Zwift Racing Etiquette: The Unofficial Code of Conduct for Indoor Cycling Racing

Every cyclist knows the Velominati—keepers of the sacred outdoor road cycling commandments. But once you clip in on a smart trainer and enter the pixelated world of Watopia, those rules start to fall apart. Sock height still matters, sure, but what about your fan placement? Your avatar name? Your squirrel?

Enter Zwift Racing Etiquette: the ultimate guide to proper behavior in the virtual peloton. These rules are designed for Zwift racers who want to ride hard, race fair, and keep the vibe fun—even when chasing a breakaway at 180 bpm in a garage that smells faintly of chain lube and long lost ambition.

The Golden Principle of Zwift racing etiquette is simple: Be a Good Sport. Zwift racing is highly competitive, but it’s also a shared experience. Whether you’re chasing a podium or just trying not to get dropped, the goal is to race with integrity, respect your fellow riders, and contribute to the community. That means no sandbagging, no tantrums, and no ghosting. It means giving Ride-Ons, pulling your weight in a break, and finishing even when it hurts.

If everyone follows this one principle, the rules almost take care of themselves.

The Rules

Rule #1: Keep it fun.
Zwift is serious business—until you remember you’re sweating in your attic pretending to climb a volcano. Lighten up.

Rule #2: Wear a jersey.
Indoor riding gets hot. We get it. But Zwift is not OnlyFans. So wear a shirt when filming your ride. Your YouTube viewers will thank you.

Rule #3: Ditch the “pain cave.”
The term is cringey and overused. Whatever you call it, it should feel like a place where legends are made. Hang some Tour swag to make it feel legit.

Rule #4: Don’t forget the essentials.
You can have the perfect warm-up, the perfect playlist, and the perfect race plan—but if you forget your towel, bottle, or to switch on your fan, you’re toast. Prep your setup like it’s a space launch: checklist, power, hydration, airflow. Forget one, and you’ll be sweating into regret.

Rule #5: The fan cools you. The software cools your mic.
Strategic airflow is non-negotiable. But if your teammates can’t hear your tactical brilliance over the roar of your industrial-grade fan, it’s time to let noise suppression do its job. Balance is everything.

Rule #6: Charge your devices.
Nothing says “pro” like a mid-race voice dropout because your AirPods died during your attack. Keep your gear juiced. Better yet, plug it in.

Rule #7: Calibrate your trainer.
Your trainer isn’t magic. It needs calibration. Regularly. If your watts are suspiciously heroic, it’s either your legs or your laziness. Don’t let it be the latter. Calibrate, verify, and race clean.

Rule #8: Drop watts, not connections.
Your setup should be race-ready. That means no Bluetooth dropouts, no sensor drama, no “why did my avatar stop?” moments. Keep interference low, test with Zwiftalizer, and choose your connection method wisely. Companion App bridge can help, but it’s not for everyone. If your signal’s sketchy, your race is too.

Rule #9: Identify yourself.
If your name is “Mr. Fast” and your avatar is a Bugatti, we assume you’re compensating for something. Just be you.

Rule #10: State your true height.
Yes, shaving centimeters makes you faster in Zwift. But unless you’ve actually shrunk, set your real height. Cheating the system is easy—earning respect isn’t.

Rule #11: Weigh-in with integrity.
Morning weigh-ins (sans gear) are fine. Don’t film it—you’re naked, remember. Enter your weight with one decimal and update it every couple of weeks. It’s not just about numbers—it’s about showing you care enough to keep it fair.

Rule #12: Your age doesn’t earn you watts.
Zwift doesn’t care how old you are—and neither should your race name. If you’re 70 and dropping 20-year-olds, that’s genuinely impressive. But don’t fish for compliments by adding your age to your username. Performance speaks louder than birthdays.

Rule #13: Only state your FTP when asked.
Power is silent. Ego is loud. Be the former. Dropping your FTP into casual chat is like flexing your salary at a dinner party—no one asked, and now it’s awkward.

