Zwift Games – Stage 1- Kraze Kicker

Saturday marked the day I launched my Zwift Games racing account, with the Kraze Kicker as the opening race of the series.

This was my first Zwift race since the Gentil 8 at the beginning of January. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had increased my training volume since that race, so I was curious to see how it would feel.

Despite a brief early climb and a small rise near the end, this course was considered more favorable for the sprinters than the climbers.

As a result, the tactics were straightforward: stay in the pack, trust my instincts to join any promising breakaway, and then stay close for the final sprint.

The Race

As expected, the race began at a fast pace. I anticipated it would be a shock to my system since I hadn’t done much speed work during training.

I was fine with this plan: to use the first few races to sharpen my legs, then utilise this in the last few races.

The climb felt tougher than I had expected, but I was never in any real danger. My goal was to stay near the front without expending too much energy, and that’s exactly what I managed to do.

Concentration

For most of the remainder of the race, it was about maintaining focus and staying close, then watching for what might happen on the final bump before the finish.

My concentration was put to the test when disaster struck. Feeling a bit warm, I decided to take off my top. In hindsight, I probably should have just turned up the fan, but I chose to remove my top instead.

While doing so, my top knocked off my heart rate monitor, which flew onto the floor, agonisingly just out of my reach.

I understand that these races require a heart rate monitor to appear in the Zwift Power results, so I was worried about being disqualified if I didn’t have it working again.

Jumping off the bike wasn’t an option—I knew I’d lose ground and struggle to catch back up with the group.

I was able to reach Teddy through my Alexa, and he came over to pick it up for me.

Unfortunately, it didn’t reconnect, which was disappointing as I was curious to see my heart rate at that point. From there, I felt really comfortable, but I had to continue the race without my heart rate monitor and face whatever consequences that might bring.

The Bump To The Finish

Just before the bump, with only a few kilometers to the finish, someone launched an attack from the front. It was the kind of move I wished I had made and probably could have, but simply didn’t.

Turns out, he couldn’t sustain it anyway and was caught shortly after.

From there, I stayed near the front and launched a final sprint toward the finish.

Timing is everything—I crossed the line just seconds behind the leaders. I finished 2.5 seconds behind first place and was initially listed 11th in the results. After adjustments, the Zwift Power results placed me 9th, likely after removing ineligible riders.

So far, I haven’t been removed from any results, and I hope it stays that way. However, if I am ever removed, I will accept it.

I believe this clearly indicates a heart rate monitor malfunction rather than any attempt to cheat on my part, which is why I remain included in the results.

General Classification

The GC rankings will be very tight all the way through, as to be expected on course for the sprinters.

At the time of writing, my Zwift Power ranking for the GC stands at 1869 overall, out of more than 6000 riders.

As expected, I’m nowhere near the top, and I don’t anticipate being there by the end either. However, I’m looking forward to the final stages, where I hope to make some progress.

Next Week

I’ll race again next Saturday for Stage 2, which once again favors the sprinters. The plan remains the same: aim to stay in a fast race and keep the time gaps as small as possible.