Good stuff, man. Thank you! I'm about to start racing on Zwift, so I'm doing some research to understand it better before I face it.

Great stuff. Thanks!

Thanks bro!

Quarq powermeter - 45th Zwift level. No single drops for 3+ years.

I’ve had no Stages dropouts. I use an iPad on the Stages book rest.

Do you recommend ANT+ instead of Bluetooth? I'm using a new laptop and a Wahoo Kickr...sometimes I get a drop out. Thanks!

@finishstrongcycling2355

3 жыл бұрын

I have pretty good (not perfect) experience with ant+ using an extension usb cable to keep the trainer close to the receiver. Some say bluetooth works better however I haven't tried it. Try turning off other bluetooth devices when racing and see if that helps. It's like leaving a crowded room to have a quiet conversation.

@travisbowersox8586

3 жыл бұрын

@@finishstrongcycling2355 thanks for the prompt and helpful reply!! Any thoughts on chest strap vs arm band HR monitors specifically for Zwift/indoor racing?

@finishstrongcycling2355

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Travis, I think it comes down to optical versus electrical based monitors. My optical wrist based monitor is always moderately inaccurate from the start, but when I sweat, it will start to give crazy readings, making it useless. My chest strap monitor never has this issue. I don't find it uncomfortable. For me, accurate HR data during workouts or races is one of the most important things I value, so I'm very satisfied with my current monitor.

Richmond course - you said it was pointless to surge to stay with the front of the pack, because they blobbed back together. But if they hadn't, your surge would have paid off because you would have stayed with the front pack after the top of the climb? Am I wrong to interpret these things as gambles, sometimes they go your way and sometimes they don't - but there's no objective 'right' tactic choice as you don't always know how the other riders will react?

@finishstrongcycling2355

2 жыл бұрын

It's true that any tactic has elements of risk. In Richmond, the three climbs tend to filter the best to the top by the time one reaches the Governor Street climb. My thought was that saving matches for the last climb will have the greatest impact on your race. The races I've watched seem to corroborate this. Breaking away on the first or second climb is a bit riskier in my opinion. Sticking with a lead group can pay off, if they are motivated and able to stay away. In my race, I went too deep on 23rd Street and couldn't recover enough to fight up the long drag to stay with the pack, however. Thanks... great point!

Sticky watts is cheating!!!

@finishstrongcycling2355

3 жыл бұрын

I've read up on sticky watts, and I have to disagree. It is an unavoidable aspect of the Zwift experience. Go hard into a supertuck to ensure good speed, and sticky watts will help you sometimes. Yet this is a valid tactic to close gaps and bridge to breaks in IRL, and it should be no different in Zwift. Sticky watts can also hurt you when trying to supertuck from slow or low watts pedaling. I firmly believe that pedaling style should never be regulated, otherwise it will ruin the game. If this is really compromising the outcome of races (which it's not) then Zwift should change the dynamics and immediately drop the watts to zero when drop outs or loss of data is detected. I also believe, however, that your avatar should not behave like it's stepping on the brakes every time you coast, either. The physics of the game is flawed, but it's the best analog we have to real life, so we live with it. Let's stop complaining about pedaling and get about the business of enjoying our races. Zwift has MUCH BIGGER problems to address to make racing more fair IMHO.

#2 is an exploit, not a tip

Hey you should probably think about not telling people to do number 2. Riding like this violates eRacing rules as you’re taking advantage of a sticky watts bug. It’s straight up cheating! 😬

@finishstrongcycling2355

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment. While I'm not sure if it's part of a bug with the draft, the sticky draft actually works against riders, not to their benefit. If I push 400W and then coast for one pedal stroke, I think the result would be the same, IRL or in Zwift. No exploit and definitely not cheating, for sure. Those are real watts I'm putting out. Drawing any conclusions beyond the observation I'm making are speculative and simply one's opinion.

@olliejonesczcc3248

4 жыл бұрын

@@finishstrongcycling2355 This has nothing to do with drafting and more to do with Zwift keeping the last data value going for a couple of seconds when power drops to zero. It thinks you're going full gas for the 2s where you're actually resting. This is great to stop dropouts from being worse but crap when people try to get an untrue advantage from it.

@finishstrongcycling2355

4 жыл бұрын

Ollie, thanks for clarifying. I've reviewed the video and I don't see it holding the high value throughout. The affect is more like the drop when one shifts the big ring or when one goes into the super tuck. There is always a residual drop in power before it hits zero. Whether that's Zwift or the inherent nature of flywheels in smart trainers, I'm not sure. Either way, it's outside the athlete's control. My main contention with your original post is alleging that it's cheating. The day we start regulating pedaling style, it will ruin the sport. E-Sports has greater problems on its hands with REAL cheating. Let's not point fingers where none need be pointed. You should watch my latest race if you have any remaining doubts about my commitment to fair racing. You should be able to recognize the familiar face of suffering....ride on and good luck in your races! kzread.info/dash/bejne/pahsqMxsk7K0edo.html

Seems like every time you're getting dropped, you're in an ITT position. Why bother?

Tip #2 is straight up cheating. Gaming the system...

@ZwiftHype

4 жыл бұрын

Yup.

You forgot... Drop your weight be 40kg and enter categories much lower than you're capable of 😉

@chalkus

3 жыл бұрын

@Top Trending doesn't change the race experience being ruined

@chalkus

3 жыл бұрын

@Top Trending sorry I was abrupt. Was on a call and not paying too much attention.. zwiftpower makes it bearable!

@deanb61

3 жыл бұрын

@Top Trending I entered my first race today, category D, I didn't expect to win, but the top dozen of so of the race all had w/kg way over the D category limit. The funny thing is that the race was called 'anti-sandbaggers' :)