All good things must come to and end – today was my last Tour of Watopia 2020 race. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve kept my streak alive, handily losing each stage. Last night I began wondering how this final stage would work out. Three laps of Volcano Circuit CCW – a fun race route I know very well. And one that is flat enough for me to be able to hang onto the front of the race so I’m in the mix for the final sprint!
But yesterday I rode the long A group ride for stage 4 – 5 Jungle Circuit laps. And while I’ve generally tried to stay in Zone 2 for the ToW group rides, yesterday’s ride was a bit more… spirited, shall we say? I had loads of fun working with a small pack of riders to keep pushing and gaining places throughout the ride, but with a finishing average power of 261 watts over 80 minutes, I knew my legs wouldn’t be 100% for today’s race.
Bike Choice
Volcano Circuit CCW is basically a flat route, so use the most aero frame and wheelset you’ve got. Not sure what is best? Here are some helpful links:
Fastest Frames for Flat Races >
Fastest Wheels for Flat Races >
Zwift Shopping Guide (What to Buy at Each Level) >
I went with my standard race setup: the S-Works Venge with Zipp 858 wheels. Sure, the Tron is just a bit faster than this setup, but I like riding the same frame in Zwift as I do IRL, and a difference of 1-2 seconds over an hourlong race isn’t noticeable.
The Warmup
I rolled out of bed at 5:15am, chewed a piece of caffeine gum, put some PR lotion on the legs, and kitted up. I was a little extra-excited about kitting up for today’s ride, as I was going to be testing out some new indoor kit from Le Col + Wahoo. (Watch for a review on this coming soon!)
I hit Tempus Fugit and got about 8 miles in over 23 minutes. As usual, the warmup began with easy spinning, keeping my cadence up while slowly raising power up over several minutes to wake up the legs and heart as gently as possible. Then it was a few harder efforts to get my heart rate up to 160 and “break the ice.”
My heart rate was a little resistant to go higher than 155, probably due to yesterday’s hard effort. But with a little extra pushing, we eventually got there. Time to race!
The Start
We had a big pack in today’s B event: 135 riders! I knew this meant the group speed would be high, and it would be really difficult to pull off any sort of solo attack. So my plan was to just sit in, conserve, then sprint for the best finish I could.
The start was tough but doable – par for the course on any Volcano Circuit races, which begin with the ramp up to the turnoff for the glass bridge to the Volcano. At 82kg (I’ve been slowly trimming my weight) I averaged 380 watts for the first 80 seconds, 340 watts for the first 3-1/2 minutes, in order to hang with the front group. Then things settled down – the initial selection had been made. Our group of 135 starters was down to around 50.
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The Middle
We transitioned into the standard Volcano Circuit CCW rhythm, riding a hard but steady pace for most of the circuit then going into the red on the three key uphill bumps on the route: the straight rise heading into the volcano, the bump just after that heading into the finish line, and the little bump on the opposite side of the circuit as you exit the Volcano.
Here’s what that looks like in terms of my power output – you can see the same pattern repeats each lap:
The middle of the race was unremarkable apart from two things:
- Riders got steadily dropped one by one as we hit the “red” portions of each lap. By the time we hit our final lap the group was down to around 35 riders.
- I received a ghost powerup my first two times through the arch. What a useless powerup if you’re not looking to attack off the front! I just burned them in the pack. Happily, I got a feather through the final banner, which wasn’t the ideal powerup, but a useful one on this route.
The Finish
Each lap had gotten progressively faster: our first was finished in 5:17 (296 watts average for me). The second lap was 5:15 (304 watts). The third lap would be faster still. It began sedately enough, but when we hit the bump to exit the Volcano 1.5 miles from the finish, the pace jumped up and never settled down again!
Solo riders tried to jump off the front in the final minutes, but I knew from experience that these attacks were unlikely to survive, so I just stayed near the front of the group. I had my feather powerup ready – my plan was to use it on the ramp into the Volcano so I wouldn’t have to put in such a hard effort to stay near the front. This would save my legs just a bit for the difficult final sprint.
We hit the straight ramp into the Volcano and I deployed my feather. It worked to perfection, allowing me to stay within a few bike lengths of the front of the pack without working too hard. Then the road leveled out and we started hammering toward the finish!
I knew it wasn’t time to go hard yet – the #1 mistake riders make on this finish is to go too early. So I tried to hold those wheels, not letting riders get too far away but also conserving my energy until just the right time. But the riders ahead were charging fast, and the group was stringing out.
When the road turned to the right I shifted and got out of the saddle. Then it turned left onto the slight rise, and it was time to go all-in and hammer to the finish. I passed several riders in those final meters, probably because they had started their sprints too early. But I was far from the podium, finishing 2 seconds back, 12th according to Zwift, 6th according to ZwiftPower.
