HUMBLED in my first ever ZWIFT RACE

Today we get served a family sized portion of humble pie as we enter my first ever Zwift race, having just signed up to the app yesterday after the Wahoo Kickr Smart Bike arrived on my doorstep (kindly loaned from Sigma Sports and Wahoo).
Went into this race without a clue what I'm meant to be doing and I left still without a clue what I'm meant to be doing.
My first FTP test came in at 273W which I'll be using as a base to begin my Winter training arc and we'll come back to retest this in a couple of weeks.
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Follow the journey:
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[@cdrbrown]

Great representation of what all ‘indoor cycling dorks’ go through at the start! Massive power needed at the gun (which I’ve never had)! 😂

[@hoops202]

Dude. Its all about the start. Ive been zwifting for 2 years now and honestly its been the best trainig tool ive wver had. Made me stronger and given me more endurance than i thought possible. As you get in to it, youll learn about drafting and race tactics, but the main thing is just enjoy it. The competivite nature will win you over.

[@chiikahda394]

That was a great video, I am now invested to watching the rest of your videos to see how your journey continues on Zwift!

[@robmayes28]

There’s no draft in those TT style races mate, so definitely get one of those TT bikes from the “drop shop” for that style of race. Equally don’t use a TT bike in a normal race or you won’t get the “draft effect”. Indoor cycling dork over here! 🙋‍♂️😂

[@ThreeWineCats]

This

[@watts4life]

Hopped on here thinking there would be more Zwift races after this one! Good to see someone's first experience on Zwift, it gets much easier from here. Zwift races go off hard and then settle down, although I think Zwift has done you good and proper putting you in Cat B! I'd suggest getting in a couple of races with bigger fields, and in Cat C if you can get re-classified. Bigger field will let you get the feel of racing in a group, whether that be the front group or one further back. Keep going with the Zwift videos, I'd like to see your progress.

[@AlanDempsey]

So refreshing to see an honest review of a Zwift experience. Good stuff you definitely got a follow and a thumbs up from me. came across your post as I was researching a watt Bike trying to decide if I should buy.

[@thetruespuddy7137]

As I’ve been excited to get on zwift for months now, to hear you say that anyone who plays it is nerds made me laugh, then to see you get humbled by little timmy laying down cycling past made me die 😂 love the content!

[@johnconarty3762]

The commentary in this is amazing haha. Zwift racing is usually all about blasting max power at the start line haha. Great video man.

[@dazcarter73]

That was fun to watch, reminded me of my first races a long time ago! Your HRM working ok? Seemed low until you hit around 7km. I stream quite regularly. One tip I would give if getting more into Zwift is to join a team, you can then learn a lot quicker and race with team mates.

[@Yensen2020]

The handbike ripping past you got me laughing so hard 😂

[@LancashireLadWalks]

😂😂 brilliant! great video, had me in stitches at the end... "ah I think I know what happened? I got spanked." lol 😅

[@Skw-lincs]

Something doesn't look right with the power reading, looks really low compared to the effort you're putting in. Did you calibrate the bike yet? (the wahoo bike might not need it? not sure). When you're in the event, the rider list on the right side shows which CAT each rider is in. This can really help you to manage your efforts accordingly (you dont want to be trying to keep up with an A or B rider is you're in C for example. It just helps you know who's around you. You definitely need to do an FTP test to find your CAT group. If your power reading was indeed correct, you finished 3.0w/kg in that race which would put you in C CAT.

[@pton6722]

cool & honest you are posting this! maybe try a new FTP test. your avg power trough this race is 225w over roughly 30 minutes, or 3.0W/kg. if this is your all-out, you might be in the wrong category. the first five in the race are closer to almost 4.0w/kg. have fun digging deep!

[@DarylBatCarer-ms7od]

Love this! I'm new to Zwift and indoor cycling too so your commentary made me beam. I've subscribed even though I'm a lowly Cat D. More please!

[@gregormacdonald475]

Loving the longer form KZbin content. Kind of making me want to jump on Zwift!