Rule #14: Sock height is sacred.
There is a correct sock height. You don’t know what it is, but you’ll know when someone gets it wrong.

Rule #15: Respect the Tron.
If someone’s riding the Tron bike, they’ve earned it. Don’t ask how. Just admire the glow and get in their draft.

Rule #16: Respect the burrito.
It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy. It’s not even edible. But the burrito power-up cancels your draft and scrambles your chasers. Laugh at it, and you’ll get dropped. Use it right, and you’ll ride off into the distance before the opponents even know you’re attacking.

Rule #17: Sprint into descents.
The gravity may be virtual, but the glory is real. Always start a downhill with a watt bomb—you’ll carry extra speed and drop your rivals. And yes, in the virtual world, the supertuck is still a thing. Use it wisely. Abuse it, and you’ll be dropped like a bad Wi-Fi connection.

Rule #18: No distractions.
Zwift is not background noise. If you’re watching Netflix during a race, you’re not really here. Save the binge-watching for rest days. When it’s go-time, be present. Your watts deserve your full attention.

Rule #19: Know your racing category.
If ZRS, CE, and vELO just look like alphabet soup to you, you’re not ready to race. These acronyms determine who you race and how fair it all feels. So learn the system, check your numbers, and race where you belong. Confusion is forgivable. Ignorance is not.

Rule #20: E-racing has a capital Z.
Other platforms are just pixel cosplay.

Rule #21: Don’t compare Zwift to IRL.
Zwift isn’t outdoor riding—and that’s the point. There’s no wind, no potholes, and no chance of getting dropped because you missed a turn while reaching for a gel. It’s a different sport. Zwift has volcanoes, power-ups, and glowing bikes. Embrace the weird. Respect the platform.

Rule #22: Non-Zwifters won’t get it.
Your sub-6 hour vCinglés du Ven-Top means nothing to non-Zwifters. They won’t care about your zMAP boost or your Epic KOM reverse PR. Save it for fellow Zwifters.

Rule #23: Keep the bike clean and lubricated.
Just because no one sees your bike doesn’t mean it should look like a biology experiment. Clean your drivetrain, no sweat puddles, and bin those wrappers.

Rule #24: Wear the team kit.
Wear your club jersey (virtually) and display your team name. Otherwise, no one knows if you’re a rival or just vibing.

Rule #25: Take your turn.
In a breakaway or chase group, do your share. It doesn’t have to be heroic, but it has to be something. Riders who merely freeload are to be dropped at the earliest opportunity.

Rule #26: Always race to your max.
Race like your Twitch stream actually has viewers. If you’re looking for a training ride, do a workout instead. See also Rule #28.

Rule #27: Empty your weebles.
Intervals.icu shows how deep you went above FTP. If your w’balance didn’t reach zero, you just didn’t go hard enough. See Rule #27.

Rule #28: No sandbagging.
Don’t limit your power to stay in a lower category. Big fish belong in big ponds. Race like it’s the Tour de France and let the pens sort themselves out.

Rule #29: No tanking.
Purposely racing poorly to lower your ZRS or vELO rating is just sad. Wear your category with pride.

Rule #30: Finish the race.
Got dropped and don’t want your poor result to show on ZwiftPower? Tough luck. Take your defeat on the chin and complete the full distance.

Rule #31: Sauce is allowed (mostly).
Sauce 4 Zwift is fine—if the HUD is on. If the organiser switches it off for a data-free experience, don’t bypass it. That’s just shady.

Rule #32: Keep the chat clean.
“Have fun!” is great. “How long is this race?”—not so much. Race chat isn’t your personal FAQ or therapy session. Don’t complain about the course or ask what’s for dinner, and save the sarcastic coaching for Discord. Say thanks, be nice, and if you’ve got nothing helpful to say—pedal harder.

Rule #33: No public shaming.
Suspicious power, weight, or height? Don’t call it out in chat. Send a private message to the organiser. Keep the vibe positive.

Rule #34: Big watts? Dual record.
If you can do more than 5 w/kg for 5 minutes, invest in some power pedals. They’re not that expensive anymore, and they prove your numbers are legit.

