Couple zwift racing observations from today's race. When attacking the group to try and break away it's commonly thought to do so from the back and draft through the group and slingshot past, this is common in real life as well but in zwift this isn't the best method. I find that when trying to smash through the group with high watts the game holds you back for one or two seconds as if your stuck drafting behind the other riders, it does this to maintain smoother group formations I think. The real problem is the better the racers are that you race against the better they are at watching you wkg value in the riders list so they'll see you values leap up a full second before you break free of the group.
In today's race I was feeling rather good after a easy recovery spin on Sunday so I decided to be the aggressor of the group forcing all the attacks as often as possible with some being quick double attacks with a shorter first attack to play tricks on the other riders minds. I performed each of these attack only from the lead position which worked great leaping me forward instantly beyond the 5m drafting limit so at least the next chasing rider would have to work just as hard as me to get back on pace. One of the great things about being the aggressor of the group is it puts you in mental control of the pace and places all the other riders on the back foot feeling like they are just holding on instead of in control themselves. Now I know that is easier said then done as it requires you to be at least on par with the strongest riders of the group or stronger. If everyone is of similar ability then the aggressor is most likely to gain the mental advantage over the others and unlock that extra 5% of their potential for the end, remember racing in a just as much mental game as much a physical one. There's always the chance there is a dark horse in the group just as strong as you with all the confidence in the world who just sits back and lets the games play out while letting the mid pack riders keep him on par with the hard working leaders but that is a dangerous game that can only be played by someone who knows beyond a doubt they can bridge any gaps that form all on their own.
I was able to whittle down a group of 12 down to 4 by the last 8 miles and led into the final sprint. I payed attention during the previous laps and noted the large london arch leading into the finish sprint was 35 second out from the finish at race pace so 30 seconds even at sprint pace, basically the perfect spot to start my 30 second aero power up. As we approached the arch I started a false sprint 40 second out forcing the 3 other riders to activate their own aero power ups and launch their counter attack earlier then they would have wanted. I never backed off my sprint effort I just never initially went over 10wkg, I just need the number to change orange and my avatar to stand up to get everything going. The quickly jumped 10 meters ahead and as soon as they closed to within 3 meters and went all out all the way to 14wkg as they flew passed me. They came by so fast one of the riders had to be 15 meter up the road before I was on pace. I thought I had handed him the win but I forced myself to keep pushing to see how close I could get. I started slowly catching second place and pulled along side with 100 meters to go but the leader was still 10 meters up. I forced my legs to turn pulling hard on the bars forcing the V20 front triangle to bend and twist under the force and just then the leader must have thought he had it or started running out of steam because we started started closing fast. I was able to pull ahead of 3rd by a bike length and nipped the leader at the line by half a wheel at the line for the race win. Probably one of my most satisfying zwift races so far until I looked at the results and saw the guy who I nipped at the line had done the WBR race one hour earlier so this was his second race :lol
Still an awesome performance and I was excited to be able to be the attacker this time instead of the prey. I imagine I'll be back to being the prey in tomorrow's KISS race when the other fast guys show up.
