Group rides with “pace robot” are most fun in Zwift
I really hate Zwift workouts (or should I say, I really love pace robots and free route rides.)
- You cannot hide the HUD and enjoy the scenery.
- The constant text spamming is more annoying than an IRL personal trainer.
- You cannot draft or do anything social at all.
- You get that ugly screen in front of your avatar.
- You cannot explore anything, the most fun part of cycling (no “adventure”).
- You cannot blow the plan and bust up a hill for the hell of it.
- Workouts remove the feel of the road.
In short, the workouts destroy what makes cycling the most fun, all of it. No one likes to be constantly bombarded with numbers and how far they still have to go. Better to forget about all that and just enjoy the ride.
Thank god for the recent addition of “pace robots.” These allow group rides anytime on any of a number of different routes. The AI adjusts to the grade and everything and keeps to a general level of fitness based on the bot.
- Taylor (Yellow) 1.1 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Bernie (Yellow) 1.5 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Miguel (Yellow) 1.8 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Maria (Yellow) 2.2 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Coco (Blue) 2.6 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Yumi (Blue) 2.9 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Jacques (Green) 3.2 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Genie (Green) 3.7 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
- Constance (Red) 4.2 w/kg Watopia, Makuri Islands
I’m a Taylor and Bernie follower for now, mostly because I ride two hours a day while working on dropping the weight, lots of long and slow. Once I get to 67 kilos I’ll dial in the FTP and start racing C and lower B (without becoming a prick, I promise).