FAST START in New York // Zwift Racing // Category C // LaGuardia Loop Race

[@kevinderung8524]

bravo Caed!

[@everydayzwifter]

I loved the experiment. Ride on!

[@CaedmonCycling]

Appreciate it, thanks for watching!

[@ZwiftyZwifter]

You’ve no idea how much that cheered me up after a crappy week! I’m injured so I’m counting on you and others to give me my Zwift fix by osmosis. I think my favourite wins was using this strategy. I thought you’d have a podium sewn up, so few people used to even notice the pen positions! I occasionally would win it in the first minute, the As would just drag me away as the Cs desperately tried to catch up. Seems others now have the same idea!

[@CaedmonCycling]

Appreciate it! I hope you get to relax and recharge a bit this weekend. We all have bad weeks, so I hope you feel better soon. And yeah, looks like there are some more keen Zwift racers now than before. Seems like everyone started fast, and I just didn’t have the power to stay with the pack. Cheers, and have a good weekend 👍

[@monkeyfaceice]

Bummer watching the pack ride away! Felt sorry for the B rider before the big group came together. He/She was pulling 4.0 on the front and you guys all just sat back at 2.5 :0)

[@CaedmonCycling]

Yeah, I just didn’t quite have the power to stay with the front group. Bs and Cs racing together definitely has pros and cons. I’m still trying to learn the ins and outs of the best strategy in these races, but it is fun to get a sneak peak of the ability of riders in the class above you. They are a strong pack of riders!

[@marccale9890]

There was a disappointing lack of "B"'s to latch onto here at the start! Thanks for posting.

[@CaedmonCycling]

Yeah, although more Bs and I probably would’ve been dropped even earlier 😂 that’s definitely the right strategy. Congrats on the win!

[@OnTheRivet]

Great result and great to see you push out hard like that to pick the Bs Getting out on the front is such a big part of a winning strategy, but I’m conflicted with the all cats races like 3R. Trying to stay on a group of Bs can be a winning formulae but blow one up at the same time..

[@CaedmonCycling]

Yup, definitely agree! I think it pushes us to become better racers, and get a good idea of the ability and endurance required to be in the higher cat. Bs are definitely some strong riders

[@canadahodl5941]

Right on. You ride the Canyon with zipps?

[@CaedmonCycling]

Yes, Canyon Aeroad 2021 with the Zipp 808s

[@RoyImahara]

I have tried that start strategy a few times with the staggered pens without success. This course makes it doubly difficult. I emptied the tank and latched onto the lead group but that first incline did me in. The A's and B's were just rolling along and stepped on the gas on the incline. I was so gassed that I couldn't even stay with the front of the C group. I have had much better results when the A's and B's started even or behind and I could latch on while much fresher. In these situations, if you can hang on for the first and maybe second inclines, you usually have a large gap on the C field. The key is finding some B riders to group up with. Just need a bit of luck.

[@CaedmonCycling]

Yeah, that’s exactly what happened to me here too! We didn’t find a group of Bs to jump on to, so it ended up mostly Cs anyway. And then I was a bit gassed and got dropped early. That’s a good point though that it probably works better with pens that are even, or at least takes a bit of luck

[@RoyImahara]

Oh and with the lower cadence, try even lower. Like 80 or less if you can. It should help you smooth out your power output as well. Pedal circles.

[@CaedmonCycling]

Hmm, I might have to try that. My worry is that my legs would be dead early in the race. It might be a good way to build power though, and I am trying to smooth out my power.

[@RoyImahara]

@@CaedmonCycling use it on flats when you are in the blob and need to get your heart rate down. Keep an eye on the list to the right and keep your power low compared the the other riders. With the new group dynamics you can sit in the middle of the blob at surprisingly low w/kg’s. It does take some practice.

[@RoyImahara]

@@CaedmonCycling you can also practice with the pace partners.

[@CaedmonCycling]

Thanks! That’s a great idea to test it out with the pace partners. I’ll see if I can get it down successfully, cause I would love to have more energy left at the end of these races for sure