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Saving Watts In the Draft: Climbs vs Descents vs Flats

Eric Schlange
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28
Saving Watts In the Draft: Climbs vs Descents vs Flats

Saving Watts In the Draft: Climbs vs Descents vs Flats

Cyclists know that staying in the draft saves watts. It’s been tested outdoors, and it’s been tested on Zwift. This knowledge is important to understand and put into practice because bike racing is all about conserving energy so you have it when you need it. Drafting is the #1 way a cyclist conserves energy while remaining in contention for the win.

But how many watts do you save in the draft – and does that change based on whether you’re on a climb, a descent, or a flat road? We decided to to run a few tests in the Zwift Insider Lab to get some hard numbers.

About the Test

For our test we had two riders: Rider 1 pulling on the front, and Rider 2 drafting behind Rider 1. Both riders were 75kg in weight, 183cm tall, and riding Zwift Aero bike frames with Zwift 50mm wheelsets.

We took these riders over the Watopia Hilly KOM segments (forward and reverse) with Rider 1 pulling at 330 watts for one test, then 270 watts for the other. We also took them on Ocean Boulevard for a flat test at the same wattage. Rider 1’s job was to hold the wheel using as few watts as possible.

These tests were made with other Zwifters on the road, and required constant adjustment of Rider 2’s wattage to properly hold the wheel. This means the test results aren’t perfect. But they’re still certainly useful!

Our test bots, hard at work

Drafting Up Climbs

On the Hilly KOM Forward climb:

  • drafting a rider holding 330 watts requires 320 watts – a 3.1% savings
  • drafting a rider holding 270 watts requires 264 watts – a 2.3% savings

On the Hilly KOM Reverse climb:

  • drafting a rider holding 330 watts requires 292 watts – an 11.6% savings
  • drafting a rider holding 270 watts requires 244 watts – a 9.7% savings

The steeper the climb, the slower the speed. The slower the speed, the less effect drafting has since drafting is all about reducing wind resistance and wind resistance isn’t an issue at slow speeds. So we see on these climbs there is certainly some savings in the draft, but it’s not nearly as significant as we’ll see on flat roads or descents.

The savings is greater on the reverse climb because that climb isn’t as steep as the forward climb. Therefore, speeds are faster on the reverse KOM, and drafting has a greater effect.

Similarly, the savings are greater when drafting the 330-watt rider compared to the 270-watt rider, because speeds are faster behind the 330-watt rider, so drafting has a greater effect.

Drafting On Descents

On the Hilly KOM Forward descent:

  • drafting a rider holding 330 watts requires 207 watts – a 37.3% savings
  • drafting a rider holding 270 watts requires 145 watts – a 46.3% savings

On the Hilly KOM Reverse descent:

  • drafting a rider holding 330 watts requires 227 watts – a 31.3% savings
  • drafting a rider holding 270 watts requires 222 watts – a 17.8% savings

Descents are much faster than climbs, and the main thing slowing riders down on a descent is air resistance. Drafting greatly reduces air resistance, so riders in a draft on a descent can sit in with very low watts even when the rider ahead is hammering.

The steeper the descent, the greater the savings from the draft. So we see the steeper forward descent gives us a greater savings than the reverse descent.

And just like on the climbs, the savings will be greater when drafting the 330-watt rider compared to the 270-watt rider, because speeds are faster behind the 330-watt rider, so drafting has a greater effect. We don’t see that exactly in the results above, because holding the wheel over changing gradients was difficult in our tests!

Drafting On Flat Roads

On Ocean Boulevard:

  • drafting a rider holding 330 watts requires 241 watts – a 27% savings
  • drafting a rider holding 270 watts requires 208 watts – a 23% savings

We would expect the power savings on flats to fall somewhere in between the savings we saw on the climbs and the descents, and that is indeed the case (apart from the hilly KOM reverse data at 270 watts which is probably just a testing error – like we said, these tests weren’t perfect!)

Here we see once again that riders achieve greater savings when drafting a more powerful rider because speeds are higher, so drafting has a greater effect.

Takeaways

There are several useful takeaways from these test results:

  1. Descents provide a wonderful opportunity to recover, if you play it smart. Stay out of the wind, surf the wheels, and apply just the power needed to stay in the pack. Of course, there’s always the supertuck as well, but that is best used on longer, steeper descents.
  2. Drafting is a significant factor on shallow climbs like the hilly KOM reverse. So play it smart and stay on a wheel unless you’re attacking.
  3. The faster you’re traveling, the bigger that “wattage window” is where you’ll stay with the rider you’re following. That’s why our descent test results were a bit messy. (The “wattage window” is the minimum and maximum wattage you can hold and without being dropped or dropping the rider you’re trying to follow.) This means you can potentially waste a lot of watts by hammering too hard–so play with it, ease up, and see how little you can work to hold the wheel on descents and even flatter roads. With practice, you’ll get a feel for it.
  4. If you think this savings is impressive, consider this: the draft effect is even stronger in larger groups on Zwift! This is difficult to test (requiring many computers, Zwift accounts, etc) but we know there is a stronger draft behind 4 riders than behind 1.

