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Level 101+ Arrives: How Accelerated Leveling Works for Riders and Runners on Zwift

Eric Schlange
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2
Level 101+ Arrives: How Accelerated Leveling Works for Riders and Runners on Zwift

Level 101+ Arrives: How Accelerated Leveling Works for Riders and Runners on Zwift

Zwift launched levels 101+ for riders today, plus levels 31-50 for runners. I hopped onto my bike to confirm, and realized I was only a few kilometers from hitting level 101… so I kept pedaling!

Running levels 22-30 were added in January 2023, while cycling levels 61-100 were added in December 2023. Many thousands of riders and runners have hit the level cap since those new levels were added, so the launch of fresh levels is big news, particularly for longtime/dedicated Zwifters.

Here are the XP requirements for reaching the new levels:

  • Riding Levels: 20,000 XP per level for 101+
  • Running Levels:
    • Levels 31–35: 9,000 XP per level
    • Levels 36–40: 10,000 XP per level
    • Levels 41–45: 11,000 XP per level
    • Levels 46–50: 12,000 XP per level

Zwifters who have been stuck at the level cap for a while won’t have to actually earn the XP shown above in order to level up, though. And they also won’t immediately be upgraded to their “proper” level based on all the XP they’ve earned while stuck at the level cap! Instead, Zwift is once again using “accelerated leveling” to let Zwifters with extra “banked” XP level up much faster. Why? Because Zwift’s game designers believe it’s a better user experience to enjoy each level-up rather than immediately jumping to our “earned” level. To receive multiple small dopamine hits over time, instead of a single large one.

(For the record, I’d rather be immediately upgraded to my proper level. But I just write about Zwift features… I don’t make ’em!)

How does this accelerated leveling work? That’s what this post is all about…

Accelerated Leveling: the Basics

Zwift says, “Any extra XP you have over 807,000 at level 100 for cycling or XP over 149,000 at level 30 for running is banked and applied toward accelerated leveling. Cyclists with banked XP will accelerate through levels 4 times faster and runners will accelerate 2 times faster. [Cyclists will] know accelerated leveling is active if you see the three-chevron icon next to your rider score.”

If it applies to you, accelerated leveling works automatically in the background as you ride and run. There is no intervention needed from you, no options to set. It just works, and you’ll reach your new higher levels much faster thanks to the extra XP you’ve banked while stuck at the previous level cap.

That’s the simple explanation. But if you want to dig into exactly how this works, keep reading…

Digging Deeper

Accelerated leveling works by combining XP you’ve already earned (while stuck at the level cap) with fresh XP you earn from today forward.

The simplest example: On my first ride after the new levels launched, when I rode my first kilometer, I earned 20 XP. That 20 XP was combined with 60 XP I had “banked” previously, and Zwift applied that full 80 XP to reaching level 101.

You can see this on the main Menu screen in game. Each kilometer you ride, your rider score (on the left) will increase by 20. But the “Until Next Reward” number on the right will decrease by 80. Here are before and after shots of that happening today:

We earn XP in various ways on Zwift: by accumulating distance, by extending our Week Streak, by finishing a workout block, by riding through an arch and getting a small or large XP bonus powerup, by earning achievement badges (including route badges), by burning calories (runners only), and by completing certain quests/challenges.

Most of the XP we earn will be paired with banked XP to accelerate our leveling up. The simple way to think about it is, if you are in the game when you earn the XP, and you see it pop up on your screen, it will be paired with banked XP to accelerate you to the next level. That means all the XP methods listed above will be accelerated except for Week Streak bonuses, questions/challenges, and distance XP from outdoor activities.

Accelerated Leveling Examples

If you’ve been at the level cap for very long, you probably have the same questions as I:

  1. How quickly will I level up with accelerated leveling?
  2. How long will accelerated leveling continue for me? Or to put it another way: what level will I be at when my banked XP runs out?

Let’s look at examples that will help you answer each question.

How quickly will I level up?

Assuming you’ve got banked XP to pull from, how many hours of riding will it take to jump to the next level? Levels 101 onward require 20,000 XP per level, which means moving up one level requires you to earn 5,000 XP, which Zwift will combine with 15,000 XP from your bank to make 20,000 XP.

