Group Rides on Zwift - All You Need To Know | Zwift For Beginners Ep. 5

[@ColePearl]

I started group rides fairly quickly when I first started Zwift and I'm very happy I did! I met an awesome friendly group of riders and would chat with them on Discord while spinning each time. I learned a lot about Zwift and it kept me motivated to keep jumping back on my bike.

[@briananderson1570]

Thanks for sharing! I realize this is an old video but I plan to try my first group ride tonight! Cheers!

[@GrahamPickup57]

Really helpful, especially re the use of the companion app to select a ride 👍👍👍

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Used this to schedule next week's rides!

[@laurahowe5214]

So excited to try! I’ve been doing Zwift since May and love it. I’ve been too intimidated to try a Pace partner or group ride but now I’m feeling much more confident. 😊. Maybe I’ll catch your group ride sometime if it matches up with my time zone 💙

[@paulimagica]

Thank you for this Katie. I was on your Strava ride last week, it was my first ever Zwift. I was totally lost with regards to communication etc. I hadnt realised that I could use different devices to help with this. I was cycling along getting thumbs up ( I think) and thinking that the other riders must think I am so rude!!!! I have since done an interval training ride which I sorted a couple of things out, I think I will stick with Zwift this year. I did bits of sufferfest last year but I am a little tired of it to be honest. I hope to get a semblance of my fitness back this year and following your ups and downs has helped me get my arse in gear. These Zwift tutorials have been Mega....... Chapeau Katie !!!

[@KatieKookaburra]

Paul this is AWESOME to hear! Well any Zwift questions, send them my way :) Happy to help! x

[@paulimagica]

@@KatieKookaburra thank you, have an ace day 😎

[@kandamy1]

This is sooo helpful- as an (ahem!) older newbie rider I find it difficult to get to know all the features of new technology. I've been using Zwift about six months but only ever do my TP workouts. I'll definitely give these group rides a try now- You may even see me on Tuesday!

[@KatieKookaburra]

That’s amazing Kasto! Yes come and join! :)

[@tonystaples9136]

Katie, I did my first zwift ride today, loved it , although I don't think I am doing it correctly , I never noticed any hills , watched your zwift ride an hour ago and it made more sense ..didn't expect to sweat so much so soon, yes I need a towel to hand and a drink and a fan , why didn't anybody say 🙃🙃 think I might become addicted to this thing ..

[@KatieKookaburra]

Always need a fan and water!!! :) Well done on your first Zwift!

[@GrenvilleMelonseedSkiff496]

🚴👍😀 Great info … ta! PS: I’ve used the speech to text feature on my iPhone microphone for companion App chat!

[@darrellcarter1163]

Amazing vlog skinny k wish I could ride up that climb but need 2hours now have a great weekend skinny k

[@sandygross7823]

Thanks for the encouragement, Katie. I've 5 sessions on zwift, but still timid about group rides. My goal for January is to complete a group ride.

[@colinmcfarlane769]

There is nothing to be worried about. You don't have to chat and just go at your own pace. You will enjoy it.

[@sandygross7823]

@@colinmcfarlane769 😊 thanks. I'm just fearful I won't be able to keep up.

[@colinmcfarlane769]

@@sandygross7823 if that happens just ride to the finish and try again next time. The only pressure is the one you're putting on yourself. So have a go and enjoy the experience even if you can't keep up as we've all been there at some stage.

[@sandygross7823]

@@colinmcfarlane769 😊 I so appreciate your comments.

[@Trevor.Adams640]

People wait on hills? Not in any group ride I’ve ever done. It’s hang on as long as can and if you get dropped, bye bye. Even Cat D rides! Still great fun though!

[@DanBlake3rd]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@KatieKookaburra]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pablohoney52]

I’m new to Zwift and have to take you up on one point. I’ve done 4 group rides at level E, and been dropped and totally left behind on 2 of them. I’ve realised that you need to be totally warmed up, as they go off like bullets from the flag.

[@KatieKookaburra]

Hey Paul, yes one thing especially with races is they go hard from the start. It isn’t as much with group rides but think people get over excited :)

[@MannBazza]

Also worth mentioning that some rides are set up with a setting so you simply cannot be dropped as long as you don’t stop peddling. Not sure how this works behind the scenes, but no matter how fast people ride everyone stays together in a bunch.

