Hanging with the Group Over Gradient Changes

First, let’s just say it: hanging with the peloton is less intuitive on Zwift than outdoors. Outside you are more aware of other riders, plus you have brakes, steering, and a bike that responds immediately to your pedaling. Most importantly (and this will come up later): everyone is on similar equipment (a bike with gears, directly connected to the ground).

On Zwift, your position in the pack is determined by the watts you’re putting down, combined with the game’s physics engine and its automatic steering. It takes some time to master riding with a group in this scenario, and it is easy to get dropped suddenly if you’re not paying attention.

The most common place Zwifters get dropped from a pack is on hills (up and down). This usually happens because the group speed changes unexpectedly (or to put it another way: it isn’t a lack of fitness, but rather a lack of experience or attention.) Let’s look at why this is, and what can be done to fix it.

First: Climbing 101

If you’ve done much outdoor riding, you know we tend to push more watts up hills than down. (This may seem obvious, but it’s the root cause of people being dropped from packs on hills, so bear with me!)

There are various reasons why this happens, including:

• With less inertia on climbs, you must continually apply power to keep the pedals turning
• It is easier to generate power in a more upright (climbing) position than a more aero one

This is why many riders prefer long, steady climbs for FTP tests and power training. And if Merckx says it, you’d better believe it.

Classic vs Smart Trainers: a Definition

Classic trainers do not adjust resistance to simulate gradients in Zwift, while smart trainers do. There are other differences between classic and smart trainers, but this is the most important one.

One major reason groups break up on the hills of Zwift is because these groups are made up of both classic and smart trainer users. Let’s dig into how this affects our virtual peloton.

Classy and Smarty Ride Up a Hill

Imagine two Zwifters riding together on the beautiful roads of Watopia. Zwifter “Classy” is riding a classic trainer, while “Smarty” is riding a smart trainer. What does each of them feel as they transition from a flat road to a climb?

• Classy doesn’t feel any resistance change
• Smarty feels increased resistance

How does this affect each rider’s power output? Based on what I explained above, we know Smarty will automatically begin to put out more power–just like he does outside! Classy, however, will not. If Smarty and Classy do what comes naturally, Smarty will ride away from Classy on the climb.

But Wait: A Downhill Cometh

The opposite happens on the downhills, though. Think about it: what do Classy and Smarty feel on a downhill?

• Classy doesn’t feel any resistance change
• Smarty feels decreased resistance

How does this affect each rider’s power output? Smarty will begin to put out less power, while Classy will just keep chugging along. Classy will ride away from Smarty on the descent.

How Classy and Smarty Ride Together

So how can we keep Classy and Smarty together? The solution is simple, while actually implementing it may take some getting used to:

• On climbs, Classy needs to shift to a harder gear and be ready to push more watts to keep up with Smarty. This is counter-intuitive at first, since outside Classy would shift to an easier gear on a climb. But she’ll get used to it.
• On descents, Smarty should keep pedaling, hammering more than he naturally would, just to keep up with Classy. While Smarty normally takes it easy on downhills, he needs to realize that the pedaling rarely stops on Zwift, and many riders will hammer the downhills just as hard as the flats. Smarty needs to pay special attention at the tops of climbs, where he naturally wants to reduce his power, because this is where he will get dropped by Classy if he doesn’t keep his power up.
• In group social rides, both Classy and Smarty should pay attention and stick with the ride leader. This will help keep the group together for everyone’s benefit.

Two Other Tips for Smarty

Smarty can lower his Trainer Difficult setting to reduce resistance changes. Zwift racers seem to prefer a setting of 20-40% to help reduce the yo-yoing that goes on otherwise.

If Smarty simply must stop pedaling on a longer descent, he should get up to a good speed (~36MPH or ~58km/hr) then stop pedaling entirely to be taken into the supertuck. He will probably be able to keep up with Classy in this position, even if she’s hammering away on the descent.

Go Forth and Group Up

I hope this helps everyone hang with the group on social rides, and stay in the pack on races. Ride on!

Story of a Rare B Race Win

I just won a Zwift race, but going into the final kilometers I didn’t even think I’d make it onto the podium. The moral of the story? Never give up. 

When the weather is favorable and daylight abounds my Tuesday nights are reserved for the Pain Train, an outdoor race-pace ride with a small yet dedicated group of strong local riders. But daylight is scarce and temperatures have dropped so I’m indoors Tuesday nights for Zwift, where I’m a regular at the 5:15 PST KISS Americas PM race.

This week’s race prep began just like any other week: about half an hour before the race I rub PR Lotion into my legs, chew a piece of caffeinated gum, and hop on Zwift to warm up. I don’t worry too much about grabbing a powerup before the race, but if I happen to have a useful one when I enter the pens I consider it a nice bonus. Tonight I’m holding a feather, which is handy since we’re on Watopia Hilly Reverse.

Route Recon

Before Ocean Blvd, before the Epic KOM, Volcano, Mayan jungle or the Alpe, all we had was the Watopia Hilly route. And it’s a good one, with a nice mix of climbing, rollers and flat sections.