Your Thoughts

Do these results make sense to you? Got questions, or additional takeaways from the data? Share below!

8 Ways to Earn More XP and Level Up Faster on Zwift

Eric Schlange
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125
8 Ways to Earn More XP and Level Up Faster on Zwift

XP (experience) points are what get you to higher levels in Zwift, and higher levels mean access to more virtual equipment and roads. Our calculations show that a rider can typically expect to earn 500-700XP per hour.

But are there ways Zwifters can earn XP faster? Of course there are! Here are 8 strategies for boosting your XP earnings.

#1: Ride New Routes

The first time you complete an official Zwift route you’ll earn the badge for that route, which includes an XP bonus of approximately 20XP per kilometer of route length. Assuming you’re riding around 35kph, that’s a bonus of 700XP per hour if you’re just riding new routes. This means you’re effectively doubling your XP earnings when you’re riding a new route!

If you tally up the XP bonuses from riding every route on Zwift (as of January 25) you get 91,807. That’s a whole lotta XP!

#2: Ride a TT Bike

If you’re on a time trial frame, you won’t receive speed-boosting powerups when you ride through arches. Instead, you’ll receive either the 10XP or 250XP. Every time!

Combine the TT bike with a short route that includes one or more lap banners and you’ll accumulate XP extra fast. Here are some suggested routes, sorted in order from frequent banners to least:

#3: Ride Flat Routes

XP is based purely on distance (30XP per mile, or 20XP per kilometer), so you’ll accumulate it faster if you keep your speed as high as possible.

#4: Use Metric, Not Imperial

You receive 20XP per kilometer and 30XP per mile, but a kilometer is not 2/3 of a mile – it’s less than that. (1km = 0.62 miles). So you’ll accumulate XP 7% faster if you use metric units instead of imperial. Change this under Menu>Settings in game.

Note: Zwift’s September 27, 2023 update largely removed the metric advantage.

#5: Participate In Group Rides

The faster you go, the faster you’ll earn XP. Participate in group rides to enjoy the increased speeds of the group draft, and watch that XP add up!

#6: Hack Your Workout

We’ve already written about this thoroughly in “How Zwift Calculates XP for Cycling Workouts“. That post includes some hacks to maximize XP earnings via workouts including changing interval length, doing workouts up the Alpe then free-riding down, and using workouts for your easy rides since you’ll likely earn more XP than free-riding.

An additional bonus related to doing workouts up the Alpe: the spinner at the top awards XP if it lands on a prize you’ve already received. Including 1000XP if it lands on the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels!

#7: Enjoy the Downhills

Any cyclist worth their chamois knows you don’t end a ride at the top of the hill–you earned that descent, so enjoy it! But it’s worth mentioning here: if your ride would have ended atop a hill, go ahead and take that descent: you’ll earn XP for the distance with little or no extra work.

Cartoon of a toaster ejecting a piece of burnt toast with a sad face drawn on it. Orange and yellow lines around the toaster suggest movement or heat.
The “Just scrape it (You hit 800 watts)” hidden achievement badge

#8: Earn Achievement Badges

There are lots of achievement badges in game. Many are visible under Menu>Badges, but there’s a whole list of hidden achievements as well. Every one of those achievements includes an XP bonus, so grab those badges!

Combining Strategies

For the ultimate in high-XP riding, combine two or more of the strategies above. Perhaps choose a group ride on a route you haven’t yet completed. And of course, use metric measurements while you’re at it!

The achievement badges for multiple Volcano Circuit laps earn a big XP boost – you get bonuses for 5, 10, and 25 laps. The 25 lap bonus is 1000XP! Why not do a ride that gets all three, along with the 100km badge. Then keep going and get the 100 mile badge while you’re at it! Do it on a TT bike and you’ll be racking up XP points each time you ride through the lap banner.

What About You?

Got more tips for earning XP? Share them below!

How the Race Was Lost: Chubby Supertucker (Tour de Zwift Stage 3)

Eric Schlange
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24
How the Race Was Lost: Chubby Supertucker (Tour de Zwift Stage 3)

How the Race Was Lost: Chubby Supertucker (Tour de Zwift Stage 3)

Yesterday was the last day for stage 3 of Tour de Zwift, so I needed to get a race in. Two laps of Watopia Hilly Reverse–this would be interesting! I knew from racing it in the past that I should be able to hang onto the front of the race, but thanks to the reverse KOM I also know it would take everything I had.

