Zwift, TR, Sufferfest etc

**huckbucket** · 03-01-2021, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

Ventoux Bagde

Don’t need to do that one again any time soon.
Attachment 365452
Fawk, that’s just too long to be on a trainer.
Why didn’t I just go skiing today?

Yeah man. Way to get it. What color shoes?

**Dee Hubbs** · 03-01-2021, 05:33 PM

The red ones are indoor only shoes, with fresh cleats that have never seen a surface other that the carpet of "the zwift room".
And obviously the red ones are the fastest.

**kathleenturneroverdrive** · 03-01-2021, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by rideit

Got it, I haven’t messed with that. Is it in workouts, or where do you go first?
Sorry for the dumb q’s

I think you're basically talking about doing a custom workout in ERG mode. Which is super easy to do. You build those in the "Training" area right below where you choose a world to ride on the home screen. Instructions are here. Once you build it, you select it, then go back to the main screen and choose any world/route you want to do the workout in. When you get into that world and start riding you'll see your workout on the left side of the screen.

ERG should be turned on at that point, but if for some reason it's turned off just touch your screen so the little menu at the bottom of the screen pops up (the one that lets you change camera angles). During workouts they add an ERG on/off button in there.

**rideit** · 03-01-2021, 05:38 PM

Thanks, guys. Looking to do some low intensity ‘fat burner’ rides, (5 real pounds in three weeks, hopefully, nothing crazy). Then I can worry about more consistent speed. So, base miles.

**buttahflake** · 03-01-2021, 05:40 PM

Zone 1 is a waste of time, don’t bother unless you plan on riding for like 4 hours. Stick to Zone 2 for lower intensity base miles.

**kathleenturneroverdrive** · 03-01-2021, 05:42 PM

Nice! Workouts also give you XP bonuses if you're into that too. Plus, it's a super-easy way to tick off rides with big vert since you're only going at a set zone/watts so it's impossible to overdo it.

Oh and I agree with Buttah - I believe zone 1 is best for recovery, zone 2 best for base miles.

**rideit** · 03-01-2021, 05:47 PM

Sounds good. I’ll try that for rides under two hours.
What zone you guys figger if my last 40 minute ftp was around 218-220?
To give some context, I will be riding in Peru next month, up to about 15,500 feet. Slow and steady practice is the ONLY way that I will be able to do this with my Peruvian friends, and not horribly crack. Just looking to survive and not get on the sag wagon, not beat (or even pace) them.
So this is a very targeted strategy.

**Dee Hubbs** · 03-01-2021, 05:48 PM

Building a custom work out in zwift is easy, and running it in ERG mode would work.
OR
Only connect your Wahoo to Zwift in "Power" and "Cadence", and disconnect "Control" from Zwift, then open the Wahoo App on connect "Control" to the Wahoo App, Then set your ERG by your Wahoo App.

**buttahflake** · 03-01-2021, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by rideit

Sounds good. I’ll try that for rides under two hours.
What zone you guys figger if my last 40 minute ftp was around 118-120?

Do you have an actual FTP entered into your Zwift and Strava profiles? If not, get on it. It will show you exactly what your zones are.

**rideit** · 03-01-2021, 05:53 PM

Not yet, I need to do the proper test tomorrow, but see my post edit above.
I am just going off the Zwift calculation, not actually ‘going for it’ on the test yet.
Thanks again.

**Dee Hubbs** · 03-01-2021, 06:00 PM

Zone 1 Active Recovery <55% of FTP Very Easy
Zone 2 Endurance 55-75% Easy
Zone 3 Tempo 75-90% Moderate
Zone 4 Lactate Threshold 90-105% Challenging
Zone 5 VO2max 105-120% Hard
Zone 6 Anaerobic Capacity 120-150% Very Hard
Zone 7 Neuromuscular Power 150%+ Max

**rideit** · 03-01-2021, 06:01 PM

Agreed, looks like 2 is where I need to be.

**jamal** · 03-01-2021, 06:08 PM

That's going to be boring as fuck and not accomplish much.

Just pick routes, ride them at a moderate pace, and maybe push a little on the climbs. That will be much more interesting than mindlessly pedaling at X watts or doing workouts and will keep you more engaged. Which means you'll do it for longer, which is the main thing you want right now. Try some events and riding with pace partners too.

