Zwift, TR, Sufferfest etc

yeah, in the summer most of my Zwifting is super recovery mode trying to spin on legs destroyed from running. I got into a routine there for a couple months when I was never going above 130-140 watts. Lots of miles at 100 watts (despite all of the internet posturing of robust FTP figures lol)

I finally did it after 98 hours of ride time, got the Tron Bike!! It was anticlimactic. For the last month I had been starting at Jungle Route, throwing a U turn and climbing the KOM reverse route just for the vert.

The top of the Bonus climb was empty and lonely. A cold internet wind blew pixelated snow flurries across the road. I hit 50,000 meter mark and a little screen came up- saying I won. There was no one to share my glory. I went to 'my garage' and chose new ride with green wheels. No one was in my bike studio. No one cares at work when I tell them. I showed my wife and she was less then impressed.

I guess I'll bike Italy or California next. (next challenge offered I didn't even know about. It is video game after all)

I have a triathlon in late April so I should keep it up I guess....

Congratulations on the Tron! Have you ridden her yet? Is it noticeably faster?

Not yet, gonna give her a spin tonight. I even gave my avatar a hair cut and new outfit. I just gotta get a haircut in real life now.

So, what kind of average watt outputs are you guys getting on your rides? I am just getting into using my wahoo kickr, (new knee), and I am curious how people are training on average. Currently I can maintain around 125 watts for an hour, is this terrible, or acceptable if I want to join a Zwift ride?
Sorry if this is a dumb question.

What’s your watts to kilogram ratio?

I haven’t messed with that, tbh, the watts were calculated on a stationary at PT, and not the wahoo. I weigh 78 kilos usually.

No worries. The beauty of Zwift is the amount of people using it at any given time. You can just jump in anywhere, Watopia or whatever city is being highlighted that day. And there will be folks riding at all different levels, groups form on the road, there is always someone to chase or drop. It will show what your watts to kilos is and then you can jump into big group rides or races from there.
Make sure you download the Zwift companion app for your phone, it’s the easiest way to use the power-ups, take pictures, adjust camera angles and to find out what events are happening and whatnot.

Rideit, you need to tell Zwift how much you weigh then you can see your w/kg down on the lower right in relation to the other riders around you. Looks like your doing 1.6w/kg based on 125w average.

Like I said I'll do half hour at like 1.3 to 1.5 then then jump 2-2.5 for another 30 min and call it a day. Or just roll at 2 for an hour or if feeling peppy stay above 3 or whatever. I swear some days I'll get on there and 100 watts for 20 minutes feels like plenty. (usually after skiing all day, that shit will wear you out)

Did the group version of the Tour of Innsbruck the other day, mountain top finish. Averaged 3.3 w/kg. I could have gone harder in retrospect, didn’t want to blow up and whatnot. I’m addicted.

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Originally Posted by buttahflake

Did the group version of the Tour of Innsbruck the other day, mountain top finish. Averaged 3.3 w/kg. I could have gone harder in retrospect, didn’t want to blow up and whatnot. I’m addicted.

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Yeah man ... good stuff

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Originally Posted by carpathian

Rideit, you need to tell Zwift how much you weigh then you can see your w/kg down on the lower right in relation to the other riders around you. Looks like your doing 1.6w/kg based on 125w average.

Like I said I'll do half hour at like 1.3 to 1.5 then then jump 2-2.5 for another 30 min and call it a day. Or just roll at 2 for an hour or if feeling peppy stay above 3 or whatever. I swear some days I'll get on there and 100 watts for 20 minutes feels like plenty. (usually after skiing all day, that shit will wear you out)

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That’s cool, I guess I am pretty happy with that given that I am six weeks out of surgery.

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Originally Posted by buttahflake

Did the group version of the Tour of Innsbruck the other day, mountain top finish. Averaged 3.3 w/kg. I could have gone harder in retrospect, didn’t want to blow up and whatnot. I’m addicted.

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That steep climb in town on the Innsbruck circuit is the best, after the first couple times you realize that you can't pace yourself up that in a race and just have to turn yourself inside out and go over the top with whatever you have left.

Would say just jump into a group ride or Lvl D race and see how it goes. Worst case you get dropped, BFD. Use that as a gauge for next time.