Since this was TdZ I knew I could plan on a larger field, a shorter race, and at least a handful of sandbaggers pushing the group pace. Even though I’ve raced this route many times, those races were usually four laps long. Two laps meant the pace would be furious and I would need to push harder to stay in contention. Was I ready? I was about to find out!

Warmup

The race began at 6:11am, so I set my alarm for 5:15. Rolled out of bed, grabbed my kit, then headed upstairs for my typical pre-race ritual: a piece of caffeine gum and some PR lotion on the legs. Hopped on early and got a nice 30-minute, ~10-mile warmup in on Tempus Fugit.

The Start

The start wasn’t too bad, around 340 watts for the first 2 minutes kept me in the front group. We had 61 riders at the start, and I think many of them knew that the real action would come on the KOM. I just sat in the pack, conserving as much energy as possible, know the KOM would require me to push it to the limit.

As we approached Hank’s Gas Station (the beginning of the reverse KOM), I made sure I wasn’t too far back in the group. I didn’t want to get caught off the back if a big gap opened up! So I stayed within a few wheels of the front, and when the road got steep heading into the right-hand turn I activated my feather powerup (yes, the powerup gods had smiled upon me), stood up, and hammered.

Still in touch with the front after the first section of the KOM

I was sitting 10th wheel as we crested the first portion of the KOM, and that was a good place to be, provided I could keep the power up enough to join the riders up ahead. If I ran out of juice a gap would quickly form, and I’d be dropped. So I pushed hard to stay in contact with the riders ahead, and when we grouped up after the second uphill push I was still in the front pack. KOM #1: survived!

Wearing the Same Kit

Can I register a complaint? I don’t like wearing the same kit as everyone else – especially in a race. In a social ride I don’t prefer it, but I can accept it. But in a race, I need to be able to tell riders apart. That’s pretty much impossible when we’re all wearing the same kit.

There may be certain riders I want to “mark”–to follow if they attack, because I know they’re strong enough to stay away. There may be other riders who I know are sandbagging, and I don’t need to chase them at all. Lastly, I’ve got teammates in almost every race on Zwift – but if we can’t see our team kit, it’s pretty hard to work together!

Everyone knows we’re in a TdZ event. We don’t need the kit to remind us! Zwift: please let us wear our own stuff for the race events, just like the top racers at the TdZ Pro-Am races are doing.

Back to the story…

Descending from the KOM, lap 1

The Middle

After cresting the KOM, I knew I could hold on until at least the second KOM. Things got a little loosey-goosey supertucking down the descent: I waited too long to start pedaling again. The group whizzed past me and I had to hammer for about 10 seconds to get back in the draft.

Classic supertuck mistake. That’s the thing with the Zwift supertuck: it works great, until it doesn’t! You’ve got to stay alert, because when you pop out of the tuck you slow down quickly. Typically I start pedaling a few seconds before I know I’ll come out of the tuck, so Zwift is seeing my power when I need it.

zPower Fliers

As we went through the start/finish banner at the end of lap one, one of the riders asked: “flier?” He was referring to one “Hiroaki Sakai”, a Japanese rider who had been off the front since the start of the KOM. “Yes” was my typed reply. No way Hiroaki was holding B category wattage.

The group basically ignored the flier after this exchange, which I was happy about. He would go on to “win” the race by 18 seconds with an average of 369 watts (5.4w/kg). I didn’t notice until the race was over that he was on virtual power (aka “zPower”) along with one other rider who kept attacking off the front. Not surprisingly, neither rider was registered on ZwiftPower.

Heading into the second and final KOM. Feather at the ready!

The Finish

Through the second lap’s sprint banner I received another feather powerup. Hurray! I knew I’d need all the help I could get, as the strong climbers typically hammer extra hard on the final climb of the race, hoping to drop sprinters like me.

There were 15 left from the original 61 riders. I attacked the KOM the same way as I did the first lap, deploying my powerup on the steepest section. I found myself mid-pack in a strung-out peloton, and gaps were opening up all around. This was a dangerous situation, and if I didn’t keep going hard I would lose the group.

The problem was, I was on the rivet, feeling like I was going to hurl. Have you been there? This is where you have to be strong mentally as well as physically. When everything screams “ease up and give up” it’s the mind that enables you to push just a little bit more.

And that’s what I did! I stayed in contact, and as we crested the KOM I took a deep breath, prayed for a good powerup, and tried to recover as much as possible before the final sprint.

Unfortunately, I’d used up all my powerup mojo and the gods only gave me a 10XP bonus. $#%@ XP bonuses!

As we entered downtown Watopia I kept a wary eye on the pack, watching for a rider to begin sprinting. My plan was to follow the first sprint and hold that wheel with the hopes of coming around once they tired.

