For many, joining Zwift has been transformative. In this week’s top video, hear from one Zwifter as she shares why she loves Zwift.
Also included in this week’s post: videos about joining Zwift, upgrading to Zwift Plus, and comparing Zwift Video to real life.
Indoor Cycling Completely Changed How I Ride
Moloko Cycling explains how Zwift has changed how she views indoor cycling.
My First Month on Zwift at 51: Beginner Progress and Lessons
5 weeks ago, Chloe LS decided to take control of her health and started riding on Zwift. Now, a month into the journey, she shares an update on her Zwift experience.
Don’t Upgrade to Zwift Plus Until You Watch This
Is it worth upgrading to Zwift Plus? After riding with it for just over a week, Adam from Road to A shares his thoughts.
How Accurate Is Sa Calobra on Zwift Video vs Real Life?
Last week, we featured a comparison of Sa Calobra on Zwift and Rouvy. This week, we’re featuring Tom Bowers Cycling’s comparison of Zwift’s Sa Calobra and the real-life climb.
How I Got Hooked On Indoor Cycling
Dan Smithson shares why he started riding on Zwift and what he enjoys about the sport.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below, and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Eleven years ago today, I went for my first ride on Zwift.
The winter of 2015 was my first “indoor season” as a serious cyclist, and I was already dreading the roller sessions. At the time, none of my local riding buddies were on Zwift. None of them had even heard of it. But I saw it somewhere on Facebook, downloaded the game, ran it in “just watch” mode, and immediately knew I had to give it a try.
First Zwift session: November 12, 2015
I found a website in Germany selling Tacx Vortex Smart trainers for ~$290 to my door (a smokin’ deal at the time), so I pulled the trigger. The night it arrived, I put it together, hooked my bike in, and went for my first Zwift ride from the middle of my living room. The trainer wasn’t calibrated, I had no fan, and I wasn’t dressed for a real ride… so that effort didn’t last long.
But two days later, I went for my first “real” Zwift ride – two laps of Watopia’s Hilly Route (the only route in Watopia at the time). Uploading it to Strava certainly confused local friends. “Are you in the Solomon Islands right now?”
I wish I had been on Zwift from the beginning, but when Zwift beta launched in 2014 I was just rediscovering cycling after an 18-year hiatus.
It has become my habit each November 12th to post a refreshed Zwiftversary article. So here I am, once again looking back at my journey and delivering my perspective as a Zwifter and the editor of the web’s biggest Zwift fansite (5,560 posts and counting).
Growth Trends
The all-time Peak Zwift of 49,114 came in January 2021. Remember that time? It was actually illegal to ride your bike outdoors in some European countries, as COVID lockdowns sent Zwift numbers off the charts.
A year later, traffic numbers were much lower than their mid-COVID peak, and really, since that time, if you remove seasonality, numbers have basically held steady as far as I can tell. We certainly aren’t seeing the massive year-over-year growth we saw each winter pre-COVID.
I believe there are still hordes of humans out there who could really benefit from what Zwift offers: older riders, younger riders, TT riders, busy riders. But Zwift has to figure out how to tap into each of those audiences.
I am seeing lots of brand-new riders on the platform in the past couple of years, which isn’t something you saw much in Zwift’s early years. Zwift’s big moves in the hardware space certainly have something to do with this, with (I would guess) north of 100,000 Zwift Rides being sold since the product launched.
Hardware: Improving On A Good Thing
The Zwift Ride was released in June 2024, and it immediately disrupted the smart bike market. Priced at just $1299USD, it was half the price of the cheapest competitor (Wattbike) and one- third the price of the premium options (Wahoo KICKR Bike Pro, Tacx NEO Bike Plus). Overnight, it became the default smart bike recommendation for most Zwifters. It’s just really difficult to justify spending 2-3x more.
Two and a half years after its launch, Zwift Ride is now shipping as a refined version 2 frame, with the updated KICKR CORE 2. The package has improved, while the price has held steady.
While Zwift is clearly motivated to improve their core hardware offering and drive subscriber growth, price pressure from the Ride combined with natural laws governing R&D rates of return make it tougher for manufacturers to see positive ROI from new trainer development. So we haven’t seen much new in this space, apart from recent announcements of the Stages SB200 bike and Garmin’s Tacx Nēra.
Has smart trainer tech developed to the point where innovation isn’t needed? I would argue that we’re close. Table stakes for a smart trainer these days include WiFi and Zwift Virtual Shifting support, max wattage and incline well past most riders’ abilities, auto-calibration with power accuracy of +-2%, and compatibility with nearly all bike sizes and types. These were dream features 10 years ago, but now they’re standard on $500 trainers. That’s no small shift.
Training Partner Expansion
Zwift rolled out their Training API just over 2 years ago, and have been quietly adding partners ever since. I stopped tracking these additions because it was too much to keep up with, but according to Zwift’s support page, there are currently 38 platforms that send scheduled workouts to Zwift. That’s impressive.
It’s wild (but not inaccurate) to think how these new Training API integrations have infinitely expanded the library of workouts available on Zwift while also customizing that library to your specific needs. It may sound cliché, but we really are seeing training tools today that are exponentially more powerful than what we’ve had in the past. It’s fun to watch!
