Lucianotes: PowerDowns

January 25, 2022

LAST UPDATED January 24, 2022

What if in parallel to PowerUps, our worst nightmares came true and there were PowerDowns in Zwift?

The closest thing to a PowerDown we currently have in the game is if you misuse the Anvil powerup in a climb, making you 50kg heavier for 30 eternal seconds. If you don’t believe me you can ask Edu, my former Jerbos teammate, who is still having nightmares about the day he mistakenly activated the Anvil at 9% gradient in Box Hill while he was Top 10 in a ZRL race. Dropped to 25th in a few seconds:

Imagine PowerDowns are randomly assigned and triggered during a race. I have already seen some violent spontaneous reactions when not assigned the optimal powerup. Imagine if you were assigned the worst PowerDown?

Can you imagine the riders next to you accelerating when they see you have been cursed with a PowerDown? How cruel would that be?

Here is my list of 11 nasty imaginary PowerDowns (plus one bonus extra).

#1: No Pedal

Your clip-in pedals disappear, you cannot push on them as you normally would, 25% less power for 10 seconds.

The irony, of course, is that none of our in-game bikes have ever had pedals…

#2: Inflation

Additional 5% gradient for 15 seconds.

It could bring you up to 23% on NYC KOM. Too bad if you are a heavy rider. Have fun!

#3: Wind Blower

Within the pack or not, your draft disappears and you have a 60km/h headwind for 15 seconds.

Don’t complain, your Zwift avatar is just experiencing the feel of the four massive fans you have in your indoor setup.

#4: Quicksand

Rolling resistance x4 for 30 seconds.

By chance you are on a gravel bike? Then you are safe. If not, you are going to be swallowed and digested by the dirty road faster than Homer Simpson with a donut.

#5: The Torque

Your cadence is limited to 60 RPM for 30 seconds.

No matter if you spin faster, it does not take it into account. You’d better shift those gears to the highest development if you don’t want to be dropped.

#6: The Spinner

The trainer difficulty is set at 20% for 30 seconds.

Now you need to increase your cadence big time in order to produce the same amount of watts. HR spike guaranteed!

#7: Cruise Control

Speed limitation at 35km/h for 20 seconds.

You are on a hill? No problem. (Unless you are racing with Pogacar the probability your competitors are above 35 km/h is minimal.) You are riding Greatest London Flat? Say a prayer and prepare yourself to sprint to rejoin the pack.

#8: Autopilot

ERG mode is blocked at whatever power you are for 15 seconds.

It is really like flipping a coin. It can go utterly crazy. If you were in the middle of a huge effort you would need to burn tons of watts. If you were supertucking or at 90w, prepare yourself to be dropped.

#9: The Fall

You lose 10 positions.

That would be quite OK if you are at the front or middle of a big pack. But if you were hiding yourself at back, tail gunning and trying to benefit from the draft to the most extent… you have a problem. You might just fall next to the guy who forgot to start and is still in the pen!

#10 No friends

This is kind of a reverse ghost power down. All other riders disappear for a minute.

You don’t know what is going on. Has someone attacked, has the pack accelerated? You have no friends, exactly like IRL.

#11: The Loop

Double U-turn. The notion of uselessness brought to the maximum level.

As you do your double U-turn, you come back to the exact same place you were 5 seconds ago and the pack is gone. AAAARRRRGGGHHH!

#12 Bonus Extra Nasty Power down: Stop & Go

Like a Formula One pit stop, your avatar decelerates and stops. You need to start as if you were in the pen.

Do this to me in the middle of an intense effort and I might implode into a million pieces of frustration. There is nothing worse for me than stopping when I’m flowing!