**buttahflake** · 03-01-2021, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by jamal

That's going to be boring as fuck and not accomplish much.

Just pick routes, ride them at a moderate pace, and maybe push a little on the climbs. That will be much more interesting than mindlessly pedaling at X watts or doing workouts and will keep you more engaged. Which means you'll do it for longer. Try some events and riding with pace partners too.

This, do this. You way overthink shit rideit!

**rideit** · 03-01-2021, 06:12 PM

Lol, I try that, but always end up giving her the beans.
Oh, my ftp is calculated at 218-220 or so, just a correction.
But that’s just riding, not ‘testing’.

Buttah, you are absolutely right...but I have been mindlessly pedaling for 40 years!
I think I can do better.

**VTskibum** · 03-01-2021, 06:40 PM

I’ll third Jamals suggestion, a bunch of pages ago I answered a question like this about training types Polarized v Sweetspot, but really JRA while kinda kinda hard on an achievable route is a good strategy until you want to get more serious.

Zwift insider has a 12 week program based on routes and organized by difficulty/length that might be worth a look. I stopped really training year before last and just spent last winter riding as many of the Zwift routes as I could. Have finished all of them under 50k and a bunch of the hard climby ones. No racing last year but was hanging on rides with all my former competitors/buddies all summer on that program

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**huckbucket** · 03-01-2021, 06:46 PM

In other news, I spent the winter on Zwift and just last weekend got outside on the road for 6 hours between Fri-Sat-Sun. First time in a long time. I'm here to tell you riding outside is still hard. Carry on.

**kathleenturneroverdrive** · 03-01-2021, 06:48 PM

I'm the total opposite of you guys. JRA in zwift is pure, mind-numbing torture to me. Like my version of hell. But put me in a race, group ride, or ERG workout and I'll ride for hours and hours (with a movie or TV show playing too)

**justcuz** · 03-01-2021, 08:12 PM

Alright...first world problem. Finally moving the pain cave to a better brighter space with other work out “things”. Problem is it’s next to my boys room and I ride often before he wakes. I’m on a wheel on trainer which is totally fine.

Question is, that thing is noisy enough to wake the kids. Are direct drives substantially quieter? Any reason to not just get the cheapest direct drive tacx variety? Or spend extra and get something nicer? Dcrain seems to be indifferent honestly for mid priced trainers.

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**XtrPickels** · 03-01-2021, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs

Zone 1 Active Recovery <55% of FTP Very Easy
Zone 2 Endurance 55-75% Easy
Zone 3 Tempo 75-90% Moderate
Zone 4 Lactate Threshold 90-105% Challenging
Zone 5 VO2max 105-120% Hard
Zone 6 Anaerobic Capacity 120-150% Very Hard
Zone 7 Neuromuscular Power 150%+ Max

(For general training)

70 to 80% of riding ought to be in Zone 2.
20% to 30% in Zones 4/5/6.

**rideit** · 03-01-2021, 09:10 PM

Dammit, my laptop battery died 10 minutes in, and now the workout won’t load up.
I’m such a fucking boomer...
But yeah, the erg mode was cool while watching an episode on Narcos México. 55 minutes in Z2 and 3 intermittently.

Just cuz, my Wahoo Kickr is basically silent.

**XtrPickels** · 03-01-2021, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by rideit

Dammit, my laptop battery died 10 minutes in, and now the workout won’t load up.
I’m such a fucking boomer...
But yeah, the erg mode was cool while watching an episode on Narcos México. 55 minutes in Z2 and 3 intermittently.

Just cuz, my Wahoo Kickr is basically silent.

I got a 'Tron bike like this by going up the Alp in Erg mode at base.
Then, when your workout is done, coast back down in non-erg mode for bonus points each kilometer / mile.

**huckbucket** · 03-01-2021, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by XtrPickels

I got a 'Tron bike like this by going up the Alp in Erg mode at base.
Then, when your workout is done, coast back down in non-erg mode for bonus points each kilometer / mile.

Wait, what? Alp in ERG?!? Booooooo! 10 demerits.

**bennymac** · 03-01-2021, 11:47 PM

There are tons of people doing workouts on the bottom half of Alpe (I’m guessing they are all in ERG mode) - free climbing meters and then free Km on the drop back down.

If you want to get climbing quicker during your workout you can pick the Alpe route (road to sky) and immediately u-turn and then get yourself all the way up to the radio tower.