New to Zwift and wondering how a suggested workout was 2-2.2 w/kg, I struggled at 2.5w/kg and ended up a long way behind squirrel guy who was supposed to be at 2w/kg with the yellow flag. Anybody advise me what went wrong? I am sure been asked a thousand times…
What bike were you on? A MTB or TT bike will make you work harder as with TT you don’t get benefit of draft, with a MTB the drag/weight makes you put more out.
I was on the noon (eastern) ZA Academy group ride (which I assume you are referring to since it was led by Squirrel) and keeping 1.7-2.2w/kg to keep with the bunch.
Your weight (compared to the ride leader) also is a factor. If you are lighter than the leader you need to put out more w/kg to keep up. Finally, if you drop out of the group early on it takes quite a lot of extra power to rejoin due to the drafting effects of the group.
If you are on a PC/Mac you can find your log file and drop it in the www.zwiftalizer.com to see if you had drop outs on your trainer as well.
ok, as said new to zwift so don’t get the nuances of the platform. Not just a simple equation then.
Nope. For group rides best to be on a road bike. Before the countdown reaches 0 to start make sure you are putting out good power so you start right away (ie if the ride is 1.5w/kg make sure your watts are equal to that as the timer reaches 0).
Staying about 5-10 meters ahead of the leader (yellow beacon) gives you the best draft.
And as I mentioned if you drop off the pack expect to do 0.5-1.0w/kg higher than the group in order to catch again. I sweep a 1.5-2.0w/kg ride and when bringing people back I usually have to put out 2.3-2.7w/kg to close down the gap to the group.
Group riding on Zwift, as in real life, is a skill that takes time to master. Keep at it and it’ll become second nature to you soon enough.
cheers for that, most helpful.