Zwift - Cruzbike Activities (races and group rides)

[Pollock]

Was riding with a 10 degree seat today, so that might be holding me back a little. I'll have to get it back to 20 degrees for next time and see if that makes a difference!

10 degrees?! How did you even stay awake! You do know there is no aero benefit for recumbents when riding indoors? Haha.

It will be interesting to have you compare the 10 degrees vs 20 degrees next time on your power output.

 

[Pollock]

And after the smoke clears what we gained from this:

1. Getting registered for Zwift Power is a lot harder than it use to be.
2. Keep Jim away from all cords leading to his computer.
3. Larry needs to find the push to talk button on discord.
4. Should change my name to Talking Badger.
5. Don't try and jump on Alex's wheel when he passes.
6. Know where the launch your power-up button is.

Who has more?

I was thinking more of Mouthy Moose for you. You need to keep your spirit animal.

7. Team races are a lot of fun with more friends on discord!

 

[RojoRacing]

I meant to ask if when I did the handicap race last week I heard one of you mention Jason must be working as I was huffing and puffing to stay with me group. I quickly toned down the sensitivity of my mic to avoid you guys listening to me breathing, did it work? or could you still hear me breathing in the second half of the event as well?

 

[RojoRacing]

Nope I could hear you coming. That is actually two different breathers in the hungry lions video. One of them is you.

Well I meant the second half of the race minus the final sprint, there's no avoiding hearing me go all out in the last 1/4 mile

 

[benphyr]

... Was riding with a 10 degree seat today, so that might be holding me back a little. ...

You should take your bike inside, let it warm up. 10 degrees is quite cool maybe that discussion fits better with the Winter Challenge!

 

[LarryOz]

You should take your bike inside, let it warm up. 10 degrees is quite cool maybe that discussion fits better with the Winter Challenge!

Yes, it is has been "very cold" in the NC mountains this winter!

 

[LarryOz]

If anyone wants to join me, I will be riding in the "3R 160 Steady Ride [~3.0w/kg avg]"
I have a house showing at 9am, so the only way to get a good Century in, is to start at 2:45am. It should be a sub-4.
Right now there are 75 people signed up for it, and I am 1 of only 2 in the 60+ age group. Should be fun.
Set your alarm - see you there. (For you Jason, you won't even have to go to bed. Just hop your training At 11:45pm in CA.

 

[RojoRacing]

Ummmmm NO

 

[LarryOz]

Ummmmm NO

Didn't have to think too long about that one, did you?

 

[Pollock]

2:45?! What timezone?

I plan on sleeping through the night. Not that I have a chance at that power.

 

[LarryOz]

2:45?! What timezone?

I plan on sleeping through the night. Not that I have a chance at that power.

This is Eastern Time Zone. I rode with a group like this on Monday - and it seemed quite easy to stay with them. It was such a huge blob - it just seemed like you got sucked along at 25mph!

 

[benphyr]

Timezone: Oz standard time. [Way too early in the rest of the world.] [Not in Kansas any more Toto.]

 

[RojoRacing]

Entered the KISS 100km race today for the first time in over a year at least. Last time I did one of these it was like 8-10 of us for maybe half the race until myself and some other would get dropped on a big climb and I'd end up ridding by myself the rest of the race, it's not a good memory. I was hesitant to enter it today until I saw 205 people entered which would be my biggest zwift race by far. I was working my but off just to try and stay mid blob at about 60th position and you'd think well you're in the draft so shouldn't it be easy to move to the front? Well if the 60 riders in front of you are also in the draft and putting out 20 watts more then you then no it's not easy to move up in the pack. During the climb up the volcano KOM it strung out the field massively with 4-5 groups forming in front of me as well as behind me. My pack had about 20 riders in it then 15 then 12 and I think after the final climb it was less then 10. My quads were getting super tight on that last climb and I was missing the ability to get out of the saddle and change muscles. I sprinted for a mid pack finish in my group of 9 and 31st overall. I want to say it was a great performance on my part but I feel like there was another 5% on the table I needed to pull out to stay one or two groups further up.

