Episode 1: Going for B on Zwift

[@DontGetDroppedCycling]

Keep putting that work in!!! My man has put in that WORK 💪🏽

[@Maydeus]

Thanks! Did a B race again today and stayed with the pack for 18 minutes (it was a pretty slow B race, but still) and was only 1:21 behind the winner at the finish line. By the way. Love your channel. You’re a great inspiration. 👍 Thanks for watching.

[@ImGlossy63]

I’m pretty much the same as you, upper C racer waiting to get called up to Cat B. Done a few B’s to see what it is like. What I learned, never go off the front, hide as much as possible in the wheels and carefully pick races that suit your strengths. Good Luck!!

[@Maydeus]

@@ImGlossy63 thanks. I totally agree. Picking races is a good strategy.

[@Frank-rv6kj]

Hi, some B group rides looks more and more like A pace, I'm pretty sure that the B races are brutal. Spend some time with Constance robopacer. If you hold 15 minutes, aim for 17 the next time and so on! I see you wear SZR colors, come and spend some time if you can every Thursdays at 1.00pm EAST, SZR Climbing Crew (B). I'm the Red Beacon (if needed), we can fine tune your climbing skills! Keep the good work, cheers.

[@Maydeus]

Thanks for your inspiring words. I lasted 18 minutes in a B race today, so I’m getting there. (But to be honest, today was a slow B race) Awesome. I’ll check out the Climbing Crew when possible. I love climbing. Cheers and ride on. 💪

[@seeza]

I got pushed into B when I was usually still not very competitive in C. I guess there were a lot of people sandbagging in my C races though, because my results are about the same in B as C. I don't do that many races though.

[@Maydeus]

@@seeza I’ve also noticed that my results are about the same in B and C. I think the new Racing Score system will help in creating fair racing.

[@july1000000]

Whether you're C or B, you're A+ in my book.

[@Maydeus]

You’re too kind. ❤️❤️❤️

[@NorthernEnduranceDad]

Keep up the great work!

[@Maydeus]

Thank you very much. 🙏

[@cyclingjack]

I wanted to try the same, but never did. Happy as c for now.

[@Maydeus]

Who knows. Maybe you’ll go for it at a later time.

[@cyclingjack]

@@Maydeus yes, maybe. You could join me at the sunday vikings 100 km ride; i never do the irl stop, but always continue at higher w/kg. The a’s and b’s doing that are to fast for me, but there’s always a small group of fanatics left; it’s a group ride in the end anyway. Good training aswell (high aeroob).

[@Maydeus]

@@cyclingjack cool. I’ve never thought of doing that. I always take the irl break. 🙂 I’ll try your way some day.

[@JulAlxAU]

Build up the strength and then go for it. Sometimes Zwift changes your category based on some stupid algorithm and you’ll be stuck in there. That happened to me once.

[@Maydeus]

Thanks for your support. 🙂👍💪 I’ll go for it! Thanks for watching.

[@AndrewisTri-tn1uo]

Fun experiment and good to put yourself out there, but from this video I'm not sure you're ready, and would probably get more just out of racing C still. Unless you just start winning all the time or Zwift algorithm boots you, it's fine. You could also talk about what your, say, 6 month goal ftp w/kg is and how you plan on getting their, both from a weight and power perspective. I'm in the same position, ready to start thinking about the jump to cat B but I'm over 10kg heavier than you so it's a bit different. It looks like you're probably better on longer and hillier courses. So if you entered C races that were shorter and flatter you'd probably still get plenty of challenge still. This is what I plan on doing, except for me it's hillier courses that are the challenge.

[@Maydeus]

Great. Thanks for your comment. You’re right, I’m not ready to make the move to B quite yet. However, I do a lot of racing in C with my team, so I want to mix it up with some B racing as well. From a learning point of view I sometimes prefer to race at a higher level as I don’t really care what place I finish in (except for when I race in a team environment where points matter). What I miss out on when racing above my level is the tactical aspect, which is super important for learning to manage a race and ultimately winning. When all my energy is going to just staying with the group, then there is no room for tactics. 🙂 Thanks for watching. Take care.

[@martinandrews2860]

I’m on a similar journey. Addictive isnt it! Great tunes. M.

[@Maydeus]

Awesome! I hope it works out well for you. It sure is addictive. The toughest part is to get enough rest between sessions. 🙂 Thanks for watching and commenting. Ride on!

[@klagshamn_velo]

👍

[@Maydeus]

Tackar tackar. 🙂👍

[@elvisjaegerabduljabaar3465]

What is so bad with this race ? You are new to cat B and finish around 90/110. This is just normal... You would like to stay in the bunch, and that's OK. But you put a lot of energy in the firt 3 minutes to keep in the top 20. You even end up beeing at the front, 3rd or 4th. This is just crazy, you stick with people who are close to go to cat A ! Maybe, staying at 50-60th place, in the frist 3 minutes, you could have this sort of "2 minutes at 4+ W/kg" still there, in your legs, ready for the hill. What happens after the hill, how the group splits in 2 or 3 groups... you will see later. I'm still cat C, 3.2W/kg, trying to podium one day :) so you may be right not to agree :)

[@Maydeus]

That’s an excellent point. I would definitely do better with that tactic. However, in episodes 2 and 3 of this series I hang on way longer. At this point I’ve made it a challenge to see how long I can stay with the leaders. As time goes by, I’ll probably employ a different tactic, preferably the one you mentioned. Thank you so much for watching and commenting. 🙂 Good luck with your own journey. 💪