Interview with ZTR-EB organizer James Gill

The ZTR races on Tuesdays and Thursdays have been the “cornerstone” races of Zwift for some time. James Gill runs the ZTR “Early Bird” (EB) race on Tuesdays at 1:30PM EST, and works with ZTR leader Christian Wiedmann on overall ZTR policies and procedures. As you’ll read below he stays busy between running the ZTR EB, other group rides, and his medical training.

James is another good example of a race organizer who continues to do a great job as a volunteer because he is passionate about what he does. He hails from Warwick in the UK.

Tell me a little about yourself–how long you’ve been riding, what sort of riding you do, when you discovered Zwift, where you live, etc.

I’ve been riding since medical school, so 2006. I started off in the rowing team, and would just cycle between the hospitals. One day I was riding and a friend passed me on his bikeg. I thought I’d stopped he was so fast, and for a chap who would hold 13-15kmph for an hour’s run, I didn’t like being beaten like that.

Next weekend, I found out why he was such much faster. He was on a race bike and I was on a third hand hybrid weighing at least twice as much. I went home with a Scott Sportster S60 and haven’t looked back since.

Although that said, if I ever find the person that stole that S60 from the hospital…

How would you describe your philosophy as a race organizer? What is most important to you when organizing Zwift races?

For race organising, my approach is about inclusivity. I’ve always resisted requests and calls for disqualification and other things when people shoot off or don’t stick to the race/ride guides.

From a ZTR point of view I like to see pack A groups, packed B groups even down to the D’s and E’s. Essentially the race is what you make of it. If you can hold 400watts and keep up with JT and F.Coppex great, but if you can’t, it’s about coming back every week, trying again, and hopefully beating the chap that pipped you to the line last time.

I’m VERY pro competition, and consider 2nd the first of the losers ?, but part of that is about giving it your all. The WWR (which I lead with other member of Team X) is a group ride, so that’s about keeping together and training. ZTR is about giving every last drop and collapsing in a heap on the floor after!

What race(s) are you currently organizing on Zwift, and how long have you been doing them? What makes these races different than other Zwift races?

I’ve been doing the ZTR since about March 2015 as part of my recovery from a bike crash.

I also get involved leading WWR, and the ARR, and later RSR, but I’ve got my medicine exit exam next month, so I’ve currently really trimmed back my involvement until after March 18th!

Those other rides are more group focused and look more to the training than flat out performance. When I lead those, I try to be very vocal, keeping the group together, and the riders on the ball. I’ve never known for certain if I give too much chat on the system, but never had any complaints.

What suggestions would you give to someone interested in joining your races for the first time?

Come back next week – simple as that. When I started Zwifting, I was the living dead at the end of a ZTR, but over weeks and months it gets better. Half of the time the challenge is with yourself: just because everyone gave you a kicking shouldn’t stop you. Work out what you need and try again, even if that means using a gel halfway through the race. You do improve, but only if you come back, and that day you hold onto a rival or even better beat them, then it all makes sense.

If the folks at Zwift HQ could add one feature to Zwift to make your job easier, what would it be and why?

• Timed starts, as in a big count down clock, and then the riders are off. No need for a neutral, which some people loathe, no issues with bikes moving around at the start. Lock down all the riders, everyone gets released at the same time, and off. Thankfully this is coming in the events module in a fashion.
• Leader identification – this is more important for neutrals or group rides with fixed/target paces. But again this is going to be addressed in the events module.

The Zwift community is an amazing bunch of people and I think it’s fair to say the beta release was pushed further than anyone had envisioned. The same thing WILL happen with the events module, from a personal side of things I’m darkly hoping it doesn’t get released until after my exam!!!!

Interview with Zwift Handicap Race (ZHR) race organizer Robert Baldi

From the perspective of the race organizers, the story of racing on Zwift is one of innovation, trial-by-error, and good old-fashioned elbow grease. This is certainly true for Robert Baldi, who has organized the innovative Zwift Handicap Race (ZHR) in an attempt to create a race where it’s possible for everyone to not only enter but even win. Read below to learn more about Robert as a person, as well as the motivations and philosophy behind the ZHR.

Tell me a little about yourself–how long you’ve been riding, what sort of riding you do, when you discovered Zwift, where you live, etc.

I have lived in London for 35 years now but I grew up near Florence in Tuscany, where cycling was a bigger sport than football (soccer). I’ve been riding since I can remember, always for pleasure but with a brief stint of competitive racing when I was in my late teens. Working life and the resulting lack of time meant that racing took a backseat to commuting 35kms a day and long weekend rides; the woeful state of competitive cycling in Britain at the time also didn’t help but I continued to take part in cyclosportives, running races and triathlons.

