I recently received an email from a Zwifter named David:

I have a request. In your race reviews, like today’s Crit City, you talk about the group you’re in, where that group is positioned in the race relative to other groups and where you are within your group. I would be very interested in an article on how you track all this – how you “see” the race.

As a newbie, I have a somewhat myopic view. I can see who is around me on the screen and I can see the list of riders on the right sidebar and the w/kg they’re putting out. But that’s only showing me maybe a dozen of the riders closest to me. I don’t really know how big my group is and I have no idea how many other groups are ahead or behind me.

Perhaps I’m reading more into your posts than there is. But if you’re able to share strategies for “seeing” the race, I expect there are plenty of others like me who would benefit.

This is such a smart question for a newbie ask, and an interesting topic for a post. So David: here’s your answer!

Before You Start

It may seem odd to talk about how you can “see the race” before the race even begins. But there’s so much that can be done pre-event which gives you more visibility into the actual race, thus allowing you to race smarter.

Depending on how important a particular race is to you, the additional prep time required may or may not be worth it. But I will tell you that many top-level Zwift racers spend a fair amount of time on race prep, and it shows in their results!

Know the Riders

Have you ever met someone new, then start seeing them everywhere you go? It’s funny how our brains work. The same is true on Zwift – while you can’t see faces, you can see rider names. And until you know which riders to look for, you probably won’t “recognize” them in game with all the other names floating by.

ZwiftPower is your best friend here. Find your event on the site, click on it, then filter the list by your race category. Now you have a list of your registered competition. Click the “Rank” column to sort them by ranking and you’ll see where you fit in the overall rankings, and who the favorites are for your event. Learn those names!

Want to dig deeper? Click a rider’s name and look at their recent results, power profile, and more. What you find there can inform your race strategy. Two quick examples:

• You may find that the top-ranked rider isn’t a very good sprinter, but has strong TT power. That means you need to watch for them to make an earlier attack or attempt a long final effort. You may also be able to make them suffer by putting in hard digs during the race, so they have to put in challenging, short efforts to stay with you.
• Or perhaps the top-ranked riders is a strong sprinter – and you are not! That means you don’t want the race to end in a pack finish, where you’ll be beaten. So maybe you’ll decide to attack extra hard up that final climb to try to break away and stay away to the finish.

While the ZwiftPower list won’t include racers who sign up at the last minute, it will get most of the riders in your event, as long as you look within a few hours of the event start.

Know the Route

Knowing your race route is essential, and the better you know it, the smarter you can race. We won’t discuss formulating race strategy based on the route in this post (that’s a topic in itself!), but let’s talk about how knowing the route lets you see the future – a handy skill when we want to “see” the race!

If you know the route, you’ll know where the key attacks will probably happen. This isn’t 100% assured, of course, but after riding 300+ Zwift races (and watching countless more) I would say I can predict where on the course the key attacks will happen almost every time. I can see the future.

It’s simple, really: the attacks happen on the climbs. So look up the route in our route detail pages, get acquainted with the layout, and you’ll know what to expect. With advanced route knowledge, you’ll understand what is happening when the pack surges heading into a short climb, or backs off on the flats because they know a climb is coming. So not only does course knowledge let you see the future, it also gives you the ability to read the peloton’s hive mind!

Get a DS

For key races, many teams get a DS (“Directeur Sportif”) or “team car” helper who isn’t riding the race. Instead, their job is to watch the race and pass on important info to team riders via team voice chat. This is very helpful because the DS can click on your opponents to see their heart rates, look at live data in ZwiftPower, and generally do a whole lot of work that is tough to do when you’re hanging on for dear life in a race.

Because of how Zwift currently functions, the DS has to join the race like any other racer to properly “see” the race. Then once the race begins, they need to click another rider so they’re watching the race from the other rider’s perspective. It’s a bit of a hack, but it works.