[@scottcopper_1]

There's a hint in the name. Time trial. Sometimes, with time trials on Zwift you can be sent off individually but that's only on a limited number of courses. Most of the time everyone sets off at the same time but Zwift is setup so that there is NO DRAFTING. Because of this there's no point trying to draft anyone in a time trial or trying to stay with the lead group. For a time trial you should select the time trial bike and then ride the race at your own pace (in this case flat out for 16km). Zwift really doesn't explain how time trials are set up very well (or at all) so it can be a very confusing to newcomers. Plus, do accelerate a bit more at the start. Trundling off the line at 100w is going to get you dropped instantly in any race, real or virtual. Even in a time trial you sprint at the start to get up to speed quickly before settling into your race pace.

[@alasdairphilip7742]

Cool…welcome to the Zwift addicts club. At start warm up 5 mins plus, with 10 secs to go wind it up, expect 2 Mins crazy power which then settles down. Stick in the draft, expect attacks on upslopes. Mad sprints at end. Good luck

[@lameaschris5271]

the hand bike bit took me out 😂😂

[@rhysadamcarson9270]

This was like watching myself and my first race 😂 put me about a bit 😂

[@sammcloughlin3208]

This has made me feel so much better, week 2 of Zwift and it’s a killer. I was convinced my hub was broken 😂

[@elwexicano]

I got a good laugh out of that! The commentary is brilliant 😂 You’re shit out of luck that you’ve got to ride cat B for the next while. But you’ll get stronger! Next race, go hard from the gun 💪

[@JamesGhazanfar]

Not the hand bike 🤣

[@DavidWright0301]

That thing looks absolutely mental! See you around in Watopia..

[@everydaytech9284]

Hello man great video. In the future trie to keep your RPM around 75 to 95 max and the start of a Zwift race is crazy hard the first lab is nearly always the hardest keep up the good work

[@Talesofdave1]

Enjoyed this video! Equally been hating the winter months! I’d say keep fuelling yourself just as you would an outdoor ride for distance.

[@davieislay]

You will quickly become hooked,… but you will also have loads of fun (and, it never pishes down in the living room!).

[@Tucsky]

Crazy bike indoor setup, especially for a first one. The tilting feature looks liek a lot of fun indeed. I was thinking maybe the power isn't calibrated correctly but I don't even know if this thing requires calibration since it's all integrated!

[@billycycling]

think the newer wahoo trainers dont need calibrating

[@MarriedWithBackpacks]

haha, "What's the rush" exactly my thoughts at my first zwift race. Spin up to 4-5watt/kgs 2 secs before the start and you'll stay with the lead easier.

[@jordansheldon71]

Really good FTP that is mate. Ive been cycling for years and only just above that

[@LD-bv1pm]

Love your honesty and the handbike made me laugh out loud. Not sure what your FTP is, mine is 3.2 and I ride in the C's. They typically start at 4+ w/kg from the gun, the fast guys will stay well north of 3 for over an hour and they'll climb at 4. The mid-pack where I sit will hold high 2's and climb at 3.5.

[@f1shbowl1]

Are you sure the TT race u entered even had draft on? usually its off in those events. Also usally TT bikes are allowed in TT races, they are a lot faster then normal bikes if draft is off :)

[@jackdavis8786]

It’s all about the start, more power at the start to stay on with the group and it will be even more enjoyable, see you in watopia 😅

[@freiherrvonundzu]

you see in the dialog of each category of the race what you need in terms of w/kg (which is basically your ftp divided by your body weight), add another 1 w/kg to the given max w/kg in the race, because that's what you'll need to stay on the front.

[@neilsmart6249]

😂😂😂and so it begins......next you'll be talking to complete strangers about the awesome platform you've found called Zwift...as the glazed expressions grow in numbers your zeal will exponentially increase...what you don't think this is a sport... welcome to CAT C and humble pie look forward to seeing your humor and grasping for your first win......it is addictive . I was a runner for 50 years found Zwift couple of years ago and just hit 450 races this year suck it up and choose your races to match your ability....just have fun with it👍👍

[@franciscourdaneta599]

you are my hero! that 25th place and 9th at the end its worth gold bro! i will try to get that setup to train!

[@speedwobble5383]

Zwift racing is simple - hard start and do whatever you have to to stay with the front group. Get dropped and you can't win. Super impressed that you say you just ride your bike for fun - if you are cat B on Zwift you are pretty strong.