Riders can typically expect to earn 500-700 XP per hour, although there are ways to boost that earning rate. Let’s assume you earn 600 XP per hour of riding. That means it would take you 5000/600=8.3 hours of riding on Zwift to earn 5,000 XP.

So 8.3 hours is a realistic estimate of how many Zwifting hours are required to bump up to the next level. Add in a Week Streak bonus and perhaps a bit of XP farming, and you could probably level up with just 5-6 hours of riding.

How long will my accelerated leveling continue?

The math required to answer this question is quite simple. If you are at level 100+ and want to find out when your acceleration will end, here’s the formula:

RiderScoreAtEndOfAccel = CurrentRiderScore + (CurrentBankedXP / 3)

Example: Right now, I’ve earned 2,378,119 XP. Since 807,000 XP is required to reach level 100, my banked XP amount is 2,378,119 – 807,000 = 1,571,119 XP.

So for me, the formula is:

RiderScoreAtEndOfAccel = 2378119 + (1571119/3)

That means my rider score at the end of acceleration will be 2,901,825 XP. Then all I need to do is look that up on a level lookup table (here’s a quick Google sheet I made) to determine which level I’ll be at when my banked XP runs out. Looks like I’ll be at level 204. Let’s gooo!

I also made a simple Google sheet where you can plug in your current Rider Score and easily see where your accelerated leveling will end.

This assumes all the XP I’m earning is that “online” XP that gets accelerated, though. I know I’ll be earning XP via Week Streak bonuses and outdoor riding, though, which means I’ll actually be at a higher level when acceleration ends.

Additional Notes

I’ll use this space to answer additional questions from the comments, if any pop up.

Hitting Level 100 With Less Than 807,000 XP

Due to how Zwift has changed leveling requirements in the past years, it’s quite possible for Zwifters to reach level 100 having earned less than 807,000 XP. Zwift tells me these riders will essentially be “gifted” XP – their rider score will be adjusted up to (at least) 807,000 XP when the new levels go live. I say “at least” because you will also keep any “banked” XP you’ve earned since hitting level 100.

Example: You hit level 100 with 600,000 XP, before levels 101+ launch. You are now at 700,000 XP, meaning you’ve banked 100,000 XP. When the new levels go live, your Ride Score will be increased to 807,000 XP plus the 100,000 XP you’ve banked (so 907,000 total).

Questions or comments?

Got questions about accelerated leveling? Share below!

Wattage Cottage Episode 1: Rouvy Acquisition, New Zwift Levels, and the Challenge of Virtual Gravel

Eric Schlange
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23
Wattage Cottage Episode 1: Rouvy Acquisition, New Zwift Levels, and the Challenge of Virtual Gravel

Wattage Cottage Episode 1: Rouvy Acquisition, New Zwift Levels, and the Challenge of Virtual Gravel

We couldn’t have scripted a better opening week. Just as our new Wattage Cottage podcast launches, the indoor cycling world gets rocked by one of the biggest business moves in the history of the sport — and we’re breaking it down on day one.

Episode one of Wattage Cottage sets the tone for everything this show is going to be — honest, informed, and genuinely enthusiastic about the world of indoor cycling. Host Dave Towle is joined by Eric Schlange, founder of Zwift Insider, and Shane Miller — GP Lama — Australia’s premier cycling tech reviewer. Together, the three tackle the Zwift-Rouvy bombshell and dig into two of the biggest ongoing conversations in indoor cycling right now.

In This Episode

BREAKING — Zwift Acquires Rouvy 

This just landed, and it changes everything. Or maybe nothing changes? Two very different products with two very different philosophies. What does it mean? Is this about eliminating competition? Growing the pie? Building something new? We dig into the implications for subscribers of both platforms, what happens to Rouvy’s identity, and whether this is good or bad news for the indoor cycling community as a whole.

Zwift Levels 100+

Zwift is finally expanding its level caps, giving some of its most dedicated riders and runners a fresh carrot to chase. Dave, Eric, and Shane break down what this means, whether it’s genuine progress or long-overdue housekeeping, and what it tells us about Zwift’s approach to subscriber motivation and retention.

