In the northern hemisphere, it is noticeable that the long summer days are slipping away. I am already thinking ahead to the frantic racing that is undoubtedly going to happen on Zwift, with the FFR Tour Series commencing in September, along with ZRL Season 4 signups.
It also means we’re at that time of the year where we will also focus on our training. So to kick us into gear, I am going to be highlighting events that many of us will be struggling through in an attempt to improve our cycling/running.
Zwift Academy Orientation Ride
Zwift Academy Road grows popular every year. When I caught up with Zwift CEO Eric Min this week for a chat about Zwift and all things cycling-related, he was keen to highlight that the Academy was launching and noted that last year there were 200,000 participants! I expect similar numbers again this year, especially as Zwift expands.
These new “Zwift Academy Orientation Rides” give you an opportunity to learn all about this year’s program whilst simultaneously enjoying a nice 26-minute spin with fellow Zwifters on the Sand and Sequoias route in Watopia.
Multiple dates and times. See all orientation rides on ZwiftHacks >
Train with Dani Rowe for the Rapha Women’s 100 – Workout #1
I fully appreciate that this event is rather early for Europeans, however, I thought this would make a great Friday evening training ride for our friends in the US, and would be a good morning training ride for those in the Southern Hemisphere.
Rapha Women’s 100 Workout #1 is designed to help improve your ability to produce high power over short durations. This workout is useful for short, steep climbs. With brief bursts of power at 100% of your FTP, it will push you to surge through corners and to stay close to other riders’ wheels on race day.
For completing the ride, you get to unlock a special in-game Women’s kit the moment you cross the finish line, which can also be purchased in real life.
Designed by Dani Rowe née King, one of the most decorated British cyclists of all time. A three-time World Champion, two-time European Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, and the World Record holder for the 3km Team Pursuit, Rowe was an absolute beast in the saddle.
Saturday August 21 @ 4:30am CEST/3:30am BST/Friday 10:30pm EDT/7:30pm PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/2236556
TBR Power Up with WonderBoy
TBR Power Up with WonderBoy is an hour-long interval session with ride leader Charlie Randall. There are two Intervals at approximately 3.0 watts/kg and one open watts interval. The group rests for 10 minutes between each interval.
The group rolls out at 1.8-2.0 w/kg to group up. Interval 1 is 7.5 minutes at 3.0 w/kg. Interval 2 is 10 minutes at 3.0 w/kg. The final interval is The Wild Goose Race with no w/kg limit for 10 minutes to really test your mettle.
Sunday August 22 @ 9pm CEST/8pm BST/3pm EDT/12pm PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/2245868
Take It Forward Challenge: Base Build
Runners who may be thinking about targeting an autumn event: training starts now and this event is a good start. The Adidas BASE BUILD events are easy training runs designed to improve running economy, overall fitness, and recovery.
Multiple dates and times, see all upcoming Take It Forward events at ZwiftHacks >
Honourable Mention – Drew’s 100,000 kilometers ZSUN Weekend Hundred
Anyone that has cycled 100,000km on Zwift deserves respect. To get anywhere near that is a magnificent undertaking. Join Drew Beswick as he achieves a massive 100,000 kilometers on Zwift. (Currently he is on 99,878km.)
The ride will hold a steady pace (2.5-3.0w/kg) and be hosted on Tempus Fugit, in Watopia.
Saturday, August 21 @ 11pm BST/10pm BST/5pm EDT/2pm PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/2251359
Your Thoughts
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!
Thanks for researching and writing this very useful series, but I’ve gotta ask–how does being in the southern hemisphere as you describe “our friends” affect their relative timezone to us and wind up as morning versus evening? Aren’t there the same 24 zones within the same bands as the northern hemisphere? 😉
Hi Chan, thanks for reading my articles and asking actually a really valid question about the writing process. The truth is, when I write these, I think of the geographical locations of the Zwift communities as opposed to Time Zones, so in this case it was the large Australian Zwift community, which includes Zwift legend, Tim Searle, I was conscious of. The challenge is to highlight events that Zwifters the world over can enjoy, but I tend to think of the big communities of APAC, referring to Australia and Japan, then I think of West Coast US, East Coast US, UK, then Europe. I try and have a balance of events to cater, but it is really difficult. What I am conscious of is not being too European focussed, hence why I launched a second Time slot for my Monday Mountain Massif TT event, to cater for the Australian community. I also try and have a balance in terms of which communities are the events targeting / representing, so for example the other week I had an event for Junior riders, which is a growing and important community which is often overlooked. I have to confess, these articles take a fair amount of work and so it’s good to know they are being read. Many thanks.
As a junior it’s awesome to hear that you ran an even for junior riders but I think I missed that one. What was that event called?
Hi, it was called Team CLS Juniors ride.
https://zwiftinsider.com/events-20210703/
It was on a Sunday at 5pm BST – worth looking around that time.