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Zwift training/workout/racing thread

Old 04-12-16, 07:09 AM
  #326  
dz_nuzz
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Careful CDR, you don't want to wipe out at that speed!
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Old 04-12-16, 07:32 AM
  #327  
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I did the SZR (C) race yesterday. This is three laps of flat Watopia at 2.5-3.5 average with the last lap a race with no restrictions. At the start of the last lap there were about 15 of us. Four of us took to the front and opened a gap. We attacked each other, not super hard or long, but enough to make the split stick. One guy dropped off after did about 5.0 for 30 seconds or so, and it was down to three. One guy, the eventual winner, was attacking but he wasn't just riding away. The other guy and I were watching each other as we could easily bridge to the leader. Going through the esses the winner opened a 3 second gap. I felt like sprinting it out with this guy so I let him go and played cat and mouse. I led down the hill at the 1km mark but used another rider on the course to make him come around me. We sprinted to the line and I beat him by a second, 5 seconds behind the winner. It is the first time I've seen my name on the results page.

Our group wound up riding with a few of the A's and B's. I had an A rider text me to say that I should be an A. I set myself up as a C because of the rampant sandbagging that goes on in the C's. I want to be competitive. However once I get back to riding more consistently I will try a B race just to see what that's like.
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Old 04-12-16, 07:53 AM
  #328  
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Originally Posted by dz_nuzz
Careful CDR, you don't want to wipe out at that speed!
I'd hate to see how much tegaderm you'd need to cover up that electron rash...
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Old 04-20-16, 03:37 PM
  #329  
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I can probably figure this out on my own, but why not be lazy and ask everyone here...assuming I'm all set up to go on Zwift with account created, where is the best place to learn about the different group rides, timing of each, etc. And, is there a collection/group of bf.net riders so I can have the honor of getting my butt kicked by carpediem, shovel, racer ex, etc.?
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Old 04-20-16, 04:26 PM
  #330  
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https://teamup.com/ks4861763bd63ce3d8
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Old 12-31-16, 11:22 AM
  #331  
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Grumpy is a very good Zwift ride leader. I did a bit over an hour of his training ride today. I'm doing the club NYD ride tomorrow outside.
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Old 12-31-16, 01:44 PM
  #332  
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It was good to see you
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Old 12-31-16, 05:55 PM
  #333  
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Next time I'll try the whole thing. That's a very long Zwift ride.
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Old 01-02-17, 01:44 AM
  #334  
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what constitutes a good Zwift ride leader? serious question.

i've had Inside Ride rollers for a long time (love them), and just recently acquired the new BT/ANT+ resistance unit... so Zwift is an option. i'm not sure how or if i should use it, though.

when i hop on the trainer, i do focused interval sessions. i'm never really riding aimlessly or just putting in miles/hours.

it seems like Zwift is awesome for these group rides and gets people to ride longer/harder; i don't really have a need for that.

should i return this unit? any way to integrate my structure into Swift? i think Zwift can do an ERG mode, but that seems like a bit more of a hassle than shifting gears or tapping one button on a wireless remote to change resistance.

the new resistance unit *requires* one to use a phone or computer to change resistance. (yeah, one can still shift gears, but i usually have to use a combination of the two to nail my cadence/power.) having to unlock my phone after the passcode has kicked in just to dial down resistance when anaerobic sounds... not great.
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Old 01-02-17, 07:29 AM
  #335  
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Teton, I know the local Saturday hammer ride gets together on Zwift on days when the weather is too nasty to ride outside. It is organized by one guy who sends out an email to the local listserv inviting people to join him. I've not done it yet, largely because I've not ridden Zwift yet, but the people who like Zwift seem to enjoy that option.

Any my wife has started using Zwift. She really likes it.

