I’ve created the course for a triathlon in Langkawi, Malaysia. Using BestBikeSplit, I’ve created a power strategy, which I’ve sent to Garmin Connect. I’m riding the course as a recce tool so I can see how hard I can ride and still run okay after. Is there any way to import the power strategy created by BestBikeSplit as a workout? I’m assuming it would use distance to trigger the different power intervals?
Ideally I’d like to have RGT or Garmin control the Tacx Neo 2T, and ride the Magic Roads course in sync… is this possible?
@Dan_Carr I am pretty sure you can do that but think you need to import the workout and magic road separately and then select the road and workout in RGT. Also one potential issue is that I think the workout overrides the terrain.
Saw this post which might help:
I have imported workouts but never selected to ride on a Magic Road but I can tell you that I found .zwo files worked best for me.
I’ve used workouts previously in RGT in magic roads, but wasn’t sure that would properly tie in with the terrain, as they were from the SYSTM database and time based. The BestBikeSplit power strategy is distance based, and makes different assumptions as it includes TT position whereas on magic roads I can only access road bikes, so I’m expecting the speeds/time at each power interval to be different.
If the workout was distance based, then maybe that would work, but the again, maybe it’s a pointless exercise to see what power strategy I can comfortably run off in RGT?
Probably best to just do the power profile as a standalone workout and tweak the power, and then use Magic Roads at a steady power for course recce purposes.
Caveat: I don’t use workouts lots not do I try fancy combinations of different tools such as BestBikeSplit. However, I agree that a workout with specified power will override the terrain so you won’t feel the hills. I will have more of a ponder but the most obvious option that you could try would be to ride the Magic Road normally - not as a workout - and just try to match the target power. If the target power doesn’t change very often (eg it is blocks of a steady power for 2:30, then a different steady power for 4:45, then…) then you could use a head unit to show you average power for a given interval/section to validate if you are adhering to your targets.
If you don’t want to go all-out then you could scale back the effort or distance slightly. I don’t cycle in any kind of determined manner but when I used train to run then I would aim of to be able to run a 5M hard run at my half marathon race pace. That would be a good training effort and a reasonable measure of fitness without destroying my legs the same way that the race would.
The solution here is to use the workout but have Erg mode disabled. Trainer resistance will match the terrain and you’ll use effort and gearing to try and hit the targets.
The “syncing” of workout (time based) vs the Magic Road terrain will likely be an issue, but I hope you’ll give it a shot and let us know how it goes.
Sort of The elevation/road profile is ignored completely BUT the power applied to the pedals will drive you forward through the course on the uphills at the same speed as if you were not doing a workout What I’m uncertain about is what happens on the downhills and if the physics of gravity would take over of not - that is something you would need to test @Dan_Carr
Workouts can definitely be carried out on a Magic Road
Although I have workouts in Garmin Connect, I no longer have a Garmin, so I can’t export them to a device to be able to then get the 'fit file from the Workouts Folder.
You would need to try sending one of those .fit files to workouts@rgtcycling.com to see if it
a) was accepted as a suitable file
b) if the workout profile looked ok once imported.
THIS LOOKS LIKE THE EASIEST WAY
I’ve had a quick look at Best Bike Split and downloaded the Zwift (.zwo file) file of their example.
When I sent it to workouts@rgtcycling.com it was imported successfully and converted to a workout!
If you use that download of your own power profile file in the same way, you can ride it on ANY RGT course and the experience should be the same
It would obviously be better to ride it on a Magic Road of the actual course, BUT I can’t guarantee that the intervals of the Zwo file will line up exactly with the Magic Road of the GPX file.
The bikes and equipment choice used make NO difference to the ride in RGT They just look different and none give any advantage over another.
So you’re telling me I’m just slow…
Thanks for looking at this. I’ve got an option to download a workout, or send a distance based workout to Garmin Connect, which I’ll send to my 530 head unit and see if I can strip that out. If I can then upload that to RGT, and RGT can accept distance based workouts, that might be very awesome to ride in ERG mode.
Worst case, I just need to practice hitting my power targets myself… which is probably not a bad thing.
I’ll have a play over the weekend with uploading various workouts to RGT and see what I can get to work, then will report back here.
If the power profile is matched to the gpx of the road then theoretically they should line up - IF they are taken from the exact same ride. Because the zwo file is also time based, you won’t be able to race against yourself - the workout will always take the same amount of time … maybe that isn’t what you want to do?
If you simply want to see how well you can perform on the course with enough left over for the run, then the absolute simplest way might be to just ride the magic road without the workout file?
Should match up - I used the same GPX file sent to RGT to create the bike leg fro Ironman Langkawi, and that same GPX file up to BestBikeSplits to create the power strategy. I’m hopeful… Got a couple of key meetings tomorrow I’m finishing work for, and then a long brick tomorrow, but will set it all up tomorrow night for Saturday experiments…!
Yes - if I were to do it myself then I’d probably want to get the feel for hitting the power numbers myself without the help of ERG mode… but perhaps I am too old fashioned.
Out on the real event, you won’t have a workout file to follow, so simply riding the Magic Road and managing the power strategy to suit may be the most realistic virtual option
The elevation/road profile is ignored completely BUT the power applied to the pedals will drive you forward through the course on the uphills at the same speed as if you were not doing a workout 
What I’m uncertain about is what happens on the downhills and if the physics of gravity would take over of not - that is something you would need to test 