[@hynekjanousek7887]

Makes no sense for a TT - there is no drafting in Zwift in a TT race EVEN IF people start together, if you start too quick you will blow up later, just like in any TT. In real world, you cannot turn off drafting, in Zwift it is turned off for anythin labeled as a TT..

[@benoitmagnan3125]

Two things #1- right of the bat if you did a couple of runs and an ftp test the day before you raced . your legs are toast or not prepared to give you any chance in any cat C or B race. #2 - you are more of a middle to high C so you will not win a B race without any types of serious trainning for a year or so. Being in the middle of two categories is the worst motivation wise GL bud

[@stueck]

Welcome to the madness fellow Dork !….a couple of observations. Start hard and settle in, use the draft because Zwift is about pushing the least watts necessary to win. Turn the steering off because I noticed you steered out of the draft and you really don’t need it unless you are riding the repack rush. Zwift is brutal but great fun…..see you in Watopia sometime…embrace the pain !

[@jinx6493]

There was no draft, it was a TT race….

[@stueck]

My mistake but useful pointers for a regular race @@jinx6493

[@GregoryBumgardner]

Yeah, the first Zwift race can be an eye opener. Congrats. Warm-up is essential and every race starts all out, usually Z5/Z6 for me. First goal is to survive selection and make the lead group then ride at the back to conserve energy. I'm an average rider and consider it a win if I can hang with the leaders until the sprint at the end. I think races with smaller number of participants are easier than big ones. Too easy to rage quit in the latter. As previous commenter noted - a time trial requires settling into your own pace as drafting is normally disabled.

[@keith_cottongim]

lol My first race was an eye opener. Was not expecting a sprint at the start. Zwift is like a cross country MTB race. Hard out of the gate then it settles down some.

[@R.T_Go_Your_Own_Way]

Welcome to indoor dork land. Once you got warmed up and found some rhythm you started to do really well. Loved your high cadence. Zwift racing is as much a art as it is a sport, you'll get the hang of drafting. One tip i'll give you is get a better blinking in game bike. No one rides steel frames!

[@everydayzwifter]

I second RTs welcome! Starts are out of the saddle for 4 secs and faster for 500m to 1k usually. Hit the drop shop for a new frame and wheels to go even faster. Rhino Crit races will be fierce. Increase power up hills. Watch RTs channel to see how cool Zwifting can get. Good luck!

[@jonnyadamson7396]

Great work mate, and welcome to the indoor cycling dorks club! 💪

[@dantomfar1]

Great to see you on zwift, its brutal but awesome for winter training. Give it a couple of weeks and you'll be flying. Best tips it say are, every race starts full gas for sometimes 20 mins, make sure you give yourself enough time for a warm up, Learn drafting in groups but in your race drafting would of been turned off because its a time trial, most of all enjoy it 😊

[@ElprontoYT]

The levels in these category’s seem crazy high! 🤯

[@RyanCondon]

Love this video, great first race! Gives D CAT wannabes like me hope. 😅

[@Marltiod]

Quick question. Are you sure your power is accurate ? It seems to be low versus your body language. When you are around 200 watts, your body language doesnt seem to match. Maybe Im wrong but it looks like the power reported is low.

[@JeffBudden]

Welcome to the world of Zwift . Yep, everyone thinks it’s easy. great fun if you want to seriously get into racing you should join a fantastic event flame rogue racing you will love it

[@BFin26]

LMFAO yup gotta love zwift races full gas every race for the first minute usually

[@F1TZGER4LD]

Got my wahoo Kickr en route. Will be here for Christmas break brudda I cannot waiitttt

[@F1TZGER4LD]

Also, I’d advise doing the actual FTP test aswell, the longer one, for a proper result

[@F1TZGER4LD]

Hahahahah knew that would happen with the start. Everyone revs the watts up it’s bonkers. There’s nout like a Zwift race mate, it’s backward

[@madrx2]

9/10 zwift riders are hardcore sandbaggers. You'd smoke them all in real life when thier real weight is revealed ❤

[@pauldyerdyer2731]

You have learnt a valuable lesson and that is the CATS on Zwift are a nonsense!