After many years of TrainerRoad and relatively serious training on rollers with power meter, past two winters have been smart trainer and Zwift. I’m probably a bit slower than the serious TrainerRoad days, but not much, which I could fix with more attention to a specific plan.

I think doing base miles is much much better on Zwift, I printed a list of routes and have been ticking them off based on time available. Have done almost all of them under 30 miles.


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Upgrade to the 70" screen is amazing. Next level immersion

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I tried that and had to size down and back up. I was getting dizzy when coming down the Epic Kom climb. The corners come at you fast.

Great for racing though.

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I just got myself a Kurt Kinetic direct drive trainer. I've been messing around for a week on their Kinetic training app. I've done an initial FTP base line test to set the power levels for the training programs.
I think I'm going to order a newer Apple TV (my older one does not support apps) and set up Zwift.
Question, Zwift has training programs you can work out to, its just not group riding and racing right?

There’s a ton of workouts on Zwift. Just curious, what FTP did you end up with?
Zwift is going off right now, I checked in yesterday and there was over 17,000 folks from all around the world riding.
A lot of pros are getting into it with the season in limbo and whatnot.

Yeah I hopped on bike the other day for first test ride of big new screen. Saw in the feed that a Watopia Group Ride Stage 3 was about to happen and thought what the heck... 30 minutes later, near puke, almost pass out fun chugging up the volcano climb... so fun!!

I was so cool getting in the pack and the other riders are almost life size. The screen is big enough I found my self looking around like it was the real out doors. All these crazy details that I had never noticed in 1.5 years on 30" screen.

And now my 11 year old kid is all keen to Zwift! I mounted her mountain bike on trainer and she did a couple of 30 min rides already and is telling me she wants to get on bike today. So cute, she can hold 50 watts for 30 min with 1 second max of 205!

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Originally Posted by buttahflake

There’s a ton of workouts on Zwift. Just curious, what FTP did you end up with?

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I’m mid 40’s, 5’11”, 200lbs haven’t ridden a bike since October.
Called my buddy who I ride with in the summer (same size, same ability) he’s been on the peloton all winter and his FTP is 240, so I set mine program to a FTP of 220 and did a test.
I came out at 201 (2.18 w/kg). I think after a week of understanding the machine and cadence and feel for the power I can get that number up during the next test.

Current FTP is 235. I’m 55, 5’9 148lbs.
I did the stage 3 short group ride the other day. 36 minutes a lot of red zone!
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Just picked up a sick gravel rig from the drop shop. Cervelo something. Gonna jump into the stage 4, b race this afternoon. It’s all dirt roads.
So cool

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Originally Posted by buttahflake

Current FTP is 235. I’m 55, 5’9 148lbs.

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FTP of 235, @ 71.6kg is 3.28w/kg. That puts you in the top end of a CAT4 racer.

I jump into a few gravel races every summer, couple of MTB races. No road races. I’m just trying to stay fit as I get old. Just having fun with it. Never serious!

I still trying to understand the difference between the 'group ride' and 'race' for the tour of watopia (and tour de zwift)

I did the group ride the other day and it was a weird 'gentleman start', everyone holding back in the pack then hit the climb and whammo! race time

In the TDZ I did the races but they were only like 20 ppl when the group rides were huge and then people ended up racing anyway...?

5 x Jungle Loop group ride tonight looks fun 8pm AKtime

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Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

I’m mid 40’s, 5’11”, 200lbs haven’t ridden a bike since October.
Called my buddy who I ride with in the summer (same size, same ability) he’s been on the peloton all winter and his FTP is 240, so I set mine program to a FTP of 220 and did a test.
I came out at 201 (2.18 w/kg). I think after a week of understanding the machine and cadence and feel for the power I can get that number up during the next test.

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You are in the fun stage of grabbing that low hanging fruit and watching the FTP climb like crazy. The longer you get after it the more the law of diminishing returns takes affect. Git Sum!!

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Originally Posted by carpathian

I still trying to understand the difference between the 'group ride' and 'race' for the tour of watopia (and tour de zwift)

I did the group ride the other day and it was a weird 'gentleman start', everyone holding back in the pack then hit the climb and whammo! race time

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Haha, that sounds like EVERY SINGLE Tuesday night worlds ride I have ever joined. Especially when the hotshots start off by complaining how shelled they were from [insert epic ride/race] from the previous weekend, and they are just looking to ‘spin’...