See my activity on Strava >
See my activity on Zwift >
See race results on ZwiftPower >
I averaged 377 watts for the final 3 minutes of the race, and our average speed for that section was 31.1 mph. Continuing our run of negative splits, our final lap was the fastest of the race – and a new Strava PR on that segment for me, by a significant margin! We finished the lap in a smoking 5:04, with an average wattage of 342 watts.
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Takeaways
The only interesting takeaway for me from today’s race was that I definitely race more efficiently when my legs are a bit tired. Somehow, when I know in my mind that I’m not at 100%, I race a bit smarter. Looking at the ZwiftPower results, my 3.8 w/kg average was the lowest of anyone in the front group – and we had some heavier riders in the mix, so (at least this time) my lower w/kg wasn’t due to my weight!
Riding efficiently involves more than just keeping my nose out of the wind while always holding a wheel. It’s also about keeping the effort as even as possible. One example: on the little bump heading out of the Volcano, I found if I stood up ~100m before the bump and moved toward the front of the group, I could easily stay in the pack without hitting the power so hard on the actual incline.
Keeping the overall effort more even makes the race easier for me. There’s actually a metric to measure how evenly-paced an effort is: it’s called “variability index” or VI. According to TrainingPeaks, “A properly paced time trial should have a VI value of 1.05 or less while a road race or criterium may have a VI as high as 1.1 or more.”
My VI for this race was 1.04, which I guess means I did well in terms of keeping it even.
What About You?
Did you race stage 5? Share how it went below!
your weight was still 83kg in zwift power, you could have won the race if you changed it in 82kg haahahha
Ha!
I know it’s up to date in Zwift, where it matters. Because I’ve a Withings scale that automatically updates my Zwift weight!
This was the first race i did with you in it. I also raced all the TdW events this time around thanks to these very posts. I started my sprint late, but it wouldn’t have mattered because my legs were toast by that time. I finished 22nd in Zwift, 13th in ZwiftPower. I had a fun, and i’ve raised my FTP twice during the races this month! Thanks again for your fun and informative posts on the races. i’ve learned a lot that i’m trying to incorporate. Right now i’m just trying to hang with the front group, then i’ll work on my sprint. 🙂
Nice work! Looks like you rode it pretty efficiently, too.
Sprinting is such a key skill for Zwift racing. Knowing the finishing stretch, timing it right, and having a good powerup help a lot. But just have strong 5-10s power is huge, too!
Yup, raced B group, more than 20 People doing 5-7 w/kg
Hopefully zwift can afford to do something about cheats and sandbaggers now with so many new subs. Will comeback racing next Winter i think.
Wow. 5:04 lap would have been great (if I could have stuck with you). I did the race before yours I think. All our laps were about 5:07 to 5:08. I found it very tough staying with the front group but just about managed it until the final sprint.
“And we had some heavier riders in the mix . . . ” Are you calling me fat, Eric? Haha. No worries.
The pace was pretty flat out in this one (at least for me), and I wasn’t as efficient as you. I averaged 4.0 w/kg. I didn’t have much left in the tank for the final sprint and you and a couple of others passed me there. Thanks for the tips on efficiency.
The takeaway in this one for me is to better manage my power ups. I was so focused on “attempting” to be efficient while also not getting dropped by the top group that I only used one power up the entire race. Rookie mistake.
As someone who is relatively new to Zwift, I was a little reluctant about racing. However, I decided to give it a try with the ToW races. I raced all five ToW B races and mostly improved each race (ZP results: 29, 22, 22, 18, 10). I know there is a lot of talk about sandbagging here and elsewhere, and don’t get me wrong there is definitely room for improvement by Zwift (and its users). Nevertheless, I’ve still had a lot of fun racing simply trying to improve my results and chasing the faster, more efficient, and/or more experienced riders (e.g., Eric). So if you’re on the fence about racing, don’t let inexperience or sandbaggers stop you. Go for it!
Nice series! You say the Tron is faster, but it’s listed as slower in the speed tests. Explain?
The fastest frames edge out the Tron, IF you run them with a disc wheel. I don’t like disc wheels, because they don’t look realistic. So I run the 858 wheels… which are a bit slower than the Tron.
Top 3 in your race averaged 3.9, 4.6 and 4.3w/kg. Top 3 in my race averaged 3.7, 4.3 and 4.4w/kg. Only difference is your race was cat B but mine was cat C. I lasted until halfway through the second lap before I admitted I couldn’t maintain the pace. Looking on the bright side, if I ever do move up to cat B it probably won’t feel much different.