[@garethbutton]

So you may end up in C or not. You can always race up if you want to stay in B. The way it measures you can push you up a cat early. However it will adjust but may take time. Your way more powerful than me though good effort!!! What are you recording on the Mac with? When I record it stops halfway through

[@dazza9360]

lol 😂 One of funniest videos I’ve seen 😂

[@3548vr4]

Humble pie is good for everyone, keep at it 👍🏼🔥

[@philipplummer5202]

Normally on TT races the draft is turned off

[@hynekjanousek7887]

If it is a time trial, there is no drafting even if you are riding behind another participant. It does not matter that there is a mass start, you need to pace it as if you were doing riding alone, no need to chase anybody - but you need a TT bike, just like for any TT. You must have had like 30watts penalty for using a regular bike. And if the other dudes have a higher level TT bike that is another couple of watts on top of that.

[@barrydimelow822]

Love the Northern sense of humour 😂

[@ralzalychhoeng7893]

Hahaha your first zwift start was my first reaction as well. But don't worry you soon realize that that's just how zwift race starts, especially in Cat B. Generally, people start out with a 5-7wkg effort for about 30 seconds and people tend to settle in. It's not too long but that's what you'll have to do just to get with the group.

[@davidnicholson6680]

Category B as a first timer is rough, note that the winner averaged 340+ watts (!). Indoor training is very effective pre time spent as there's constant muscular tension and heat management is harder. For example, I find that I'm about 15-18 watts lower for same perceived effort and heart rate indoors when compared to riding outside. I also much prefer to ride outside, but sometimes in the dead of winter here in Chicago heading down to the basement and blowing my brains out on Zwift is exactly what I need. Gets the serotonin up.

[@MrLeovdmeer]

Yes it is that hard!!

[@stevecullum7879]

I feel for your carpet! 😳

[@davecasey4341]

Welcome to the world of Zwift racing. When the flag drops you best be shoveling coal into the boiler like a madman. Or you become like me, watching the peloton fade into the distance. Good job first time out. Now you have something to improve on.

[@raybraydh2956]

Glad you actually found it good funny how so many bemoan zwift before trying it personally i would never have got back to a reasonable level of cycling without it actually get a bit cross when cyclists put it down without looking at the reasons some people use it

[@roulersportswear3664]

Go 400 watts for first minute (at least) depending on the distance

[@steezymcshredface792]

Massive power needed before the start 400-600 watts once everyone is up to speed it backs off and is easier.

[@highplainszwifter]

What was your ftp result out of interest? Drop that steel frame and stay with the group at the off, life will get easier man @highplainszwifter Ride On! 🤘🏽👍🏽

[@robertkelly28]

Nice one for your first race. You must hit that start hard. It does settle down. And to be competitive you have to stay on a least one wheel. Also, the bike you are on makes a difference. I think you said you were on an aluminium bike. That’s a disadvantage.

[@JeffBudden]

And of course there’s always ZRL, even more fun

[@paulwilliams4990]

To compete in races in my experience you have to train for those races. Heart rate monitor doesn’t seem to be working correctly. Looks like you should be in cat B at 3wkg.

[@Adrian-co1yz]

Is the tilting linked with the track? Or manual needed?

[@EmrysJones]

How much do you weigh? 1 min your doing 200watts at 3.1wkg next it's 2wkg at 204watts,

[@anthonyjohnson6973]

Get a gym mat under that bike mate. The carpet will be toast in no time

[@jfloresdrums]

Welcome to the world of Zwift racing. First thing, the fost 2min of all races are always punchy and them settle in. You'll learn how to draft im the game to help manage power. It takes some time but you're strong af

[@jms493]

You need to give yourself some time to warm up in Zwift. it could take months before your body gets used to just peddling 100% of the time. To jump into a B category race is insane. There is a ton of different activities in Zwift that make it fun and interesting. Racing is just 100% pain.

[@TheHalo14aus]

Yeah I was humbled by a Category D race and have been doing regular group rides until I build up fitness. Can't imagine trying a category B race!

[@Coldhardt007]

Please discard the Ramp-Test and do a proper 20min FTP Test. The ramp test is super inaccurate and will overshoot the FTP for most people. You could orient yourself in the ~230W you did in this race for the 20min test, I think that result will represent your true FTP a lot better and then you can actually enjoy races in your proper category! 😄 Hope to see an update soon!

[@jpait]

Welcome to the dark side. You are going to learn fast… and doing this is going to make you faster.

