Don’t want to sound like a snitch or anything, but it would be great if the Academy group rides were ridden at the advertised pace by the leader. Today’s 60 min group ride with Lavric was advertised as 2W and it averaged about 2.5 with 3.5+ on the hills.
I can handle it, but it’s disappointing and discouraging for those that cannot maintain that power level and were expecting a collaborative 2W group ride. Swiping back through the companion app map I could see guys in their late 50s or 60s that were dropped off the two groups that had formed (A and B group?) and just riding by their lonesome.
If they’d known it was going to be a free-for-all with no fence they might have done a different ride rather than getting dropped and being the lone ranger for 60 minutes.
I enjoy riding with several groups on Zwift that reliably follow their own ride description.
With the Academy, we’ll often do group rides with leaders we haven’t ridden with before. Some of those ride differently than we expect. The Academy ride I was on started at 2w/kg as advertised, then about 15 minutes in ramped it up, at about half an hour eased off again, and then for the last 10 or 15 minutes the leader was mostly at 90 to 110 watts. I averaged the advertised 2 watts per kilogram for the hour.
Curious if you are referring to your watts/kg or the ride leaders? Two people can hold the same watt/kg but go different speeds in Zwift due to differences in weight, height, bike/wheels, etc… Also, the group ride that I participated in last night had the fence which kept us all together quite nicely.
Understand, my first ever “Zwift Academy Group Ride” on Mon. Aug. 5th was more like a “Group Race”, no joke, had to pull up to 350W just to stay with the group for the first 15 mins, and a good chunk of folks “fell off” by 30mins in…and that was with the red fence…the yellow fence (ride leader) caught up by 35 mins and it was no joke finishing that ‘group ride’. Not whining, and at 49 yrs old and having raced MTB’s and Tri’s for over 15 years in my youth, and not having raced for over 12 years now, zwift is no joke and neither are the Zwift Academy efforts. It’s not for everybody, so make sure you know what you’re getting into before you “Saddle Up…”.
I’m doing it because I know this is a serious way to test myself and improve my cycling, even at my age, and I don’t race anymore, and Zwift Academy is delivering on it’s promises so far, from my perspective. It’s supposed to be hard…
“You get out of it, what you put into it”
Thanks. Not trying to tell others how to ride or what power to ride at, just looking out for those that were expecting the camaraderie of a group ride at a certain power level, and it turns out the leader wants to ride at a higher level and less strong people get dropped.
Yeah gropu rides always depend on the leaders’ styles. The ZA group ride I joined last night (Waistband) happened to have the same ride leader as my weekly recovery ride but at a slightly faster pace and so it was a great experience. Until I accidentally got ejected out the back and lost the draft and spent the rest of the ride trying to catch up.
Hi George, I believe that I was part of the ride with Laric that you spoke of in your original post. Although the ride was quite a bit quicker than the advertised pace, Laric was very up-front about it and the banter among the riders was pretty good fun too. I am one of the guys in their 50’s or 60’s who eventually got dropped, but I managed to form a little group towards the end and plough on to the finish. Being in that little group of droppees was OK for me, and not too different from some of the road rides I have been on.
My point is that there were lots of other aspects of the ride to enjoy, so that I didn’t;t really mind if the ride was too fast for the advertised pace. Kind of like real-life in a way: you keep plugging away at it because every now and again the result is what you hoped for!
This is not right, if Laric want to ride fast then he/she should contact Zwift and change the required pace. People pick rides based on what the ride description states.
@GeorgeGray I agree with your assessment. I led a ride on 8/10 and I did inform the group that the 2.0 w/kg advertised pace would be maintained but the Watopia Waistband route makes the ride very fast.
I also did not use a fence so many did opt to “race” off.
It really comes down to the ride Leader but overall I think most will maintain the average pace.
Is there a way to ask the Leads to spend 3 mins to ramp up to 2.0 w/kg? I find that the group rides start off like a race, and I am shot out the back really quick. From there I have two choices, ride threshold to get to the main blob, or just solo or mini-blob at 2.0.
I have learned to get on any Zwift activity early and get well warmed up, before the event, Group Ride, Race, Zwift Academy Workout, etc. starts. Also, I get on any Zwift Academy event (workout, race, group ride, TT, etc.) and get “up to speed, or W/Kg” a few minutes before hand. Zwift is unrealistic in that regard, no one has ever started any real life event at 2-3+ W/Kg at a standstill, from when the flag or start gun goes off…
It’s always funny to me, seeing group rides, races, etc. on zwift start at 2+W/Kg and also people doing 18-26 Mph at the start, from a dead stop!
Why is group ride pace/effort not advertised in kph (not w/kg). The ride leader and everyone can see the speed and work out for themselves whether they can sustain that. Flat circuits are harder for light riders, climbing circuits harder for heavier riders. Simples.
Because if a ride is 20km/h then no one will be able to keep up on the climbs. If it is 8km/h then it will be impossible to keep the group together on the flats.
Everytime I join a 2-2.5watts per kilogram group ride, I am averaging close to 1 watt per kilogram more than most of the rides in front of me. So if they are doing 2.5 w/kg, I am doing an FTP test at 3.5 w/kg and usually only stay with the group 20-30 minutes. What am I doing wrong if my watts per kilogram is averaging so much more than the rest of the group. Yes, I have done the FTP test and yes, I usually do a spin up calibration before each ride.
@Ross_Mason70-74 - be sure you have selected a road bike frame, not a TT, gravel, or mountain bike frame. In Zwift, Time Trial bikes don’t get a draft benefit, and in Zwift gravel bikes and MTBs roll much slower on paved roads. With anything other than a road bike, you’ve got to ride much harder to keep up with a group riding road bikes on paved roads.
And be sure to stay in the draft of other riders in the group.