Gravel on Zwift — Does It Actually Work?

Gravel has become one of the most culturally vital formats in cycling. So what happens when you bring it indoors? Shane breaks down the physics and resistance modeling. Eric reports from the community side and suggests route design ideas. And Dave asks the harder question — can virtual gravel ever really capture what makes gravel gravel?

Subscribe Links

This is a brand-new podcast, but we’ll be available on all the standard podcasting platforms. We’ll add direct links to the channel below as they come live:

Meet the Team

  • Dave Towle: The voice of American cycling, having called some of the biggest races in the country for decades. Now bringing that same sharp eye to the indoor cycling world.
  • Shane Miller (GPLama): Based in Australia, Shane is one of the most followed and trusted cycling tech reviewers in the world. If it connects to a trainer or measures a watt, Shane has tested it.
  • Eric Schlange: Founder of Zwift Insider, the internet’s most comprehensive and reliable resource for Zwift routes, updates, and platform intelligence. The guy who actually reads every release note.

Share Your Thoughts!

This is just the first episode of what we hope is a long-running and useful community Zwift podcast. Share your thoughts below. We’re listening!

Zwift Announces Acquisition of Rouvy

Eric Schlange
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34
Zwift Announces Acquisition of Rouvy

Zwift Announces Acquisition of Rouvy

Here’s something you probably didn’t have on your 2026 indoor cycling bingo card: US-based Zwift, the 800-pound gorilla of indoor cycling known for its strong community and distinctive virtual environments, has strategically acquired Czech Republic-based Rouvy, the popular indoor cycling app using real video as the foundation of its game environment.

Read the full press release from Zwift:

Zwift, the global online fitness platform, has today announced it has completed the strategic acquisition of ROUVY, the real routes cycling app that helps riders achieve their cycling goals. The acquisition aims to accelerate growth in the indoor cycling category through strategic cooperation between the two companies, while maintaining their independent operations. 

“This is a major moment for both Zwift and ROUVY”, says Eric Min, Zwift Co-Founder and CEO. “We have a huge amount of respect for what ROUVY has achieved, developing a fantastic product and growing their global community by demonstrating there is a strong market for real video experiences. ROUVY’s differentiated experience is proof we can be stronger together, and I’m excited to see how this deal will accelerate our mission to make more people, more active, more often.”

“This is an exciting time for our industry and for cyclists worldwide. Over the past year, we have seen the indoor cycling market grow at the fastest rate since COVID”, continues Eric. “We’re seeing our audience widen, and we are now seeing more people come to cycling for the first time through indoor training, seeking an activity that supports their active lifestyle and focus on long-term health. This growth has been driven by the increased affordability and simplicity of ‘Zwift Ready’ smart trainers, which offer compatibility with virtually any bike.”

Zwift is pleased to confirm that from today, Zwift Ready smart trainers and Zwift Ride smart frames will work with ROUVY, unlocking new experiences within the ROUVY software application and making it easier for new users to get started. Further updates are planned over the coming months.

Both Zwift and ROUVY will continue to operate independently, with differentiated roadmaps and subscription packages. 

“I am really proud of ROUVY and our community!” says Petr Samek, CEO and Founder of ROUVY. “This is a strong validation of what we’ve built with our team and community, connecting indoor and outdoor training through real routes. ROUVY will continue to be the ROUVY you all know and love, with the same team and the same focus on helping riders achieve their cycling goals. For our community, this means we’ll keep building the experience you know, supporting your training all year round. Now, supported by Zwift and the Zwift hardware ecosystem, we have an opportunity to create even more experiences in the world of indoor cycling reality!”

Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Your Thoughts

Big news, right? I’ll post a follow-up article with more details and thoughts, but I want to hear what you think first. Share below!

Zwift Course Calendar – Current Guest World Schedule

Eric Schlange
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12
Zwift Course Calendar – Current Guest World Schedule

Watopia is available every day while the other maps rotate as “Guest Worlds” according to the calendar below. This gives Zwifters access to three worlds (Watopia + two guest worlds) at any given time.

