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Zwift "Tour for All" (May 4th to May 8th 2020)

Page 3 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Right...looks like some resident experts here need to do some ACTUAL racing on Zwist to get some basic understanding of what the abhorred "PowerUps" do before getting all bent of shape, probably too much too ask for, anyway...tomorrow's stage is : "will be a mostly flat Watopia circuit 42.6km in length with 147m of climbing with two KOM point sprints, "

Let's see if GVA or MVDP can get this one, assuming they'll be racing it.
 
Right...looks like some resident experts here need to do some ACTUAL racing on Zwist to get some basic understanding of what the abhorred "PowerUps" do before getting all bent of shape, probably too much too ask for, anyway...tomorrow's stage is : "will be a mostly flat Watopia circuit 42.6km in length with 147m of climbing with two KOM point sprints, "

Let's see if GVA or MVDP can get this one, assuming they'll be racing it.
So every spectator of these races has to have raced on Zwift to understand it. Because it doesn't matter how much of an effect these powerups have exactly on the race, the fact that they exist in the first place is bad enough. If they have little to no effect as you claim, then why don't they just throw 'm out? They are simply distracting and apparently lead to confusion. Can't have it both ways. Either they don't do much, then what's the point of confusing people? Or they do more than you are letting on, and they have no place in a pro event.
 
I actually think it does at least help to be a Zwift user to appreciate these more.

No, I can imagine it is not much like pro racing perhaps (though I would not know). However, it is pretty close to Cat 3 & 4 (you find yourself often in a group of 20-30 riders who all have similar FTP and cannot break away from each other until the final sprint).

It is all Watts/Kg for now and very little else, though the watts saved when riding behind someone else is pretty cool.

It also depends somewhat on the trainer you are on as that can alter the responsiveness. I have a Kickr Snap, so there can be a fraction of delay to respond to accelerations, and I can find myself surging or losing a wheel when I don't intend.

However, when I first started getting into the whole trainer app world, I never thought I would want to do Zwift. I, too, was not interested in a "gamified" world like Watopia. Thought it a bit stupid and that I could never be as immersed as a real world video app. So I first tried out other apps that used video footage of real climbs etc.

To my surprise, what I found is that video ones were just one step above staring at a wall.

When I got on Zwift, I was totally shocked that I much preferred the interactivity. And, given a choice, I ride Watopia courses over the "real" Richmond, London, Yorkshire, New York, etc... courses that are offered. The key to enjoyment, as with every game, is primarily how it plays (the mechanics), not necessarily how "true" it is.

And I have no doubt it will only improve and get better from here.
 
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I'm just not convinced those features really make such a huge difference - take yesterday's stage in the men's race, is that a top-10 that would have made anyone question their sanity if it had happened in a road race? - and even if it does, no big deal, it's just entertainment.
 
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There's been a lot of motorsport sim racing going on during lockdown, and while I've not been watching it, it seems like they're definitely shying away from the 'arcade' style and trying to make things as simulation as possible. The arcade style might be more fun to pick up and play (opinions vary, as sims can be more rewarding because of the more 'authentic' experience) but the simulation offers a more 'real' viewing experience. While Zwift type events do offer at least some real senses in terms of that you're turning wheels and people can get an idea of your power, endurance and W/kg (notwithstanding that there are myriad examples of these being fudged), things like power-ups are just toys, and while they might be a bit of a laugh for the pros, it only serves to emphasise the message that this is not to be taken seriously and it also means that it's harder to ascribe a value to the comparison of one's performance to the pros than it is in, say, iRacing. There have been a few different platforms that have attracted a lot of different drivers from different formats of the sport, and specialist sim racers. As far as I am aware, none have been in MarioKart, Wipeout or similar style games.

Funny you said that, given in virtual Indy500 race in iRacing, Lando Norris, who was the leader, was wiped out by Simon Pagenaud, who was a lap down, with two laps to go. Later, in the final lap, Santino Ferrucci crashed into Oliver Askew, who had inherited the lead after Lando's crash. Pagenaud admitted that he didn’t want an F1 driver to win a virtual race and Ferrucci said that it is a video game.

And in yesterdays virtual V8 Supercars race at Spa, Lando Norris drove backwards on the track and blocked the pitlane entry after a crash.

Virtual racing is good, but drivers having no mercy regarding the rules is not fun at all.
 
I am a regular user of Zwift. Whether you understand the features or not is irrelevant. They are not needed. They are an attempt to appeal to those who don't know what real racing is like. Get rid of them for events like this and I might take an interest. They should spend their programming time perfecting an algorithm that accurately mimics drafting. Obviously that is more difficult but it is what is needed. "Power up" certainly is not.
 
You'd hope so, eh ? I was going to link to the latest podcast on ZwiftInsder where they discuss the TfA, the Gamification, etc...with the boss of cycling at Eurosport (and GCN as they both belong to Discovery, didn't know that) but it's a bit of a lost cause it seems ;-)

Looking foward to today's stage, the 1:1 virtual Alpe d'Huez ! That one's for Uran maybe ?
 
Language differences possibly ? So did you watch the race ? I must say I missed it.

I watched part of it.
(No, I don't think it's language differences. To me "ladies/Mädels" in German feels like "madames/chicks" in English, not taking them as serious sports competitors, but whatever.)

I liked the virtual Tour of Flanders, liked the Digital Swiss 5 less, and now the Tour for All even less. I am not entirely sure why. I have only watched part of that stage yesterday so if possible I will give it a try today with the mountainous stage.

In the end I suppose I am a little obsessive with body language and movement. In a digital race I get only the movements of the avatars which are all the same. So to me it can only be interesting if I see the real riders. The less I see of them, the less I care. Maybe in the Tour of Flanders they showed them more because it was the first bigger one.
Then there is hardly any reaction needed so of course the movements are way more boring to watch than in a real race.
What I like: riders without helmets and glasses. Makes them way more human. But avatars - why should I care about an avatar, especially if they all look the same?
But - it's still okay to watch.
The fantasy environment on Zwift is actually kind of nice (for a limited time), but I am not a fan of those power ups, either. They ridicule the tactics and reactions, but, well, as the drafting and everything is very inaccurate anyway, it does not really matter that much in the end.
 
For me it's pretty simple; it's a good way to pass the time, and at least it tastes a little bit of cycling.
However, if I had technical difficulties with my Player, or Eurosport actually managed to obtain the rights to some actual living live sport - even if it was Extreme Ironing* - and obviously decided they'd rather show that, then I wouldn't make a big deal, but just... do something else.

*Yes! That's a thing!
 

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