The start of the races is so unrealistic. The races I have been in start off at 6 watts/kilo. Can you have a neutral start for the first 3 km limited to say 3 watts/kilo so that we can all have a chance to warm up? And once those 7 watt/klio superstars are more than 5 minutes ahead, they get removed from the standings list.
That’s actually the reason i would never race on Zwift. I don’t need to race fakes. If i wanted an handicap i could go outside and race an e-bike.
Anyways, having a neutral start would not change much. As soon as the flag is lifted, the 10w/k super monkeys would fly away
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Zwift races start hard that is a fact and you just have to learn to start fast.
1) You need to warm up before the race start
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Get your power up before the flag drop
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First 2 min is all out sprint.
It is not fakes if you look at the Cycling power profile you will see that someone with a FTP of 3.0w/kg should be able to do 7w/kg for 1 min. Some riders are more gifted and can do even more.
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/power-profiling/
A chance to warm up? That’s what the countdown clock in the pen is for… it’s your choice to warm up there or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRDWJXpmslY&t=2s
If your start is anything less than that, out the back, thanks for coming.
@Gerrie Delport ODZ (C): No one is talking about a short power burst but more like an entire race or a very long time frame. I’ve watched races and the power outtage of a lot is not clean, that is for sure. Nobody has to come and say it is, it’s 100% not. Maintaining certain power levels over a certain time is physically not possible.
Andre the OP stated that the start of the races is unrealistic at 6w/kg, I was responding to that.
Yes, Zwift races are just plain unrealistic. Too many racers that are incredibly gifted and can hold 9 watts/kilo for 3 hours yet they don’t own a power meter. Only riders that suck buy power meters. The genetically gifted have no need for them.
Liam those that can hold 9w/kg for 3 hours are of the minority, just ignore them and have fun. Zwift power will sort the results in the end. If you focus on those few you will make your self miserable.
What races are you usually doing?
If you really feel someone is cheating you can flag them using the Zwift Companion app.
6w/kg in the first 10 minutes of the hard races I’ve been doing is pretty common. Dig deep, hang on, recover once the initial selection has been made. The ‘serious’ races, like in the CVR series - require legitimate power & HR data - and if anyone put out 9w/kg for 3 hours they’d be booted on principal. Established thresholds for w/kg outputs at elite levels trigger the need for ZADA review process. Will the front of the hard A races have 6-7w/kg a lot of the time? Yes! There are some fast folks on Zwift, to be sure.