Got a kicking racing in pace category race - lessons?

Racing
1

This is thinking aloud more than anything but would appreciate any views / feedback…

So yesterday after a spell of improving results as a Cat D rider I entered the Team Draft 42.8km Sand & Sequoias (2 laps) at 3.30pm GMT race where I came 29th :frowning:

It was the first time I’d tried to race 2 days in a row and the first time I’d tried to race something longer (42.8km versus a more typical distance of 20-22km). It was also the first race I’d knowingly entered where the categories were WKG based rather than ZRS (I’d done so once before but didn’t appreciate / was unaware of the differences then).

It was 2 laps of Sand & Sequoias and I lost contact with the lead group on the first time up Titan’s Grove and just couldn’t get back on, I had nothing to give. I felt exhausted. And maybe that’s all there was to it but it was such a drop off in performance that I was wondering about WKG and how, on a flat course (with the obvious exception of the hill in Titan’s Grove), heavier riders are likely to ‘easily’ beat me. We may match in WKG but if I’m lighter than I just can’t output what they can.

I would hope that I could maybe offset this on a hill where I might have the advantage but that wasn’t the case yesterday.

Should I avoid WKG category races or maybe pick my courses more strategically or view yesterday as an anomaly (tiredness induced)?

2

If you care about results, doing a hard race the day after a race is not a great plan.

Also in races that use Category Enforcement, you can expect heavy riders to be competitive on climbs. The lighter riders who could beat them on climbs will get upgraded more easily and disappear from the categories below A.

1 Like
3

https://www.zwiftracing.app/events/5249620

You finished round about where your vELO score thought you would (it predicted you coming in 22nd).

Basically, you were outgunned because you were riding against fitter riders. Not a problem. You just need to get fitter. :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

ETA: well done for finishing :clap:

4

I presume the “Yorkshire KOM” time for the event was actually Titans Grove under “sprints and KOMs” for the event at zwiftpower.

Ranking all pens by that time, you had the 5th slowest pen C time, 5mins14secs vs 5mins3secs to 5mins5secs for the lead group of ~15, 3.2W/Kg for ~5mins is a major weakness for Category Enforcement pen C. That W/Kg as a prediction for 6mins is the zMAP promotion point from pen D.