I participated in a group ride last night for the first time in a while and was pleasantly surprised to see the fence is back, at least kind of. Which I thought was great. The group actually stayed together for the most part. The leader certainly seemed relieved. But somewhere along the line it appeared that riders going through the fence were not being zapped? Is that the new normal or will that functionality return also? Hope so. Otherwise it’s kind of toothless. Thanks.
HATE the fence! Have not missed it one bit. I hoped they would never bring it back.
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Hmmm… care to share your logic as well?
Thanks!
See https://forums.zwift.com/t/game-update-august-6th-2020/
It sounds like the fence has a “no-kick” option for event organisers now.
Interesting, must be that social ride was “no zap”. My only logic was if I want to race I do a race, if I want to do a social group ride with a large group that sticks together than I do that.
Can someone confirm if there is a no kick vs kick mode beacons can set? Or does this have to be set when the series of group rides/events are being planned to be on the calendar? I’m leading next week and I’m anxious to find out!
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I was in another disappointing Group Ride recently - one of a long string of such rides that follow the same pattern. No warm-up. Group immediately explodes from the start pens at a pace/W/kg far above the ride-description. The ride lead was frequently reminding those at the front to ease (slow; less power). In fact, this seems to be the constant refrain on group rides, and also why almost NONE of them manage to stick to the advertised pacing (W/kg) in the description. I mentioned this in the chat during the ride, and was told that NO fenced rides have a “zap” or “kick” mode any longer. Which begs the question of WHY (WTF) do ride descriptions bother to include the “no-kick-mode” in the description. It would be nice if Zwift could put this issue to rest with some clarity. Does “kick-mode” exist, or not? I am a strong supporter of the ability of the fence to zap riders who wish to ride off the front (with a countdown.) They have the option of continuing to ride on their own at a pace outside of the group designs, or of re-joining the group and falling into the target pace. How can one “not like” the fence? Either you selected the group ride to ride with the group, or you didn’t? Bizarre! I use group rides as an important part of my structured training programs , and violating the power guidelines on a given day can be very detrimental to my progression. However, it’s rare that I find a group that actually behaves according to plan. There are many ways to hit an “average” to be sure, but if the ride lead stays at the target power the during the whole ride, this provides the most consistent results. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s encountered this difficulty. There are plenty of rides and races to suit all paces, so why select a mismatch? Seems kinda’ Dumb.
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I don’t understand the fence haters either. I also don’t care if people want to bail on the group ride and fly off the front…I don’t get it, but it doesn’t bother me.
I like the fence as it makes a nice zone between the fence and the leader that seems to keep a good group draft going. I try to ride in this zone so if I fall back a bit, I’m still with a group instead of getting dropped.
The last few rides I was one the leader mentioned that the fence did not kick anyone out, but the leader could see how many had crossed it.
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Is it possible to just ride with the leader, with the yellow beacon, and not fret about those who are not?
Possible? Yes. I’m not “worried” about fliers. It’s the ride leads that are. And their ride behavior is affected by the power of these fliers. If ride leads were to turn on ERG-mode, or at least keep a steady pace at the advertised level(s) (ie., we’re going push 2.8W/kg on the climbs and 2.5W/kg on the flats), and NOT worry about fliers (or even mention them at all), then these issues would be less noisome. But that’s NOT what happens. Group rides must be constantly corralled. Meeting points must be selected to “re-group”. Does Coco Cadence set-up regroup points? Does she constantly whine, “Ease front, just a touch”? Switch on the zapping-Fence. Put a timer on fliers who violate such, and worry not at all! The ride leads could then concentrate on sharing skills, experience and expertise, rather than nursing complaining members who are battling a group ride paced above stated levels, and asking fliers to wait at some pre-designated (atop hills?) point. It’s non-sensical.
Easy-peasy.
Ask yourself now, “Is it possible for group ride members to just ride with the yellow beacon, and NOT ride above the group ride description?” The answer is also YES, clearly. And much more fun than having a third or more of an expected group ride NOT be present in the group. It’s a form of duplicity and deceit and I detest such.
Yes - they can adjust the distance to the fence as well. In the very group ride I was referencing above, the first two thirds of the ride was about 10-15% above the ride description. But a funny thing happened. The ride lead converted the last 20 minutes of the ride into a race, BUT only those riders who were behind/ASTERN of the beacon at the start of the “race” would be reported in the “race results”. Yes, group rides with race results, obviously counteracts the entire nature of a group ride. At that point, about half of the group tore off (all obediently starting from a point behind the lead), and then the lead took the ride pace down to 10-15% BELOW the target pace. Net result: the average power fell at about the target. But this little quirk was not described in the group-ride write-up, and achieved an “Average” pace by disingenuous means. Not cool, in my book. I look forward to the a day when the Pace Partners are on every route… Ride leads will learn some fast lessons in what’s popular and what’s not.