The first rider went, I shifted up and got out of the saddle, and went all in. But I didn’t have much left, apparently. Even though the sprint only lasted ~10 seconds, I didn’t have the power to get my nose into the glorious wind at the front. I crossed the line in 8th place, which would become 6th place on ZwiftPower thanks to 3 unregistered riders finishing before me.

See my ride on Strava >
See race results on ZwiftPower >

Lose Weight or Race Flats?

Here’s something interesting in the results above: my w/kg (3.6) were lower than anyone else in the list. In fact, the next rider at 3.6 w/kg or less was in 35th place!

This doesn’t necessarily mean that I rode this race super-efficiently: you can see my wattage was not the lowest.

What does this tell me? It tells me I’m chubbier than all the top riders in this race! Here are the weights of the riders who finished ahead of me: 68kg, 54kg, 80kg, 73kg, 73kg, 70kg, 79kg. And I’m the 84kg monster barely hanging on up the climbs!

I could be proud that I was able to hang on – I guess that’s something. But really what these numbers always make me ponder is whether I should slim down and climb better, or just keep being an “overmuscled cyclist”. I like cookies, so the jury’s still out.

Takeaways

Here are my lessons from this race:

  • When I feel like I can’t go any harder, I’ve still got more. Push and hold that wheel.
  • I need to lose weight. Or maybe I don’t?
  • Gotta be careful supertucking.

What About You?

Did you race TdZ stage 3? How did it go? Share below!

Weekly Zwift Racing and Special Guest Matt Gardiner – Never Going Pro Podcast #10

Shayne Gaffney
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3
Weekly Zwift Racing and Special Guest Matt Gardiner – Never Going Pro Podcast #10

Weekly Zwift Racing and Special Guest Matt Gardiner – Never Going Pro Podcast #10

This episode’s discussion is around making the impossible possible. Can a rider race every week on Zwift year-round and continually building fitness over time?

Our special guest this week is Matt Gardiner from Team Indoor Specialist. He’s also the fastest accountant on Zwift!

About the Podcast

Never Going Pro is a new podcast about riding bikes, being parents… and trying super hard at both. Hosted by Shayne Gaffney, Ken Nowell, and Chris Gorney. See all episodes on Soundcloud. Also available on Sticher and iTunes.

15 MORE Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Zwifting

Eric Schlange
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15
15 MORE Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Zwifting

15 MORE Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Zwifting

Like any worthwhile endeavor, Zwift has a learning curve. Even experienced cyclists will find they have new equipment to set up and software settings to understand. Less experienced cyclists have even more to learn, as they must also wrap their minds around new training terms, group ride etiquette, and more.

Here’s our second in a series featuring top tips from real Zwifters (read part 1). Thanks to the Zwift Riders Facebook group for supplying their best tips!

Get a high rpm fan and a second smaller fan. Two TVs one for Zwift one for whatever else.

Brian Degnan

Many Zwifters run two fans–some because they need the increased coverage of a second fan, some because they want to be able to turn the additional cooling off and on. And two TVs? If you’re the type of Zwifter who doesn’t want to focus on the ride, it’s nice to have a second screen for Netflix.

Don’t ride a time trial bike in a group ride as you won’t get the draft.

Mary Franklin

Oh Mary, we feel your pain. Bringing a TT bike to a group ride or race is a mistake you’ll only make once!

It is so easy to overtrain.

Kelly Ginther

Yes it is, especially on Zwift where it’s tough to keep your efforts low. Read How Hard is Too Hard? for a perspective on training and rest from certified coaches.

Racers at the start “ramp up” before the final countdown. I was wondering why I kept getting dropped at the start of races. I’m glad a friend told me this.

Lisa Stranc Bliss

Because there can be a slight delay between applying power to the pedals and Zwift receiving that data, it’s smart to start ramping up the power a few seconds before the clock hits 0. This ensures that you’ll have high wattage out of the gate.

How to join and event / race for beginners…

Jim Heesacker

Yes, many new Zwifters find this process confusing! Check out Shane Miller’s Swift Zwift Tip on this topic >

I wish I knew that a chosen route self-guided through the turns. I kept tapping the pop ups and going off course because I thought I had to make the decision. Probably would’ve helped to have the map of Watopia too. Maybe that should come standard with any Zwift subscription.

Jer Walker

We think your poster with a subscription idea is excellent, Jer.

Get a USB extension long enough to get the ANT Dongle near the sensors.

David Orem

Yes! A million times, yes! If you’re using ANT+ and experiencing data dropouts, buy a USB extension cable. More info on fixing ANT+ dropouts on Zwift >

Get up out of the saddle or get a rocker plate or trainer that rocks if you want to spend a good amount of time riding. The trainer holding your bike makes for a stiff ride and that will get to you after some time.