< April 2026 >
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
    1ParisParis FranceFrance 2ParisParis FranceFrance 3New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 4New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 5Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland
6Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 7RichmondRichmond InnsbruckInnsbruck 8LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 9LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 10YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 11YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 12ParisParis FranceFrance
13ParisParis FranceFrance 14Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 15Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 16New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 17New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 18YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 19YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon
20LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 21LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 22RichmondRichmond InnsbruckInnsbruckTime: 6:00 pm
 		23ParisParis FranceFrance 24ParisParis FranceFrance 25Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 26Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland
27YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 28YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 29LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 30LondonLondon RichmondRichmond      
Categories
 France
 Innsbruck
 London
 Makuri Islands
 New York
 Paris
 Richmond
 Scotland
 Yorkshire

Keep in mind the guest course changeover happens at midnight Eastern/9pm Pacific (4am UTC the following day).

If you’d like to ride an off-schedule course, see How To Access the Route You Want. 

See archived calendars (November 2019 and older)

“OG Replacement Parts” – Neal Fleenor 

Kevin Winterfield
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9
“OG Replacement Parts” – Neal Fleenor 

“OG Replacement Parts” – Neal Fleenor 

On August 28, 2017, Neal Fleenor took one step forward, and 20 vertical feet later, he was squatting on the ground looking up at the platform he had just dropped from. “I had been testing out a new lanyard on a zip line that failed on me when I stepped off the platform and the left ankle shattered on impact.” The impact shattered the bottom of his tibia. He also fractured his left first rib and got a L4 vertebrae compression fracture, but those were “relatively minor” compared to what happened to the ankle. 

Three surgeries and four months later, Neal was able to start bearing weight again on his leg and begin physical therapy. The muscles in his leg had pretty much turned to jelly by then, so the road to gaining strength and mobility was going to take many months. He could start sitting on a bike again and spin the pedals, but there was no way he could do that safely outside without the real risk of falling over. 

Finding Zwift

Neal’s path to riding his bike again took a positive turn when he was visiting a good friend who owned a local bike shop.  “He showed me the shop’s line of direct drive trainers and an online application I had never heard of before, Zwift.”  

It all looked pretty phenomenal to him – to be able to stay inside on his bike and ride in a virtual world with a device that kept the ride experience very realistic. (Not that he was capable of doing any of that yet. But at least he had that opportunity.)  And it gave him a path to returning to riding his bike.

From Chinbanger to OG Replacement Parts

“To qualify for the name, OG Replacement Parts, I needed replacement parts.”  His fall also damaged his knees, and he had a partial right knee replacement in the fall of 2021 and then a total ankle replacement (the fifth surgery on the left ankle) in December 2023. “I came up with the name myself, having switched it from Chinbanger, which was created after I flipped over my bike and smacked my chin into a concrete sidewalk.”

Plugging Into the Community

Neal is grateful for what Zwift and the community of riders have given him over the past eight years – the ability to ride his bike again. For the first year, he just did solo rides, but then discovered groups like DIRT, TBR, Ascenders, BMTR, HERD, PACK, ZSun, REVO, and quite a few others. 

For group workouts, Squadra Castelli is his all-time favorite.  Their sessions are on Mondays and Wednesdays during his lunchtime, and geared a lot toward preparing for sportive events like the L’Etape du Tour de France (more about that one just down a bit).  

“My wife, Ellen, also joined Zwift when COVID hit and our fitness center had to close for a short time.”  Their trainers are set up side by side, which makes their rides really fun and exciting, “especially when we get to shouting encouraging words to each other and laugh at our mistyped group messages.” 

Ellen does a lot of group rides with BMTR, DIRT, and SROZ. You can typically find Neal on a group ride during the weekdays and working as a sweeper or yellow beacon leader for the TBR Sunday FunDay group ride and sweeping for the BMTR Misfits ride on Mondays. “You know you have been on a group ride with me when you see the messages that my Siri sends, which typically have nothing to do with what I told Siri to send.” 

He has also returned to racing outside and inside with the DIRT team. On Tuesdays, he races the ZRL league with DIRT EMEA in the C division and also races the Thursday WTRL TTT with the Down n’ DIRTy team. 