Rouvy and the Competition
Speaking of expansion, Zwift bought Rouvy back in April. That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Some Zwifters and Rouvy users (Rouvies?) are still skeptical that Zwift will stick to its stated plan: “Both Zwift and ROUVY will continue to operate independently, with differentiated roadmaps and subscription packages.” We have already seen Zwift virtual shifting support rolled out to Rouvy, and rides on one platform now earn you progression XP in the other, as long as you have an active subscription on both.
So what does the competitive landscape look like today? Apart from Zwift and Rouvy, you’ve really only got two other viable platforms:
MyWhoosh: After beating Zwift for the UCI Esports Worlds contract in 2023, MyWhoosh went all-in on racing. With cash purses in races and no subscription cost, budget-minded riders are attracted to the platform. Still, it feels like people use the platform for monetary reasons, not because it’s particularly good.
TrainingPeaks Virtual: TrainingPeaks was acquired by Garmin in July, and I’m curious how that will affect further development. This is the more compelling platform for me, due to the intriguing combination of a popular training platform (TrainingPeaks), a fast-moving, race-focused game developer (George Gilbert), and now big-company backing (Garmin). I love how quickly they built out lots of powerful features, but I don’t love the UI or game environment.
Zwift Plus Launched
Zwift’s premium subscription tier launched almost 2 weeks ago, bringing with it two new features: Zwift Coach and Zwift Video. This is big news!
Zwift Video seems to have made the biggest splash, as anyone would have predicted. Because Zwifters love a new road, don’t they? Reviews seem mostly positive. The biggest complaint about Zwift Video so far seems to be, “This is fun, but the selection of routes is small.” Well, that and some folks learning that their garage setup’s WiFi connection is slower than they realized.
Zwift Coach is a bit harder to evaluate, though. You have to make a plan, try some of the recommended rides, see how it adjusts the plan, etc. It takes time and focus. So most of the initial Zwift Coach feedback seems to be, “I don’t need this.” But we’ll wait and see what Zwifters say after they’ve used it for a while.
From where I sit – with admittedly limited visibility into Zwift’s user metrics – it would seem that Zwift Plus, so far, hasn’t been a big hit. (A quick look at the game right now showed that 3-4% of online users were on Zwift Video routes, which seems low given we’re still in the free access window for Zwift Plus.)
What Zwift launched here isn’t the final product, so it’s not surprising that some Zwifters are unimpressed. My guess is that Zwift is committed to the Plus idea long-term, and you’ll see it built out with more Video routes, event support for Videos, and better Coach features in the coming year. If you aren’t impressed right now, you’ll probably want to take a second look in 6-12 months.
Welcome to the Wattage Cottage
I’d be remiss not to mention Wattage Cottage in this post, the Zwifty podcast I started with Dave Towle and Shane Miller back in April. I’ve pondered launching a Zwift podcast for (literally) years, so I’m glad Dave was willing to do the heavy lifting to get this going. We’ve also been pleased with the reception thus far. Be sure to follow us for all the hot takes on all the latest news in Zwiftlandia!
Here’s the latest episode:
Weathering the AI Storm
AI is changing the world in a million different ways, and I’ve felt it over at Zwift Insider. I noticed it last year, but didn’t include it in my Zwiftversary post. This year, though, I’m feeling it much more strongly.
Most notably, I’ve felt it in my wallet: as more and more people get their Zwift questions answered by ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews, fewer are clicking the links on those answers to visit the source material (often a post at zwiftinsider.com). That means less traffic and less income for me – and it’s a significant, noticeable difference.
My hope is that lawsuits already in the courts are soon resolved in favor of content creators like myself, and the AI platforms are forced to share revenue with the creators they’re sourcing from. Otherwise, it’s just a snake eating its tail, and that’s not a sustainable model in any world.
I recently added a clear AI policy to our submission guidelines, because I’ve been getting more and more articles and images sent from the community that are obviously AI-generated. I plan to keep the content on Zwift Insider human-generated, because I think real content from real humans is really important. (In related news, I posted a bit of a rant on Zwift Riders…)
One last note in this vein: thanks to AI coding tools, there are more cycling and fitness-related apps and sites out there than ever before. I’ve probably got 20 invites in my inbox right now from community members who’ve vibe-coded the “next big thing.” And maybe they have! But it’s really hard to grab my interest at this point. There are just too many options, and the more I see new apps built by vibe coders, the more I appreciate established apps built and refined over the years by teams of real people.
I’m not entirely anti-AI. Not by a long shot. But I do believe it’s already both dangerous and overused, and growing more so every day. Let’s see what I have to say about it a year from now.
Development Needed
Zwift must continue to innovate and grow, and they, of course, have a roadmap for what is planned in the coming months. But I wouldn’t be a Zwifter if I didn’t have my own (obviously better) additions to that roadmap! Here are two:
1: Community Racing Development
It was heartening to sit in on a few meetings in the past 6 months between Zwift and community race organizers. Organizers have shared with Zwift where the pain points lie in their work, and what they’d love to see the platform support.
(Think fresh alternative formats, race data APIs, etc.)
Zwift, to their credit, is working on some of this. They’re also rolling out some things without any fanfare, including a Results API already being used on the websites of several big community organizers. The platform could really use an infusion of energy from the launch of fresh race formats like elimination, tandem, points, and on-demand TT. Hopefully that will come in the next 6 months.
