I have no answers for you, sorry. I do have a question to ask though. I had a ST kit and seemed to have lost it. Now I cant seem to get it back. obviously I can still post on ST so its not like Dan banned me from all things ST ;) Any ideas? And yes Ive tried entering the promo code again...nothing.

what happened to the serious organized races? the kiss series seems to be alive, but ztr, cvr, all gone?
I use the companion app, seem to be lots of races out there. CVR is developing a Zwift competitor (CVRCade)
is there something better than zwiftpower to find races in?
See above
is there anywhere where people discuss the races after?
Some series have facebook groups where that stuff goes on
why/how do people get the DRAFT tag on their names? does it mean something?
It's a team
i see other little acronyms and stuff after names. are those teams?
Usually a team or might be required for a race series (i.e. the ZHR masters races auto-DQ you unless you have ZHR and your age category after your name)
i have KISS/ZTR A on my name cause i added them back when you had to to get results. do you still need that?
It depends, some series require it, many don't (usually tells you so if you look up the event on the zwift website or companion app)
is there any audio chat planned? often when i am trying to make breakaways stick, i wish i could talk.
I think most who use voice use discord, also usually listed in the event description
is everyone happy with double draft? i find its very hard to get away now, and if you get elbowed out of the pack, it is exceedingly difficult to get back on.
I like it
further to that, is it just luck when you get pushed out of the draft? or is there like a technique?
Quite often what you see is not what other people see (so even when it looks like you are getting pushed out of the draft, you actually are not, easiest way to tell is if your rider sits up or not)
sometimes i see people have little messages bubble after their name. how the heck are they typing while racing?
Companion app, either typing or dictating

what happened to the serious organized races? the kiss series seems to be alive, but ztr, cvr, all gone?

There are more - and more varied - options than before. As the platform has grown, I think you're just seeing more diversity. In the case of CVR, they've left to do their own thing from the ground up. We'll (meaning Zwift... I work for them) be doing a lot more as we expand in eSports more generally - https://zwift.com/...2-kiss-super-league/

is there something better than zwiftpower to find races in?

Not right now. But we're working to make zwift.com/events/ more robust in this regard. ZwiftHacks' Event calendar is also great - https://zwifthacks.com/app/events/

is there anywhere where people discuss the races after?

The Facebook pages for the various groups, most typically. Though we just launched our own forum as well that you can feel free to use as well because we actively monitor it (we could never monitor all the facebook groups) - https://forums.zwift.com/

why/how do people get the DRAFT tag on their names? does it mean something?

DRAFT is a "team" (or club) like KISS, 3R (formerly WBR), DIRT, etc.

i see other little acronyms and stuff after names. are those teams?

Yup. Well, almost always. You might see something like ZHQ (Zwift Headquarters) for those of us that also have the little orange Z indicating we are Zwift staff.

i have KISS/ZTR A on my name cause i added them back when you had to to get results. do you still need that?

ZwiftPower still uses that stuff for filtering.

is there any audio chat planned? often when i am trying to make breakaways stick, i wish i could talk.

We've certainly talked about it. Discord seems to be the go-to for now, but I suspect we may consider this more strongly as a built-in feature as eSports grows. No planned ETA for it currently though.

is everyone happy with double draft? i find its very hard to get away now, and if you get elbowed out of the pack, it is exceedingly difficult to get back on.

Very mixed. Modifications to the double draft algorithm is one of the projects I am currently working on and which will be a focus of mine in January.

further to that, is it just luck when you get pushed out of the draft? or is there like a technique?

There's a lot of technique. There are certain things that we do algorithmically that it takes some time to get the "feel" of - and it will also depend on your own particular setup a bit as well.

sometimes i see people have little messages bubble after their name. how the heck are they typing while racing?

it's pretty easy with Zwift Companion and the speech-to-text built into most smartphones. Some people also used some of the keyboard apps that allow for quick built in text-shortcuts to generate commonly used phrases with only a couple keystrokes.

Racing has evolved on Zwift pretty organically. We're aiming to preserve that but also give some more structure to it with our focus on eSports. Certainly plenty of people who know a lot more about racing on Zwift than I do in terms of tactics/teams/etc. I've done my share of races, but I much prefer Zwift as a training platform (though races are certainly fantastic training). But on any of the technical side, I'm happy to answer what questions I can.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but how about my question of not being able to get the ST kit back?