Lastly, let me know if you decide you don't want that unit. My Inside Rides should be here late this week or early next.
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Old 01-02-17, 08:00 AM
  #336  
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Originally Posted by tetonrider
when i hop on the trainer, i do focused interval sessions. i'm never really riding aimlessly or just putting in miles/hours.

it seems like Zwift is awesome for these group rides and gets people to ride longer/harder; i don't really have a need for that.
Same here, only use the trainer for, well, training. I never do rides or races on Zwift, but do enjoy doing intervals on the changing terrain. I find ninety minutes of sweetspot far more entertaining and manageable if I am doing it over different terrain than just pedalling at the exact same cadence for the duration. Mimics 'real' riding better too, where you have to control your output even if you're going uphill or downhill, but you still avoid stop signs, cars, etc. Of course a steady output is sometimes desirable, but you always have that option.
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Old 01-02-17, 09:38 AM
  #337  
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I used zwift a lot last winter rehabbing a dislocated shoulder. For structured workouts, it's pretty useless and just becomes background noise. For just riding around because the weather outside is gross, it's fun and engaging. I haven't used it this year, but have heard that the group ride component is more organized and user friendly than last year.
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Old 01-02-17, 09:45 AM
  #338  
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Originally Posted by tetonrider
what constitutes a good Zwift ride leader? serious question.
I was curious about the same thing. On outdoor rides it seems the role is mainly to keep folks from running lights and stop signs and to get them to follow a particular pace.
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Old 01-02-17, 09:48 AM
  #339  
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Mainly the last part I think. Or at least that's what I gather from the Facebook Zwift group, where half the posts are complaints about group rides going faster than the advertised (w/kg) pace.
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Old 01-02-17, 03:07 PM
  #340  
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Originally Posted by tetonrider

should i return this unit? any way to integrate my structure into Swift? i think Zwift can do an ERG mode, but that seems like a bit more of a hassle than shifting gears or tapping one button on a wireless remote to change resistance.

the new resistance unit *requires* one to use a phone or computer to change resistance. (yeah, one can still shift gears, but i usually have to use a combination of the two to nail my cadence/power.) having to unlock my phone after the passcode has kicked in just to dial down resistance when anaerobic sounds... not great.
If you do your workout in erg mode you wouldn't even need to shift or touch a button.

It can also automatically turn off the resistance for you when have reached failure.

https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/a...g-Workout-Mode

https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/articles/209980783
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Old 01-02-17, 06:46 PM
  #341  
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So I've been wanting to get more into Zwift with how crappy the weather has been around here (and will continue to be).

I have the first gen Cycleops Fluid trainer and just transmit power through my Pioneer unit. Definitely still feel like a hamster on a wheel though, even with Zwift in front of me.

Is it worth upgrading to one of the newer units?
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Old 01-02-17, 08:20 PM
  #342  
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Originally Posted by Blackdays
So I've been wanting to get more into Zwift with how crappy the weather has been around here (and will continue to be).

I have the first gen Cycleops Fluid trainer and just transmit power through my Pioneer unit. Definitely still feel like a hamster on a wheel though, even with Zwift in front of me.

Is it worth upgrading to one of the newer units?
If you're pedaling really fast on a Fluid trainer it may have leaked. It takes quite a bit of effort to do 300-400w on an intact fluid trainer.

If it's leaked my understanding is that CycleOps is excellent about warrantying their units. Ultimately they do fail, and I've warrantied one and have two more to do. For something like 7 years I didn't warranty the units (one failed at the beginning of that time, the second failed about 7 years later, i.e. in 2015). I've since decided to warranty the two units and sell the new replacements I receive. I haven't done any RMA stuff yet though.
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Old 01-03-17, 12:44 AM
  #343  
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Originally Posted by Enthalpic
If you do your workout in erg mode you wouldn't even need to shift or touch a button.