[@tarekmaafa2728]

Something is off with your data mate ! Your heart rate monitor isn't reflecting your effort ! It's supposed to be higher , especially at the spicy beginning of the race ! And your power seems too low compared with your high cadence, or maybe the trainer resistance is zero! I highly recommend you to calibrate your wahoo bike and try to put some water on your heart rate monitor so it gives better reading

[@MourDog32]

If you wanna try team time trial races drop me a message. Zwift offers so many possibilities for cyclist. Can get you in touch with a nice mostly British team. Keep it up!!!

[@xandershawvlog]

I’m pretty sure these (British TT) races are non-draft so no benefit from it. Welcome to Zwift. Some people seem to hate it but I suspect they have not tried racing properly. If you get into it there is a rabbit hole of WTRL TTT, ZRL and if you want an 8 day stage race that has loads in it look at Flamme Rouge Racing.

[@mainselectrical7163]

dont get draft in time trial races. normally you need to power up just before start to stay with them and settle into the draft.

[@GingerBoy1974]

It was a Time trial event so drafting effect is cancelled. You get none. In your zwift shop you should have changed to a TT bike. Faster in the game.

[@NicoWithAnO]

Is this normal it make a loud noise ?

[@paceline]

Looks like you didn't hit your true potential until 20 minutes in. A warm up pre-race would do you a lot of good

[@rockymanilow5115]

Just go bats out of he'll right off the start😂

[@philevans3891]

Good video. You don’t get a draft in tt races on zwift.

[@logojones96]

respect the effort, Zwift racing is fucked 😂

[@paulwebster4499]

Was your HR correct the max on the video was about 120bpm

[@paulwebster4499]

Apologies, it goes up at the end, you have a benchmark HR to set your zones up from

[@SprintTri57]

HR data looks bad. Get a chest strap. Every race start is like a cyclocross race

[@patty109109]

Yeah get the polar h10. I tried Apple Watch for a while and couldn’t reliably sync it.

[@Adrian-co1yz]

Garmin or wahoo. Nothing else

[@philipplummer5202]

Zwift will soon sort out your Cat as you do more , to me it's looks like your pushing Cat C numbers massive step up C to B

[@John-rk5cm]

Very funny !!...

[@6degreefloat]

ZP may reduce you after a few races to C based on your race results, but you power seems to be a B rider. Nonetheless, pushing 5-7wkg at the start of the race is absolutely necessary. After a little, the group will settle down into a more respectable pace. Once you get dropped, you’re now a chase group that will have to burn some serious power to catch. Good luck!

[@James-zu1ij]

The power you are producing doesnt seem high enough??? are you calibrated properly? 220 - 240 W is the power I deliberately keep down to on an easy commute to work (at 85kg no regular training) You look like you should be producing more.

[@kidsafe]

The KICKR Bike doesn’t require calibration.

[@MarkRiddellRacing]

B cat is 3.2 to 4 wkg. You averaged 3.0. Need to average 3.5 at least to be competitive in B cat. Also, get the power up with 3 seconds to start and go full gas for first 30 seconds or so and find a group. Sticking with a group is critical. Zwift doesn’t reward high cadence, try increase gear and pedal 80-90 rpm. You will go faster. Better luck next time.

[@tommylobotommy]

There is no draft in TT races mate.

[@pheel.the.fletcher]

The ramp test is a missmash of max power and endurance, your real FTP is probably around 10-15% lower than the ramp test. Keep up the good work!

[@jinx6493]

Get a rubber mat under that bike or your carpet is gonna stink!

[@sebastiaanvankouwen8500]

Once you loose the draft you are gone. Start hard and settle in after a min or 2-4

[@DaveRider719]

Man your heart monitor.must be broken. When you talked it seems that you have something between 140 and 150 but you HR is at 67. This is super low and not possible. At minute 5:20. You are using your warch or something?

[@DaveRider719]

Ah I see you are using your watch. Honestly I think you need a chest strap

[@waterdeptworker]

Nice finally someone like me that does not have the Tron bike. The Tron bike gives you like an extra 8-10 Kph...99.99% of winners have Tron bikes.

[@cracked229]

I wouldn't worry about it, use racing as a training stimulus but don't take results seriously. I'd estimate 50-70% off all Zwift racers cheat, even the Zwift "pros", plenty of guys with pro level power inside but not a single fast outdoor ride. Highly suspect.