Ken Lewis

Completely agreed. We’re big fans of rocker plates over here–check out a recent review of the SBR ROCKR.

Make sure liquid and snacks are within reach before starting an event.

John Clarketheus

You don’t want to be forced to climb off the bike to grab what you need if you’re in the middle of a big group ride or race. So make sure everything is within arm’s reach, or you’ve got a helpful assistant who can come to your aid.

That you don’t have to shift gears during a workout.

Andres Sulleiro

True! That’s the nice thing about ERG-mode workouts. That said, there are times when shifting in ERG workouts is a good thing.

Leave your ego at the door, you’re about to be put in your box.

Nathanial Boersma

You may be hot stuff in your local riding club, but Zwift is a worldwide phenomenon and some very strong riders come out to race. Expect a high level of competition, and when you get beat, let it inspire you to work harder.

You can switch back & forth between challenges. Climb the Alpe ⛰ with Everest selected, then switch to Italy for a flat ride…

Katie Levie

You have to gun it out the start gate on a race.

Stuart Campbell Lee

Zwift races always start hard, as strong riders push to make a “selection”–that is, to force a break in the pack, so the strong riders can get ahead without weaker riders sitting in. So head into the start pens nicely warmed up, and expect the hard effort to last 2-4 minutes before it settles down.

Don’t get on Zwift Riders Facebook group to boast that you ascended the Alpe du Zwift in a sub 45 minute time unless your power source is verified or you’re a pro or ex-pro rider, as it will probably end up with a flaming.

Chris Radley

Truth. Chris obviously speaks from experience.

If you race, make sure to sign up at Zwift Power.

Sylvia Granlund

Zwift Power is where the final results of Zwift races live. If you aren’t signed up, you are being automatically disqualified from all race results. So what are you waiting for?

What About You?

What do you wish you’d known when you started Zwifting? Comment below, and we may include it in a follow-up post!

Rumble In the Jungle: MTB vs Double Draft, TdZ Stage 3

Eric Schlange
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64
Rumble In the Jungle: MTB vs Double Draft, TdZ Stage 3

Rumble In the Jungle: MTB vs Double Draft, TdZ Stage 3

Yesterday I rode (raced?) the long-distance version of Tour de Zwift‘s stage 3 group ride.

This was one lap of Watopia’s Big Loop which begins in downtown Watopia then travels over the Epic KOM to the Jungle Circuit before returning to downtown by way of a ride around the volcano. With the Epic KOM included I knew I wasn’t going to finish in the front group–but I knew it would be a great workout anyway, plus I was anxious to try an experiment… for science!

The Big Question

Before the ride began I knew I would be swapping from my road bike (Specialized S-Works Venge with Zipp 858 wheels) to a mountain bike (Specialized Epic) for the Jungle Circuit portion of the route. Some Zwifters aren’t fans of the swapping idea, but I think that’s just because they haven’t tried it. 😄 I find it’s a fun challenge to swap bikes as quickly as possible, then work to pass other riders in the Jungle while I have a speed advantage before swapping back to the road bike.

If you’re wondering–I chose the Epic because of its performance in our speed tests. And because I like Specialized!

But the bigger reason for my swapping was a desire to test a theory. This ride would answer the question: how well does the MTB perform against packs of roadies in double draft mode?

If you recall, I first wrote about how well the MTB swap worked in my post about the Le Col Metric Century. But that ride used Zwift’s standard draft, not double draft. With the draft effect being doubled I was sure the MTB would offer less advantage since the packs of roadies would be moving faster. But would the swap strategy still prove valuable? There was only one way to find out!

The Swap, Part 1: Losing

Abou to hit the Jungle dirt

As we hit the Jungle dirt I was in a pack of ~15 riders, putting me somewhere between 134th to 169th place overall in the field of 689. (This is an important number to look at before you swap bikes, because the goal, obviously, is to move up in the placings by the time you’re back on your rode bike after completing the Jungle Circuit on the MTB.)

My bike swap was pretty fast, but still by the time I was back up and riding my group was 10 seconds up the road. Now the fun began–how many riders could I catch?

The start of the Jungle: time to chase!

The first portion of the Jungle Circuit is a descent to the lap banner. Here I noticed that, unlike previous swaps, I wasn’t gaining time on the group I was chasing. They stayed 10s-11s ahead during the entire descent. Double draft was definitely working in their favor.

Then it got really ugly at the bottom as we hit the wooden boards/bridges on either side of the lap banner. I had enjoyed a rolling resistance advantage in the dirt up to this point–my Crr was .014 vs the road bikes’ Crr of .025. That’s a big difference – nearly 100 watts at 40kph!

But on wood, the Crr of a road bike is .0065 (nearly the same as pavement) while for MTB wheels it is .01 (see more on specific Zwift Crr values here). That’s a ~40 watt disadvantage at 40kph. Plus they were working together in double draft mode, while I was soloing!

