Best way to get drops

General Discussion
1

What’s the best way to get more drops in the first 30 minutes of riding?

Would that be climbing? Example entering a climb portal or would it be with a pace partner? I know after 30 minutes of riding it doubles to 2.5, but I’m talking about the first 30 minutes.

2

For me it is much faster than 30 minutes - you can see the progress bar, the multiplier start with 1.2x and goes to 2.5x. I can’t say how many minutes it takes, but surely less than 30.

  • more Watts, more drops (no idea if it depends of FTP)
  • bonus when you receive a Ride on (riding in bigger groups is better)
  • bonus for climbing

https://zwiftinsider.com/how-drops-work/

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3

I haven’t been with a robopacer recently, but climbing only really helps if you are putting out a lot of power. Yes you get a bonus for climbing, but you still have to put out a fair amount of power. For the last 8 days I’ve been riding up and down Ventoux (43.1km total) each day and getting reasonable amounts of drops, but riding with the fast robopacers like Constance would be better.

I think robopacers are better, especially if you are capable to ride with the faster ones like Genie and Constance, and completely ignoring BigMig unless you are an undiscovered pro-cyclist. :wink:

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4

It’s 5 min of riding per jump, and the progression is 1 - 1.2 - 1.4 - 1.6 - 1.8 - 2.0 - 2.5.

So 30 min will get you to the 2.5 rate, but only just. Still, 10 min gets you to 1.4x, which is nothing to sneeze at, and the other 20 min will be even better.

5

Late join a Big Spin event if you have all of the “prizes” and you’ll get at least 15k drops and up to 40k drops at the finish. Then ride another lap if you’re on Stage 3 (The Douche) or Stage 4 (Wasteband) for another spin. I got 135k of drops in 2 hours or riding this morning: 3 bikes and a Jersey.

I don’t think (lookout!) you can get more drops per minute of riding any other way. But please correct me if I’m wrong…

6

Hi @Kru, welcome to the Forums! I’m Francisco from Zwift Support.

Thanks for bringing this up.

To maximize your drops early on, climbing definitely plays a role, as climbing sections give you a bonus for the elevation gained. So entering a climb portal can indeed be a good way to earn extra drops early in your ride!

However, if you’re aiming to consistently rack up drops, another great option is riding with a Pace Partner . When you ride with a pace partner, your drops are boosted based on the speed you’re maintaining, and this can help you earn more drops during that first 30-minute window.

To clarify a few things:

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