Yeah, D and C are full of sandbagging in ToW events. Hopefully the community races won’t be so bad.
Sounds like you experienced the purpose of “openers” day prior to a race.
Yeah, yesterday was more than my typical pre-race “opener” effort for sure!
How do you earn the TOW 2020 cycling shoes?
I’m not sure! I did a group ride and race for each stage, that’s all I know.
I am thinking racing each stage earns you the shoes.
Looking at my results I’ve done B group rides and races for each stage except no race on stage 3 and no group ride on stage 5 yet but I got the shoes and jersey.
I did a races and short rides. Got nothing 🙁
I got shoes same time as jersey–after completing the entire series. I did all in group mode, no races, and a mix of short and long so can rule out having to do all A, for example.
I got the jersey and shoes after doing each stage only once, and those were a mix of races and rides… However, it wasn’t until I logged back into Zwift that I got them. Stage 5 I did the B race…. stayed with front group upto the flat before the final climb. In trying to get to the front for the final climb I accidentally slingshot myself off the front so went on the attack as I thought people wouldn’t expect it. I ended up nearly puking and getting passed by the front group. As I licked my wounds I managed to cross the line before any other groups caught up lol
I thought zwift power dq’d riders with unrealistic numbers…our winner (6:10pm pst), beat the field by over 11minutes with 2.1 w/kg. His unaided laps would have been around 4 minutes…come on now
All that with an average heart rate of 115. He was half asleep!!! Impressive
Fixed. How do you unlock the moped anyway?
Hi Eric, really enjoy reading your racing experiences. What trainer difficulty setting do you use when racing? Do you change this setting based on course profile or do you keep the same?
i noticed your screenshot just before the final sprint had quite a low cadence (66) on a flat section.
I typically ride around 30%. I like to feel the gradient changes, but not have to shift a ton. I don’t change it for different courses.
If my cadence was 66 that means I was standing at the time. I like to get out of the saddle on short hard climbs, and sometimes just to move up in the pack more easily. Having a rocker plate makes it feel natural.
Eric, I really appreciate the tips here! I attempted the (B) race on Stage 5 today and I almost pulled it off… I actually think i waited just a little too long to push at the end! I still came within .4 seconds of the Zwift victory. Bonus i actually achieved the victory in ZwiftPower so I was super stoked about that! Anyway, your tips helped me to plan for success and a fun morning! Thanks!
Great work, Richard!
Road stage 5 this morning and couldn’t believe the sandbaggers, it really needs to be sorted sooner rather than later. I’ve only been riding in the C category for a few weeks so 3.0w/kg average is my absolute max effort.. it’s not really a fair system when A racers are riding with the C’s, although I probably benefitted somewhat by pushing myself to stick with some of these people..
I came 27th in the race, but 4th on ZP.. The top ten finishers averaged 4.7w/kg, so from my position 23 out of 27 riders were in the wrong group.. someone averaged 394 watts, how is that even possible? Pro rider?
I love Zwift but this really needs sorting.
Monica Schlange, your man is a blessing to the rest of us!
Eric, reading this series has been so entertaining and instructional for me. I raced TOW Stage 5 tonight and gave it my all. As a mid-cat C rider I don’t ever expect a trophy but I do expect that I put out my best effort.
I followed your example to check out the competition on ZP early. I was ranked 17/34 so I my goal was to finish higher than that. There were 4 Cat B riders signed up so I knew it would be a fast race.
I was only able to stay with the front group for the first lap. I then found two others who got dropped and we stayed together for the second lap. We got caught by a group of 20 or so and I was able to stick towards the front of the group until the end when I deployed my aero power up and sprinter to defeat overall but victory over the second group.
I finished 24/71 on Zwift and 6/30 on ZP. I’m super pleased with that result and I blame you Eric for giving me the strategies to git er done.
I had just done the group ride of Stage 5 when it happened, as I was tapering down for an FTP test on Sunday. With that out the way I thought I’d give this a go on one of the make up days. Only 11 riders on the start line for B cat, of which only 6 got going off the start and made the front group. Made for a very casual race as no one wanted to do significant work on the front. I was in Z1/2 for most of it. But meant could try out some different tactics on a course that would usually just be a bunch sprint.
I picked up my first ever ghost powerup at the end of the first lap and then waited for a lull just before the bell and attacked. Managed to get a couple of seconds up with the ghost, then was lucky enough to get an Aero which I dropped straight away to extent the gap. A hard 5 minute effort followed whilst keeping a close eye on the times in the leader board. Managed to take my first B win by about 10 seconds. I know it was only against 5 other riders but still felt very satisfying!