Yesterday I received an email from Zwift announcing the 2017 AMGEN Tour of California Series. Only problem–the email arrived at 8:17 pm EST, with the first ride scheduled to start at 9 pm. Just minutes later! There was no way I could suddenly change plans for the evening to add a ride. Plus, I had already done my workout for the day. I imagine 99% of people receiving the email were in the same situation.
Then there is only one qualifying ride a week! How many people are automatically cut out of participation because of scheduling? With one ride a week, always at the same time, most riders cannot participate. Did you plan this purposely to try to ensure that someone from the West Coast will win, just to cut down on your expenses? Or were you really trying to annoy the majority of Zwift riders?
The other problem with a single ride each week is that there probably will be a large group of West Coast riders who show up. A very large group. So this will be a huge group ride. The few large rides I have participated in have been unmanageable, with the leader spending the whole ride telling have the group to slow down and innumerable messages from riders trying to figure out where the leader has disappeared to. This makes for an unpleasant ride.
Would it really have been that hard to send an email announcing this series of rides a few days ahead of time?
Would it be too hard to have multiple qualifying rides each week–at different times–to make it more convenient for riders?
So again I ask, Who is running Zwift? The level of incompetence displayed here in both planning and communication is stunning.
I am also disgusted … coming from the UK and with a child and work commitments, if I did enter and win it wouldn’t be possible for me to attend the tour anyway.
this is clearly unfair and I too want the moon on a stick … I insist next time, if the winner is in the United Kingdom that you fly the entire tour from California to the UK ! so I can watch it from my front garden
You people can be as sarcastic as you like in regards to the timing of these events. I think it’s pathetic, biased and discriminatory. I’m in Australia and it’s every WEEK day during the MIDDLE of the day! I can’t pay $13 a month for a “game” if I don’t work…oh by the way which I do, and through the WEEK during the DAY time mind you. Get your act together Zwift and think of some of the other countries around the World that are parting with their $$$ and give working clients a chance to enter into these comps. Sheesh…lame.
I have small windows every week which I can ride on Zwift and none of the AMGEN rides are within any of those windows. I live in the US and I am shutout of the competition, but that is how it goes sometimes. There will be other contest which you will be able to do and as Gerrie said I hope you didn’t sign up for Zwift for the AMGEN contest (or any other contest) because that would be a waste.