As I got older, I became more and more interested in sports science, particularly relating to endurance sports such as running and cycling. I discovered Spinning in 2000 and became an instructor soon after, taking that science to group training. I took voluntary redundancy when it was offered to me and I doubled my classes within a year to become a full-time instructor. That led me to become a personal trainer, a Wattbike coach, and an endurance sports coach.

I’ve always ridden almost exclusively outdoors but, when I used to race, I did have a go at training indoors on rollers but I didn’t like it and it felt like a chore. I much preferred riding outside even when there was snow on the ground. When I heard about Zwift through Jens Voigt in late 2014, I was dubious that it would do anything to change indoor training, given I had access to a Wattbike and that was sufficient. When the Mac version of Zwift was launched, I applied to be a Beta tester just to see what was getting Jensie so excited and I was hooked. I now barely look at the Wattbike’s computer, I use Zwift to gather the data for later analysis, and I much prefer indoor riding now for short rides than heading outside because it’s so much quicker to get ready and the time flies by when you’re riding in a group or racing against others.

How would you describe your philosophy as a race organizer? What is most important to you when organizing Zwift races?

When I started thinking of organizing races, there was a lot of heated discussion on the various Facebook groups about how people using zPower should be excluded from races or from official results because they were perceived to be cheating or riding with an inaccurate setup, even though some power-measuring devices can be just as inaccurate. I’ve always felt that Zwift, if anything, is more beneficial for those without power meters, as it is a great tool to bring them into the world of measurable training. Those with power meters could still achieve that measured training without the aid of Zwift and I felt that zPower users were being bullied somewhat.

The scheduled races at the time were also in a state of turmoil with arguments about rules, categorizations and people complaining that those not able to crank out 4+ W/Kg never stood a chance of winning anything. That was the catalyst for the opening of new races but the discussion went down the road of having to prove your FTP, using Bluetooth scales to verify your weight, enforced exclusion if a rider was too strong, etc. I saw this as anathema to the philosophy of cycling in general and of Zwift in particular.

After talking to members of Team dZi at a cycling weekend over a couple of bottles of Tuscany’s finest wines, I decided to organize a race where it mattered not whether one had a power meter or whether they were Cat A neo-pros or Cat D fighters, and to make it as accessible as possible for everyone to not only enter but also to win, without the need to jump through various hoops to be “allowed” to be at the start line.

What race(s) are you currently organizing on Zwift, and how long have you been doing them? What makes these races different than other Zwift races?

I currently organize the Zwift Handicap Race (ZHR) every Sunday at 18:00 GMT where all riders are given a time handicap according to their previous performances so that everyone has a chance to win. The slowest rider (the “Limit”) will set off first; the quickest rider (“Scratch”) chases everyone down; I set riders off at timed intervals but I post in advance a list of start times so that everyone knows their slot and can use a countdown timer to help them.

The handicaps work so that, in theory, everyone arrives at the finish line more or less at the same time, whatever your ability or FTP. There are two main winners in this event: the first across the line and the fastest time overall. I also mention other riders, especially those who have improve their PBs (personal bests).

I’m currently looking at running the ZHR in another timeslot, one more suited to those in the Australian and Asian timezones. I also have ideas for other types of races and group rides but I’m waiting for Zwift HQ’s next update before committing myself to one of them. I may decide to keep it simple and run a ZHR-type event on the soon-to-be-released Watopia mountain route.

What suggestions would you give to someone interested in joining your races for the first time?

Try it, at least once! It will help if you’ve ridden and have a PB for the three laps of Watopia Hills in Reverse but it’s not necessary, as I can estimate a handicap and a start time accordingly. It is essentially a time trial but the thrill of the chase (and being hunted!) brings out the best in everyone, both competitively during the race and with a bit of banter on our ZHR Facebook Group.

If you’ve never raced like this before, don’t get too excited at the start! A negative split, where a rider is faster each lap, is better than going too hard at the beginning and paying for it later. The key is making a measured, sustainable effort that will have you closing in on your “prey” on the final lap, giving you something in reserve to attack the last climb. We’ve had sprint finishes and even a dead heat, with most riders finishing within a two minute window.

If the folks at Zwift HQ could add one feature to Zwift to make your job easier, what would it be and why?

A clock! I know the holding pen is coming at the beginning of March, with an event countdown, but a simple in-game (accurate) clock would be great; better would be a countdown timer that can be set by each rider. The ideal would be a UCI official counting down each rider with hand signals: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO.

But, whatever they decide to give us, I’m sure we will adapt and use to our best advantage to make Zwift and even better experience!