That's weird... I actually don't know. If the promo code isn't working, that means we must *think* you still have it. Are you sure it's not just hidden in the jersey selection menu? The grab-and-drag functionality of that menu is not always the most intuitive thing. So it may just be hidden way off to the right side of the available jerseys...

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I’ll add a couple of questions as a new Zwift user.

How often or when should you update your weight as it changed? +/- 5 lb difference or less?

I’m still trying to figure out/get use to the yo yo effects When riding at the front of a group. I assume this is normal at the beginning and just takes some time to get use to VR style riding.

What level do you need to be at to start the Everest Challenge and others? I just started Zwifting last week (only a level 7), but the only goal I see I can currently set is a weekly/monthly mileage goal.....nothing else.

Where can you view race results? The few I have done.....different groups/different amount of laps but the finish often seem to get mixed with multiple groups.....so seeing the quick results live are impossible as they are either mixed or show the shorter lap riders first and can see deeper down to another group.

Jordan Rapp answered all of your questions really well, so I won’t try to re-answer them.

My one recommendation is to join Zwift Racers on Facebook—the group is where a lot of races are promoted/discussed. I get most of my information for races, series, etc on there. I also promote my race series through that group.

There is a lot of junk posted as well, but after a few days you’ll be able to mentally filter out that garbage.

Other places to look for series/events is just on ZwiftPower. There is a tab at the top of the page “Leagues” and it lists all of the race series. For instance, my race series—The Morning Grind Fondo p/b DRAFT and DIRT—lists the series standings, upcoming races, series description, etc. Other series do the same Wahooligan Super League, SZR Winter Series, KISS Midweek League, etc.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, I have a pretty good handle on the Zwift racing scene.

No certain level needed, challanges are available from the menu in-game.
https://zwiftinsider.com/climb-mt-everest/

I must be missing the obvious. I can’t see the Challenge portion anywhere under the menu section.
Trying to upload a screenshot of my menu page but not able to right now.

Should look something like:

(Image not mine, from http://www.sportiverider.co.uk)

Not sure what is in the circled area if no challenge is selected or if one is preselected

Bingo!
Thanks. Assuming you can only do one challenge at a time? Looks like I am doing the Tour of California right now.......figures I did an 8000’ climbing ride today.

Jordan, thank you for this. Yes it was way, way, way off to the right side of the available jersey options. Further than the lazy one wanted to look I guess.

2 more quick questions:
1) Is there any way to turn off the names and info from the riders nearby while running?
2) When I finish a ride, is there a way to start a run besides exiting the program and logging back in again and racing the clock to switch from another ride to run before the auto start selects it for you?

1) not currently. we're working on that though

2) yup. you just go into the pause menu, go into the PAIRING screen, and switch from ride to run. We'll automatically close the FIT file from your ride and start a new one for running.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

 
thanks! this is very helpful! it also confirms my suspicion that there are organized tactics taking places at the front of the a races sometimes.

these discord channels, are there any ones like 'race radio', or do you have to have been invited by a team to a private one?

Additional question........if I’m doing a ride and then go join an “event or race” and when the event is finished continue to ride. Does Zwift log the total mileage/info for ALL riding or just the event info or do I need to end/save each ride portion.

Certain teams have their own discord channels where they talk during races/rides. And I can confirm tactics are discussed during races.

In the situation you provided, you would get two separate files created. One for the riding around and another for the event. The second file will also include any post-event riding.

You could potentially get three files if your event is held on the not-regularly-scheduled world...and at the end of your event, you chose to 'leave' the world and return to the regularly scheduled world for the post-event riding.

When you join an event, we automatically start a new FIT file. But when the event ends, we just continue that FIT file. Basically, anytime we "teleport" you, we make a new FIT file. Because otherwise Strava (and most other logs) will just automatically connect the dots and you'll get a really strange distance jump from the teleport.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Hi Jordan,

Rather than start a new thread and be chastised I think this fits here.

Is there any place/way to find just events that I have registered for? I find the whole event interface to be somewhat lacking in filtering options.

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Practise doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect!