There are also some “hardpack dirt” sections on either side of the wood which look like the dirt around the volcano. It’s noticeably different from the Jungle dirt (it rolls fast, and no dust is kicked up). This surface has the same Crr as pavement, meaning I was at a 60-watt disadvantage here. Ouch.

Thanks to the wood and hardpack sections at the bottom of the Jungle I lost another 10 seconds on the group I was chasing, putting me about 20 seconds behind as we began climbing up and out.

The Swap, Part 2: Winning

As speeds slowed from ~40kph on the descent and flat to ~20kph on the climb, I knew the double draft advantage was mostly gone since air resistance isn’t much of a factor at slow speeds. If I was going to catch that group, it had to happen here!

I kept my watts steady and saw the time gap steadily drop. I passed a few stragglers, then caught the group I’d been chasing as we neared the rope bridge at the top of the Jungle Circuit.

Finally caught the group!

I stayed on the MTB until the dirt ended. That’s where I made the swap back to my road rig, put in a good dig for about 20 seconds to catch the group up ahead, then assessed the swap situation.

Was it worth it?

I don’t think it was. Not today. The group I rode out of the Jungle with was basically the same group I started with–the front place in the finishing group was 137th overall (it was 134th when we entered the Jungle).

It’s possible that the roadie group was working significantly harder than I during the Jungle portion, but based on the effort level I saw from them for the remainder of the ride, I don’t think that was the case.

I think double draft, combined with the Crr disparity at the bottom of the Jungle, made the swap strategy a wash in this ride.

Roving Gangs of Hairy-Legged MTBers

Here’s how the MTB swap could still work well in a double draft race: if several riders all swapped to the MTB then rode together, taking advantage of the double draft.

There would still be a slight disadvantage at the bottom of the Jungle through the wood sections, but the MTB gang would certainly gain time on all the dirt sections, especially the higher-speed descent where double draft matters most.

What About You?

Have you tried the swap in a double draft event in the Jungle? What is worth it? Share your experience below!

Couch to Route Hero, Week 2 Done

Monica Schlange
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37
Couch to Route Hero, Week 2 Done

Couch to Route Hero, Week 2 Done

Editor’s note: Monica is undertaking the “Couch to Route Hero” challenge of riding all 67 “free-ridable” Zwift routes (and getting all the badges) in 11 weeks. Each week she shares her story of the previous week’s struggles and accomplishments. Follow along on her journey, take the challenge yourself, and be sure to give her a Ride On if you see her on course!

“The whole world knows I’m on this quest, so I have to keep going!” This is definitely an inflated view of real circumstances, but the pressure to continue on this quest is real! I say pressure, but mostly it’s accountability. When no one knows what my goals are I can quit on them. When the “whole world” knows, and others are participating, well… I’m a people pleaser. I have to keep going for my people! That’s you!

I think the theme this week is definitely “accountability.” Because my family also knows I’m doing this quest they make time for me. And I occasionally need their reminders and encouragement to get on my bike (like after the long day and a half of sitting on hard bleachers watching the 13-year-old play in a basketball tourney).

Week 2, In the Books

This week I added 9 route badges to my stash! 16 routes done, 51 to go!

Maybe I shouldn’t have written that number out for another few weeks. 51 seems like a lot.

But, I also added another 70.92 miles, 4,966 feet of climb and 4.5 hours on the bike! Woot! Routes completed this week:

Lady Liberty ride report: the red is the QOM section!

Leveling up

I was riding Park Perimeter Loop in New York City, a route I really like, and I got just enough points during it to make Level 32 and unlock the Newsy Cap! Did you know you get extra XP points each time you earn a route badge? I’ll be level 33 before I know it!

Everything Bagel

Day 9 has a 3 bidon route scheduled. It was my biggest, longest ride so far: Everything Bagel in New York City. With 1800’ of climb I was in PAIN by the end! The last three minutes I was just saying over and over “ouch… ow… ow… ow… ouchie… ugh.” 

I started the ride on the tail end of a migraine. (I really need to figure out this whole “stay hydrated” thing.) Riding with a migraine meant I couldn’t push myself higher than about 140 watts or my head felt like it would explode all over my bike. As I kept riding the meds and caffeine kicked in so I could push a little harder. I was glad for the relief as Eric jumped on his bike and was chasing me up the KOM. I’m happy to say I beat him to the top! This story ends here and I’ll not be answering any questions about how far behind me he started.

My longest ride of the Quest (so far)

After the ride, I noticed I had a total of 166 Ride Ons! You all have NO idea how much these really do spur me on! And for those looking for more Ride Ons for themselves here’s a tip: I find that the more Ride Ons I give during a ride, the more I get. Also, following lots of people means some will follow you back and give you Ride Ons next time you’re on!

