Virtual Zwift Rides

What? Now it says A, that’s not fair.

I blame Wally

Does this mean dq if race as a B??? There’s no justice!

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They’ll all be whinging on Zwift Riders about bloody trafleets :wink:

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Yup - blame poet!

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According to my TT forum, the correct term is ‘Triantelopes’ :smile:

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I can guarantee you that in any other year in November, that list would be almost exclusively 3.*w/kg :rofl:

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

You put out some mental power for that race!!!
Your FTP jumped a fair bit, did it not?

(I got a 1W increase, 297W now)

But yes, you are now Cat A and will get a normal Zwift warning banner and get a DQ from ZP :rofl:

Or…you can enter some B Crits and just spin round at 1.5W/kg and see if that drops you back down?

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I can’t wait for real racing to start again. All the Zwift studs will need a bigger trophy cabinet, cos y’know, it’s exactly the same, right? :joy:

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Bugger

Tell you what, I don’t think I’ve ever actually “tried” in a race or FTP test properly before.
I thought I did, but these Zwift races bring a whole other world of hurt.

If I can keep my TT bike in a straight line, maintain this current FTP, I’m gonna get a massive 25TT PB :relieved::flushed::syringe::muscle:t3:

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I might even be able to do a 24 minute 10 :thinking:

Unbelievable you haven’t :laughing:

Yes thats nuts.

You must have been racing on slow courses

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I’m just kidding. It is isn’t the same though. Racecraft is one thing and power is another. You can have loads of the latter but without some of the former, you’ll never win.

My power is all but gone now and in my whole life, I’ve only one 6 races ( 3 x D, 3 in C, zero in B). Two of the hardest were from a breakways one solo and one with another guy. Flat races don’t hurt any less than hilly ones and you have the added stress of bar bumping.

Everyone is all about power on Zwift and pressing button that don’t exist IRL. iI’s sad to see how us old dinosaurs get thrown on the scrapheap, as if we have nothing to offer :cry:

And before anyone accuses me of being envious of your strength, save your energy, I am :laughing:

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How many people actually race bikes though? If eager a guess at it being a tiny proportion of the zwift user base.

So it’s likely opening up ‘racing’ (it’s racing for sure, just if a different sort) for many people that may have been very decent cyclists but never did anything more competitive than chasing a gold time on a sportive for example.

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As someone who did a few bike races, they are proper scary.
All you want to do it get out of Cat 3/4 to avoid the spivs who can’t handle a bike.
Most of the races now are closed circuit on purpose built tracks (Tameside, Bickerstaffe, etc)
Or you do loops of an arse end industrial estate (Pimbo)
Or do short loops of an old race track/airfield on the windiest field known to mankind (Darley Moor)

Bike racing IRL for amateurs is now all about power. There are very few closed roads events covering a 30km circuit three times for Regional C races now…

…unless you go to the Dark Side of non-BC races :smiling_imp:

But yes, race craft and power are two totally different things.

Zwift has taught me what different power feels like for time. I mean? I can do that on the road with my PM, but I know how much a 5min effort at 350W is actually going to hurt now.

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RAcing the track, get an experienced group its excellent but we had a spate of accidents caused by imbeciles, one guy ended up in a very bad way when he ended up over the boarding into the seats. Some comm games rider was taken out by someone just randomly swinging up in a training ride. We had an issue at Lee Valley where there started to rush people through the 4 stage accreditation too quickly. People were literally riding 4 sessions and able to race. Thing is track is all about awareness of the group and holding a steady pace as one slight kick back or wrong move the everyone is down behind you and you dont learn that in 4 sessions you need experience and a 24 man race is not the place to learn. Add the fact the mamils attracted by the “limpic velodrome” who didnt even know to scrub tyres taking people down. Carnage. Its one reason i rode more at Herne Hill as numpT’s dont get to boast on social medja riding an old outdoor track.

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It really isn’t, there are loads of people with loads better numbers getting terrible results in real racing.

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Nice, never tried the crits and havent raced since last winter.

From my personal experience, it does feel that way.
A 9 stone 5ft rider is never going to do well at Darley Moor or Pimbo.
Of course, if they’re racing proper road circuits, like Six Hills in Leicestershire, then yes, it then becomes less about raw power.

ETA: @JibberJim - with your background and knowledge of the racing scene, you are correct here.
My comment was flippant and I should have added thats how I’ve experienced the race scene since starting riding again :+1:t3:

I raced track for many seasons in Sydney. You had to take a course before you were allowed on and then they’d hold specific beginner races with chaperones on the course.

Outside of TT (which I love but am not good at) track is my favourite discipline. I do remember my first few times when everyone tells you how to not stop pedalling but nobody tells you how to stop in the infield, or get down the off ramp without doing 5 cool down laps. :laughing:

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