[@Trevor.Adams640]

Level E means Everyone. I made the same mistake until someone pointed it out. Try a Level D ride with a projected pace of about 1 to 1.5 watts/kg. Even then, don’t be too surprised if they go faster than the projected pace, though the group leader with the yellow beacon should ride at the pace.

[@_trust9994]

@@Trevor.Adams640 Hello, what do those categories mean {a,b,c,d etc}?

[@Trevor.Adams640]

@@_trust9994 They are basically speed categories with A being the fastest and D the slowest. They are based on your watts per kilo, D is less than 2.5w/Kg. If you do an FTP test on Zwift then divide the result by your weight in kg to get your figure.

[@rickm4739]

I'm a brand new Zwifter. I've done a couple of non-group rides and Zwift has determined I am a C rider. I signed up for a D Group Ride. Immediately at the start, the entire group just took off away from me in the first seconds. Same thing happened 15 minutes later at the start of another group D ride. Thoughts?

[@KatieKookaburra]

This is Zwift racing, you got to get that power high at the start and it will level out :)

[@bykr2009]

I was hoping you'd explain what the pop up icons refer to like the feather, the van etc.

[@KatieKookaburra]

I do in the racing episode of this video series :)

[@ecopennylife]

Great video, Zwift isn't for me ... yet 😉 ... but it's nice to see how it works & can see the benefits of the weather is bad etc.

[@KatieKookaburra]

Haha awwww I was the same. I was like ‘I like the outdoors too much’. Then I came off on ice and was like - tell me about this Zwift thing again! Haha.

[@upgrades23hike]

Katie, do you do anything outside of cycling to help maintain you fitness? I've started doing fitness classes at my local gym and would like to know what you think of them.

[@johndutson4971]

Hi Katie, Why do the percentages on the inclines change from white to yellow then red is it because they are getting steeper? And sometimes they flash

[@KatieKookaburra]

Yes exactly that, the red are the steepest! :)

[@savannahvs]

Are you still doing those group rides? Just joined Zwift :)

[@samblackmore6555]

Katie, what are your thoughts on the double draft? On the large populated rides, the draft becomes ridiculously strong and the speeds to great, meaning that if you fall off the back it's incredibly hard to get back to the group. Your videos are great btw 👍

[@PWDr93]

Hahaha and I thought it was just me. Have had to pump out 3.5w/kg for minutes just to catch back up to Cara

[@samblackmore6555]

@@PWDr93 It's a shame because group rides should be enjoyable but this isn't always the case. I just don't understand the point of a double draft.

[@augusthavince8909]

The landline ringing brings up a question: can you take calls from the cell while riding Zwift?

[@colinmcfarlane769]

Yes

[@shubh6567]

Yes, app works in background.

[@strontzakj]

Will you let us know when the next social ride is up? 😁

[@KatieKookaburra]

I do them first Tuesday of every month… 5pm womens social and 7pm pace sub-hour Alpe! :)

[@_trust9994]

@@Trevor.Adams640 Are there only Men ride in Zwift?

[@kret7554]

@@_trust9994 Someone has asked this in zwift forum and I find it interesting that Zwift can have "Women only events" but as soon we ask about men version of it, it becomes a problem. We can do better.

[@alexraven6608]

Anyone else notice the Brexit banter in the group chat?! 😂

[@peterdobos1606]

No the companion app did not bring up anything about the ride or any chat options at all once the ride started. It was a bunch of avatars shooting all over the place at random paces with no way for me to interact. There was zero guidance. Pointless

[@KatieKookaburra]

The companion app is a way to navigate once you’re riding and on Zwift. The Zwift app is you in game riding. Think you might have got confused… let me know if I can help :)

[@peterdobos1606]

@@KatieKookaburra thanks...I know that the companion app lives on my phone and the zwift app is the "game" screen. There was a list of nearby riders in the swift app, many of them tossing out messages that I could not respond to. I could not interact with the message window in any way in the app. The companion app just kept showing the event info and the fact that I was "going". There was no visible way to do any messaging within the companion app at all. There just is zero inline help with anything Zwift: you have to bail, watch a bunch of videos, then hop back on and hope you can find what they were talking about. Not having labels for ANY of the icons anywhere is also not helpful.