So many Ride Ons!

Things I’ll Do Better This Week

I keep saying I’ll add in some core strengthening exercises soon. I’m actually going to do this in the coming week! And I’m also going to drink and drink and drink. Water, that is.

How About You?

If you’re doing this as well, how’s it going? Have you done a 3 bidon route yet? I’d love to hear all about it!

If You’re New

If you’re not familiar with this quest, read about it here, print out your papers and start riding! It’s never too late to start. You start on the day that works for you, and do the routes as often as you feel works for you. That’s what I’m doing! Then check in here each week to add a comment about how your week went and what you accomplished! 

New “Peak Zwift” Achieved: 16,512

Eric Schlange
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6
New “Peak Zwift” Achieved: 16,512

New “Peak Zwift” Achieved: 16,512

Last week’s record of 16,231 Zwifters online wasn’t surprising, given it was the first week of Tour de Zwift. But we’ll admit we were a bit surprised when that record was broken again this week.

That’s right: today we hit a new high, just confirmed by Zwift HQ: 16,512 concurrent users on Zwift!

This represents a 26.4% increase over last year’s high of 13,064.

Typically the weekly high traffic point is on Tuesday around 11am PST, and that’s exactly when we saw today’s traffic spike. Of course, this is also the busiest time of Zwift’s year, with much of the northern hemisphere dealing with cold temperatures, poor weather, and shortened daylight hours.

Care to Make a Bet?

Zwiftcast hosts Simon, Nathan, and Shane have been wagering on what the winter season’s high point will be, and they’ve invited some guests to place their bets as well. What do you think? Have we just seen this season’s “peak Zwift”? Or will it go higher? Here are the current guesses:

  • DC Rainmaker: 21,000
  • Nathan Guerra: 20,000
  • Eric Schlange: 18,289
  • Simon Schofield: 18,000
  • Shane Miller: 16,666

How the Race Was Lost: Leg Snappered in Innsbruck

Eric Schlange
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24
How the Race Was Lost: Leg Snappered in Innsbruck

I decided to do both a group ride and race on each stage of Tour de Zwift, but thanks to my son’s crazy basketball tourny schedule I was running out of time to get the Innsbruck race done. It would have to be done on Sunday morning at 6am, and luckily the race was short since I needed to leave for church at 7:30.

Two laps of Innsbruckring. Let’s rock!

Warmup

I began with my typical pre-race ritual: a piece of caffeine gum and some PR lotion on the legs. Hopped on early and got a nice 30-minute, ~10-mile warmup in on Tempus Fugit.

For my pre-race warmups I do best with 20-30 minutes, since it gives me time to slow ramp up my efforts. Once I’ve got a bit of a sweat going, I’ll do some hard 30-60 second efforts to get my heart rate up to about 160bpm, where I feel like the ice has been broken.

If you’re looking for pre-race warmup ideas, check out “Pre-Race Warmups on Zwift“.

The Start

I could tell after the warmup that my legs weren’t feeling great–probably because I pushed it a bit harder than I should have the night before doing the group ride version of this race. (Actually, looking at that ride’s numbers now, I see my weighted average power was only 14 watts lower than it would be in this morning’s race. No wonder my legs didn’t feel fresh!)

Banter in the pens

But it doesn’t matter how you feel–harden up, buttercup. It’s time to race! We had 52 starters in the B cat, and when the clock hit 0 we were off and riding. We quickly settled into a nice group pace, and by the time we hit the 5-minute mark our group of 52 had been reduced to a front pack of 25.

But the Leg Snapper was looming. Would I be able to hold on up this punchy climb? I was about to find out.

The Middle

We hit the Leg Snapper at full tilt, with riders battling for position as many wanted to start the climb near the front of the pack. This is a common strategy for climbs (both indoors and out): start at the front, then you can slowly drift back through the pack as the climb progresses. As long as you can hold onto a wheel near the back of the pack over the top of the climb, you’ll still be in the pack, with less effort than it would take to hold a steady position at the front or at the back.

I wasn’t sure how hard riders would be pushing up the Leg Snapper, so I stood up and hammered hard all the way to the top. It took almost precisely 60 seconds to finish the climb, and I averaged 456 watts for that time.

My race effort–it’s easy to see where the key spot on the lap is

But as we crested the top, bad things started happening. I had finished the climb near the front of the group, but I was out of juice, and several riders continued to push it over the crest and down the descent. I found myself in 14th place at the bottom of the descent, with riders strung out up to 10 seconds ahead of me. And I didn’t have the legs to chase.

As I crossed under the sprint banner for the first time, I threw in the virtual towel. I wasn’t going to hold onto the front of this race. Not today. I would still finish, of course, but I knew I wasn’t contending for the podium.

