I know this is the TrainerRoad forum but I thought this might make for some interesting discussion.
I got an email through today from British Cycling saying they have joined up with Zwift and among other things will be developing their training plans which I’m sure will be a vast improvement.
Another thing which caught my eye was a proposed virtual racing series with an eventual championship jersey. Will there be a weigh in at the ceremony where they hand over the stripes?
If they follow the path of the Cyclogent Virtual Racing World Cup Races, they will do full weigh-in at a live site, with standardized and calibrated equipment for a “level” racing field.
I m always interested in the actual power output and weight of the people racing on Zwift 
Some real pro material on there…
One think that we’ve learned is that training amateur cyclists is very different than people with elite genetics. Even some of the principals that are touted by some “big names” in sports exercise don’t translate to ameature cyclists.
But you should take what Is say with a grain of salt since I definitely have a horse in this race 
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Not being snarky.
Do you mean principals (people) who have an investment in cycling dogma, or principles (dogma) that are ingrained in pro cycling?
I mean: People respond best to X thing. (In terms of watt based workouts)
Looks like there’s a party that needs crashing 
To what end?
Personally, I think it’s a great thing. I’m pals with the guy that was 3rd in the CVR World Cup and ride on the RCC Zwift Race Team with the overall winner in Vancouver and I can assure you with these guys there’s no cheating.
I was chatting to my pal today and he’s so excited about the prospect of competing for a national championship.
A quick google of the top riders on Zwift will reveal some pretty astonishing performances!!
Agreed. There are some amazing riders on Zwift. They use all aspects of Z for their needs.
I think the somewhat condescending attitude of some TR users towards Z and it’s users is out of line. Don’t assume that people on the Z side of the world are any less committed since some aspects of it focus on fun and entertainment.
That is true for some users, but there are many, many people on Z that would more than hold their own against TR users. They use it in ways similar to TR users and have amazing fitness as a result of it.
Well said @mcneese.chad. I wholeheartedly agree. It’s very naive to think that if someone is good on Zwift they must be cheating.
If people reckon it’s all about lying about your weight or using a Bushido to get a boost in watts, why not put your money where your mouth is and enter one of the big races in the A category. Having to hold 600W for the first minute just to not get dropped isn’t easy!!!
Like the idea that pros handle X TSS, therefore I can build my way up to that, etc.
I wasn’t trying to cast aspersions on the strength of riders there (I’m not in the same league) - more that the virtual aspect creates opportunities for dishonesty/inconsistency.
Did a race the other night, I just qualify for the B league, at lower end @ 3.4w/kg, had to hold 110% ftp for first ten minutes just to hang on the back of the second blob…, another 10 minutes it worked out at 105% ftp… finished 95th/210…just in front of Emma Pooley
it was my first B race, more than happy, was a great work out for 50 minutes. IF was 0.96, just another way of getting a very good workout, something that will push you, not going to win overall, but might win the group I end up in, plenty of races within races to enjoy. Anyone being Dishonest or cheating doesn’t make difference for me at my level… At top level you’ll get found out.
The dig wasn’t aimed at you😊
Try not to get sucked in to too many races. I did that last year and felt burnt out by February 
Good advice and noted.
With current plan I’ve allowed one day in which I can choose to either race, do a group workout, group event or my own thing. I’ve picked a plan to give me a reduced weekly TSS of 100 to allow for this. Also given myself a rest day immediately afterwards. I do like my various Zwift events, adds variety to my indoor riding.
All above made possible and far easier to track thanks to the TR calendar and chart. You can see when I joined TR in October… and what a nightmare of over and under working my weeks were before they became TR structured!
Can also see when I purchased my indoor trainer… March
Purely for the fun of being part of this event.
I think Zwift’s long term strategy is to develop cycling as an e-sport, they want to eventually be able to draw crowds and develop a massive e-sports following.
I can see them setting up in some auditorium with pro-cyclists all on a stage with big screens showing the crowd the racing data, and the riders will race for the win! People will be cheering and screaming for them to go all out! This will move from big city arena to big city arena all over the world and a type of e-sports series will develop with points on offer and an eventual series winner…
Just my thoughts…