Lavender Unicorn

I just completed my first cycling workout on Zwift. Great time BUT, I could not match the targeted power and RPM’s. It seemed like my watts were way over even though my RPMs were at/over/under the target. What am I doing wrong???

Hi @Shelly_Plotner

Welcome to the forum.

What trainer are you using? Did you pair it as controllable? Does ERG work.

Are your FTP set correctly?

do you have a smart trainer?
do you have ERG mode turned on?

if the answer to either of those is “no” - you will need to match the target power/cadence by changing gear manually, and if your gear setup doesn’t allow you to ride at the target power/cadence then ur out of luck. just aim for the power and ignore the cadence.

if you do have a smart trainer with ERG mode turned on - then the trainer should automatically adjust the resistance to hit the targets.

p.s. if your actual watts were way over your target in a workout, then your FTP is probably set too low :wink:

2 Likes

Ben, thanks for the suggestions.
Yes, I have a smart trainer. A Saris HM2, brand new.
I can’t tell you if ERG is turned on, I will need to research and read about that. A friend set the trainer and software for me, I evidently need to go through the tutorial.
I did a Threshold test today as part of the tutorial and I believe it said my FTP wnd I finished was 127?
I had a hard time keeping my speed up with some of the Watts they gave me during the threshold test
Does everyone struggle this ,u h learning the software? Sure, I could get on and just ride and enjoy the scenery but I want to get more for and use the numbers I see for that. Uggg, any help appreciated

well u did 172w avg throughout a 29min lavendar unicorn workout, so FTP of 127 is way too low :slight_smile:

speed doesn’t matter during workouts (only watts) so ignore it.

if you want to learn how to use the software, yes generally you will want to read a manual or watch a video, there’s a tonne of tutorials on youtube etc. workouts are proably the most complicated part of Zwift. this website is also good: https://zwiftinsider.com/ any other specific questions just ask here.