If 1000 riders are at the start waiting, are there positions depending on what factors?
I rode with a friend (ftp 180 / weight 52kg) Av. 3.4w/kg
On stage 8 tdz. London flat.
Took me. (Ftp 270 / weight 92kg) 1 mile to catch them.
Me putting out 3-4 w/kg to catch.
They blew me away on box hill but I expected that. But I should of beat them to box hill. Which I didn’t.
Any thoughts?
Are you hammering it out of the box? I tend to join late (last 30 seconds) and physically are never up the front. I just make sure I am pushing out bloody big numbers at the start (really power up with 5-10 seconds to go) and usually get up the front somewhere. If I dont and just go at say FTP, I’m behind the pack always.
I had a similar experience but different other night - in a group ride and re were bunched together nicely during the ride, then part way through they had a sprint - was all of a few seconds - I didnt participate. Ride leader eased off to 2 w/kg. Me and a bunch of others were sitting on 3.5 - 4.0 w/kg for about 1.5 minutes and still couldnt catch the ride leader so I may as well have done the sprint, spent a bit more energy for far less time.
Getting dropped is hard - have you done any races @Simon_Mitchell1 as they are similar - once you are dropped, really hard to get back.
Ben on time for positioning. Who comes first, gets first place at the start. 
I am hammering out the box.
I’m thinking it might be ranking or zwift points that put you nearer the front.
My friend is a low (b), I’m a low (c). Friend says I was 100m behind at the start. If they are in a faster group at the front that makes sense to me. Maybe it would take me a mile to catch.
I agree that once dropped, it is hard to catch up. Just like in real life. I get that. My question is what determines starting position. I logged in for the Watopia Stage 1 race series 5 minutes before start, started the race at the gun at around 220 watts and was immediately 647 of 950. So, is position determined by when you log in, your Zwift points, how hard you come off the start line… or some combination? Thanks.
Your starting position determined by the time you join to the Race/Event.
As per the speed in the beginning of the race, mostly at those events the first 100-150 riders are going at least at 400 watts for the first km. And the first 200m with something like 6-8w/kg
Yes, your position is determined when you join the race. Check the right upper corner to see about how many are there when you join.
I joined TdZwift stage 1 the other night in about 600th. Then hammered 400-500W for 2 min and was able to crack the top 100 before descending to ocean blvd.
Your starting position determined by the time you enter the Pen (start aria).
The first people in the Pen will be at the front, If you want to start in the front go to the Pen 10min before the race.
If you are a serious racer, join 30 minutes prior to start time. If there are 1000 people, joining at the 5 minute mark can put you 10-20 seconds behind the start line. That time doesn’t count against you, but you can miss the split easily. Actually, I guess that time does count against you It is kind of like the start of a marathon.