During the Race

Using the Rider List

The rider list on the right is a very useful tool for racers, delivering data which isn’t always available on the main part of your screen. Here’s what the rider list displays:

• Your current placing in the overall race
• Total number of racers in your category
• Time gaps (which are really distance gaps)
• Rider w/kg
• Rider name (which includes team name)
• Rider country
• Rider category
• Rider distance

Zwift randomly displays rider names above avatars in the main portion of the screen, but it can still be hard to figure out who is who. I often use the rider list to figure out who is pushing the pace at the front – I will work my way close to the front of the pack, then look at who is still ahead.

I’ll also use the rider list to figure out the size of my rider group. I do this by drifting back in the pack until I see riders near the bottom of the list who are several seconds or more off the back. Then it’s easy math to figure out how big my pack is.

The rider list also lets me match up rider names to avatars. Perhaps I see names of riders who I know are strong racers (from prior experience or ZwiftPower research). I can then figure out that rider X is the one wearing this particular kit, while rider Y is wearing this other kit. Now I can mark them in my group, ready to grab their wheel if they make an attack.

The list is useful for spotting attacks or final sprints, too. A rider’s w/kg number turns orange when they hit 8 w/kg or more, so when you see that orange number you know something’s happening!

Changing Camera Angles

Are you barely hanging onto the pack, or safely in the middle of a large group? Has your starting group of 60 been whittled down to 20, or 50? Camera angle 6 is useful if you want to see how many riders are behind you. I often tap 6 on my keyboard for a quick look back so I get a full picture of the current peloton situation.

Team Radio

If you’re riding with one or more team members, using Discord for voice chat allows you to easily communicate race information back and forth. You might be in the breakaway while your teammates are in the peloton, and you can talk back and forth about how each group is behaving so you can decide if you want to keep pushing to stay away, or ease up and get caught.

And of course, if you have a DS helping you out, they’ll need to be on team radio as well.

Using ZwiftPower LIVE

ZwiftPower’s “LIVE” tool gives you a level of insight into current race data that you simply can’t get anywhere else. Every 15 seconds, the tool refreshes the positions and data of everyone in your event, allowing you to see who is in which groups of riders and what their power and heart rate numbers look like.

You really need ZwiftPower open in a browser on a separate computer screen for it to be useful. But if you’re able to do that, you’ll find this to be a very handy tool.

Changing Minimap View

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The minimap at the top-right of your Zwift screen has three different modes: zoomed in, zoomed out, and perspective. I often race with it zoomed out so I have a better chance of seeing riders up the road or chasing behind. Especially in chase/handicap races! Just click the minimap to toggle between views.

Seeing the Full Map

If you’re new to Zwift and still learning the routes, using one of the community’s map tools may help you better understand where you’re going. ZwiftGPS.com is a browser-based tool that shows your location (along with friends) on a Zwift map. Or ZwiftHack’s “ZwiftMap” tool overlays a simplified map on your game screen, so you don’t need a separate screen to view everything.

You can also use Zwift Companion and zoom in or out to view the world map.

What About You?

I certainly don’t employ all of these strategies in every Zwift race, but I’ve used all of them at different times. What tools or strategies do you employ to best “see” your Zwift race? Share your tips below!

Life On the Line: Upgrading from C to B In Zwift Racing

I have been using Zwift for two years now. What started out as something new to try during the winter months has turned into a training platform with results I can see and feel. When I first started on Zwift I took the normal tests and used the metrics to enter a few group rides. In those early days, I was solidly at the bottom of Cat C but as my riding and training improved I found myself creeping toward the top of the category and even nearing the cutoff between Cat C and Cat B. Awesome news right? I am improving and my results are starting to back up the feelings in my legs… or perhaps not.

I don’t feel this situation is unusual or unique to me. As many Zwifters continue to improve they must also follow categorical rules for events. ZwiftPower keeps those events honest as you can be DQ’d if your numbers are not in-line with requirements for the category you entered. In fact, this happened to me in my last Cat C race!

Overall ZwiftPower’s automatic filtering and disqualifying keeps the racing more even by organizing categories, determining category upgrades, and removing sandbaggers from the final results. So if you’re not registered on ZwiftPower go for it! It’s free and after you sign up there’s not much to do except see better results.

