I have been on and off Zwift for several years and there is much I enjoy. However I have never got on with races, mostly because as a TTer I am not used to bursting out of the blocks with a sprint. As such I inevitable get dropped in the first few minutes and then spend 50 minutes tracking round on my own. No fun.
To provide motivation outside TR I use Fulgaz and try and ride a couple of rides a week as a challenge time so pushing as much as I can. I really enjoy that and it suits my competitive nature, even if it is only against myself.
I may well go back to Zwift one day but probably not in the short-term. Saying that it is a fine platform and I have no issues with anybody who uses it. Each to their own.
I don’t see a lot of them, but there are TT races on Zwift too. They are still “group” races since they leave the start pen together, but I think they either set the race or force TT bike use, which eliminates drafting from the speed equation. So they end up being more like a TT, but you are live on the course together.
I did a few a long time ago, and I liked the concept and those could be good for you, if there are any still being done.
Thanks @mcneese.chad. I have seen them but I prefer the group rides or even the group workouts. I will never race IRL so not too bothered about doing so virtually.
Just as an aside, and an illustration of how people do actually take Zwift racing seriously, my first A race this year will be on Zwift. I’ve a proper peak and taper planned for it, just like any road race. Under no illusions of qualifying for the live final, but I’ll be trying to do whatever I can to support a IRL team mate that does.
I actually suspect that that’s out of anxiety that Zwift will somehow replace and not complement road racing. I have raced Zwift before (but last winter I feel like it led to me wearing out early in the spring so I’m on a TR only diet this base/build) and I think it’s a great complement to outside riding/racing. If you’re worried, get involved with your local racing scene and make stuff happen.
I have never logged in to Zwift, but I will this year with the arrival of my second child and extremely limited road racing options where I will be spending the bulk of my time this year. There is maybe one crit I can make, and a bunch of fondos around, but I don’t think that’ll scratch the itch for what I want to play with. Zwift will help fill that gap for me, I think. It’s not the real thing, I know that going in, but I suspect there will be some value and, more importantly, fun in giving it a shot.
You can’t control CDA in game, except through the bike unlocks.
They don’t verify power or weight, unless you get triggered by Zada on Zwift Power at >5w/kg, at which point you have to provide a verified weight and some power files.
It’s very easy to cheat, but you’ll get filtered out and reported on Zwift Power pretty quickly.
Effectively, the don’t. Zwift doesn’t check in any way, shape or form. Any verification of weight has only been done in live events or the new group (can’t remember the name) via 3rd party groups outside of Zwift.
Power
Same as above. Zwift just takes the data. Outside groups like ZwiftPower, CEVA (formerly ZADA?) do any checking of the data right now.
Aerodynamics
None. I don’t know what they would check, as they only have a rider height and weight. Most people have no idea what their CDA is. So it is a best guess given a standard data set.
I will add that I think there is a chance that Zwift will have to take on these issues directly, now that they have thrown their support and name directly into the e-racing world.
It’s funny really, as they seriously drug their feet and discounted the whole racing environment. They barely acknowledged it until the outside groups did a TON of work to make it practical and fun.
Definitely, but I think it would be frustrating to have a race affected by a cheater and having to respond to their efforts. I imagine it would hard to really ignore all but the most obvious cheating.
I’m clearly not up to speed on how to inflate one’s power, is it possible for those with direct drive trainers to do this or is it only wheel-on users? Of course one can always change the kg part of the equation but I’ve seen some zwift segments done at ridiculous raw power
I haven’t heard for sure, but manipulating a spindown would likely be one way to mess with a trainer calibration. Not sure if you need it to spin longer or shorter, and it might error out if it is too far out of spec, but that’s one way I can envision.
Not to mention the possibility of E-bikes or other add-ons that someone could use even with an accurate power meter or smart trainer. Lotsa ways to be a fiend.
IDK. Sounds like so many ways to trick the system I don’t think racing it would be worth it. Training yes. Racing no way. Like someone said, it would really stink to respond to fake surges etc…I’m clueless though. Maybe it’s cleaner than the real thing?
