Zwifters

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MudMeanderer Feb 2021 10:14am, 17 Feb 2021 2,045 posts	0 MudMeanderer I did check the startlists before selecting the event yesterday. Particularly I looked at one event, saw the first name on the list for B was Tobyn Horton (recently retired pro and crit specialist), and went: No! 😁 I did look to pick a lumpier course for yesterday. Lots of 2-3min steep climbs felt best for a first race for a while. Knowing the roads in real life probably helped somewhat too!
Fopp Feb 2021 10:14am, 17 Feb 2021 114 posts	0 Fopp Yes Big G, team events are quite good fun, there are 'primes' so you get points on KOMs and sprints, some riders will go for those and others the GC. Sadly we are not that competitive languishing near the bottom of the table but we still have fun pretending we're going to make use of some tactics!
MudMeanderer Feb 2021 10:18am, 17 Feb 2021 2,046 posts	0 MudMeanderer NE: A lot of events have all categories go off together. This can be good until you find your racing level, as even if you get spat out from a nominal C group, you'll hopefully find some Ds behind to get that bunch racing experience with, rather than just TTing behind the pack.
Big_G Feb 2021 10:24am, 17 Feb 2021 686 posts	0 Big_G Fopp, I don't know if it's different point structures in different races, but that YouTuber I mentioned earlier was in a team race where it was 5,4,3,2,1 points for the top 5 over a KOM or Sprint, but 40,39,38....etc over the winning line. And in his race, all the points went in one bucket, so there wasn't a separate KOM/Sprint competition. His team thought that it was better to try and get, say, 3 guys in the top 10 at the finish rather than busting themselves for smaller points in the primes. But other teams thought differently I guess so it makes it interesting racing/tactics, which I quite like the thought of.
Gobi Feb 2021 10:31am, 17 Feb 2021 73,225 posts	0 Gobi Racing on Zwift as a B cat and A cat and depending on the race a sharp end racer. The start - carnege 2 approaches I came up with Go like stink to get to the front as fast as possible, this saw 500 plus watts on numerous occasions and sometimes then got me spat out on the first climb Go slightly less like stink for longer, so 350 - 450 watts and trust that if you sustain it for 2/3 mins it will all come together. This approach worked well for me but sometimes backfired and I never got on. Climbs - mini sprints and mountains Assume that every raise from 4% up will be kicked , the longer the kicker the more you need to stay aware so for example Watopia flat has a 3% out of the underwater section which has a habit of being very FAST and the race carries on over the flat section, too far back here and race over. Then it has a 6% just after the sprint, get excited on the sprint and you can hurt yourself, don't pay attention and you are too far back for the 6%. Mountains - assume if 20 mins or more you need to be riding pretty much your best effort and trying to hold any wheels but know your limits The sprint - know your strength and remember lag. I can't sprint so ususally go for home winding up from a km and then full gas from about 400 metres, sometimes this gets me a gap(I have won races) sometimes I end up 4th or 5th as I get dropped by guys with 15wkg 15seconds and I cant hold the wheels. I've done something like 130 races on Zwift mainly as an A CAT and have 30 or so podiums including a number of wins
jda Feb 2021 10:36am, 17 Feb 2021 9,452 posts	0 jda If you want to get into racing, joining a club is probably a good idea. Both for advice (you can get that here of course) but also team events to join. Some races have more of a team element than others - to be honest most of the time you're just riding round as well as you can but every so often there's a bit of useful teamwork especially if you have a "team car" watching and advising on splits etc. I do this for my wife's ZRL team and on the lumpy courses it can have quite an impact. In fact they won both the first race and last night again despite not having the strongest riders at all.
Gobi Feb 2021 10:47am, 17 Feb 2021 73,227 posts	0 Gobi Good call JDA , I race with the HERD and they seem a pretty sound bunch. Team is fun.
Fopp Feb 2021 12:43pm, 17 Feb 2021 115 posts	0 Fopp I have a similar approach on the starts, I go out hardish but not full gas and I slowly work my way to the front. I don't race a lot and I can't say I have figured out the sprints. Last night I was in a group of about 6 or 7 and I found myself at the front with 1km to go so I wound it up so as not to get caught out but when I did attack it wasn't decisive and one guy held my wheel and came round just before the line. I find it mentally easier to commit early and be chased than to chase others on a long hilly race when I'm tired as I figure those around me are tired too and are more likely to give up at the first sign of a gap.
CStar Feb 2021 4:49pm, 17 Feb 2021 8,042 posts	0 CStar Awful ZRL last night on the Volcano. Got spat out the back right at the start as my legs went absent and just span round on my own for god knows how long at the back to get my points for the team. Obviously no benefit of any draft, so doubly hard. Undoubtedly the most dispiriting ride I've done on Zwift since I started last April. I hate being a v low Cat C. It's pretty soul-destroying in these races. I'll finish this series and then go back to IRL riding. Group rides and TTT only from now on. I can't face any more scratch races until I'm out of the bottom 10% of Cat C. It's a shame as I like the social aspect of racing, but I need to go away and build my average wattage up to something that at least allows me to be mid-pack.
Yorkshire Pie Feb 2021 4:57pm, 17 Feb 2021 14,001 posts	0 Yorkshire Pie I'm quite glad I jumped from top of D to mid B in my long period of not racing and skipped C and the C/B border zone completely. I won't win in B but I can at least stick with a group.