It can also automatically turn off the resistance for you when have reached failure.

https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/a...g-Workout-Mode

https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/articles/209980783
but...i have to then program my workout beforehand, right?

and how does it deal with something like, say, variable rest time? e.g., 5' intervals with 3-5' rest?

thank you!
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Old 01-03-17, 08:28 AM
  #344  
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Originally Posted by tetonrider
but...i have to then program my workout beforehand, right?

and how does it deal with something like, say, variable rest time? e.g., 5' intervals with 3-5' rest?

thank you!
It doesn't deal with variable workouts sadly enough. That is one reason I don't use Zwift's workout mode that often. I use my Garmin for that right now because I can switch targets, modes, and have variable lap times.

One thing you could do is pair just the power output to Zwift and use your bike computer / phone to control the actual workout / trainer resistance.
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Old 01-03-17, 09:36 AM
  #345  
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If anyone is interested, I've taken a bunch of the workouts from the BikeForums Workout Recipe Book and converted them to Zwift Workout files (.zwo) as best I could using the software.

You can download those (and some other workouts I've found online) here:
https://www.octanedesign.com/tom/Workouts.zip

You can just drop those in your User/Documents/Zwift/Workouts folder and they show up in your "Custom Workouts" folder. You can easily modify/tweak them from there.

They've been a great resource for me so far this winter, so, thanks to all who've contributed to that thread.
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Old 01-03-17, 09:41 AM
  #346  
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Originally Posted by tetonrider

when i hop on the trainer, i do focused interval sessions. i'm never really riding aimlessly or just putting in miles/hours.

i
Originally Posted by hack
I used zwift a lot last winter rehabbing a dislocated shoulder. For structured workouts, it's pretty useless and just becomes background noise. For just riding around because the weather outside is gross, it's fun and engaging. I haven't used it this year, but have heard that the group ride component is more organized and user friendly than last year.
My experience is the opposite of Hack. I like zwift for being able to design workouts/intervals and then have the thing prompt me, do the timing, tell me to go harder/easier whatever. When I just want to meander for an hour on the trainer I will use zwift to record the ride but I generally watch netflix or something on the same laptop.
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Old 01-03-17, 10:28 AM
  #347  
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Originally Posted by Ygduf
My experience is the opposite of Hack. I like zwift for being able to design workouts/intervals and then have the thing prompt me, do the timing, tell me to go harder/easier whatever. When I just want to meander for an hour on the trainer I will use zwift to record the ride but I generally watch netflix or something on the same laptop.
Is this a new feature? I haven't been on zwift in some time. This feature would be great for structured rides and would change my viewpoint on it significantly.
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Old 01-03-17, 11:01 AM
  #348  
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Originally Posted by hack
Is this a new feature? I haven't been on zwift in some time. This feature would be great for structured rides and would change my viewpoint on it significantly.
@hack, yes, they added workouts earlier this year. There's a pretty decent library of pre-created workouts and the Custom Workout creator is pretty easy to use as well, so you can create/tweak workouts to your heart's content.
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Old 01-03-17, 12:52 PM
  #349  
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Originally Posted by hack
Is this a new feature? I haven't been on zwift in some time. This feature would be great for structured rides and would change my viewpoint on it significantly.
no, it's always been there. when you're going in to ride there is a thing along the top that says "select workout" and you can pick from a set they have, or you can scroll down to custom and build your own.

Today I did "tt core 2" or whatever the title was. 12x 3min over/unders



1:40, 100tss on a trainer ride for me is about the best trainer workout I've ever had. super hard on the 2nd half to get the over power up on the 20s/40s splits.
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Old 01-03-17, 01:54 PM
  #350  
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Originally Posted by Ygduf
no, it's always been there. when you're going in to ride there is a thing along the top that says "select workout" and you can pick from a set they have, or you can scroll down to custom and build your own.

Today I did "tt core 2" or whatever the title was. 12x 3min over/unders



1:40, 100tss on a trainer ride for me is about the best trainer workout I've ever had. super hard on the 2nd half to get the over power up on the 20s/40s splits.
Well ... shoot. I'll check it out tonight.
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