“An unexpected benefit to joining Zwift and riding in group events is meeting and riding with some of the Zwifters my wife and I have gotten to know over these past years.”  He’s gone on weekend rides, and they’ve hosted several friends for riding on the 2015 UCI Championships race course in Richmond (the real Richmond) and eating at Bottoms Up Pizza. 

L’Etape du Tour de France 2026

“Recently, my 17-year-old brain (the same one that is responsible for me getting those replacement parts) had a great idea – I should sign up to do the L’Etape du Tour de France amateur race this July.” It is the stage 20 route, with 105.6 miles (170 km) of road and 17,700 feet (5400 m) of elevation. 

So you just might find Neal spinning his pedals a lot on Zwift, working on the miles and hill climbing in preparation, while sending group messages that may make you say, “Did he REALLY mean to say that”?

“Oh, and by the way,” Neal reveals in a final email to me, “OG stands for Old Guy.”

Thanks Neal for sharing your story. And we think you’re irritable… oops! We mean irreplaceable! Ride on!

Follow Neal at: O G Replacement Parts

Top 5 Zwift Videos: Running Recovery, Club Races, and Gravel Mountain

Oli Chi
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0
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Running Recovery, Club Races, and Gravel Mountain

What happens when an elite marathoner tries Zwift for the first time? In this week’s top video, watch as a professional runner sets up Zwift and shares how he is using it to stay fit while injured.

Also included in this week’s picks are videos about YouTuber Zwift races, Gravel Mountain, gravel bikes vs road bikes, and maximizing XP.

Why is this so hard?! | Road to Recovery Ep.1

Cole Running unboxes his Wahoo KICKR Bike Pro and tackles his first ride on Zwift.

I Challenged Two A-Rank Riders to a Club Race

Watch as Liam Shaw races YouTubers Bike Bonk Biff and Road to A. Which YouTuber will come out on top?

Zwift Pulled Gravel Mountain, Was It Really That Bad?

Recently, Zwift launched and quickly rolled back Gravel Mountain. Adam from Road to A explains the situation and shares his thoughts on Gravel Mountain.

Gravel vs Road Bike — What’s Faster on Handful of Gravel?

Manuel Essl tests a gravel bike and a road bike on the Handful of Gravel route. Which is the faster setup?

Do this to farm 3600 XP per hour on Zwift!

Looking to rack up some extra XP? RidewithGerben shares a trick to maximizing your XP on Zwift.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

SISU Pinkki 7-Stage Race Series Begins Saturday, May 9

Eric Schlange
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4
SISU Pinkki 7-Stage Race Series Begins Saturday, May 9

SISU Pinkki 7-Stage Race Series Begins Saturday, May 9

The team at SISU Racing has just announced its first Grand Tour of 2026. Held on Saturdays and Tuesdays, it’s a 7-stage tour across the three weeks of the Men’s Giro d’Italia.

New this year, the series can be raced in open events (men+women) or in women-only events. The series can also be tackled as an individual, or you can work with your team.

The selected routes, all in Watopia, include an individual time trial and a tough queen stage on the Volcano Climb After Party route. Read on for details!

Race Schedule

Each stage is scheduled at 5-7 different times, so riders can find events that fit their schedule.

See upcoming SISU events at zwift.com/events/tag/sisu >

Categories

Events use Zwift Racing Score for categorization:

Open Groups:

  • A: 690+
  • B: 520-690
  • C: 350-520
  • D: 180-350
  • E: 0-180

Women’s Groups:

  • A: 500+
  • B: 400-500
  • C: 300-400
  • D: 200-300
  • E: 0-200

Individual and Team General Classification (GC)

There are no time bonuses; the GC is determined solely by the cumulative time a rider and team (the fastest three riders in each stage) take to complete all seven stages.

More Info

  • Each event is a mass start with all riders visible on the course.
  • TT bikes are mandatory for the iTT. Draft will be disabled.
  • ZPower and riders without heart rate data will be excluded from the results.
  • A rider’s best time will count if they race the same event in multiple time zones.
  • To be included in the GC, riders must have a ZwiftPower profile (learn how to sign up here).

Get more details and race results at sisu.racing/pinkki.

