Zwift Racing - course doesn't line up with workout

Racing
1

Hi. My question is related to Zwift racing training plan.

As I’m doing the workouts, they’re designed to take place on a specific route (ex., Watopia Forward). How do I make the workout actually align with the location on the route?

What I mean is this. The workout will say something like, “at this point you have a steep climb, so grind hard”, BUT, I’m not actually on that part of the course at that time.

My question is: Is there a way to start the workout at the right time or location so that the workout aligns with where I am on the route?

It’d be of GREAT benefit if I was actually simulating the race course during work out.

I must be missing something.

Thanks for the help!

2

I don’t know if there is a way to do this. Race simulations will replicate the efforts at approximately the right spacing but to have it perfectly align… well unless I am missing something that may not be doable.

How would the person writing the workout know your weight height etc to know that a hill takes you 2 minutes @ xxx watts? Or that the flat between hills may be 12 minutes for you, 11 minutes for an A racer and 14 minutes for a D racer?

Far too many variables to get the workout to align with the course perfectly unless there is something I don’t know about.

3

Great observation. Perhaps I was thinking that the workout adjusted based on the performance.

4

I don’t do Zwift workouts but my assumption is that it us a set workout, something like 1 hour long with… Ramp warm up 5 minutes, 5 minutes Z2 (70%), then 6X3’ @120% w 3’ recovery @ 50%, etc? Of course being a race simulation it won’t be so organized and uniform as it will better fit a race course.

This doesn’t take into account riders weight, height, raw power, etc which will all change the actual speed in Zwift and tge location your avatar is on course.

But it should train specific energy systems in a very similar manner to your race. The thought being if it is a hard 2 minute climb simulation maybe you really do it in 1m45s or 2m15s, doesn’t matter it is all the same energy system even if it’s not perfect.

5

Thanks for taking the time. I understand the benefits of the work out and I’m enjoying the plan. Just hoping there was a way to line it all up. Thanks for clarifying for me!

Dan