Zwift Group Ride - Tuesday 19.05 GMT

myideal

Hi,

I know I have mentioned this idea in posts, however thought why not give it a go and see if people are interested and get involved.

I notice that on Tuesday there is a fairly open group Time Trial event (BRS Time Trial). I am suggesting / it would be good if people from this forum could all "meet up" for a sort of group event. Clearly I won't be setting any records, deffo a category D rider however it would be good fun to have a sort of mini league of our own.

if your interested it would be great to see you there. Here are the so called rules of the event that are on zwift.

DESCRIPTION
The Bolt Race Series (BRS) is a race series designed for all cyclists using a variation of tough hilly races (Ibex Race) ,short Criterium races (Crit Race) and Time Trials (TT)
BRS runs it's own league for riders and teams to participate in.
Results can be found at www.zwiftpower.com and full race rules can be found in the BRS Facebook Group.
*Rules*
KIT : Any
Power UPS : Allowed
Bikes : TT bikes are not allowed in the Ibex Race, TT bikes only in the Time Trial Race (DQ ENFORCED)
Rider Name : YOUR NAME,BRS, Category (A,B,C,D)
*Categories*
Please select the correct category below (Your FTP divided by your weight in kg) -
A: 4.0 w/kg or higher FTP
B: 3.2 - 3.99 w/kg FTP
C: 2.5 - 3.19 w/kg FTP
0 - 2.49 w/kg FTP
~Please make sure your Strava save includes the BRS tag and your category (A,B,C or D), Example - BRS Bolt Race Series (A,B,C or D)

jgsi

I do this already with a FB page for people I know and have raced with during the season... it's quite difficult to get people organised however!
Your idea has the extra difficulty of not knowing the person at all -- what they are capable of ... how experienced..
yes experience does count... the number of riders on Zwift who cannot bunch ride virtually would suggest they are a complete nightmare out on the road to be with.

myideal

Good point. Well if people want to add me as such on Zwift I'm Mark Jones BRS D at the moment.

It would be good to get some form of ride / competition going. I think some of us "weaker" cyclists would benefit from a ride with better cyclists as such.

jgsi

Look out for the dedicated C and D category races from KISS, I think.... as long as they are not spoilt by the inadequates from higher cats or using Z power to boost their w/kg figure by a la la land number.

myideal

It was a good ride tonight and think I should be pleased as the results tell me that I need to move up to class C next time and my FTP has increased.

I think it's interesting how hard you push on Zwift compared to at the gym. That is the one difference I've noticed.

myideal

One thing that maybe could work in getting people together is a sort of cat and mouse race.

Maybe we could all meet at a set time and date and then set about our own cat and mouse race? Seems these go quite well and create a real challenge.

I'm guessing it could easily be arranged that maybe 5 mins difference in start time between the different groups? Or is that too little?

myideal

Question about the results data and what it all means.

There is a column that says 95% and I have a reading of 2.80 - what does this mean? Is that good or not?

There is another that says 20m and I have a figure of 272w. Again what does this actually mean? Is it good or not?

I'm guessing I need to understand this data to measure any improvements?

jgsi

I assume these figures are from Zwiftpower race results?
Anyways... bottom line is that you need to monitor numbers over a length of time to see if any
'improvement'.
FTP can vary over the season by quite a lot... we being humans.

All I can comment on is that Zwift and its racing brings out that extra bit out of yourself... if you are motivated and feling well. It is uncommonly good training.... but I would hesitate to call it
structured.

Watts per kilogram / power to weight ratio is your threshold divided by your weight in kilograms...
To hold your own in a Zwift B race that needs to be over 3.5 ... in an A race over 4

Finesilver24

myideal wrote:

Question about the results data and what it all means.

There is a column that says 95% and I have a reading of 2.80 - what does this mean? Is that good or not?

There is another that says 20m and I have a figure of 272w. Again what does this actually mean? Is it good or not?

I'm guessing I need to understand this data to measure any improvements?

The 95% figure relates to the power you put out for 20 mins during this race (20 min power is considered to be 95% of 60 min power (aka FTP)). 2.80 is your Watts per kilo (the standard Zwift measurement) so you weigh approx 97kg?

W/kg is a convoluted way to measure your performance against other competitors, or yourself over a period of time, and should be used to determine which group you go into if you're racing.

Your 272W for 20mins is the figure that the 95% is derived from; it's the actual truth.

Power is nether good nor bad, but could always be better. I am 3.25w/kg, which means I am at the bottom of group B and get my 'rse kicked every race. If I was 3.17W/kg I'd be at the top of group C and win loads.

Which race were you in?

myideal

I was in the Time Trial in group C. I'm actually 92kg which is 15kg lighter than I was at the start of the year - proof how cycling really does work with weight loss.

myideal

I did a ride this morning where they do one lap as a group and then one lap where you go all out .. wow that Richmond UCI course is a beast with those climbs right at the end. I know some people complain about Richmond, but must admit I think it's a good racing course as clearly it rewards those who have something in the tank right at the end ... Clearly not me! Lol