Pace Partner Dynamic Pace Testing [March 2022]

Really? Sigh…

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So much for a steady paced ride…

You will never be able to get other riders to use the pace partners the way you want. They are used in different ways.

So does anyone actually like riding Sand and Sequoias with CC or do you do it just because? Personally I usually do my own thing if I’m wanting a Z2 ride and CC is on S and S…

I think Sand and Sequoias should be replaced with something like Ocean Lava Cliffside which gives a similar amount of elevation but at a more steady rate. That would fix the slinky effect that happens in Titan’s Grove and probably satisfy most that ride with CC.

Maybe I’m wrong, but this seems like an easier solution than increasing/decreasing CC’s power just to make Titan’s Grove more tolerable.

I did a second ride with Cadence on Sand and Sequoias and it wasn’t as bad as my first one, but still there was a lot of variation in power needed between uphills and downhills, and this is before they make uphills more difficult and downhills more easy - I think on terrain like Sand and Sequoias using the current physics the experience of a very light rider will vary quite significantly from the experience of a very heavy rider. So my guess is what we’ll see is the tweaks will help some people, and make power fluctuations more variable for others.

For my use case of Cadence (trying to stick within a Zone 2 power range), I would prefer to ride with Cadence on a less hilly route.

Maybe what they need is to introduce “Zone Partners” where while you’re playing the drops game everyone on that bot is normalized to whatever zone that Zone partner represents (Recovery, Endurance, Tempo, Threshold). I would ride with the blue “Endurance” bot and they might vary their wattages slightly going up and down hills (to the upper end of the zone on climbs, to the lower end of the zone on downhills), but wouldn’t push anyone following them into tempo zone etc. People who pushed into tempo would start riding off the front until they went back into their endurance zone (which if their FTP is set correctly Zwift would be able to know) etc.

Anyhow. that’s probably random, but guess we’ll see how the changes work on Monday. Will be interesting to see how Sand and Sequoias works with the changes.

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I’ve ridden with C a bunch of times, and in general I’ve had good rides.
I’m relatively small, 170 cm & 68 Kg, and just an IRL, I have to hammer on the downhills to keep up.
On the uphills, I frequently find myself >30 seconds in front.

My solution:
Use the “keep everybody together” on the uphills & downhills, but not the flats.
This neutralizes the smaller guys like me & the 6’ 6" 265 lb guy.
Also, make the draft effect & speed of each bike the same on Pace Partner Rides.
I got dropped bad going under the ocean (looked away from the screen for two seconds) on the Aethos & had no chance of catching up to a huge pack in the draft.

I’m 67 yrs old. At 75kg, the jump from D. Diesel to C. Cadence is 75 watts for me.

Would sure love a bot in between D & C so the jump isn’t so big. Also another bot between C & B would be nice.

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Went on Tempus fugit this morning and noticed a slight negative change to the pace. Thought it was smoother before.

I agree. (131kg, 218cm, 60yo)

What do you mean with a slight negative change to the pace?

Pace bot didn’t seem as smooth and ride average was very slightly slower this morning.
Normally tempus Fugit is quick because it’s flat.
Nothing major but slightly different.

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Are the Pace Partner routes staying as described on Zwift Insider in March 2021?
If so, C. Cadence is going to be on the pancake flats of Tempus Fugit until next Monday, and we’ll only get to test the changes in Sand and Sequoias in 15 days’ time. It’s a pity we have to wait so long to experience the effects in the rollers. Any chance of shortening the rotation time between routes, @shooj?

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I would usually join Bowie group when C.Cadence is on sand and sequoias. I had fitness enough that the change was no problem.

I think the bigger riders like Sand and sequoias because they can go really quick downhill. When Bowie rides through there on the downhill, if you are ahead of the group and they come through you have to do 10w/kg to catch them. :frowning: if you are light then that’s very difficult.

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I don’t think bigger riders like anything with a climb. No downhill can make up for going up hill. :thinking::grimacing:

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Sand and Sequoias doesn’t have anything resembling a climb, just little bumps, that’s how they can just punch over the top of those little rises then as a group push very high speed downhill and drop the light riders.

C group on Titans Grove often does 4:10, even sub 4 minutes. If I told you the average power being held to do these times you’d be shocked. Some of these people are 100kg as well.

But as soon as you give them Epic KOM or ADZ then they struggle because those are real climbs.

That’s how it is… it’s not right for the majority of the group who do the actual normal C pace.

I’m pretty sure anyone 100kg or over would think of Titans Grove KOM as a climb.

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O yes at 93kg that is not a bump. :face_vomiting:

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Think the new Dynamic Pace is in effect now, right?

Well, 1hr w/Coco on Tempus Fugit. Seemed normal. Suppose will need to be on Sand and Sequoias to notice a difference :thinking: Sitting in for 1hr with an avg of 2.37w/kg (73kg)

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I highly doubt this if they are together w/Coco. Looking back at five different Coco Sand and Sequoias, my times are all between 5:40 and 6:00 over the Titan’s Grove KOM segment. Furthermore, yesterday during ToW Stage 5 I only managed 4:28 in a group doing 4w/kg.

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But everytime I do Coco on Sand and Sequoias if you stick around her there’s always enough of a gang riding to her pace versus taking off. You don’t need to take off with them.