It’s been a while since I raced up the forward KOM, where I tend to get dropped by the skinny guys because it’s just long and steep enough that gravity has its way and I’m off the back with the other “overmuscled” cyclists. Fortunately today we’re on the reverse route, which means the climb section is a short steep effort followed by a few minutes at a lesser grade. If I can hang with the pack up the first little kicker past the statues, I can usually hang to the KOM banner. And if I can hang to the KOM banner, I can hang through the entire route, just as long as I pay attention and don’t let gaps open on the Esses.

So that’s how I break down this route mentally: the start of the KOM, the rest of the KOM, then “stay focused and recover until we hit the KOM again.” Simple.

Four laps. I turn on the racing playlist. Let’s rock!

The Start (Lap 1)

Today’s race begins like most Zwift races: push hard for a couple minutes, and if you aren’t warmed up you’ll really be hurting. The pack of ~40 knows the breaks will happen on the KOM, so the pace isn’t too crazy as we head over the Esses and through the village. And even though I am warmed up, I still find myself playing a little catchup as we hit the rollers outside of the Italian village just before the KOM. For whatever reason this section always surprises me, but this isn’t a double draft race so rejoining the pack is doable.

Lots of familiar names in tonight’s race, which is one reason I like to race the same event each week: you get to know the regulars. Curtis Beazer, Jonathan Dee, Rick Barbera, Sergio Palacio, Alexander McCulley… all strong riders who I’ll probably be battling against at the very end, if I hold on that long.

You know a short climb is coming when everyone tries to move to the front, and that’s what happens as we hit the 360 Bridge. Unfortunately, on Zwift this just means the whole pack gets faster as riders repeatedly ride through each other. I just stay in the draft and wait for the climb.

Our leading pack of B’s flies past Hank’s and starts the reverse KOM. <spacebar> activates the feather powerup and I’m hammering at the front. Crap, the feather only lasts 15 seconds. It’s gone before we hit the steepest section. Mental note: time your feather better next time.

I get gapped a little after the first kicker, so I hammer to grab a wheel then sit in and keep my effort as low as possible for the duration of the KOM. Because suffering. We’re not even to the top of the first KOM and I’m already wondering if I can maintain this pace for 3 more laps. Is everyone else thinking the same thing? I hope so. This happens every. Single. Race. I’ve learned that yes, I can endure. The only way forward is to remind myself of this and keep pushing.

The Middle (Laps 2-3)

Lap two is unremarkable, except that I score another feather powerup and use it to perfection this time around.

I also stay seated at the beginning of the KOM and it feels easier than the previous standing effort, probably because this is the first race with my new Wahoo Climb and I keep turning my handlebars when I’m out of the saddle. Staying seated eliminates that distraction, but I’ll need to work on standing with the Climb. Because standing (with a rocker plate) feels great!

Lap three is more of the same… including another feather powerup. The Zwift gods have smiled upon me this night. I head into lap four knowing I can finish the race at this pace. The only question is: how hard will the last KOM be?

The End

Bad news: despite my pleading prayers through the last three banners I have no feather heading into the final KOM. Our lead group of ~15 crosses the KOM start line and despite my hammering attempts to stay near the front we’ve got some power-to-weight beasts going into orange numbers and getting away. I find myself in a small pack chasing three strung-out climbers up the remainder of the KOM.

I’m near the back of our group, and the lead rider is a good 10 seconds ahead. I figure I’m not catching any of the three off the front, but I decide to stand up and hammer to the top anyway. My group grabs my wheel and up we go.

Cresting the final KOM, our group is strung out and I (black circle) am several seconds behind the leader (image from Strava flyby)

We crest the hill together and keep hammering, knowing we have the aero advantage on the descent. As we fly downhill I see the gaps closing quickly to the riders off the front. The lightweights are slowing! My glycogen-depleted brain finally grasps what’s going on… we’re going to catch them—this is going to come together!

The front B’s cross the bridge and are back together on the flat heading into the final sprint. With less than a kilometer to go I’m wondering… who still has legs? Who has an aero powerup? My legs aren’t feeling great, and the powerup gods have withheld their favor. But it’s go time. I decide to stand up and start hammering a surprise-attempt early sprint to gap any aero helmets, and within a few seconds I find myself in front with less than 10 seconds to go. This is not where I want to be. But it’s too late to sit up and grab a draft, so I give it everything I’ve got, convinced I’ll see someone come around.

But nobody does. My surprise attack works… and I’m as surprised as everyone else.

Cooldown

My 13-year-old son was watching the final minutes of the race. The last race he watched (months ago) I also won. He’s not sure at this point whether I win all the time or he’s my good luck charm. I assure him it’s the latter, and definitely not the former. This is only my third win in 75+ races! But it still feels great, so I head upstairs to celebrate with my podium-girl wife.

It’s true many cyclists don’t take Zwift racing seriously. On the other hand: many do. I’m one who does. I find the competition just as fierce and the experience just as rewarding as outdoor racing. So I will continue to turn myself inside-out on a regular basis, knowing my chances of winning are slim but always hoping and suffering for a shot at the podium.

When it comes to bike racing, you win even when you lose. And those rare days when you finish on top become vital memories to drive you forward from every start line. So ride on!

See my race on Strava >

See ZwiftPower results >