Adios, podium. Perhaps we’ll meet again.

Knowing I wasn’t going to stay away from the group behind, I eased up. Time to join the gruppetto. Our pack of ~10 riders would work together for the remainder of the race, then battle it out in a final sprint whose winner would still be a loser. That’s bike racing!

The Finish

Here’s where I made my biggest mistake: I had a drafting boost (van) powerup going into the finish, and I used it as a recovery tool while the pack was approaching the finish line, instead of using it in the final sprint.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if I had waited for another rider to jump (instead of initiating the pack sprint myself, and doing that too early) I would have placed higher. As it was, I jumped, ran out of juice, and was passed by a few riders in the final meters. 20th place for me.

A ride on from the man himself!

Interestingly, this race had way less sandbagging and more legit, ZwiftPower-registered racers than my stage 1 race.

  • Stage 1: 82 finishers, 53 on ZwiftPower (35% unregistered)
  • Stage 2: 42 finishers, 31 on ZwiftPower (26% unregistered)

I’m not sure why this was–perhaps folks are actually getting hooked up on ZwiftPower and learning which category they should be in? One can hope.

(Also: first place in my race was Léon van Bon, Tour de France stage winner in 1998 and 2000. That’s pretty cool.)

See my race on Strava >
See results on ZwiftPower >

Takeaways

Two key learnings from this race:

  • Don’t do a hard group ride 12 hours before a race. My legs can’t perform well. Some people are able to perform well with repeated efforts and minimal recovery. I’m not one of those people.
  • If I’ve got a draft boost (van) for the final sprint, use it to easily follow the wheels of the first sprinters, then come around them once they’re tired. (I included this in yesterday’s “Advanced Usage Tips” powerups post.)

What About You?

Did you race stage 2’s Innsbrucking? What was your experience like? Share below!

The Right Time to Shift During ERG Workouts

Chad McNeese
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26
The Right Time to Shift During ERG Workouts

The Right Time to Shift During ERG Workouts

The common statement when doing an ERG-based workout (on a smart-controlled trainer) is to “never shift.” You simply find a gear you like then “set it and forget it” for the entire workout. The beauty of the ERG workout is that it increases or decreases the trainer resistance as your pedaling cadence changes, with the goal of maintaining the target power.

Gearing may be selected based on a variety of factors:

  1. Pick any combo that provides a straight chain line in order to reduce drivetrain wear.
  2. Pick a low gear to keep trainer noise low.
  3. Pick a low gear to provide low flywheel energy to mimic lower momentum riding like hills or off-road.
  4. Pick a high gear to provide high flywheel energy to mimic higher momentum riding like flats or smooth road.

Standing Efforts

“Set it and forget it” is nice, but a slight problem exists when it comes to standing pedaling efforts in ERG workouts. Standing pedaling is usually done at slower cadences than seated efforts (other than sprinting). Typical seated cadences range from 85-105 rpm, while standing cadences range from 55-75 rpm.

The conventional wisdom on Erg mode means you simply slow your cadence until it is where you want it to be (say 65 rpm) then stand for your effort. The problem with this approach is the large drop in workout power that happens when you slow your cadence. It happens before the trainer resistance increases back to the target power. That power decrease is a change from the desired target of the workout and less than ideal.

Additionally, when you return to the seated position, you must increase your cadence again (say 90 rpm). This causes a large increase in measured power until the resistance adjusts back down again.

Improved Standing Efforts

The solution comes from adopting the normal process used when standing outside. Generally, when you stand outside, you want to shift up a few gears (say 3 harder on the cassette). The higher gear keeps the wheel speed, but allows for the slower pedaling cadence.

So you can do the same thing while riding inside, even in Erg mode. The upshift keeps the “wheel speed” on the trainer, but keeps the ERG resistance nearly unchanged. The trainer will still adjust as needed, but the upshift makes that trainer adjustment much smaller.

Try this during your next ERG workout. Get into an interval at least 1 minute long, then:

  1. Ride seated at 90 rpm cadence, using your desired gear combo. Make sure to allow at least 3 up shifts on the cassette or use the small chainring.
  2. When you are ready, shift up (3 on the cassette or the big chainring) and stand up. This shift drops cadence about 25-30 rpm depending on the difference between your specific gearing.
  3. Perform the desired standing effort and adjust cadence slightly as desired, just like normal ERG riding.
  4. When you’re ready to return to a seated and faster cadence, sit down and do the opposite of your upshift. Resume your prior cadence and continue your workout.

Using this shifting technique removes the need for the trainer resistance unit to adjust as much as it otherwise would. You keep the power much closer to the target for the entire interval, including the standing to seated transitions, which maximizes the workout overall.

Your Thoughts

Do you shift in Erg mode? If so, why and when? Share below!

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