2: Clubs Improvements
I’ve beaten this drum for a few years now. Here’s what irks me: even with one of the largest Clubs on Zwift (42.3k members, click here to join) I still struggle to put it to good use. The Club chat tool is very limited (no tagging members, no clickable URLs) which means most members just turn off notifications and never check the chat. And apart from chat, the Club really just becomes a container for events.
Which is fine, I suppose. But having built and interacted with online communities for 25+ years, I can’t help but believe Zwift Clubs could be so much more. I’d love to see:
Club kit designs
Voice chat in game with Club members
Team racing where Club members are automatically linked together
More powerful Club chat/discussion tools
Club leaderboards, to promote competition between Clubs
and more!
So Many Rides, So Little Time
There was no in-game event calendar eleven years ago – instead, the community put one together using Teamup (see it here). Today, there are ~420+ events per day on Zwift’s public calendar. Amazing! And that doesn’t even include private Meetups and Club Events.
Maintaining the perfect event calendar is no easy task, though. A tension exists between Zwift-organized events like the currently underway Tour of Watopia and community-organized events. Big Zwift events get lots of marketing and calendar space and, consequently, attract a lot of overall participation. But this reduces numbers for community-organized events.
Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. I would argue that the end-user experience is what’s most important, so if riders are enjoying Zwift’s big events, that’s a good thing.
But Zwift’s community is also a massive asset for the platform, and volunteer organizers in the community have pushed the platform forward in terms of event innovation since day one. (This is still happening: witness last weekend’s kickoff of a well-planned winter TT series from Cycling Time Trials, the national governing body for time trials in England, Scotland, and Wales. They had over 900 riders signed up to race the first week.) Zwift needs to be careful to cultivate and inspire event organizers, not battle them for riders.
So once again, as the organizer of various Zwift events, including the Tiny Race Series, VO2sday, and Pizza Burner 100km, I’ll sound my clarion call for more event options and better event management tools. Based on my experience over the years organizing hundreds of events, I know that improving these systems would reduce event configuration errors, streamline organizer workflows, and allow the community to innovate in the space, all of which logically leads to higher-quality event experiences for end users.
The Future Is Bright
It’s not hyperbole to say my involvement with the Zwift community has significantly changed my life. It’s changed my fitness, my work life, and my vacation plans. This Zwift journey has taken me to many places, and I love being a part of it all. Every day, I’m reminded that I am truly blessed to serve the community through my work here at Zwift Insider. It’s something I hope to do for many years to come.
And with that, I’ll close out this year’s Zwiftversary post. Ride on!
What about You?
What’s your Zwift story? How long have you been on Zwift, and do you feel the platform is moving in a good direction? What features are at the top of your wishlist? Share below!
The first race of Zwift Racing League 2026/27 Round 2 happens on Tuesday, November 17, and it’s our first time racing the London Calling route in ZRL.
While the route may be unfamiliar due to its newness, the roads it covers are well-worn by Zwift racers over the years. This is one of the less technical TTT routes we’ve raced, which may be welcome news if you’re on a team of diesels or one lacking TTT experience.
With key TTT rule changes in effect and Zwift releasing a pile of new TT frames and disc wheels last month, there’s a lot to process as we prepare for this event. So let’s get into it!
Looking at the Route: London Calling
All categories will race 1 lap of the course, which totals 31.8km with 211m of climbing:
Instead of a complex course breakdown outlining each section, I think it’s simpler to highlight the key climbs and powerup locations:
Aero Boost at lap arch (0.6km)
Northumberland Kicker (3.6-4km): Our first proper uphill of the day, you’ll want to up the watts on this short climb to keep your speeds high. Recover on the slight descent that follows.
Piccadilly Rise (10.9-11.8km): You’ll know this rise is coming when you ride below the overpass. This is a straight, draggy two-step climb on your way to the Classique Reverse section. Hold formation, but kick up the effort to keep your speed up.
Draft Boost at The Mall Sprint arch (16.5km)
Richmond Rises (25.8-28.2km): The longest climb of the day, this is really a two-part climb. The first 600 meters is steeper, then there’s a slight flat/downhill section before the final kilometer of slack, very draftable climbing.
Up from the Underground (30.1-30.2km): Zwifters are familiar with these short, sharp kickers up from the tube. You’ll want to hit the ramp with speed and keep your power high up and over the top. This ensures you maintain momentum and get back up to cruising speed afterward.
Apart from what I’ve listed above, the course could generally be described as “rolling” with lots of small changes in gradient, but nothing major apart from what I’ve called out. That means you’ll want to ride with Trainer Difficulty at 50% or more, so you can be sure to feel small changes in gradient and respond automatically with boosted power, to keep your speed high even on slight rises.
This race includes a draft boost and aero boost powerup, as shown above.
Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.)
Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting).
Teams should discuss how best to use these powerups, as you’ll only receive one of each during the race. I see “offense” and “defense” approaches to powerups in this race:
Offense: Leverage the powerups to maximize your speed on the front. That means triggering your draft boost ~45 seconds before your turn on the front, so your legs are as fresh as possible and you can pull a bit harder. It would also mean using your aero boost while you’re on the front. Note: I’d recommend warning your team over the radio that you’ll be taking a harder/faster pull, so they’re ready for the speed increase.
