How the Race Was Won: Ghost Sprinting Crit City

Real talk: I signed up for this race in a moment of weakness. After chanting “Rule #5” for weeks I’d grown tired of having my butt handed to me every Tuesday in the ZRL scratch races. Yes, they were pushing me to the max, and I was getting stronger. But it’s much more fun to race when you feel like you’re in contention for the podium, or even earning extra points for your team. And I simply hadn’t been there. In weeks!

So I did it: I signed up for a Crit City 8-lapper. Because I knew I’d be able to hang with the front group and be in the mix for the finish. And because I didn’t want to attempt a long, fatiguing race that would effect my weekend ride plans.

Relishing the thought of 20 minutes of hard effort punctuated by a sprint, I kitted up. Let’s race!

The Warmup

Race prep began with the usual two pieces of caffeine gum (200mg of go go elixir) and some PR lotion on the legs. Then it was off to join the never-ending Coco Cadence pace partner pack on Tempus Fugit.

This has become my go-to warmup routine lately, as the pace of her group is just right for spinning up my legs and putting in a few digs off the front to blow out the cobwebs.

Doing it all in the company of a couple hundred Zwifters is just a fun bonus. Often I’ll spot a few riders I know, and it’s fun to say hello as we warm up or cool down from other events.

The Start

Upon entering the start pens I realized my cat B group had grown to over 100 riders, including YouTube personality Chris Pritchard who I had last spotted flying past me in a Boost Mode race in May. There were several strong riders in the group, and Chris is a smart rider with a strong sprint. I quickly realized my “easy” race had evolved into one which would be high-effort from the gun, with a challenging finish!

The clock hit 0 and we jumped off the line. 114 B riders in all, and the pace was high but doable. 367W average got me to the top of the bricks on the first lap, where things settled down a bit.

With a group this size, there was no chance I was getting away on a solo attack – and I wasn’t feeling up for attempting any coordinated attack either. So I focused on the two warring priorities of any Zwift racer:

1. Staying close enough to the front that I wouldn’t miss a meaningful selection, while
2. Keeping my effort as low as possible so I had the legs when they were needed.

The Middle

This was an anti-sandbagging event, so when we got close to the 5-minute mark I was watching for green cones to pop up. (Zwift’s anti-sandbagging tools work based on 1-minute and 5-minute power limits for each category, so you’ll often see sandbaggers coned at the 5 minute mark after a hard start.)

Sure enough, at the 4:52 mark our first green cone arrived for one “X. Ramos”. Hurray for sandbagger controls!

There wasn’t much notable during the middle laps of the race, although I will mention powerups…

Dastardly Burritos

First, the burrito powerup, which disables the draft effect for all riders within 2.5 meters of the owner. This one really hurts when activated by a nearby rider (or two, or three) as you’re sitting in the middle of a fast-moving peloton, because the riders at the front of the group are outside the burrito’s range, so they’re enjoying the draft while you have to work extra hard to keep the pace. A truly effective weapon to deploy!

Misunderstood Streamrollers

Next, the steamroller powerup. This “smooths” whatever surface you’re on, so the rolling resistance (Crr) is the same as normal Zwift tarmac. I saw these being deployed repeatedly on the pavement, which is just a waste of the powerup. Silly Billies!

On Crit City, the steamroller should be used on the brick section, because brick Crr in Zwift is .0055 (compared to pavement’s .004). This gives you a bit of an advantage over this short section, saving you approximately 15 watts for its duration.

For more on Crr in Zwift, read Crr and Watt Savings of Zwift Wheel Types

The Finish

Crossing my fingers for a good powerup on my final trip through the lap banner, I was greeted instead with the ghost. Blegh. My least-favorite powerup! Utterly useless when you get it in the middle of the race, unless you’re planning a rare (and generally useless) solo attack. And just barely useful for the finish, since it only lasts 10 seconds and nobody is really paying attention to you in the heat of the final sprint anyway.

That’s what I thought, at least.

I resolved to stay near the front of our ~40 rider pack if at all possible, then attempt to unleash a well-timed invisi-sprint near the end. The pace picked up when we hit the bricks, and lots of feathers were flying. I kept hammering to avoid getting gapped, sliding into the back of the front group with Pritchard on my wheel as we flew past virtual ZHQ.

Down the twisties I continued my game of staying in contention without wasting a watt. Then we neared the bottom of the descent and I could see/feel my “over-muscled cyclist” momentum carrying me through the front of the pack. A slingshot! It was go time.

I shifted into my sprinting gear, activated the ghost powerup, and started hammering. The powerup ran out as I rounded the hairpin turn, and I was sitting 3rd or 4th wheel. The rider ahead had an aero powerup enabled, and I passed Pritchard as we straightened out.

All-in with Pritchard on my wheel, I glanced up to see the rider ahead had just received a green cone. Excellent!

Keep hammering… don’t let Pritchard beat you… he’s probably live-streaming!

I passed the green cone, and Pritchard wasn’t coming around. He was just a few virtual feet behind as we flew over the finish line. But what would Zwift’s official results say? The screen popped up… hurray! A win!

That felt good. Really, really good.

See my ride on Zwift.com >
See my activity on Strava >
See race results on ZwiftPower >

Watch my race video:

Takeaways

Checking my power curve on Strava, this race was a new best in the past 6 weeks, tying my best 20-minute power for 2020. Like I’ve said before, these Crit City 8-Lappers are a fun way to test your 20-minute power, even if they don’t follow the prescribed FTP test protocol.

In hindsight, I think my ghost powerup may have actually helped just a bit in the finish. Watching Pritchard’s stream, I disappear from his view, then reappear in front of him, never to be caught. Did my sneaking to the front help my chances, or was everyone all-in at that point anyway? Who knows. But I’ll take the win!

It felt great to once again be in contention for the podium. A much-needed mental boost! Reflecting on all this, I’d say it’s super-important to have the self-awareness to do whatever it takes to stay motivated and keep building fitness. That’s what I did today. This will mean different things for different people, but you owe it to yourself to keep striving toward your fitness goals, whatever they are.

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