Just in time for spring weather, today Zwift flipped the switch on an expansion of their “Next Up” personalized recommendations feature. Now, in addition to recommending a workout, Robopacer ride, and route for the day, it also recommends an outdoor ride.
The Goal
Zwift’s stated goal with these outdoor recommendations is to offer “simple, effective outdoor ride suggestions to keep your progress moving forward, with guidance designed to build endurance and manage fatigue.” As such, expect the recommendation to include an overall ride time, and a basic mid-ride goal or two. For example, my recommendation today is:
Viewing Your Outdoor Recommendation
To view your outdoor recommendation, make sure you’re using version 3.82+ of the Zwift Companion app, go to the Next Up card on the homescreen, and tap the sun icon to toggle to your outdoor ride.
Note: You can only flip personalized recommendations. Manually planned workouts or workouts synced from a third-party platform can’t be flipped.
Planning An Outdoor Ride?
Adding outdoor ride recommendations to Next Up makes sense, and shows that Zwift realizes many (most) of their users also ride outdoors, particularly when the weather is good. If Zwift wants people to use their Fitness Trends and recommendations year-round, they have to include outdoor rides in the mix.
That said, with Zwift releasing a new planning feature on the Companion app just two weeks ago, it seems sensible to let us plan outdoor rides in Companion as well. But that isn’t currently possible. Hopefully it comes soon!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of outdoor ride recommendations? Chime in below, or share your thoughts on the Zwift forum thread.
I like it…my Garmin imports the rides I have done outdoors into the companion app and even earn some XP points! Now if Zwift could credit mileage and drops, that would be perfect. 😀
Just record your outdoor ride with the Zwift app and you.can.
no need to Sync Garmin.
At the moment, I only have a Zwift ride with the Kickr Core; I don’t have any sensors on my outdoor bike. Does this mean that if I do have sensors on my bike and Zwift detects them, I can start a Zwift activity (road, group ride, event, etc.) and Zwift will treat me as being in the game and therefore award XP and drops?
Yes it is possible when you connect your powermeter to your mobile phone (and HRM). Probably you need a powerbank when your phone is always open and you are doing longer rides. And you need a big bundle on your phone like unlimited internet.
I do a similar thing for Zwift Run. If I plan to go for a longish outdoor walk and bothered to set things up, I’ll strap on my Stryd pod, use my watch for HR and leave the phone in the pocket. The phone needs to stay unlocked though and you can’t multi-task on other apps.
maybe they should focus on getting the indoor recommendations correct/better before adding in outdoor rides?
Unless the user enters a GOAL so that it can be linked to previous sessions, I’m afraid the recommendations won’t be very accurate, or even particularly useful ?
Does it also looks at the weather before recommending going outside ?
Its just a suggestion. 🤷♀️ So many snarky riders in this app. Never happy.
its readers of this website. it aggregates the most miserable losers
Agree. A minor dig at Eric here too- we’re heading into our coldest and bleakest time of year here in the southern hemisphere. I know we’re not the majority of zwift’s users, but a recommendation to go for an outdoor ride when it’s below freezing and dark seems a bit of a chuckle.
I know it’s only a recommendation.
It recommends both indoor and outdoor workout options. If someone plans to ride outside they’ll obviously ignore the indoor recommendation. If someone plans to ride inside they’ll ignore the outside ride recommendation. Or they’ll just ignore all of it because the recommendations are Ed bad.
My favorite is when I’m riding inside because of rain, and it’s raining in watopia.
My god. I wish they would really read the room. So many things people have asked for but you know what they deliver, another miss. A half cocked ai tool to tell you to ride outside.
Hi from Cleveland
Not nearly as bad a Stravas attempt at Ai assessments though lol
I don’t get it. Personally, I prefer to make independent choices on what I want to do next after taking into consideration numerous factors Zwift is unaware of. I guess I’ll continue to tune out “Next Up” on Zwift Companion.
There’s no attempt here to ask what people are training for. I have an ultra in a couple of months. Outdoor suggestion is 51-minute ride with five mins at threshold. 🤷♂️
When does Zwift think it will allow everyone, and not just Garmin users and a few other devices, to be able to interface their outdoor outings?
Cant Zwift just focus on their other worksides first? We dont need recomendations to ride outdoors from an indoor platform. Everyone who plans his rides will still use another tool instead of this. Please: They need to improve their indoor platform, so many bugs, cheaters and useless features there…
Android, Companion v3.82 (2155) – current version.
Apart from my scheduled workouts, I have never had—and currently do not have—any “NextUp” (workout, RoboPacer, freeride, etc.).
Do you schedule your workouts in a third party app that syncs with Zwift ?
I do and only get suggestions from Zwift on days I have no workout planned by the other app.
I’ve synced with XERT/Intervals.
I’ll see if anything changes in “NextUp” on my end on my “non-training” days 😉
regards bro
Same here, version 3.82.2 and no « Next up » card in the homescreen 🤔
I already told myself my outdoor rides here during the summer in Florida will be relaxed since I’m done with triathlons or duathlons IRL . 32KM max distance 28.9 KM per hr speed. Zwift is for speed . Plus doing 1 sport instead of 3 is so much nicer . Don’t even worry about miles outside how they stack up on Zwift , two different worlds . And I’m glad for that .
My thoughts? Absolutely useless and insane. I go on zwift to ride indoors. This can only ever work if they would truly match strava/garmin and bring something unique on top. This is like 1% of what i would need to start using zwift for my outdoor recommendations.
the strategy is so so so off…
I use the Companion app a lot. Next Up is completely useless irrelevant for me and takes up a lot of space. We need to be able to have an option to turn it off. I don’t need recommendations – I read Zwift Insider for those! 😉
We do have that. Its a bit hidden but there is a topic on the Zwift forum where you can ask to be opted out. And Alan from Zwift will than do that manually.
https://forums.zwift.com/t/make-fitness-trends-recommendations-optional/664695/12
If I complete and outdoor recommendation I should get full XP! Just sayin.
Zwift is an indoor cycling app. INDOOR. You should be grateful for getting any credit at all for outdoor. The only reason you’re getting it is because they want your money and don’t want you to cancel during the summer.
why are outdoor runs not accepted in zwift? thats just lame.
Ah, but they do! https://zwiftinsider.com/fitness-trends-running/