I recently joined Zwift this year and have been loving it. Most of my indoor cycling has been using TrainerRoad but I want to get into Zwift more and try events for the winter season. I figured Tour de Zwift is a great place to start!
So I know they categorized the rides and my FTP is 2.7 Watts/kg which would put me into Category C. But the ride lengths for Category C are shorter than those for A/B and I would rather do the longer rides. I know at the end of the day the answer is always going to be ‘do what you want’ but can I join a category A/B ride? Should I stick with my category or can I just pick the longer routes understanding I just won’t place competitively?
These categories is not related to your FTP, Zwift use ABCDE categories for different things. In this case it is just used to differentiate between long and short rides.
You should only look at FTP w/kg categories when it is a race.
The TdZ is a great place to start with group events on Zwift; I had a similar attitude to you two years ago and I absolutely loved it!
Each of the 8 stages of the Tour de Zwift has three routes (C is shorter, B is standard and A is longer) and no matter which route or time slot you choose, you’ll find hundreds of people of all ability levels riding along with you.
So whether you want to push hard or take it easy, you’ll find someone to ride with - no matter how fast you are. Some days you might feel more competive; others you might feel more sociable. Do whatever suits you.
Personally, for my first TdZ ride I chose a distance which challenged me - my longest ride on Zwift at the time - I paced myself carefully and made up lots of positions at the end. I liked it so much I then went on to do all the other routes of every stage! I made my own goal and went for it, and I had fun.