Defense: Leverage the powerups to minimize your effort so you can stay in touch with your team without slowing them down. If you’re one of the weaker riders on your team, use the draft and aero boosts while you’re sitting in the wheels to grab a bit more recovery so you can stay in formation and help your team all the way to the finish.
Which frame is best for this route, given the terrain? Zwift also released 10 new or updated TT frames in October, and TT racers have been trying to upgrade their frames to stage 5 ever since! If you’re comparing TT frames that are all at the same stage, the new Factor Hanzō is the best choice, as it’s the most aero by 3.1 seconds. The new Canyon Speedmax CFR, which many riders have fully upgraded, is the next best choice.
Factor Hanzō with CADEX 4-Spoke/Disc
The Upgrade Stage Question
Of course, many riders will be in a place where they must choose between their older, fully-upgraded TT bike and a newer, less-upgraded one. Happily, you don’t have to do much math to figure out which one to choose! Zwift’s TT bike upgrade scheme is such that the final upgrade step (to stage 5) is massive, making the bike ~26.5 seconds faster across an hour of flat riding. That’s huge, and completely eclipses the performance differences between the top TT frames. Read all about the performance improvements you receive from upgrades >
So despite Zwift releasing a pile of fast TT frames, we’ll see most racers rocking fully upgraded CADEX Tri and Canyon Speedmax CFR bikes this week. Because those are by far the fastest TT weapons most riders have in their garage.
Many recon rides are planned each week on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re unfamiliar with this course, jump into an event and familiarize yourself with the route! Find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.
Additionally, riders in the Zwift community do a great job every week creating recon videos that preview the courses and offer tips to help you perform your best on the day. See those below…
5-Person Teams: Time is still taken based on your fourth rider across the line, so you can only lose one rider! This means teams must be extra careful to stay together longer, and “mechanicals” can really mess up your race.
Steering Enabled: Will riders use steering to come off the front? Cut corners? Position themselves in the pace line? Or let the game auto-steer because it gets too messy otherwise?
Flatter courses like this week give valuable seconds to teams with two strengths:
Big pure-power riders who can keep their watts high on the front while staying in single-file formation to conserve in the draft behind – this will be the biggest key to top performance in London
Good course awareness, with the rider on the front upping the power significantly on rises in order to maintain pack speed
On a course like this week’s, I recommend all team members set their Trainer Difficulty to the same value, and make sure that value is at least 50%, so you feel slight gradient changes and increase power to compensate. This will help you automatically punch on the uphills, keeping your overall speed high.
Your goal in a ZRL TTT is to get four riders across the line in the shortest time possible. That means every team’s pace plan will differ based on each rider’s abilities. I highly recommend having an experienced DS on Discord directing your team, especially if your team contains inexperienced TTT riders.
Lastly, if you want to go further down the TTT rabbit hole, I highly recommend Dave Edmond’s Zwift TTT Calculator tool.
Updated Watopia Map Poster with Wild Isles Expansion Now Shipping
The original version of Zwift Insider’s Watopia map poster was published in March of 2016. Since then, it has been updated and enhanced with each Watopia update.
Last week I released the latest version of the poster, version 2.4, which adds the Wild Isles expansion while simplifying the overall map to make it a bit more beautiful and a bit less technical.
As always, the PDF version of the map is available for free download. If you’d like to support this site (and get a beautiful poster at a good price) you can buy a poster print of the map and we’ll ship it to you, anywhere in the world.
Zwift is constantly evolving to be better, faster, more expansive, and more fun. But better also must mean safer.
A recent monologue on Saturday Night Live by Shane Gillis stopped a lot of us cold: a misogynistic ‘joke’ that he “didn’t know women just dress like whores now” at the gym.
He said it as a punchline. For many women, it landed as something depressingly familiar. The idea that what a woman wears, how she shows up to train, or simply her Zwift or Strava profile image is an invitation for public sexual commentary. That a space that should be about effort, fitness, and fun becomes about being judged, sexualised, and belittled.
Zwift Is Incredible, But Not Immune
Consensual, cheeky chatter is one thing. But talk privately to almost any woman who rides Zwift regularly and you’ll find they either know someone who has been impacted, or have been the recipient themselves of repetitive, direct, unwanted in-game messages.
Comments about their appearance, insinuations about what they are wearing on screen or while riding, or how sweaty they might be. Rude, sexualised chat in a public group ride that is meant to be for everyone, including minors. Not to mention persistent DMs after a polite “no thanks.”
Most are so embarrassed, or so determined not to make a fuss, that they don’t report it. They change their username to something generic, make themselves invisible to avoid being targeted, or simply log off. That’s not enjoyment – it’s endurance.
But we know what happens when just one brave woman does speak up. More stories come out of the woodwork. The same names come up again. What felt like a one-off personal awkwardness turns out to be a pattern.
This isn’t about being overly sensitive. It’s about a training platform remaining what it was built to be — a place to suffer, to laugh, to chase a PB. Not to be harassed.
Shifting the Culture
The sisterhood is strong on Zwift, with many understanding that you don’t need to start a fight — you just need to break the silence that lets it continue. And there are a lot of good men on Zwift who also get this.
