with a breakaway from our 5 person group but even though he attacked perfectly opening a 3 second gap it didn't last. I had been checking his HR most of the ride and I imagine the 167 he was averaging had to be quite high for him so I knew I was asking a lot. We slowly feel back into the clutched of the 3 riders behind us and hardy lost him mojo on the final small climb with 1.5 miles to go. He did good to keep them in sight but didn't quite have enough to get past them. Better luck next time.

No I didn't finish the race, I flipped a u turn 20 seconds out and watched you cross the line then logged out. I didn't want to mess with the final results any more then I already had. I wonder if anyone in our little group noticed me fly past in the first part of the race :lol

 

[RojoRacing]

Well consider today a fluke on my part since it was my recovery day and had I gotten home 1 minute later I wouldn't have bothered. I may do the KISS race tomorrow depending on how my day goes. I really need to get my wheels back on and take the bike outside.

 

[ratz]

I'll be in zwift by 5:15 cst laying down an hour of steady state intervals if anyone wants to practice their drafting technique.

 

[RojoRacing]

Lay down a nice steady 5.0wkg and let us in the KISS A race draft you

 

[ratz]

will you be on the discord cruzbike channel?

Yes

I'll make sure I go the opposite direction of the KISS