Done a number of rides recently with C.Cadence on Tempus Fugit … really helpful and enjoyable way to rack up some kms and get the old legs loosened up. However, there have been issues the last twice I have lined up a PP ride.
First, on Friday evening, in spite of the menu showing C.C riding Tempus Fugit as usual she seemed to be riding Hilly Route. Not normally a huge issue but I was using it as a warmup for a race, and being dropped straight into the ride at the foot of the Zwift KOM was not particularly helpfule.
Second, last night she was riding Tempus Fugit as expected, I was initally dropped into the pack as normal but was very quickly dropped by the group and, in spite of holding around 4wpg for between 5 and 10 minutes, she just eased her and the group further and further away from me. I am not a light guy, and that 4wpg represents over 360 watts.
Normally, I have no problem staying with the group on a C.Cadence ride, and dropping a gear and pushing up to 3-3.2wpg is enough to pull back up to the group if I get distracted and fall off the back occasionally.
Something seems to have definitely changed … and not in a good way. This was one of my favourite features on Zwift and is now basically unusable on the basis of last night’s ride.
I had something similar happen to me with Cadence recently. She was slated to be running the Tick-Tock course, but I was plopped down in the PP peloton on Hilly Route too! However, I was thrilled to see the crucial proximity animation had returned! And it was visible the moment I started with the pack. I was essentially at 0 meters away from Cadence at one moment (with the animation showing as below), and then the next moment I was shown “dropped” by the PP peloton, and had to push 150% threshold for way too long before catching up again - potentially ruining not only my warm-up, but my entire ride objectives. The essential proximity animation, which is crucial to maintaining one’s relative position to the PP, was never seen again! It was a glitch.
BTW, the nature of the course that you’re on with the PP makes no difference whatsoever to the ride feel if you’re using your gears correctly. Cadence will push 2.5W/kg whether she’s on a hill or not. As long as you continue matching her power output, the terrain geometry should have no bearing on your race warm-up. Look at your power meter, not the incline. LOL! Maybe we both had the same glitch? It’s clear that Zwift has been tampering with the pack dynamics of not only the Pace Partners, but also the AI algorithm concerning all groups.
For me, the crucial (now missing) feature - one which has already been deployed and tested - is the proximity animation shown above. I should like to see this animation on at all times one is in the PP peloton drops zone… not as now, only when one is about to run off the front or be dropped. The proximity animation could change color, or flash, for example, to alert users when they are about to fall out of the PP peloton.