When someone makes a rude or suggestive comment in public chat, they don’t laugh along; they call it out. That matters hugely. It shows that normalizing this behavior is not okay, and that allyship is part of the ride. If we leave it to women alone to police this, we put the burden on the people already being targeted.
Making Zwift Safer
So what can we do to make Zwifting safer and more enjoyable? Zwift already has tools, and we can all use them better:
In Zwift Settings, for example, enable the language filter to filter explicit words and hide group chats.
In the Companion app, find the unwanted Zwifter, click the three dots at the top and choose from Remove Follower, Report User, and Block User options.
If you’re linked to Strava, review your personal info – from location to privacy – to prevent this being a breadcrumb trail for the perpetrator.
Ride and club leaders: Set the tone at the start. A simple “This is a respectful, inclusive ride – zero tolerance for harassment” in your ride description helps. And act quickly if you see something in chat. Listen to your club members and escalate issues to Zwift HQ promptly.
A non-threatening environment is not a “women’s issue”, it’s a community standard, and a safeguarding one.
So, let’s make sure the next time someone talks about what women wear to train in their pain cave or on Watopia, the joke doesn’t land — because our Zwift community has already moved on.
Magnus Does It Again! Shatters the vEveresting World Record with Blistering Sub-5-Hour Climb on Côte de Pike
There is something wonderfully poetic about a cyclist looking at a brutal stretch of tarmac, deciding it is simply not steep or painful enough, and turning it into a canvas for history. For most of us, conquering a sharp climb once on a weekend group ride is enough to justify an extra slice of post-ride pizza. But every so often, an athlete comes along who looks at the laws of human endurance, smiles, and rewrites them entirely.
If you follow professional cycling or keep a close pulse on the indoor climbing scene, the name Kulset needs no introduction. After carving out a hard-earned reputation as a fearless, high-mountain domestique for Uno-X Mobility and Team Ringerike, Magnus has spent years learning what it means to suffer on a bike. But recently, the ex-Uno-X star decided to channel that incredible WorldTour-caliber engine into a project that has the entire virtual cycling community buzzing: shattering his own vEveresting world record.
Rather than sticking to the familiar, iconic hairpins of Alpe du Zwift, Magnus set his sights on an entirely different beast: the Côte de Pike climb portal set at a punishing 125% elevation. When the clock finally stopped, his avatar crossed the finish line having accumulated 8,849 meters of vertical gain in an astounding 4 hours and 53 minutes.
We went behind the scenes to look at the math, the mindset, the fueling, and the masterclass in strategy that made this historic sub-5-hour effort possible.
Finding the Ultimate Climbing Laboratory
Every world-record attempt starts in the laboratory of preparation, and for Magnus, that meant playing virtual cartographer across Zwift’s digital terrain. Having previously tested his limits on classic long-form climbs like Alpe du Zwift, Magnus realized that breaking his own barrier required a radical shift in geography.
He methodically tested various routes before zeroing in on Côte de Pike. Measuring 2.2 kilometers in length with a steep 9.5% average gradient and 215 meters of vertical gain per repetition, it wasn’t chosen for comfort. As Magnus candidly admitted, “I have tried all the different climbs on Zwift, and figured out that with 125% elevation Cote de Pike would be the fastest by quite the margin. It definitely isn’t the most comfortable climb to vEverest on, but for maximizing elevation per kilometer, it is the best.”
The 9.5% Wall: A Completely Different Ball Game
Choosing a shorter, punchy climb instead of a long, steady one completely changed the physiological rules of engagement. On Alpe du Zwift, riders settle into a sustained rhythm over a long period, utilizing the extended descent to catch their breath and shake out their legs.
Côte de Pike offers no such luxury. For Magnus, the entire attempt felt less like a series of distinct repeats and almost like one long, continuous, brutal effort. The descent down the 2.2-kilometer stretch lasted a mere one minute—just enough time to shovel a quick bite of nutrition into his mouth, watch his heart rate drop slightly from the red zone, and immediately pivot right back around to face the wall.
Because the climb was shorter and steeper, Magnus found himself operating at a lower cadence to match the high gradient, yet delivering staggering power numbers. In fact, he averaged almost 50 watts more for every single ascent of Côte de Pike compared to his previous Alpe efforts, sustaining that higher wattage band without accidentally drifting into the wrong physiological training zone.
“For me it’s a fun way to try new things,” Magnus explains. “I’m not putting much time into focusing on just ultra-distance, which to me makes it easier mentally. To me it’s a good way to mix and match my weeks and months of training… It makes it easier mentally when I do ultra-things, as it’s for the fun and love of cycling and the community, while a challenge to myself and see what I’m actually capable of doing.”
Baseline Pro Fitness and Relaxed Preparation
How does a rider pull off an ultra-endurance world record on relatively short notice? For Magnus, years of racing at the highest levels provided a built-in physiological baseline. “I think having trained at a high intensity makes your body adapt well to ultra-endurance,” Magnus notes. “For example say you train a lot on 350 watts for an hour or more most days, if you then suddenly start doing 200 watts, for more than an hour, physically and mentally that will in my opinion feel much easier.”
