Your commentary on these Zwift videos is some of the most clear, on point and informative I have ever seen on RUclips. Please keep this amazing content coming, and thanks!
That is the coolest keyboard! You have such a great setup there with the two monitors. These were good tips. I especially liked the trainer difficulty tip. I've always kept it on 50. I assumed all the top riders keep it on 100 during races but apparently they do not. I'm going to try playing around with it between 20 and 50 now because this, I never knew. Maybe I can pull myself up out of category H and make it to G. One day I'll actually be a D!😂
Lol! The women's only races are definitely a little more manageable, but we play in a sport rife with dudes so trying to find a race with more than 4 people can be a challenge. Definitely play with that slider, everyone else is!
Super helpful. At 106 kg, I am usually the heaviest rider in the races I do. I have been keeping my trainer difficulty at 100% and have been dropped on decents multiple times, but didn't understand why. Now I know and will definitely be turning that setting down for future races. Thanks, Sarah!
Great video, thanks! Another great way to scout out a course if you've never ridden it is to watch RUclips streamers. Just search for the course name to find recorded races that you can watch. I do it to get a sense of the length, gradient, and location of the climbs and what the approach to the finish is like.
nice Tips, but as a Weak B rider i think it's almost impossible to stay in front group if the race is not totally flat, people do 500 or more watts in short uphill (1 or 2 min)
Great tips! I am cat D and did my first big race last week. I couldn’t hang with the pack out of the pen and rode alone. It was not a good experience at all!
With a gearing of 53/39 in the from and 11-28 in the back, if I was forced to run at 100% TD it would exclude me from races having 10% or even 7-8% climbs, unless I changed my gearing, which also would mean getting a longer gear arm on the back. So I do not hope that TD of a 100% gets forced by zwift. And also, if you for instance have a 50% TD then a 12% decline only is 6% and riders with a 100% TD get the full benefit of the 12% decline and can stop pedaling and still pass me having a 50% TD and being pedaling. Which TD is right for you depends on your bikes gearing your muscles and the route for the race.
Very happy to find your channel, just subscribed due to the way you present your content. Really nice job, you should have way more subscribers : ). Wow interesting information about the trainer difficulty.... The catch is we are really cheating ourselves... but love the tip.
You'll get there I swear. Each race try to hang on to the group a little longer than last time. A minute, thirty seconds... Learn how to function in the "washing machine" of riders. Sometimes a difference of 20 watts doesn't change your position at all and you could be working harder than you need to in order to stay in the draft. If you want to train to race on Zwift, I would use the workouts from Zwift Academy 2020. Target 1-2 per week in order from one to eight putting some aerobic workouts in between. If your FTP is set correctly, there is no way you get through 4 weeks or so of those workouts without seeing an improvement in your ability to maintain a high level of power and recover faster.
I moved up from category D to C when I did a D race and came 2nd but my power was well over and got DQd. Moved up to C after that but most of the races I do am near the back or in the lower middle. I often get stuck in the what I call no mans land. I’m behind the group in front of me with no hope of catching them but am way ahead of the group behind me so end up riding on my own and picking off a few other single riders. That said I do enjoy the races and the tips were helpful, not sure if I’d want to turn my trainer down but might give it a go.
It's often a grind when you first upgrade. If you're in no man's land, there's no shame in that! We all spend a little time there. What has helped me when I've upgraded or ride true to category in an open race with men, is trying to hang on to that front group a little longer each time. Did you hang for 5 minutes last time? The. Go for 5 and a half, or 6 then settle into a little bunch and make a mini race, you're almost never alone in no man's land. Turning down the Trainer difficulty also has the benefit of reduced shifting on smaller undulations. It can cost you little bits of power when you have to drop or grab gears, sometimes it's a little easier just to bring up the leg speed 10 RPM while you're draped over the bike hanging on for dear life.before you know it, you'll be pushing into the Bs and doing it all over again. Anyone who toes up the line to race virtually or in real life, whether you're first or dead last, is tough as nails. Bike racing is no joke. Keep it up!
