I agree. But we shall see tomorrow in the tdz epic races!!

Noted mate 😎
As always, a legend and a scholar! Thanks 🤘🏻

The difference between the most aero setup and best climbing setup on the Alpe is about 39 seconds (see https://zwiftinsider.com/tron-vs-top-performers/). Since it only takes 10-15s to swap then yes, it would save you time to swap from pure aero to pure climber at the base of the Alpe.

That said, on a race on this course, I would probably just start with a climbing rig, since I don’t think the race will really “kick off” until the Alpe climb begins. Sitting in the wheels the pure climber will still cost you a few watts over a pure aero setup, but probably not enough to be noticeable (aero bike is 62 seconds faster than climbing bike over a flat 50 minute ride at 300W/4W/kg).

I always Wonder why zwift don’t give à “your estimated time” instead of à “for most riders”. It woud be easy to have an algorythm calculating it based on ftp.

It’s there!
https://zwifterbikes.web.app/route/accelerate-to-elevate

Unfortunately this route isn’t included on zwifterbikes yet!

agreed, Zwift’s estimated time of <90min is ridiculous. I did it in 1h55min today at average 2.7w/kg and I note from the Strava segment that only 114 riders from 3988 have done it in under 90min. That's the top 3%. The median time is 1h57min. So I'd argue for an estimated time of 120min for the average rider going at an average pace.

In a race situation, I guess staying with the main group will be imperative for the long “lead-in” to the Alpe, hence aero, but maybe leave the disc wheel in the garage due to weight on the long climb. For the same reason of the climb being long, switching to a climbing bike might actually be the right move, but if you start with a climbing bike my guess the race is over before you reach the foot of the Alpe.