Despite the staggering output, Magnus approaches these massive efforts with a remarkably relaxed mindset. Rejecting the notion of month-long, hyper-specialized blocks, his preparation for Côte de Pike consisted simply of doing a 50% and a 25% vEverest on the Tuesday and Wednesday of that week to test his pacing. “Yeah, I am a strong believer of not making too much out of it,” he says. “For me, having a relaxed entrance to it, lowers the pressure I put on myself. If I make it, great, if not, well then I probably should have prepared better, and will try again at a later point.”
Dialing in the Cave: Setup and Monotony
When every second counts in a sub-5-hour vEveresting attempt, mechanical or comfort bottlenecks can spell disaster. “You need to be very accurate in your planning to pull this off,” Magnus stresses. “If your body becomes too hot, it’s game over, so I always make sure I have options to cool down if I notice that it’s needed.” He also fine-tunes his indoor rig with a dedicated hill-climbing bike setup featuring a shorter stem than his outdoor race geometry.
Climbing a 2.2-kilometer loop dozens of times also presents a severe mental challenge. As an economics student, Magnus combats the loop monotony by leaning into his love for numbers: “I always play around with calculations to stay mentally engaged.” Once past the halfway mark, the strategy shifts to locking in on one climb at a time, backed by great music (here’s his playlist) and motivation from online friends.
When asked how indoor suffering stacks up against a brutal WorldTour mountain stage, Magnus notes the distinct psychological difference. In a WorldTour race, you are hanging on for dear life to a pace dictated by the peloton’s best. Indoors, you control your own destiny. “I don’t ride against anyone, so the motivation is different,” he notes. “For me it’s always motivating seeing what I can do, and how good I can do it.”
A Meticulously Dialed Fueling Protocol
Sustaining the output required to clear 8,849 meters in under five hours leaves zero room for nutritional error. Magnus maintained a strict intake protocol to keep his stomach from rebelling at high intensity:
Hydration: Consuming between 1 to 1.5 liters per hour of fluids, blending sports drinks, caffeine, hydrotabs, and water.
Carbohydrates: Stoking the engine with 120 to 150 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
Solid Nutrition: Reaching for his go-to brand of sweets—Haribo—to keep solid fuel flowing.
“I am very calculated in my fueling, knowing that one missed piece of sweet could be a big mistake, and same with hydration,” Magnus emphasizes. “Even when it doesn’t feel necessary or I lack hunger, I will still get down the amount of nutrition that was calculated beforehand.”
Digital Proof and the Family Barometer
For Magnus, high-visibility virtual records serve a valuable purpose in the modern cycling landscape. By putting power files and metrics on platforms like Zwift, it allows everyday fans to measure themselves against pro numbers and test their own limits, even if outdoor records remain the ultimate traditional standard.
And what about the famous Kulset cycling family? Unfortunately, brothers Kristian, Sindre, and Johannes aren’t jumping into the vEveresting game just yet. “I wish they did, but unfortunately I don’t see anyone doing anything like this anytime soon,” Magnus laughs. “Hopefully one day there will be in-family competition again like when we were kids.”
What’s Next for the Virtual Climbing King
So, after rewriting the record books on Côte de Pike, what is next? Magnus is already looking ahead to his next major test: the Everesting World Championships hosted by the Torturefest Cult Zwift Club, where he plans to tackle multiple 25% and 50% vEverests every weekend in November—an event open to all climbers looking to test their pacing.
Looking further down the road, his long-term radar is locked on the outdoor Everesting record, hunting down legendary outdoor KOMs, jumping into gravel racing, and potentially making a return to the top ranks of professional road cycling if a team is looking for a pure climber.
Magnus currently races for Team Ringerike. You can follow his pursuit of peaks and his latest training data on:
On October 20, Garmin announced their first new smart trainer since 2023, named the Tacx Nēra. This is a completely new trainer design, not an iterative change like Garmin has been making to their NEO and Flux lines for years. Available in a Zwift Ready version, it boasts strong accuracy and max power numbers, while also being Garmin’s only trainer supporting WiFi out of the box.
Popular trainer reviewers like GPLama and DCRainmaker appear to have received this trainer for review later than usual. We certainly did! But the good news is, we’ve got one here at Zwift Insider for testing, and will publish a review in the coming weeks. Until then, here are the details of the Nēra.
Key Specs
Accuracy: +-1%
Flywheel: 13.51 lbs (6.13 kg)
Max Wattage: 2200W
Max Incline: 20%
Race Mode: Yes
Motion: Left/Right, Fore/Aft
Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, ANT+
Bluetooth Bridge for HRM Only
Zwift Virtual Shifting Supported: Yes
Cassette: Sold with 11-speed cassette or as Zwift Ready (Cog and Click)
Foldable legs for storage
Dimensions: 24.76″ x 30.67″ (629 x 779 mm), 24.76″ x 16.06″ (629 x 408 mm) when folded
Weight: 54.45 lbs (24.7 kg)
MSRP: $999 USD
Comparisons
First, let’s hold the Nēra up against Garmin’s other smart trainers: the NEOk 3M, NEO 2T, and Flux 2. Where does the Nēra fit into the mix?
At least on paper, the Nēra matches Garmin’s flagship NEO models in power accuracy (+-1%) and max wattage (2200W). The NEOs, though, are based on entirely different technology and boast a higher max torque (88 Nm vs 55 Nm) and max brake force (260 N vs 162.5 N).