Interview with ZTR race organizer Christian Wiedmann

My first race on Zwift was the Tuesday Night Worlds, which happens each Tuesday at 3PM my time. I loved it–I was hooked! I wasn’t very impressed with the neutral start, though, and posted a comment about it on the Zwift Riders Facebook group. Much to my surprise Christian Wiedmann, the organizer of the race, responded and explained (graciously) why the races begin with a neutral start. I was impressed with Christian’s patience and obvious desire to get as many folks racing as possible.

Since that time I’ve interacted with Christian on a number of occasions and he has consistently shown himself to be a gracious and helpful guy, one who sees the value of competition but understands the limitations of a virtual platform like Zwift.

Because of all this, I thought it would be fitting if Christian Wiedmann was the first race organizer I interviewed on Zwift Insider. 

 
Tell me a little about yourself–how long you’ve been riding, what sort of riding you do, when you discovered Zwift, where you live, etc.

I live in San Mateo, California, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m a software engineer working mostly from home, which gives me the freedom to take some time to ride during the day.

I’ve been riding since I was a kid, but mostly casually. I didn’t get into competitive cycling until I was in my late 20s. I raced in amateur races out here for about 5 years, mostly as a Cat 4 rider. I raced both on the road and on the track. I really enjoy the competition even though I was mostly a mid-pack rider.

Since I’ve always worked at small startups, my work schedule eventually made it impossible to train enough to keep racing. I always tried to stay fit by commuting on the bicycle, though.

More recently, I’ve started working part-time so I can spend more time with my kids (ages 7, 4, and 4). This has the side effect of also allowing me to spend a little time on the bike each day. I usually ride indoors because it saves time and allows me to get off and stop the ride any time if something comes up. Before Zwift, I would probably average one outdoor ride a week. Since Zwift I rarely ride outside any more.

I discovered Zwift in late 2014 and was very interested because I have played online games and the melding of gaming and cycling seemed like something I would enjoy. I signed up for the closed beta and was accepted into the beta around Christmas that year. Since then I’ve ridden more than 7200 virtual miles on Zwift.

How would you describe your philosophy as a race organizer? What is most important to you when organizing Zwift races?

My goal is for the Zwift training races to recreate the intensity and excitement of real-world mass-start bicycle racing as much as possible in Zwift. I want to make these races open and accessible to as many Zwifters as possible. Above all, I want these to be a fun experience for all who join.I see these races primarily as training races right now. With the variety of equipment out there, we have to accept that performance isn’t necessarily the same as in real life, but the feel of the racing can be similar in many ways. While the results are not real, the intensity and fun are most definitely realistic.

What race(s) are you currently organizing on Zwift, and how long have you been doing them? What makes these races different than other Zwift races?

I organize three of the ZTR races – the Tuesday Night Worlds for North America and the two ZTR races on Thursday – UK/Europe and Americas. The Tuesday Night Worlds ride is probably the longest-running race in Zwift. It was started by Nate Robinson and Chris Pippy during beta on Jarvis Island.

The ZTRs try to be somewhat realistic races with rules that are intended to help make the racing more interesting. Our power-up rules are intended to help groups stay together so the racing doesn’t just become a time-trial. We try to do slightly longer races on Tuesdays (in the A and B groups) and keep the Thursday races closer to an hour so people can recover for weekend rides or races.

What suggestions would you give to someone interested in joining your races for the first time?

Don’t be afraid to join in. The ZTR races have four different groups to try to make them accessible to a wide range of abilities. Feel free to try out the race group you think most appropriate and adjust to a different group if it seems too slow or too fast.

If you’ve never tried racing before, the key to mass-start racing is to save as much energy as possible. Try to stay with the pack at all costs because the draft is what will get you to the end of the race in good position. You will sometimes need to sprint to catch up to the pack. It’s worth doing this because the energy you save in the pack is much greater than the energy it takes to catch back up.

Getting dropped is part of racing too. I get dropped in almost every race I join. The key at that point is to find others who are also dropped and work with them to get to the finish. Don’t be afraid to communicate. Check behind you to see if there is someone close you can work with and let them know you will work with them.

If the folks at Zwift HQ could add one feature to Zwift to make your job easier, what would it be and why?

I think they are already working on one of the key features: a holding pen for the starts. Right now we try to make the starts as fair as possible by having a short neutral roll-out that lets the pack form. Unfortunately it is hard to control this neutral as many times racers ride off the front of the pack without letting stragglers catch up. The holding pen will eliminate the need for the neutral section by releasing all riders at the same time, meaning the pack will be together from the start.

To learn more about the races Christian organizes, as well as other races and group rides, visit ZwiftCalendar.com.