This is what the results look like when I enter a proper zwift race with some seriously fast riders. Pretty sure first place is an actual Pro

 

[LarryOz]

Entered the KISS 100km race today for the first time in over a year at least. Last time I did one of these it was like 8-10 of us for maybe half the race until myself and some other would get dropped on a big climb and I'd end up ridding by myself the rest of the race, it's not a good memory. I was hesitant to enter it today until I saw 205 people entered which would be my biggest zwift race by far. I was working my but off just to try and stay mid blob at about 60th position and you'd think well you're in the draft so shouldn't it be easy to move to the front? Well if the 60 riders in front of you are also in the draft and putting out 20 watts more then you then no it's not easy to move up in the pack. During the climb up the volcano KOM it strung out the field massively with 4-5 groups forming in front of me as well as behind me. My pack had about 20 riders in it then 15 then 12 and I think after the final climb it was less then 10. My quads were getting super tight on that last climb and I was missing the ability to get out of the saddle and change muscles. I sprinted for a mid pack finish in my group of 9 and 31st overall. I want to say it was a great performance on my part but I feel like there was another 5% on the table I needed to pull out to stay one or two groups further up.

Great effort Jason! So one question I have is how could the guy in front of you only ride at 3.2w/Kg and still be ahead of you when you were putting out 3.7w/Kg (for 2 hrs!) - Does that mean he was sucking someones wheel a lot more?
Also good see the file upload is working again!

 

[RojoRacing]

If you look at his weight you'll see he's 17kg heavier then me so even at 0.5wkg less he averaged 20 watts more then me. So a combination of drafting more possibly but definitely less wkg needed on all the flat sections between the climb each lap.

 

[LarryOz]

I signed up for the 5:35 Hare & Hounds race again for tomorrow morning. Will try riding in B group again. Who is in?

 

[RojoRacing]

I'm now on the later shift at work so theoretically I could race with you then go back to sleep for like 4 hours before going to work. Problem is my trainer is setup right above my new roomate's bedroom and even on the Neo I don't want to wake her up with a few hard shifts on the climbs.

 

[LarryOz]

So who is in for next Wednesday’s Hound and Hare? Who has other suggestions/ideas?

Thanks Hardy: I will commit to doing this race every week

 

[benphyr]

So we have two commits for a wed ride. Larry-Hardy. Pretty pathetic response for my cry into the wilderness.

Hey, It's only been a little over 7 hours since you cried into the wilderness. Not even a full work shift. I'm slowly working my way towards attending Zwiftia.

Any suggestions on easiest ways to get two friends to be able to both ride on Zwift. Do we need two computers etc. We have power meters and trainers..

@RojoRacing Could you update post # 1 to include the Hare and Hound schedule @Pollock posted, the Zwift Power instructions from @trplay and any other main information so that there is an easy place to find it? Or should we just start a new thread?

 

[Pollock]

Hey, It's only been a little over 7 hours since you cried into the wilderness. Not even a full work shift. I'm slowly working my way towards attending Zwiftia.

Any suggestions on easiest ways to get two friends to be able to both ride on Zwift. Do we need two computers etc. We have power meters and trainers..

The easiest way depends on what you have. I will assume power meters and ‘dumb’ trainers, up the questions and answers are similar if using smart trainers.

If you are using ANT+ only, then you will likely need a dongle on a PC or Mac. Unfortunately, iOS / AppleTV do not use ANT+.

If you are using Bluetooth, then you can use a PC, Mac, iPad (I use my iPad Pro), AppleTV, Android tablet or even a mobile phone (iOS/Android). You PC would need a way to speak over Bluetooth which may mean an adapter/dongle for it as well.

In my specific scenario, I have a Wahoo Kickr Snap trainer that I use with my S40. The trainer is ANT+/Bluetooth compatible. I have a Wahoo candence sensir and HR monitor which are both Bluetooth. All of these BT devices connect to my iPad where I run Zwift. I use a stand to hold the tablet at a decent height when I ride.

Now, I would also suggest having a way to talk on discord. I use my phone with a headset for discord. If you are using a PC or Mac, you can easily run discord from there as well. Just keep in mind which app is in the foreground so that it receives keystrokes (push to talk).