Note: Max torque and brake force are interesting numbers other manufacturers don’t typically share, and they arguably communicate a trainer’s actual capabilities a bit more accurately, since max wattage and max incline numbers aren’t exactly objective measurements.
These days, native WiFi support is expected for mid- and high-budget smart trainers. The Nēra is Garmin’s only trainer that supports WiFi out of the box (the 3M can do it if you purchase an extra adapter).
Garmin’s Flux 2, while half the price of the Nēra, really isn’t in the smart trainer conversation at this point. It was released in 2020, making it over 6 years old. It lacks the accuracy and connectivity of the Nēra, and is probably only still in Garmin’s lineup because it’s the only mid-budget trainer they offer.
Putting the Nēra up against the industry, it stacks up spec-wise quite nicely with Wahoo’s flagship KICKR v6. The Nēra offers more motion than the KICKR and a Bluetooth bridge for HRMs, but apart from those features, they match in accuracy, max wattage/incline, and connectivity. The Nēra, though, is priced $150 above the KICKR.
A Few Thoughts
And that’s where comparisons will eventually land. Garmin has never been the low-price leader in smart trainers, and that trend is continuing with the Nēra. Will riders be willing to shell out $150 more to buy the Nēra over the KICKR? A lot will be riding on early reviews of the Nēra, including the one we’re working on right now here at Zwift Insider. Speaking of which, GPLama just dropped his!
Garmin has sort of put themselves over the pricing barrel with the Nēra, given it meets or exceeds the capabilities of their most popular trainer, the NEO 2T. If they keep the 2T at its regular price ($1099), the Nēra looks like it’s losing to the older trainers right out of the gate. And if they drop the 2T’s price (which they have, it’s currently on sale for $899) it emphasizes the fact that the 2T is getting long in the tooth.
A few minor notes:
Built-in handle: Thank you, Garmin, for putting a solid, accessible handle on this trainer. The earlier NEOs just about killed anyone trying to move it!
Heaviest trainer yet: The Nēra is 1kg heavier than the NEO 3M, which was previously Garmin’s heaviest trainer. This is one heavy unit! Guess that’s why it has a solid handle.
Where is TrainingPeaks Virtual? Garmin acquired TrainingPeaks – and TrainingPeaks Virtual – back in July. But TPV is conspicuously absent from any marketing of the Nēra, which pushes free access to the Tacx Training App and also includes some Zwift gameplay.
Questions or comments?
That’s all for this post. But like I said, what for a full review of the Nēra coming soon.
Got questions or comments about the Nēra? Share below!
How (and Why) To Switch Your Zwift Subscription Billing from Apple to Zwift.com
As I mentioned in our post earlier today (Free Zwift Plus For All Ends Today – Here Are Your Options), Zwift has added an “Apple tax” to the Apple App Store pricing of the new Zwift Plus subscription tier. This means any Zwifter who upgrades to the Zwift Plus tier and pays through the App Store will be paying a higher monthly price than Zwifters who manage their subscription directly through Zwift.
Apple Subs ≠ Zwift.com Web Subs
Ever since Zwift became available on iOS in 2017, Zwifters have had the option of managing their subscription directly through Apple’s native App Store. This makes account management simple on iOS, but it may also make things confusing, since Zwift can build subscription features into their own account management portal that Apple doesn’t support in the App Store.
This is why Apple subscribers don’t have access to the promo codes, annual plans, or membership pausing that Zwift.com web subscribers have.
While Apple takes a 30% commission from first-year subscriber fees through the App Store (15% commission if you’ve been a subscriber for over 1 year), Zwift has always charged the same price whether you pay through the App Store or Zwift.com. But that changed with the rollout of Zwift Plus! App Store subscribers who upgrade to the Zwift Plus tier are charged an additional $6/£5.50/€6 per month compared to subscribers who upgrade to Zwift Plus and pay via Zwift.com.
(Note: The idea of charging an “Apple tax” isn’t new – YouTube and Meta are already doing it. And you can rest assured any company that isn’t explicitly charging a higher price for App Store subscribers has built those “platform costs” into their overall pricing.)
To be clear, here is how Zwift subscriptions are now priced in Zwift’s three main regions:
*Apple bills in your local currency, so this table doesn’t cover all pricing for all Zwifters
As you can see from the tables above, Zwift Plus subscribers pay a premium through the App Store and don’t have access to discounted annual subscriptions.
Why Apple?
So why would anyone pay through the App Store instead of via Zwift.com? I’d say simplicity is probably the main reason. If you install Zwift on your iOS device, you are prompted with this screen:
The top button takes you to Zwift.com, where you have to sign into your account, navigate a few screens, and enter your payment info to activate your subscription. The lower button pops up a simple one-click button to start your subscription through the App Store. Which would you choose?
(Additionally, it’s a rare new Zwifter who would do the research needed to learn that App Store subscribers don’t have access to the same account options – particularly annual subscriptions and account pausing – that Zwift.com web subscribers do. And of course, most App Store subscribers probably don’t understand that 30% of their monthly fees go straight into Apple’s coffers instead of funding Zwift’s further development.)
Should you switch?
