If the test was done at the 117w for the fictional athlete then the rpm would be between 65 and 70 rpm.
The test was to see if ± 80w is feasible going up that KOM. And yes it is.
Most riders are not 100 kg with a ftp of 180w but even that rider will be able to recover.
I am happy to do the same test at 117w at 65-70RPM.
If the test was done at the 117w for the fictional athlete then the rpm would be between 65 and 70 rpm.
No, you are assuming that your W/kg reads across to all riders. Recovery wattages and W/kg varies drastically by rider. You can’t just change the variables of the scenario to make a point. The example was a 100 kg rider at 85 watts, not a 94 kg rider at 117 watts… nice try though.
The test was to see if ± 80w is feasible going up that KOM. And yes it is.
The position being taken is that climbing uphill does not promote recovery, not whether it was possible, but your “test” still didn’t prove anything. It proved that you, a lighter rider than the example had to ride at 53 RPM to get up the climb. A GROSSLY Sub-optimal cadence, especially for recovery
I am happy to do the same test at 117w at 65-70RPM.
That would be an exercise in futility, as you clearly aren’t following the premise here.
I find it very funny that you continue to come back to this thread and double down on your position with attempted brute force. Respectfully, you are demonstrating that you are out of your depth on this subject. You are generating arguments based on anecdote and supposition, not on scientific fact. And for what reason? You already ceded that the flat route is ideal. Both @Mark_Crane_TOG_G_65y and I have stated that while possible, performing this ride at a recovery pace is going to be VERY difficult for a good segment of riders – for some, it WILL be impossible without changing their trainer settings. I can only glean that you are here simply to argue at this point.
You literally went out of your way to do a ride with the segment so you could snip it into this forum and call it “science” without realizing, that in doing so, you actually validated my statement to which you replied. If what you are looking for is the last word on the matter – which is what I am beginning to suspect – by all means, feel free to take it. I am confident that, at this point, my position speaks for itself, and any future participants or viewers of this thread can apply critical thinking to discern what position resonates with them as accurate.
I will not be furnishing any more replies to you on this matter, enjoy your weekend.
Ok I will let it be as you said no need to die on this hill.
Next recovery will be on a flatter course. The current schedule shows flatland loop.
Ok I will let it be as you said no need to die on this hill.
Maybe I m the only one that think Zwift did a good job with this academy, trying to make it interesting.
Next recovery will be on a flatter course. The current schedule shows flatland loop.
Cool! Now we have pictures of cats too!
Scary. We agree on something else. Good thing Aoi posted the pic of the cat.
I rode “Recovery” again this morning because there wasn’t anything else fitting the bill for today’s ride at the time I could ride. And like the other one, a number riders were mystified with the concept of recovery and then when they understood about they why and how, wondered about the choice of route. Seems that a hilly route like S&S didn’t really work for a newer rider with a lower w/kg level of fitness. Sorta like what me, @Sarah_LaRocque and everybody else on this thread have been griping about.
I didn’t have any trouble staying in Zone 2 but a lot of riders did and this was compounded by the lack of instruction. A number of other experienced riders chimed in on chat and helped the struggling riders out. It felt good to help people out but I sure wish we didn’t need to do it.
The Last Word on this from me: @Gerrie_Delport_ODZ , your test example was up Titans Reverse. S&S uses Titans Forward, a longer and harder climb, followed by some challenging rollers. Completely different profile.
You’re kidding me right? I’m seeing the same thing, no more recovery ride 1, after September 27. WTF, I’m playing catch-up , just finished workout 3 today and now I got to do recovery ride 1 tonight at 11:00? I know, big time whining , but I got a life as well so schedules are tight. If it doesn’t pop up later, well I’ll just finish everything but the first recovery ride. 
Same for the baseline ride, it’s now gone…
I’m in the same boat. I started ZA a bit late, but there was no indication that the recovery rides would disappear at a certain date that I could see… Maybe that’s on me but you’d think there would be a central website where it had all the deadline dates to finish specific rides. Finding info on Zwiftdotcom is a nightmare sometimes.
It seems silly that you can do the workouts at any time throughout the program, but the recovery rides and baselines rides are so rigidly scheduled.
@Harry_Grey and @KdM
Good news:
Using the description to prove your point is pretty flawed when they literally contradict themselves within one sentence “Your heart rate (HR) should fall, rather than rise, over the duration of the ride. Additionally, your HR should maintain a constant level and avoid any spikes.”
This ZA is one to forget. I actually like the workouts, but the execution has been poor
Hi,
So sorry to ask but I’m only finding conflicting information and now I’m quite confused. I started ZA 2021 late so I’m up to 4 events completed - the baseline and three workouts (+ the intro but I don’t count that). I was looking to do my first recovery ride and I see now that they’ve stopped scheduling the first block of recovery rides yesterday.
Does that mean I’m left behind and cannot complete ZA 2021 at all? I’ve seen some people say there will be catch up events, but others said the recovery ride 1 is not part of the catch up events.
Without going into details of how stupid I find this situation and how this is a purely artificial limit to an event that exists for no reason and with no clear explanation, what can I do here? Should I even bother continuing the workouts?
edit: nevermind, I just saw the answer to this question a few posts up - there will be recovery catch up rides. Fair enough, but still seems like a very convoluted way to do this. Just keep scheduling them the whole time!
Only one week to graduation. The question remains if you miss the recovery ride 1 in September, then what? I see the last pro race for the Alp is coming soon. Would love to do it a second time in late October but it seems to be a September event only.
Sarah, I hope your Academy has gone well. Did you do the seventh workout?
It will be available during the makeup week
WO#7 was the hardest workout I’ve ever done on Zwift. Last year’s WO#6 was hard but this is way harder. I can’t imagine doing that twice voluntarily…
It would be great if Zwift Academy would add numbers to the names of the Rides: Recovery Ride #1 and Recovery Ride #2 as well as warn people that they are over different dates and that they need to do both.
Exactly this.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.