Zwift Racing; Online vs. In Real Life (The Showdown!)

If you know me, you know I love Zwift. I get on the platform as often as I can. If you are not exactly sure what Zwift is check it out here: zwift.com. I am also a proud member of the Race WBR (World Bicycle Relief) Team, which is an extremely active and competitive race team on Zwift:

I have always spent a lot of time on the indoor trainer. This is something that has been dictated by my circumstances. My schedule is pretty hectic with work and family commitments and the winter months where I live are cold enough to make morning training a misery. I have many days where its either train indoors or out in the -4 degree chill so off to the pain cave in the shed I go with regular monotony. 

For me though, the most important discovery with Zwift has been the racing. Now I know full well that people cheat in Zwift racing. A subtle lie with your weight data can make a big difference never mind a huge lie. But in the end, I can live with that, because the workouts I get in Zwift races are just fantastic. A big part of that reason, is that I have to race A grade, which generally puts me into events with some quality bike riders (A grade riders have a minimum of 4 watts per kg at FTP).

The other reason Zwift racing has been a great find is that I have a hard time getting to local racing. I live in a smallish country town with a major centre an hour's drive away. This makes accessing local club racing tough. Do the maths with me...one hour drive, fifteen minutes set up and registration, ten minutes warm up, thirty-five minute race, ten minutes to regain composure, one hour drive home. That's three hours and ten minutes all for a short criterium (to be fair, they are very often longer than that). Let's take a look at the power data for one of those criteriums:

Compare this to a Zwift race. Do the maths with me again...five minutes to get ready, ten minutes to warm up, thirty-five minutes to race, ten minutes to wind down. That's fifty-five minutes for a thirty-five minute race. Let's take a look at the power data for one of those Zwift races:

Do you see what I am getting at here? Don't get me wrong, I love the local criteriums and I would never abandon them completely...but it's a hard sell when you see power data like that and consider the time out of my day taken to compete.

Now I understand that there is a social aspect of racing as well and that is important. I also get that there are tactical and race strategy experiences to be gained, but to be honest, with a million criteriums under my belt, I reckon I'm probably alright. 

The point I am making here is that in terms of training stress and workout quality, I can access a 'club criterium like' experience, in my shed, as often as I want. Potentially, I can do this a couple of times a day if I wanted to. And that dear readers....is nothing short of awesome.

Ride on!