If you’re a monthly subscriber who wants to upgrade to Zwift Plus, switching from App Store to Zwift.com web payments is a no-brainer. It saves you money every month and gives you access to more subscription options.
If you’re a monthly subscriber sticking with the standard Zwift subscription, there is no monetary motivation to swap your account management from Apple to Zwift. But it may still be worth doing, for three reasons:
Annual subscription access: Paying through Zwift.com gives you the option of annual billing, which is priced to essentially give you 2 free months each year.
Account pause access: Zwift.com subscribers can pause their account for up to 90 days, possibly saving some money when you know you’ll be unable to use Zwift for a while.
Pay Zwift, not Apple: By my estimation, Zwift pays Apple $700,000-$900,000 in subscription commissions every month. (No, that is not a typo.) If all of those subscribers moved to Zwift.com web payments, that cost would drop to around $120,000 (based on a 3% credit card processing fee estimate). Of course, we don’t know what Zwift would do with that windfall. But it at least opens up the possibility of further/faster platform development.
Switching from Apple App Store to Zwift.com Web Payments
So how do you switch your Zwift.com subscription from Apple’s App Store to Zwift.com’s web payment?
The process is simple, but also more hassle than it should be:
Cancel your Zwift subscription via Apple (on iOS go to Settings>Subscriptions, tap Zwift, then “Cancel Subscription”)
On the first day you want to ride on Zwift after your Apple subscription expires, sign into your account at Zwift.com and activate your account by setting up direct payments through Zwift. (You can pay your monthly fee via credit card, Paypal, or Apple Pay.)
Given how much Zwift sends to Apple in subscription fees each month, I think Zwift should find a way to streamline the migration of subscribers from the App Store to Zwift.com. (Of course, Zwift is restricted in many ways by Apple’s terms of service, which is why Epic Games’ legal battles against Apple are ongoing.) Until then, subscribers will need to follow the process above.
Your Thoughts
This turned into a longer post than I’d planned. But the Apple vs Zwift.com subscriptions topic is something I’ve never really unpacked in a Zwift Insider post before, so hopefully this answers any questions on this topic! If it doesn’t… or if you have comments… please share below. Ride on.
Here is the most thorough list I’ve seen of kits in-game and their unlock codes or methods (if known). Some kits are listed without unlock codes. These kits have been seen in game but may have a closely-guarded unlock code, or can only be unlocked via an event or other method.
See the update log at bottom of page to learn when new kits have been added.
To unlock a kit, just hit “P” in game and enter the unlock code.
A big thanks to Morten Tillquist Nielsen for creating the graphics.
Unlocked with metric centuryCode GoalienwareCode ATOC2015Code GOAMGENTOCUnlocked with Assos “Go Long London” missionAthloniaUnlock in Level 2Unlock in Level 12Code GOBATTENKILLCode BICYCLINGMAGCode BIKERADARCode BIKEANDBEERUnlock in Level 3Code CANBERRACCKITUnlocked with 100 mile rideCode GOCISUnlock in Level 18Code CRCANYCCode GOCYCLEOPS (no longer available)Code D.CYCLE4GOODUnlock in Level 11DoCoMoCode GOELITEEpic KOM/QOM Unlock in Level 21Code GOFREESPEEDOld GCN Kit (2016)Code GoGCNCode GEARPATROLCode GEELONGCCKITCode GOLDCOASTCode GOLONGRIDERSCode GOVISIONCode GOINGAMBACode Hikkit32616Code JENSIECode LAFUGA.CCUnlock in Level 15Code LAVAUnlock in Level 20Unlock in Level 25London DynamoMid Devon Cycling ClubOld More than Sport (2016)Code MTSKITCode MGCCKitCode NCCMAKITNSI Cobb RacingPeaks Coaching Group – Code PCGKIT32516Code GOPEARSONCode RIDEPOWERTAPPrudential RideLondonCode RIDEQUARQCode RADAVISTRapha Cycling ClubFor women onlyFor women onlyFor women onlyCode RIDEAUSTRALIACode ROAD.CCCode GOSKRYESaxo SportCode SIGMASPORTCode SLOWTWITCHCode SOIGNEURDKSpecializedCode STKILDA2015KITOld Strava Premium (2015)Unlocked when you link your Strava premium account to ZwiftUnlocked when you link your Strava account to ZwiftUnlocked when you link your Strava account to ZwiftCode SYDNEYCCKITCode GOTACXTeam DZICode TDP2015Tour de Pier 2016Code GOTRAINSHARPComplete the Trek MissionCode TRIATHLETEMAGCode TSBIKESOld USMES (2015)Code GOUSMESCode VCGHKITUnlock in Level 8Code WAHOOFITNESSCode GOWBRWorld Bike Relief 2016Code GOWSRCode ZTHKITZwift Default
Update Log
November 9, 2026: restored missing unlock codes.
Added February 15, 2017
Trek-Segafredo Training Kit (finish Trek Mission to receive kit)
Assos kit (code needed)
Added February 13, 2017
GSR Long Riders
Hertis Koers
Added February 12, 2017
MTS (More than Sport) 2016 (updated kit, same code)
GCN 2017 (updated kit, same code)
USMES 2016 (updated kit, same code)
Strava 2016 (updated kit, same unlock rules)
Strava Premium 2106 (updated kit, same unlock rules)
