I think the PPs are on rotation using the microbursting technique 
Yeah, I mean here’s mine…
I think there’s an issue of representation: the faster bot groups tend to be much smaller than the Coco crowd, so there aren’t as many people to chime in and complain, even if the issue is more salient for the higher speed bots because of the bigger delta between power required on flats and hills with dynamic pacing.
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Except when Constance is on Tempus - then you see the speeds getting crazy fast with large groups.
Someone mentioned the other day about 5 people joined in at the front of that group pushing the pace much higher and others had to push 50 watts more to not be dropped.
As soon as Constance goes to a slightly hilly route it is hardly anyone joining.
I remember well when Anquetil used to do the big routes with the epic KOM we’d always found about 5-10 riders. The steady 4.2w and the lighter weight of that bot was nicer. Those routes were more enjoyable too.
Now I just spend my time doing mini sprints yo avoid being spat out the back.
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Here’s another one for the “slow bot catches fast bot” file:
Riding with Coco on Triple Flat Loops yesterday, we caught the Genie blob in the tunnel. Lots of people riding with Coco, a decent amount riding with Genie too. I could maybe see catching Jacques if he didn’t have a big group, but I’m thinking Coco should never catch Genie?
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There’s something devious with Coco whenever approaching the short sharp pitch towards the Volcano climb. She always accelerates approaching the short pitch and then motors up the pitch at what appears to be about 3.5 w/kg even though the rider board only indicates 2.9 w/kg. Maybe I am dreaming but is a recurring dream every lap!
Those where the good old days. Where you knew what w/kg the pacer was riding no matter what. Every time I select a pacer it usually .2-.4 w/kg lower then what they ride at. Now it seems zwift wants to please the racing crowd more these days…
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I’m no racer, but the problem with the good old days was that the Pacers would be too easily left behind on climbs and would streak away on descents. It was quite unnatural. Dynamic pacing, allowing for gradient, is a massive improvement on previous behaviours. It’s the impact of aero that now seems to affect the pace too much (assuming the current bug is fixed).
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It would be easier for the light weight riders just to slow a but than now the heavy riders needs to go in the red every climb.
That is getting off topic.
If they send you into the red then you might be riding with too fast a robo pacer group.
Picking a Pace partner that will be in the Blue on the flat will need orange red going up climbs.
Look at this flat route. every time there’s a bump in the road the power goes way above blue.
I never ride with pace partners so i’m sure there’s a good reason why they can’t but why can’t they just normalise people’s weight when riding with a pace partner? make everyone 75kg and adjust their power based on their w/kg
100 kg rider doing 300 watts acts like they’re doing 225 watts
65kg rider doing 195 watts is also like they’re doing 225 watts
and both have their pace partner weight set to 75kg
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I would definitely not ride with the RP if there’s a weight adjustment.
The advantage of Zwift is things get harder if you gain weight and easier when you drop some just like real life.
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I agree. There are enough ways in which the game robs you of agency, such as being forced out of the draft. Those are things that should be eliminated, not increased. I preferred the static pace partners and I think they should come back, but I don’t want pace partners to become more like a banded ride. Those are yucky.
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I definitely wouldn’t like to ride with the robopacers if that happened. I want accuracy with my power figures, not something adjusted by trickery behind the scenes.
For now I’ve stopped riding with the robopacers and just do ADZ alone. I’m getting more benefit from that.
I agree, the static pace partners were better - and I definitely preferred the older, lighter robopacers like Amelia Anquetil. Doing 60-70km+ on the longer mountain routes with real climbs was excellent.
We had consistent numbers of people with the robopacer back then too.
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I just meant to keep.people together.
You’d still have to do the same w/kg of your real weight but in game people doing the same w/kg stayed together as it seems to be the complaint that always appears in these chats “I have to do X w/kg to stay with whoever when they’re meant to do Y w/kg”
We seem to go around in circles with this.
Personally, I “love” riding with the pace partners as things stand. I simply pick a PP and a course to provide the type of ride intensity I’m looking for (with the knowledge that none of them will be truly steady-state). As a lighter rider, I find the hilly ones “easier” because you don’t get the powerhouses sitting off the front pushing the pace.
It’s been said a million times on here; if you want a rock-steady steady Z2, Z3 etc. ride, it’s easier to do a custom workout than a PP ride. The retort is usually; I enjoy the social aspect of PP rides.
It would be easier for the heavier powerhouses to not sit off the front pushing the pace. 
They could always put the rides on the big mountain routes as well.
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Even if you have a hundred people riding on the front pushing the pace you still need the same power to ride next to the RP.
with steady RP’s you can do a steady Z2 Z3 ride and having fun. Heavy riders still have to increase the power going up but it is not from blue to red, probably blue to green.
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Maybe it feels harder because, with more people off-the-front, there are fewer people in the bunch with the PP and so the draft savings are less?
I did the math in another thread - But it is something like a 20% increase in power to stay with the PP due to dynamic pacing on climbs - Obviously the higher the PP power/watts the greater that 20% effort is in raw watts.
The reason for it being 20% is when riding with the PP, unless on a TT bike you are drafting therefore riding below the advertised wattage - The climb then means you have to go up to the advertised pace, then the addition% increase for the climb.
<Im saying 20% it might have actually been more, I cant find the post>