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of April 25-26

Eric Schlange
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2
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of April 25-26

This weekend’s picks include the kickoff event for Shimano’s 2026 Super Cycling Sunday series, plus two beginner-friendly banded rides and two long endurance rides! See all the details below…

🤝 Shimano Super Cycling Sunday

✅ Popular 　✅ Unlocks

By far the most popular event this weekend, this is the kickoff ride for Shimano’s weekly series which runs through the end of the year. Rides typically include special guests, including WorldTour riders. Finishers unlock the Shimano Super Cycling Sunday kit and Lazer Sphere helmet.

This is an open-paced ride on France’s Roule Ma Poule (26km, 263m).

Sunday, April 26 @ 8am UTC/4am ET/1am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5552898

🤝 Beth’s Banded Badge Hunt

✅ Banded Ride 　✅ Beginner-Friendly 　✅ Ventoux

Beth’s Badge Hunt is a series of monthly rides taking on big Zwift routes. Led by Wobble Cycling Club’s Beth Phillips, these are banded rides, so everyone can ride at whatever effort level they’d like.

This weekend’s ride is on France’s Ven-Top (20.9km, 1535m), which takes you up Ventoux, the biggest climb in Zwift!

Saturday, April 25 @ 7am UTC/3am ET/12am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5456538

🤝 Riding With The Oldies Saturday Special

✅ Beginner-Friendly 　✅ Banded 　✅ 60+

This fairly new group ride caters to the 60+ crowd, but anyone under 60 is welcome, too! It’s banded, so you can go as hard or as easy as you want, and everyone will stay together.

This week’s ride is on France’s Douce France (24.2km, 137m).

Saturday, April 25 @ 2pm UTC/10am ET/7am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5558001

🤝DIRT The Merge powered by Formula 369

✅ Endurance Training　✅ Unique Event

This long ride, hosted by the veterans at DIRT, is set up in a rather unique fashion. There are three pace groups, and the slower groups go first. It’s not a race, though – groups are expected to stay together at the stated pace. Faster groups will naturally MERGE with the other groups, at which time riders get to pick which group to hang with.

It’s a 3-hour ride, hosted on Watopia’s Tempus Fugit, which will help keep the pace steady.

Sunday, April 26 @ 10am UTC/6am ET/3am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5559075

🤝 THE COALITION Mega Pretzel Badge Hunt

✅ Mega Pretzel 　✅ Endurance Challenge

Haven’t bagged the Mega Pretzel (111km, 1659m) route badge yet? It’s a big one, and much more fun with others. Here’s a chance to do it with a group!

The leader beacon will ride at 2.3-2.6 W/kg, and you can stick with the beacon if you want the largest group. Otherwise, you are welcome to ride at your own pace.

Sunday, April 26 @ 1pm UTC/9am ET/6am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5551563

How We Make Our Picks

We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:

  • Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
  • Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
  • Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
  • Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
  • Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
  • Is it for a good cause?
  • Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
  • Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?

In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!

Planning Comes to Zwift Companion: Schedule Upcoming Zwift Activities

Eric Schlange
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25
Planning Comes to Zwift Companion: Schedule Upcoming Zwift Activities

Planning Comes to Zwift Companion: Schedule Upcoming Zwift Activities

As promised in the latest “This Season on Zwift“, yesterday Zwift released a new planning feature in the Companion app. You’ll need to be on version 3.82.0+ see the feature (download for Apple or Android).

This replaces My List, since it replicates that feature while adding scheduling and additional supported activity types. Let’s jump in and see how it works!

Activities (Currently) Supported

The following Zwift activity types are supported by the planner today:

  • Cycling & Running Events
  • Cycling Workouts
  • Cycling Routes
  • Robopacer Rides
  • Challenge Tasks (i.e. Route of the week)

Right out of the gate, we see the new planner is more robust than My List, which only supported routes and workouts.

Scheduling Activities

Future days with scheduled activities are indicated by a dashed line in your Fitness Trends chart, while the planner’s main interface lets you easily add, move, or delete planned activities up to a year in advance.

While the new planner supports more types of Zwift activities, the big new feature here is the ability to schedule your activities.

