Simon, Shane, and Nathan are together for the final time as the sun sets on the Zwiftcast. And they ask: Is Zwift’s Age of Dominance over?
Wahoo surprised the whole indoor training sector with the bombshell announcement that it was buying RGT, for some time the only like-for-like competitor with Zwift.
The Zwiftcasters consider several aspects of the deal… will it spur the big Zee to greater urgency in its development of new features? What might it mean for the rumoured TrainerRoad deal? Could Wahoo’s undoubted power and expertise pose a serious threat to Zwift’s growth?
And does Zwift have the bandwidth to handle its first serious rival AND the launch of its own hardware? There is certainly plenty for the Zwiftcast Trinity to consider.
Elsewhere Simon talks to a host of Zwift OGs… the Zwifters who were around right at the beginning, helping to build the community, establish racing, and pioneer online coaching using the platform.
Simon does “Where Are They Now?” spots with David Lipscombe, Julynn Washington, James Gill, and Christian Wiedemann. All are still Zwifting and many have strong thoughts on what they’d like Zwift to be doing – and their words are given greater topicality and relevance by the Wahoo deal.
Elsewhere, after the old Mining Town got nuked, then re-instated, Simon asks Shane and Nathan what else in Zwift they’d like to see nuked.
There’s also speculation around the new Gravel Mountain route and a final goodbye.
Simon would like to thank each and every single Listener over the years and the scores of episodes, especially for the many private and public messages received after he announced that the Zwiftcast was riding up over the hill and into a slowly setting Spanish sun. Thanks for listening!
Editor’s note: we at Zwift Insider want to thank Simon for his top-notch work in producing the Zwiftcast since November 2015. The consistent quality of each episode set the standard for Zwifty podcasts and helped inform and engage tens of thousands of Zwifters since early days… including us!
We’ll miss you, but we’re happy you’ll have time to pursue other interests, including (we’re sure) finally earning that Tron bike. Ride on!
Thanks to Simon and the cast for a great outlet for discussing all Zwifty things. Here’s hoping you’ll at least pop back online to post a screenshot when you unlock the Tron bike 😉
Oh. You’d never hear the last of it, let me assure you 🙂
Simon,
I started Zwifting in earnest this winter and listened to the entire back catalogue of the ZwiftCast. You and “The Boys” were constant ride companions and will be missed.
On a personal note: I appreciate that you did so much prep for each episode (as Nathan acknowledged) and “acted in good faith” – we all have our gripes and wishes for Zwift but it’s a wonderful system for connecting people around world and making training fun and the Zwiftcast reflected that spirit. I personally aspire to approach my own work with the same level of positivity and professionalism you do.
Warmest regards from Canada.
Big thanks to Simon, Shane, Nathan, and Eric as well as all the guests on the Zwiftcast. Whenever the Zwiftcast would be out with a new episode I would stop whatever I was listening to and listen to the Zwiftcast. My favorite and BEST podcast about Zwift. Thank you for all the great episodes!!
Considering real-world events, you might want to reconsider your use of the word “nuked”…
Considering common sense, it best to not look to be offended by words used in an obviously different context that have nothing to do with ‘real-world events’.
I tried the free world of RGT for 5 minutes yesterday out of interest…. Zwift hasn’t got anything to worry about. I wouldn’t use it again.
Ben, I think that’s definitely true as it stands now. I guess the interesting thing is how it might look after Wahoo has thrown a few million bucks at it.
That’s a good point – Wahoo won’t have bought it simply to sit back and use it as is. They’ve bought the platform so they can possibly use it to compete with Zwift. I’d actually welcome that as, while I enjoy Zwift, it would be nice to have a good alternative to bounce back and forth from.
Many thanks to Simon, Shane, and Nathan for all of the time and effort that went in to producing the ZwiftCast. It was one of my favourite podcasts – just something fun, easy, and enjoyable that I could tune into to escape from the rest of the world for an hour. It will be missed. Simon, best wishes to you and ride on!
Thanks Simon, I enjoyed it thoroughly and looked forward to every episode dropping! Take care of yourself and see you out there!
Thanks Simon for all the zwiftcasts. I guess I’ll have to go back to the beginning now!
This is an OUTRAGE.
Seriously though I do not pay attention and didn’t know until now about Zwiftcast stepping off here. Bought my Neo in 2017 and must’ve found Zwiftcast on Zwift Insider not long after that.
Always appreciated the ‘long form’ of Zwiftcast. Would guess a result of Simon’s professionalism and thoroughness. Not the kind of podcast I could have on in the back ground while doing something else, too meaty and dense for that. Fascinating looks inside another fast growing (tech?) venture pulling in real money including interviews with top management. How they manage to (more or less) do no harm but still respond to a demanding customer demographic. Personally happy to ride along and see where it goes but only because I know Zwiftcast is keeping users issues and ideas front & center for developers when they are (and aren’t) receptive.
Nice variety of rider types & personalities between Simon and the boys. I avoid subscriptions like cable tv or Netflix. Zwift subscription I pay whether I’m using it or not and would pay for Zwiftcast as well. If it’s about money…is it about money? Rather not see it go. Pro podcast right here.