I think tips 1-4 become all the more important. Good positioning so that you can deal with some of that lost reaction time and still rev up at the start. Knowing the course is huge for a dumb trainer - you have to be more mentally engaged when you race with a dumb trainer as much of the feel is taken out of it. The better you know the course, the more you can focus your brain on more strategic elements and of course brief periods of recovery. The more you practice those segments like short punchy climbs maintaining a smooth transition the better off you are. You don't want the group to think you are attacking when you are just trying to get on the gear, thus eliciting a response. The rider readouts on the right hand side are going to be critical here, especially when it comes to climbs. W/Kg has almost a linear relationship to how fast the avatars will go, so managing your power around those around you will be paramount. Flat courses will be tougher as raw watts will take the day. If you're quick enough you could click through other riders in the group to get a glimpse of their power output, but that will be a challenge when the power is on, if you're paying close enough attention however, you should know where your relative W/Kg aligns with the riders around you on the flats and you can react to changes in the group proportionately. Be in a good gear that lets you pick up your cadence on a dime adding 10-20 RPM and with it up to 50+ watts without having to grab more gears, those couple of seconds in lost power and adjustment in shifting could be the difference in a break or even a lead up to a sprint finish. I think it really boils down to experience. Experience will always be important in racing, but being a student of the race and understanding the data you have to work with inside is a skill that can be developed just like anything else. In truth, it's a skill that those on smart equipment don't develop because they can rely on feel, but can often be useful. If you learn to master it and move to a smart trainer down the road, you'll only be at an advantage because you will be able to pair the two benefits together. I wish I could give you a silver bullet on this one, but the reality is that you are fighting a bit of a disadvantage here, the more you can learn, the better you will race. If you have time, watch some of the livestreams of the experienced racers here on youtube, watch those metrics and look for trends, what might seem like cycling calculus now, will become second nature to you before you know it.
Your commentary on these Zwift videos is some of the most clear, on point and informative I have ever seen on RUclips. Please keep this amazing content coming, and thanks!
I dont understand how a nice and funny RUclipsr like you with a so informative channel have so few subscriptions. Keep up the good work.
That is the coolest keyboard! You have such a great setup there with the two monitors. These were good tips. I especially liked the trainer difficulty tip. I've always kept it on 50. I assumed all the top riders keep it on 100 during races but apparently they do not. I'm going to try playing around with it between 20 and 50 now because this, I never knew. Maybe I can pull myself up out of category H and make it to G. One day I'll actually be a D!😂
Lol! The women's only races are definitely a little more manageable, but we play in a sport rife with dudes so trying to find a race with more than 4 people can be a challenge. Definitely play with that slider, everyone else is!
Great tip on trainer difficulty! I’ve never thought of that.
Super helpful. At 106 kg, I am usually the heaviest rider in the races I do. I have been keeping my trainer difficulty at 100% and have been dropped on decents multiple times, but didn't understand why. Now I know and will definitely be turning that setting down for future races. Thanks, Sarah!
Great video, thanks! Another great way to scout out a course if you've never ridden it is to watch RUclips streamers. Just search for the course name to find recorded races that you can watch. I do it to get a sense of the length, gradient, and location of the climbs and what the approach to the finish is like.
nice Tips, but as a Weak B rider i think it's almost impossible to stay in front group if the race is not totally flat, people do 500 or more watts in short uphill (1 or 2 min)
Great tips! I am cat D and did my first big race last week. I couldn’t hang with the pack out of the pen and rode alone. It was not a good experience at all!
With a gearing of 53/39 in the from and 11-28 in the back, if I was forced to run at 100% TD it would exclude me from races having 10% or even 7-8% climbs, unless I changed my gearing, which also would mean getting a longer gear arm on the back. So I do not hope that TD of a 100% gets forced by zwift. And also, if you for instance have a 50% TD then a 12% decline only is 6% and riders with a 100% TD get the full benefit of the 12% decline and can stop pedaling and still pass me having a 50% TD and being pedaling. Which TD is right for you depends on your bikes gearing your muscles and the route for the race.
