It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Zwift is a funny "place" sometimes.
Like the real world, everyone has their own interests and goals. Some people are doing structured workouts alone. Some people are doing group rides. Others are doing group workouts. Some people ride informally with small groups.
...and then there's me. I just sorta do whatever.
I tried the structured workouts when they were first introduced, but I never took to them. Part of it was the irresistible urge to go chase squirrels instead of sticking to the plan. Part of it was the frustrations that ANT+ and other data dropouts bring when you're trying to stay in a specific power range. However, if I'm completely honest (which rarely happens), I just don't want to.
I tried the group rides and races, but (again being totally honest) I got shelled in a Cat C race when they held over 4 w/kg for the first lap and then started to really crank it up. Since Cat C is supposed to average under 3.2 w/kg FTP (with surges above that), I found this a little perplexing. Probably should have warmed up a bit beforehand. On the upside, I did manage to get a lap PR out of the ordeal. Another facet of Zwift that just wasn't my thing.
I'm not going to even try group workouts, simply because they would be demoralizing. You see the tightly-packed groups all the time, and if you catch a glimpse of their power levels or notice their w/kgs on the nearby riders board, you realize they would be going much, much faster if it wasn't for the workout mode. Not that "speed" really means anything in the virtual world, but I'd like to see all of the watts I'm sweating into the pedals be translated into forward momentum, instead of being passed by runners.
Usually everyone I know that rides on Zwift is either on at completely different times, involved in some other event, or much, much, much faster than I am. I'm just not that organized or interested in making the effort for a virtual ride. Seeing the person face-to-face is one thing, but I'm not all that good at typing messages when I'm anaerobic.
So, what I'm left with is cruising around on my own, destroying fitness randomly. I chase sprints or try for PRs on climbs as the mood strikes. Occasionally I may take a polka dot jersey or a lap jersey for a short time, but the only ones I usually hang onto are the green sprint jerseys. If the motivation is there, I can put up a pretty respectable solo sprint. I just tell myself that I'm "all in" for that given section, crank like mad for the line, and blow up spectacularly just after it. I generally try to shorten the recovery time so that I don't get too comfortable riding easy after a hard effort. Want to get dropped in a crit? Just ride Zone 1 after a prime.
Usually how I rank is completely dependent on how many people are riding at a given moment, what their individual goals are, and if there are races happening during that timeframe. I also realize that out of the 5,000 people online during peak hours, maybe ten of them actually care about whatever goal I'm shooting for. While the leaderboard may say that I'm the best out of thousands, the reality is often not that many people are playing the same game as I am. The ones that are playing are rarely the fastest ones out there, but I have to prop up my fragile ego somehow.
Every once in a while I'll post a time that causes other people to take a shot at the sprint. Sometimes they take the green jersey away from me, and if I still have the legs, I'll try to take it back. The back and forth makes the time on the trainer go a little faster, which is the whole reason I'm on Zwift in the first place. I want something to distract me from the fact that no matter how hard I pedal, I'm not going anywhere.
In about a month I hope to be out on the road again. My time on Zwift will become more and more sporadic as the number of "good" road riding days increases. By "good", I mean not icy or excessively cold and rainy. I need to get the ti gravel bike finished so I can expand the definition of "good" with studded tires and full fenders. Once that happens, the only limiting factor will be how much I'm willing to be cold. For various reasons, I can endure a lot more on skis than I can on the bike.
Yes, my time in the virtual world of Zwift is drawing to a close for the season. We're not quite there, but I can see it coming. Considering I've been on the platform since mid-October, it's not surprising that I'm growing a little anxious to do something real. I want to ride for more than an hour and not count the seconds until I'll allow myself to climb off the bike. I want that ultimate sensory overload that comes with being released into reality.
The mad world of Zwift is fine for a while, but I'm ready for some sanity.
Like the real world, everyone has their own interests and goals. Some people are doing structured workouts alone. Some people are doing group rides. Others are doing group workouts. Some people ride informally with small groups.
...and then there's me. I just sorta do whatever.
I tried the structured workouts when they were first introduced, but I never took to them. Part of it was the irresistible urge to go chase squirrels instead of sticking to the plan. Part of it was the frustrations that ANT+ and other data dropouts bring when you're trying to stay in a specific power range. However, if I'm completely honest (which rarely happens), I just don't want to.
I tried the group rides and races, but (again being totally honest) I got shelled in a Cat C race when they held over 4 w/kg for the first lap and then started to really crank it up. Since Cat C is supposed to average under 3.2 w/kg FTP (with surges above that), I found this a little perplexing. Probably should have warmed up a bit beforehand. On the upside, I did manage to get a lap PR out of the ordeal. Another facet of Zwift that just wasn't my thing.
I'm not going to even try group workouts, simply because they would be demoralizing. You see the tightly-packed groups all the time, and if you catch a glimpse of their power levels or notice their w/kgs on the nearby riders board, you realize they would be going much, much faster if it wasn't for the workout mode. Not that "speed" really means anything in the virtual world, but I'd like to see all of the watts I'm sweating into the pedals be translated into forward momentum, instead of being passed by runners.
Usually everyone I know that rides on Zwift is either on at completely different times, involved in some other event, or much, much, much faster than I am. I'm just not that organized or interested in making the effort for a virtual ride. Seeing the person face-to-face is one thing, but I'm not all that good at typing messages when I'm anaerobic.
So, what I'm left with is cruising around on my own, destroying fitness randomly. I chase sprints or try for PRs on climbs as the mood strikes. Occasionally I may take a polka dot jersey or a lap jersey for a short time, but the only ones I usually hang onto are the green sprint jerseys. If the motivation is there, I can put up a pretty respectable solo sprint. I just tell myself that I'm "all in" for that given section, crank like mad for the line, and blow up spectacularly just after it. I generally try to shorten the recovery time so that I don't get too comfortable riding easy after a hard effort. Want to get dropped in a crit? Just ride Zone 1 after a prime.
Usually how I rank is completely dependent on how many people are riding at a given moment, what their individual goals are, and if there are races happening during that timeframe. I also realize that out of the 5,000 people online during peak hours, maybe ten of them actually care about whatever goal I'm shooting for. While the leaderboard may say that I'm the best out of thousands, the reality is often not that many people are playing the same game as I am. The ones that are playing are rarely the fastest ones out there, but I have to prop up my fragile ego somehow.
Every once in a while I'll post a time that causes other people to take a shot at the sprint. Sometimes they take the green jersey away from me, and if I still have the legs, I'll try to take it back. The back and forth makes the time on the trainer go a little faster, which is the whole reason I'm on Zwift in the first place. I want something to distract me from the fact that no matter how hard I pedal, I'm not going anywhere.
In about a month I hope to be out on the road again. My time on Zwift will become more and more sporadic as the number of "good" road riding days increases. By "good", I mean not icy or excessively cold and rainy. I need to get the ti gravel bike finished so I can expand the definition of "good" with studded tires and full fenders. Once that happens, the only limiting factor will be how much I'm willing to be cold. For various reasons, I can endure a lot more on skis than I can on the bike.
Yes, my time in the virtual world of Zwift is drawing to a close for the season. We're not quite there, but I can see it coming. Considering I've been on the platform since mid-October, it's not surprising that I'm growing a little anxious to do something real. I want to ride for more than an hour and not count the seconds until I'll allow myself to climb off the bike. I want that ultimate sensory overload that comes with being released into reality.
The mad world of Zwift is fine for a while, but I'm ready for some sanity.
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