The question was implied in the penultimate paragraph of the post. I don't care to split hairs over semantics.
There is a disconnect between Zwift and real cycling - and it is leading to some curious results.
1. A new breed of very fit, extremely capable Zwift riders, who
mistake their skill at riding in the game for cycling skill. Momentary digression: I have an in-law who is a sprinter on a UCI-Continental team. His brother is a triathlete, and engaged to my niece, who is a sponsored rider. I get to see data from pretty accomplished riders (Strava for all 3, and Zwift for the latter two). So have some baseline for looking at data.
A guy on the ****** Zwift sub - who has
never ridden outside, ever - posted that he could hold 900 watts for .... 3 seconds, and wanted to know: should he be trying to become a sprinter on a pro team? The sub's answer: "yoU'Re sO rEaDY, bRO!" (I paraphrase). Hey - everyone has potential.
Further, almost all of the Zwift routes? events? Are short. Like under 2 hours. As I said: these folks are fit. But unless you wish to become a crit racer, eventually you will need to contemplate races that last longer than 40 minutes.
2. The physics engine is, simply, wrong. This could be an enormous and lengthy thread - I'll simply state that I'm never as slow as 5kph on a 6% climb, nor am I ever going to descend at 76 kph (actual #'s from a recent Zwift session). And as
billridesbikes points out, the drafting and various other 'multipliers' are not based on attempts at simulation, but at making the game aspect 'stickier.'
Of course it's 'just a model.' The problem is that they sell this model as 'real,' and / or that so many inexperienced riders treat it as real. Why is that a problem? Why don't I just let them enjoy their fantasy? Mostly, I do. However, I think the real danger of Zwift is the insidious way they are breeding overconfidence in people who
are going to be riding in traffic when the quarantine is over. Think people 'will be smart enough' to realize they need to rethink things once they go outside? I don't.
Please consider this part of my post (I know it's long, maybe too much for many). Also on ******, the other day, one of the more popular posts was a video a guy had posted of his 'awesome descent' near Mt. Baldy. If you don't know, it's outside LA and a very popular hiking destination.
In fact, on his 'awesome descent,' he was going 35-45 mph past parked cars (both sides of road) on a narrow road, with people getting in and out of those cars. It was one of the most foolish, dangerous things I've seen documented and - naturally - celebrated.
I was critical, using timestamps of his video and etc. to point out how he was endangering himself and others, repeatedly, all in the span of four minutes. To his credit, he listened. What resonated with me was when I asked him why he did that, he said "I just wanted to go faster. Like Zwift."
Riding a bike on a road
involves risking your life whenever traffic is near. That's a risk we can mitigate, and do, as experienced riders. I firmly believe Zwift is encouraging more than a few people to have poor riding habits. You may feel differently.
Edit: apparently the name of a popular online website (that rhymes with 'edit') is not allowed here.