Now things get interesting, as I find myself at the bottom of the Cat B group. Making that transition from Cat C to B was one that made me feel super positive, I knew I was improving and now I could race with the ‘Big Boys’. However, while I was very competitive and working hard for podiums in Cat C, after my first few B events I’m setting simple goals of ‘Don’t take last’ or ‘Push it hard at the beginning to make the split…into the 2^nd group’.

Oddly enough, it seems that sometimes improving can kill your positive outlook.

If you haven’t had the experience (riding inside or out), let me tell you that pushing hard and not gaining can be super depressing. So what to do? It can be overwhelming to always be pushing as hard as you can to simply hold a wheel.  There is a sense of pride in it for me though. I have worked incredibly hard, early mornings and late nights to get the chance to ‘try and hold the wheel’. So I am choosing to use it as a motivator.

I was really ecstatic when I could start being competitive in Cat C races and I know I can get there in Cat B. It’s just going to take more time pushing my limits even further.

Zwift has created an environment for us all to work together and compete. Whether that’s against each other or just ourselves we have the chance to keep improving. Although I am at the bottom of the category now I hope to get into the middle with some more work and who knows, maybe push the top of the group sometime down the road. Wish me luck!

What About You?

Have you found yourself in the dreaded ‘Riding the line’ situation on Zwift? How did you deal with going from the front to the back of the pack? Got any tips to share with me?

I hope you keep pushing your limits and maybe next time we can battle it out for a win… or just not to take last!

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How the Race Was Lost: Losing Before Starting (TdZ Stage 7)

I’ll be honest: I hadn’t been looking forward to racing the final stage of Tour de Zwift 2020. While I think Yorkshire is a wonderful race course, I’ve never had a good race result there. It’s much too lumpy! But I had decided to race every stage of the Tour, so here I was. One lap of the 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit. At least it would be short!

The Preamble

Let me begin by admitting that I didn’t exactly set myself up for success in Harrogate. Mentally I had already convinced myself that I wouldn’t be anywhere near the podium, because even on a good day I’ve never been able to hang with the front up the climbs. On top of this, my legs needed more recovery than they’d been given. It was going to be a rough day!

So I figured this race would be sort of like Bologna (stage 4), where I would be pushing myself hard without expecting great results. It’s not how I prefer to race, but one of the beauties of Zwift is you can treat races as workouts, because they don’t carry the time/money investment of outdoor races.

The Warmup

The race was at 6:10am, so I woke up at 5:15am and went through my pre-race ritual. A piece of caffeine gum, some PR lotion on the legs, then it was onto Tempus Fugit for a nice warmup. It was during my warmup that I confirmed my suspicions: my legs were no good today. I needed more recovery. How did I know? Because I was having a hard time getting my heart rate up to typical warmup levels. And because holding tempo wattage was a real chore.

Like Bologna, today’s course didn’t suit me well. But unlike Bologna, my legs weren’t feeling good. This was gonna hurt!

PR Lotion: It’s No Miracle Cure

A few of you have asked about my using PR Lotion. “Does it really work?” is the most common question, and I don’t blame you for asking. If you’re anything like me, you’ve tried various supplements, looking for something safe, affordable, and effective to give you a bit of an edge or boost. I can honestly say that PR Lotion is the first supplement I’ve tried that really delivers results – that’s why I still use it for my hard rides.

But here’s the thing: PR Lotion won’t fix tired legs. Sure, tired legs will feel a bit better thanks to the reduced burn from the bicarb in the lotion – but they’ll still be tired. Trust me, I’ve confirmed this over and over again! And it would be confirmed in today’s race: there’s simply so substitute for good recovery.

Bike Frame and Wheel Choice

I’ve been getting this question a lot during TdZ: what frame and wheels should I use for this race? It’s a simple question on some routes, but a tougher one on others. Yorkshire is one of those courses where the right answer isn’t obvious, because it’s got those key climbs where the action really happens.

And yet, portions of the course are quite fast, and you don’t want your bike scrubbing any of your speed on these sections, either.