Having recently ventured over to the dark side, I can confidently state that there’s not much cheating in the A level races, just strong riders (including pros). I’m not winning, but realistically I know I shouldn’t expect to. I can typically hang near the front or second group and get some good threshold work done and I’m happy. (Full disclosure: They always start at 400w+ for the first few minutes for some reason)
I’m guessing in the lower categories you get more people who should be racing A going for wins in the C race. Sandbaggers are irrepressible.
I can see how this would be frustrating.
Whatever you’re stance on Zwift racing, it’s a killer workout. Just don’t get your ego involved and you’ll be fine. You need to be honest and know going in you’ve got next to no chance of winning unless you’re very, very fit.
Using a HR monitor also helps validate your efforts out there. Those without one and having ridiculous power will get the boot from the race/results.
And agreed. Zwift racing is about as hard as it gets out there. I also know plenty of people who train specifically on zwift - not sure if they are using its plans or something prescribed from their coaches and just run it on there. most of us when we did stuff like that would just label our ride as ‘Watopia or Richmond’. And, they are strong as hell. Zwift is great. TR is great. Sufferfest is great. Getting fast is awesome regardless what platform you are using.
This ^^^ x 1,000. Seriously, that is my take. Just use it for fun and training.
Don’t plan to inflate your self worth in any way, and you can have a blast chasing rabbits. The fields are so large that you almost always have someone to race with… something that can’t always be said for many people and place, especially ones with a limited (or non-existent) local racing scene (like my area).
Absolutely hit it on the mark. Zwift provides entertainment and the races are hard - I feel like they test me to my limit. I do not have the time to attend outdoor races, so the zwift races are a great personal test where I see what my 20min, 30min, 60min power numbers are. I know there are some weight dopers and sandbaggers out there - but I don’t care. I race in Zwift for the fun of it and to see how my training has paid off. Often the spirit of competition gets me to establish new PRs. I know a lot of cyclists who don’t race and maybe only do one Fondo/Century a year so Zwift gives us all a new playground that we can go to 24/7. You always slot into a group and you fall off your bike knowing you gave it your all - all conveniently in your own pain cave with no fear of crashing (I’d shit myself riding in a real criterium) come snow, rain or snow. I would sooner give up TR than Zwift because, for me, I need my garage sessions to have some level of entertainment. Infact, I do all my TR workouts in Zwift - nothing like doing 400+ watts and seeing some visual ques as to how fast that makes one go!
This. I’ve had much better workouts on Zwift races or group rides just trying to keep up and compete. I’m not going to jump off a bridge if I lose because someone cheated, who cares?
In “real” amateur racing, there’s a really good chance you’re responding to “fake” surges too. I think I’ve listened to less than half of the podcasts, and I’ve already heard at least two different people “unknowingly” admit to testosterone doping as racers. I think doping and sketchy stuff probably the equivalent of shaving 2 or 10kg off your weight in Zwift is happening a lot more than most of us realize in amateur cycling and triathlon. It sucks, but it’s there.
Anyway, I like winning “real” races, but I don’t win the vast majority of time. Not many people do. yet I have fun doing the best I can relative to myself. Sure, I like the validation periodically, but now in my early 40s I don’t get wrapped up in outcomes nearly as much as I did in my 20s. It’s more about the process and the experience. I think Zwift can probably be a reasonable facsimile for that.
I Zwift race because MY effort is full gas for 1+ hours. I generally see higher average and max HR data on Zwift races than I do in real races. That said, I know the results are complete rubbish, smart trainers grossly over-inflate power readings, and I speculate most users are quite generous with their weight.
But again, using a real power meter gives me solid 10-20-60 minute effort metrics w/ HR data to compare to sustained efforts on climbs or in road races.
So… there is no collective point to Zwift racing in my mind, but individually it still pushes me to a point where the benefit is real. Screw the results, they’re baseless.