I have only really started zwift racing recently. I did the zwift academy, and as part of that, did a few races and enjoyed them and had decent placings as well. I find the dynamics similar ish to racing on the road (although the last one I did was hyper aggressive,literally the entire race as a war). I'm still perfecting technique, as a heavier rider with a pretty high power output, I still have a tendency to accidentally ride off the front of the pack as we hit downhills (hammering the climb to not get dropped, but cresting at like 700watts, quickly pushes you through the pack over the top, and then bodyweight kicks in and accelerates you into the descent), but I'm getting better at being smarter and saving energy. With the addition of Zwift Power, the racing tends to be fairer, since many series require actual power (or smart trainer) and HR data for official rankings which discourages flagrant cheating. I've also found similar feelings in decisive moments as road races, where you have to make that split second decision, whether to dig deep and throw down massive power for a minute to try to make a pack, or to take your chances with the next pack...

I have yet to really notice team dynamics in the races at least in the main chase pack, where I tend to always end up (as a B racer, I generally miss the decisive A break, but end up in the first chase pack, which puts me in contention for the B Podium), it might be different in the main break. I find much like real races, once the packs form, until the very end, most attacks tend to be out of the back rather than the front (i.e. the group surges over a climb, and some riders get shed) rather than out the front (those that ride off the front of the group generally get reeled in rather than bridging to the break...).

In terms of the draft effects, it's never really bothered me, it does make it hard when a pack has consolidated to actually get away, and it makes a big difference how packs are moving together in terms of your overall speed (case an point, I missed an a pack split, and landed in the chase pack of 9 riders, a buddy was on my wheel when I made the decision to bridge the 10second gap to the chase, and sat in a group of 25, our pack of 9 was committed and had 6 or 7 riders actively working, and we rode the gap to the group behind from 10sec to 2:30 by the end of the race). I have done races with a pack that isn't working as well, where you end up having to do a lot of work yourself, and it can be frustrating because it's hard to shell the dead weight...

It is important to read the race rules ahead of time for the individual event you're doing in terms of adding things to your name. I've never had to, but I know people who have been DQ'd for power violations (I should have in my first race, I registerred as a D, with an FTP in the lower end of the C range, won the D race by 5min, beat all of the C's, and would have been 2nd place in the B race, since then I have raced as a B, and am generally in contention) for registering power that would put them up a category, or for not having heart rate data...

In terms of the chat, I've used the companion app on group rides and workouts, or while warming up in races or after the finish, but I've never attempted to message while racing, nor have I really looked at the chat while racing (generally way too cross-eyed from the effort to process anyways...).

I'll be interested to see if they tweak the draft effect, and how that influences the dynamics...

The only big thing that bugs me in races are the power-ups. the races that allow power ups tend to be gong shows and way more aggressive... I can get comfortably on the rivet in a race, and feel confident to stay in, but if every time you hit a substantial climb, 3 or 4 guys are using featherweight power-ups, you literally have to bury yourself to not get dropped. I've seen tactical powerups for the pack, which bother me less (a guy using a super draft power-up to go to the front and chase tow the group across a split, I guess I'd be pissed if I was the one being towed back...), but I'm quite content for the legs to do the racing instead.

as for race starts, I've found that basically you need to spin up as the clock counts down, so that you're already at or above FTP when the race starts, otherwise you're already out the back (much like a real crit, if you botch the clip in, your race is already over...).

yep, that's a pretty good summary of what happens

the first minute could be brutal. Warm-up well

I do this frequently when doing a race. I'll do a warmup, then join the event/race right before the start. Zwift seems to save the warmup as it's own portion that can be shared to Strava (or elsewhere). If you do a race/event and keep riding without stopping the total time (race + additional time) is in a second ride.

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If you have the Zwift Companion App, we'll show your NEXT event, but there's not (yet) a filter "events I have registered for."

Bunch of work to be done both in Companion and the web on Event search/filtering/etc.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

If you guys are looking at filtering, that's amazing. I'd love to see filters by keyword, series, ride type (race vs. group ride vs. group workout), and by rules (i.e. filter for race, no power-ups or race, HRM not required, etc.).

In terms of finding rides, I have the Zwift events page bookmarked on my phone, so I can look at upcoming events that line-up roughly around when I plan to ride. I find it easier to scroll and view there, than in the app or companion...