Racing tactics. I see posts regularly about riders sitting in and then sprinting at the end, and how that isn’t right, or variations of that.
I think people don’t realize that’s how racing works. I’ve been racing a long time (40+ seasons). This is how racing works: you go as easy as possible until you have to go hard. And when it’s hard you absolutely have to stay in contact. If you can’t, your race is over, because once you lose the draft you’re done. If you can’t hold the wheels while saving 30% energy from the draft, there’s no way you can go faster than that while NOT drafting to catch back on.
Tip #1: Don’t Get Dropped
Therefore, the first priority in a race is to “not get dropped”.
In Zwift, that generally means two things.
Tip #2: Go Hard To Start
First, go hard the first minute, and do NOT let gaps open up from the starting pen. Even though the course may not start for a bit, the race starts as soon as you are moving. There are so many riders who average higher than the lead group but because they didn’t go hard the first minute, they finish many minutes behind. You have to go hard at the start and stay in the front main group (let the one or two super-aggressive attackers go). After a minute, maybe at most two minutes for the lower level races, everyone eases up, and now the pace will become more real. I’m guessing you want to go 2x as hard as the advertised pace. D race? You need to do 3-4 w/kg for much of that first minute. Even if you think it’s murdering you, do it. If you can’t stay with the group for that first minute, I’d actually recommend quitting and joining the next race and trying again. It is absolutely that important, it will absolutely change your racing. You have to learn to go really hard and still be able to pedal after.
Tip #3: Push Over the Top
You have to keep going “through” the top of rises and hills. This is where the majority of people who shouldn’t get dropped end up getting dropped, just like the ones getting dropped at the start. These poor souls ease at the top of the hill or even a very short rise, let a 5-meter gap open, and it quickly becomes 10-15 meters and their race is over. If you climb “through” the top, and stay within 2-3 meters of the group, you can relax 15-20 seconds later when it flattens out or the downhill increases your speed. A good tip here is to surge as you hit any rise – if you’re doing 1.5 w/kg sitting in, surge to 2.5 as you hit the rise. you’ll see riders around you go from 1.5 to 3.5+ trying to hold position, then ease back a bit, the whole time you’re doing a steady 2.5.
(Note: if you get dropped during a hill then that’s just a climbing thing. If you get dropped on descents once you’re up to speed, it’s probably a weight thing. Both require being stronger, which is not really about tactics but more about fitness.)
Tip #4: Save It For When You’ll Need It
The thing with racing is that “real racing” is not about “working together” and “sharing the load.” It’s about breaking the other riders, cracking them, so that they are no longer in contention. Where and how you break the others is up to you. The basic premise though is that you need to save everything you have until someone tries to crack the group, then you need your reserves to outlast theirs.
It doesn’t do a racer any good (at least to benefit themselves) to pull any harder than “easy.” For me, that’s about 1-1.5 w/kg (80-120w). In more competitive races I might pull harder to help a teammate or force a momentarily distracted opponent to chase back on (almost always after cresting a rise, if I notice a competitor 5m off the back, I’m immediately surging to force them to chase an extra 10-15-30 seconds). In less competitive races I’ll pull harder to tire myself out. And to be fair, other times I’m going 1.0 w/kg because I got shelled and now I’m alone, I can’t do 4 w/kg for 5 or 10 minutes to catch, so my race is over.
Tip #5: Pull At 1/5 Your Jump
When the attacks come, you should be 100% ready to respond at max power. I tell my teammates they should pull at 1/5 of what they can jump, so if their jump is 800w, they shouldn’t pull harder than 160w. It’s reasonable for people to jump at 5x an easy effort. If your jump is 500w, don’t pull harder than 100w. If you can respond to two attacks in a row, even better, because the common tactic is to attack after someone else’s attack is neutralized.
Tip #6: Be Strong When It’s Hardest
When you pull at 1/5 your jump power you realize, wait, that’s really, really easy. Like really easy, like it’s not racing! What’s the point? Well, the point is that eventually, someone will attack at 5x their easy, and when they do, if you can’t respond, you’re going to be dropped, and now your race is over. If you’re racing to race, you must be strong at the hardest parts of the race, not the easiest.
As racers get more experienced, they’ll be able to judge a little better what they can do when “building reserves” and still respond to the big attacks. Maybe you can try going 1/4 your jump, and see what happens. Or 1/2 your jump. For me that’s a no-go, at best maybe 1/4 if I have to pull a minute or three, 1/3 if I’m following moves and can’t let a gap open. 1/2 means I’m desperately hanging on and hoping everyone else blows up before I do – I probably have a 20-second fuse at that power before I’m cooked.
Tip #7: Develop Your Peak
The other thing is to develop your peak power. Not everyone can break 10 w/kg, but 10 and 7 w/kg are realistic, attainable numbers by many men and women.
Tip #8: Training Isn’t Everything
Peak power is NOT all about training, it’s more about coordination, gearing, proper position on the bike (most Zwift videos I see have riders sitting far too upright to recruit their most powerful muscles), and, critically, being fresh. You cannot hit good peak power if you’re completely blown up or if you’re sitting upright, and the more you ride in your more powerful position, the more you’ll improve your useful peak power.
Tip #9: Ride Racier
On Zwift you don’t have to be low for aero like you do outside, but you’ll notice that you lean forward when working hard (like on a hill). That’s because you’re instinctively recruiting the muscles from the back part of your body, your glutes especially. If you’re not using these muscles, you’re probably leaving 30-50% (I’m guessing) of your peak power off the table. Learn to recruit these muscles by riding in a “racier” position regularly. If your glutes are sore after a ride, you have not been riding in that lower position consistently enough.
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