To the OP, I’ve experienced similar things as you described in your original post. What I’ve learned is that when I find myself getting too far in front of the pace partner, I need to avoid overreacting and slowing down too much. When I do, the pace partner comes back to me too quickly then blows past with much more momentum than I have. If there are no other riders behind the pace partner, I quickly lose the draft and fall off the back.
I’ve also learned to pay attention to what is happening in the pack of riders and what the power outputs are of other riders near me. For instance, if the riders near me are riding at a slightly higher power output than the pace partner and a gap opens in the pack behind me, I will get pulled with those riders riding at the higher power output and away from the pace partner. Hope that helps. Cheers!
That’s kind of funny. Not to be a jerk, but I haven’t been here all that long and it’s clear that, for forum users who aren’t Zwift employees, ‘it is never Zwift’ rarely seems to be the stance people take. Often quite the opposite.
That said, from my own perspective at least, given that I can’t do anything about Zwift’s software, it makes sense to me to check into the things that I can do something about. Like my own setup, my own riding, etc. This particular case is interesting, in part because the OP is getting some rides that work well, and some that don’t, and in part because it is very much true that tons of people are using PPs without having issues. So why are these issues affecting some and not others? Are you sure it has nothing to do with their particular setup? I personally have no idea at this point.
This isn’t an isolated incident as there are people who are on facebook also that have the problem and others who will try it and just give up …the silent ones. So from today I will be trying a PP ride every day for a week and will provide feedback here. One thing i have noticed which is bonkers is ZWIFT in its knowndevices file has found a BONTRAGER DEVICE lol what is that …I dont have anything else set up that it could detect as that no power pedals etc etc. this is funny in itself, Please though can people accept it isnt my riding, i get what it is trying to recreate, i understand group riding and the dynamics of what it is trying to do. Thanks to everyone though for their input and apologies for the very unhappy tone. I need to train / ride and largely switch on and just go. Its the variability that got to me.
Sounds like you have a Trek bike with a factory-installed sensor. I think it’s a combined speed/cadence sensor but not completely sure. So not exactly weird that Zwift detects that if it’s there.
It would really help if you mentioned which route you were riding with the pace partner (or which PP it was on what date), because as people have mentioned there do seem to be some road surface/junction oddities going on with some PPs at the moment.
I will detail the route going forward. I own no Trek bikes. Everything else I own was switched off. So yes EXACTLY weird that ZWIFT detects it. I think i may of made the connection - its another ZWIFT bug id say.
Am I right in surmising that you haven’t ridden with any of the Pace partners since last year?
If so, the “problems” you are describing are probably the result of Zwift’s recent changes to how the pace partners work with the introduction of dynamic pacing.
Certainly for all the PP rides I’ve tried recently (variety of courses and partners) you have to pay a lot more attention to your power delivery in order to stay within the pack of riders, especially if it’s a hilly course. I’m guessing it’s no longer possible (certainly not easy) to sit at a reasonably constant power/pace and be able to maintain contact with the group or the pace partner.
Some people like the pace partner dynamic pacing, others hate it. For the time being, it is what it is, I’m afraid.
I have said this a lot on this thread. Its NOT me …this was way beyond that. AND a ride later in the evening with a slightly faster partner was fine. We need to move on from saying its me or my equipment but thanks for your interest…
If/when you get a chance to try a 1.4 ride this week, let us know which one and how it works out. I’d be happy to try the same PP/course to see how it works for me.
As above, I’ve already commented on the variability of the pace and difficulty in matching it sometimes so I’m certainly open to the idea that there is something “going on”.
Not that this is an issue here so this is totally an aside, but AFAIK (having worked at a Trek dealer as well), Trek’s don’t come from the factory with any sensors installed. That’s on the shop to do, and only when someone specifically purchases a sensor. So even with a Trek, it’d be unlikely to have one there are not know about it (But it’s not a Trek anyway so that doesn’t matter in this situation.)
Might be some lesser-known brand of something that is getting misidentified as Bontrager.
(But it’s not a Trek anyway so that doesn’t matter in this situation.)