When you sign up for an event, it’s automatically added to your planner’s schedule. Easy peasy.

For the other activity types – workouts, routes, Robopacers, and Challenge Tasks – you can easily add that activity to the planner by tapping the orange “+” or “Add +” button. (These are the same “+” buttons formerly used to populate My List.)

When you tap that button, a popup will gives you the option of scheduling the activity for a particular date. Toggle the “schedule” option to put it on a particular date, or leave it off and just tap “Add” to add the activity to your planner’s “To Do List” without scheduling it for now. (You can easily drag and drop it onto a desired date later.)

Schedule a workout for a particular date (left), or simply add it to your To Do list without committing to a date (right).

You can schedule activities up to a year in advance, drag and drop to reschedule, and swipe left to delete at any time.

Pro tip: by default, the planner (reached by tapping “Plan” in the app) shows your current week. Tap the right or left arrows in the Fitness Trends graph at the top to move to future or past weeks.

Watch me schedule a ride with Coco in 13 seconds:

Planning Third-Party Workouts

Zwift continues to expand their list of integrated third-party workout providers whose workouts can be scheduled through the provider and automatically brought into Zwift for you to execute on the proper day. In fact, I’ve lost track of which providers are supported at this point, because there are many, and new ones aren’t always announced! (Zwift maintains a list here.)

If your third-party provider is connected to Zwift, your scheduled workout will show up in your planner. You can’t change the scheduled date for the workout in Companion, though – scheduling changes need to be made via the third-party provider.

It’s also worth noting that workouts scheduled through TrainingPeaks are not currently popping into the planner automatically. My guess is this is because TrainingPeaks uses an old, bespoke integration method to talk to Zwift, and that method doesn’t work with the planner.

Bugs & Niggles

Overall, the new planner seems functional and robust, especially considering this is its initial public launch. But of course, there are a few annoyances and bugs you may encounter. Here’s my running list:

  • The Companion app likes to crash when I’m scrolling through the list of workouts, particularly under the “30 minutes to burn” category (but it’s happened under other categories as well).
  • What about Zwift’s own Training Plans? When browsing your enrolled Training Plan’s workouts in Companion, you aren’t able to add those workouts to the new planner. Training Plans seem to have been neglected in Zwift’s latest feature releases (including “Next Up” recommendations and now the Planner), but having an interface to help you plan your execution of these workouts seems like it would be quite helpful.
  • When adding a Robopacer, they all show as “D” pace on the card, even though they show correctly when added to the planner.
  • When I click a past race I completed, I’d like to be taken to the results screen.
  • Even though Zwift mentions “Challenge Tasks (i.e. Route of the week)” as a supported activity type for the planner, I don’t have access to Route or Climb of the week in Companion. Would love to see that added.
  • The game and Companion homescreens aren’t refreshing quickly enough to reflect changes made in the planner. I’ve had to restart Companion or pop into an actual ride and back out to force a refresh.

What next?

Any time Zwift releases a new feature, I like to ponder how it could be improved further, and how the new feature lets us peek into the company’s strategic plan.

First: making it better. Apart from the bugs/niggles listed above, I think one obvious value add would be the ability to schedule outdoor rides. Let me quickly say how long/hard the ride will be, so it shows in my overall planner.

Then here’s the kicker: have that outdoor ride (and everything else in the planner, of course) factor into the “Next Up” personal recommendations.

As a simple example: if I’m planning on riding a big Levi’s Gran Fondo event this weekend, I could add it to my planner, and “Next Up” would help me taper/train smartly for it.

What does the planner release tell us about Zwift’s strategic plan? When viewed alongside the prospect of personalized recommendations going outdoors (as promised in This Season on Zwift), it seems clear that Zwift is working to create a planning and recommendation ecosystem that helps riders train smart and (crucially) use the platform year-round.

Questions or comments?

Check out the Zwift forum thread for more info and discussion, and you can always ask questions or comment below. Got bugs or niggles for me to add to the list above? Share those, too!

Tiny Race Series – April 25 Routes – Getting Longer

Eric Schlange
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Tiny Race Series – April 25 Routes – Getting Longer

Tiny Race Series – April 25 Routes – Getting Longer

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

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