After some thought, I decided to treat the course more like a climbing route, pulling the Specialized Tarmac Pro out of my garage and putting the light ENVE SES 3.4 wheels on it. (I skipped the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels because the ENVEs are a bit more aero.)

In the end, just like Bologna, my bike choice wasn’t going to be the deciding factor on this route. And chances are very good that’s also the case for you! So don’t stress about it too much.

The Start

We had over 60 riders in the B pen, including a DIRT teammate or two. The banter was good – I think folks were happy to be wrapping up the Tour. We started off at a tame pace, but everyone knew that just around the first corner our first climb began.

The Otley Road climb is a long, straight drag, and it begins just 45 seconds into the race. Pure suffering! Every Yorkshire race I’ve ever done has split up on Otley Road, and I’ve never been able to hang with the front up this first climb.

Today was no different. Well, perhaps it was a bit different: it was worse! I was dropped quickly, finding myself in 46th place with a widening gap ahead. My apologies to any riders who were sitting on my wheel waiting for an easy tow to the group: that wasn’t going to happen.

By the time we had descended Otley Road and turned right onto Pot Bank the front of the race was way ahead. I was with just one other rider, with a group of three several seconds up the road, and another group of three 10 seconds back. I decided to hit it hard on the steep, twisting Pot Bank descent to see if we could bridge up to the group ahead – but apparently they had the same idea! By the time I finished hammering they were even further ahead. This just wasn’t my day.

The Middle

We descended to the start of the KOM, grabbing a quick supertuck before crossing the stone bridge and heading up, up, up! Normally for me this climb is a hard V02 effort around 3 minutes flat, but today I turned in a blazing time of 3:44. Pathetic!

An Italian rider named Decimo caught me near the top. We would ride together for the rest of the race.

We descended from the KOM (which is just a bit too shallow/short for a good supertuck) then turned the sharp left onto Millionaires Row. A climb up to the sprint point, a descent down, then a few lumps and turns found us back in downtown Harrogate for the finish.

The Finish

I had no powerup for the finish, having received just one useful powerup (the van) out of three arches! Decimo deployed the van as we started our kick up to the line, so I eased up, making him go ahead of me so his powerup wasn’t any help. I had to laugh at myself, playing cat and mouse in a battle for 46th place. But a racer’s gotta race!

It didn’t do any good anyway. Decimo stood up after a bit and put in a strong sprint to finish me off. 47th out of 62. My worst stage result of TdZ 2020, by far! But that’s ok. Because even a bad day on a bike is still a good day!

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

Takeaways

Just one takeaway for me on this race: recovery is key. I had raced hard in Crit City two days before, then followed that up with a decent gym session (and no easy recovery ride) the next day. Add some poor sleep into the mix and I was nowhere near fresh for this effort.

For a race of this length, my average heart rate is usually in the mid-low 170s, with my power around 300-305 watts. Today my heart rate averaged 163 and my power was 272 watts.

For more on the topic of recovery, read “5 Training Mistakes for Zwifters to Avoid“, “How Hard is Too Hard“, and “How to Recover Better, Faster“.

Of course, this didn’t come as a surprise to me. Normally I wouldn’t have raced on a day like this, but my schedule was such that it was the only time I’d be able to race stage 7. Plus I knew that my legs would get some rest over the weekend as we’ll be out of town for a couple of days, so I didn’t feel too bad digging myself into a bit of a hole.

Thinning the Herd

I’ve never finished with the front in Harrogate, but if you’re strong enough to do so, keep in mind this course lends itself to small group and solo breakaways much more than most Zwift race routes. The field usually gets thinned to just a handful of riders by the end (our group of 62 was whittled down to just 7 battling it out in the final seconds.)

It’s a punishing course with lots of opportunities to put in digs and open up gaps in the final few minutes following the KOM. So stay heads up, attack if you can, and save a little for that final sprint – it’s a butt kicker!

First place usually goes to the rider who shows the best sense of timing in the difficult final sprint. A useful powerup and a bit of a strong kick don’t hurt your chances, either.

What About You?

I’m curious: how much recovery do you need between races, and what does it feel like if you race without being recovered? Also: how did your Yorkshire race go? Share below!

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