Very happy to find your channel, just subscribed due to the way you present your content. Really nice job, you should have way more subscribers : ). Wow interesting information about the trainer difficulty.... The catch is we are really cheating ourselves... but love the tip.
that keyboard is mesmerising !!
great tips too!!
Win a Zwift race? I just want to finish one.
You'll get there I swear. Each race try to hang on to the group a little longer than last time. A minute, thirty seconds... Learn how to function in the "washing machine" of riders. Sometimes a difference of 20 watts doesn't change your position at all and you could be working harder than you need to in order to stay in the draft. If you want to train to race on Zwift, I would use the workouts from Zwift Academy 2020. Target 1-2 per week in order from one to eight putting some aerobic workouts in between. If your FTP is set correctly, there is no way you get through 4 weeks or so of those workouts without seeing an improvement in your ability to maintain a high level of power and recover faster.
Great tips, thanks!
Wow great tips thx
I moved up from category D to C when I did a D race and came 2nd but my power was well over and got DQd. Moved up to C after that but most of the races I do am near the back or in the lower middle. I often get stuck in the what I call no mans land. I’m behind the group in front of me with no hope of catching them but am way ahead of the group behind me so end up riding on my own and picking off a few other single riders. That said I do enjoy the races and the tips were helpful, not sure if I’d want to turn my trainer down but might give it a go.
It's often a grind when you first upgrade. If you're in no man's land, there's no shame in that! We all spend a little time there. What has helped me when I've upgraded or ride true to category in an open race with men, is trying to hang on to that front group a little longer each time. Did you hang for 5 minutes last time? The. Go for 5 and a half, or 6 then settle into a little bunch and make a mini race, you're almost never alone in no man's land. Turning down the Trainer difficulty also has the benefit of reduced shifting on smaller undulations. It can cost you little bits of power when you have to drop or grab gears, sometimes it's a little easier just to bring up the leg speed 10 RPM while you're draped over the bike hanging on for dear life.before you know it, you'll be pushing into the Bs and doing it all over again. Anyone who toes up the line to race virtually or in real life, whether you're first or dead last, is tough as nails. Bike racing is no joke. Keep it up!
BitTorrent never dies :)
What's your best advice when racing with a dumb trainer?
I think tips 1-4 become all the more important. Good positioning so that you can deal with some of that lost reaction time and still rev up at the start. Knowing the course is huge for a dumb trainer - you have to be more mentally engaged when you race with a dumb trainer as much of the feel is taken out of it. The better you know the course, the more you can focus your brain on more strategic elements and of course brief periods of recovery. The more you practice those segments like short punchy climbs maintaining a smooth transition the better off you are. You don't want the group to think you are attacking when you are just trying to get on the gear, thus eliciting a response.
The rider readouts on the right hand side are going to be critical here, especially when it comes to climbs. W/Kg has almost a linear relationship to how fast the avatars will go, so managing your power around those around you will be paramount. Flat courses will be tougher as raw watts will take the day. If you're quick enough you could click through other riders in the group to get a glimpse of their power output, but that will be a challenge when the power is on, if you're paying close enough attention however, you should know where your relative W/Kg aligns with the riders around you on the flats and you can react to changes in the group proportionately. Be in a good gear that lets you pick up your cadence on a dime adding 10-20 RPM and with it up to 50+ watts without having to grab more gears, those couple of seconds in lost power and adjustment in shifting could be the difference in a break or even a lead up to a sprint finish.
I think it really boils down to experience. Experience will always be important in racing, but being a student of the race and understanding the data you have to work with inside is a skill that can be developed just like anything else. In truth, it's a skill that those on smart equipment don't develop because they can rely on feel, but can often be useful. If you learn to master it and move to a smart trainer down the road, you'll only be at an advantage because you will be able to pair the two benefits together.
I wish I could give you a silver bullet on this one, but the reality is that you are fighting a bit of a disadvantage here, the more you can learn, the better you will race. If you have time, watch some of the livestreams of the experienced racers here on youtube, watch those metrics and look for trends, what might seem like cycling calculus now, will become second nature to you before you know it.
Good video. Thumbs up from small creator 😅
Enter your weight 20kg less is what most boys do