Zwift Academy Road is back! Having completed the events during the week, I can say with confidence that the events are good. If you haven’t tried any yet, you still can! Events are varied with something for everyone, as I will highlight below. Let’s get after it!
Still haven’t signed up for ZA Road? You can do so at zwift.com/academy/zaroad.
Baseline Ride
The Zwift Academy Baseline ride is a different event from the norm. The point of the ride is to set a Baseline set of times over three particular segments, resting between those segments on course so you can hit the next segment hard.
You will then complete the same event at the end of the Academy and compare your results, to see your progress.
The segments test your sprinting ability, your short power (anaerobic) endurance, and your longer power (aerobic) endurance. You have two course options: “Advanced” on the new Climber’s Gambit route, or “Standard” on the new Legends and Lava route. The big difference between the two is the length of the segment used for the final aerobic effort. (The Advanced Ride climbs the Epic KOM Reverse, while the Standard Ride climbs the Volcano KOM.)
The key thing is to attack the segments and recover in between. When I tackled the route, I didn’t take the opportunity to read the description of the event beforehand, or read the Zwift Insider Baseline Ride FAQ. So I blasted from the start line and kept going, like it was a 30km TT. It was brutally hard and I did enjoy it, but it wasn’t undertaken correctly, so I will need to repeat the exercise and do it properly to get a correct set of results.
All in all, a great event because it is different… and required for Zwift Academy graduation!
Multiple dates and times, see all upcoming >
Workout #1 – VO2 Over/Unders
This is a tough workout. You work over your FTP for a period of 2 minutes, then under your FTP for 1 minute, then over for another minute, then under for two minutes. And repeat that three times! It’s a “leg zapper” for sure, so only do this if you haven’t got any rides planned as it will certainly leave you with “jelly legs” for the rest of the day.
The purpose of the workout is to improve your VO2 Max, enabling you to increase time spent at moderate and high intensity.
Multiple dates and times, see all upcoming >
Pro Contract Contender TT Races
To qualify for the Zwift Academy Road pro contract competition, you need to jump through a few extra hoops, including completing this event. It’s a climb up Alpe Du Zwift, which if you’re a climber like myself, it’s something to look forward to! (Chances are I will be trying this several times.) The official blurb from Zwift says:
“This is a mass-start event using TT bikes. Drafting benefits will be disabled. It all goes down on Road to Sky, featuring the iconic Alpe du Zwift climb. In total, the distance is 10.7 mi // 17.3 km with the actual climb clocking in at 7.5 mi // 12.2 km with an 8.0% grade incline and 3,428 ft // 1,045m elevation gain. The Route begins in the jungle, where you’ll have 3.1 mi // 5.1 km to warm up the legs before the climb starts in earnest. The focus here is on the climb, so take it easy and take advantage of this time to get yourself ready for what’s to come.
We’re looking for high-sustained efforts here, so pacing properly is key. Don’t fire off too hard. Settle into a good rhythm as soon as possible.”
Good luck!
Multiple dates and times, see all upcoming >
Your Thoughts
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!
Why AdZ on a TT bike???🤔
To take away the drafting side I guess? While they can turn off drafting, mandating a TT bike may have some other back end impacts on data?
I think they are looking for riders who can sustain a high watts per kilo to mimic the long climbs of Grand Tours. But ultimately, I am guessing.
I just finished the workout #1 VO2 over/unders. I am baffled coz I finished with a Green Jersey for the NY sprint female category. Funny thing was at the starting line my trainer could not connect with the app so I was left 3 mins behind everyone else. I rode on my own and followed the workout segments closely and somewhere towards the last 2 segments someone placed me back with the group…was that how I earned my Green Jersey…ha ha ha….I am still wondering..🤔
I love the TT side of Zwift and while I’m neither a pro contender (58 yrs old) nor a natural climber (91 kg and 190cm), I do “enjoy” the climbs and I’ll definitely be giving one of these a go.
If you like the climbs, I host an event on Monday called the Monday Mountain Massif TT. It is a TT up the reverse Epic KOM, finishing up the Radio Tower. For me, I particularly like the new Climber’s Gambit as the final climb is probably the climb I am most familiar with on Zwift. Looking forward to seeing you on Monday 👍
I would love to go that one day Tim, I seem to remember though that its at a difficult time for me here in Western Australia. I do the Bologna TT most weeks which helps feed my needs though and I will definitely keep checking on your Monday session
Hi Francis, to accommodate my friends in Australia / APAC region, there has been an extra time slot added, 12.00pm CEST, as well as the usual 7pm slot – which I believe is your evening time, so hopefully you will be able to fit in one session to try 👍
There’s a new weekly race event kicking off on September 12, featuring slightly longer events with varied terrain, this week on the Watopia Mountain route. Hosted by Team Valhalla. https://www.zwift.com/events/view/2239140 – already over 70 signups across all cats.