Rule #35: Ride-Ons galore.
That rider who clawed their way back after getting dropped? Ride-On. The one who led the chase to reel in a breakaway? Ride-On. The teammate who gave up their sprint to lead you out? Definitely Ride-On. We’re all suffering in our own way—sometimes, a well-timed Ride-On makes it bearable. Use them generously, but meaningfully.

Rule #36: No moaning about steering.
Yes, Zwift Play isn’t sold everywhere. But if you want it, find a forwarding address. Complaining won’t make your avatar steer better.

Rule #37: Do not ghost the race.
If you signed up, show up. Be the wheel someone else needs.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of the list? Got rules to add or changes to recommend? Share below…

How the Race Lost: Broken By the Brae (Rolling Highlands)

This week, the final race of August’s Kick ‘N’ Sprint series was held on Scotland’s Rolling Highlands route. I was looking forward to it, because it’s a fun race course: hard enough to keep things interesting, but not so hard (read: climby) that I would get dropped.

Read below to see how my race unfolded…

The Warmup

I got on the bike with plenty of time before the 12:10pm PT race, giving me a full half hour to wake up the ol’ ticker and spin up the legs. I was already one dirty chai and a few pieces of Neuro caffeine gum into my warmup by the time I got on the bike, so I was nicely caffeinated. I had also rubbed PR Lotion into my legs to keep the burning at bay.

My Warmup “Stack”

I rode my Cadex Tri bike during the warmup, since I’m working on upgrading it as we head into ZRL. Just upgraded to stage 3, working on stage 4, which requires 480 minutes!

Lead-In + Lap 1

Rolling Highlands has a long lead-in, but it’s an easy one: 5.1km, starting with a nice little descent and ending with a kick up the Breakaway Brae. In a two-lap race like today’s, you’ll hit the Brae three times: once at the end of the lead-in, once at the end of lap 1, and once at the finish.

I was holding onto a feather powerup, which I used at the bottom of the Brae. 412W for 58s got me through that segment. At the finishing arch I grabbed a draft boost powerup, then settled in for a bit of recovery as we looped past Nessie’s pond and headed back toward the lap banner. Lap 1 had begun.

The next challenge is the climb up through “The Cliffs”. It’s 2.2km long, and not steep at all – a very draftable climb. I held onto my van until we neared the top, where the riders always push the hardest. Then I used it, so I could more easily surf the wheels as we headed toward the lap banner and another powerup.

I grabbed another draft boost through the lap banner, then sat in and recovered to prepare for the Corkscrew Castle climb just up the road. This steep little kicker requires close to an all-out sprint for 15 seconds or so in order to stay in touch. The pack always stretches across the top, but tends to come together before hitting the Brae just 90 seconds up the road.

And that’s what happened: 549W for 31s got me up and over the Corkscrew Castle climb, then it was another go at the Brae, using my draft boost over the flat top to ease my effort as I sat in the wheels. Lap 1 done.

Lap 2 + Finish

After a bit of recovery, we hit the Cliffs climb again. M. Rogozinski went off the front and was soon joined by E.VP, but I just sat in, using my feather to ease the effort near the top. As we went through the lap arch I got a feather as my final powerup, Rogozinki got reeled in, and E.VP was 5s off the front.

We hit the Corkscrew Castle climb with 2km left in the race, and I knew these final 2000 meters would be hellish. I put out some big watts to stay near the front over this climb, figuring the pack might break up and I didn’t want to get gapped. 618W for 28s put me into a good position… but had I dug too deep? I spun my legs past Nessie’s place as our front pack of 24 proceeded toward the final Breakaway Brae.

One rider, S. Leary, went long as we crossed the segment start line. Others followed, and I boosted my power to try to hold their wheels. But seconds later, Leary was too far ahead for me to draft, and I was in the wind, so I eased a bit to let riders around me come around as we hit the uphill hairpin with 400 meters to go. Feather engaged. It all comes down to this!

The orange numbers were everywhere! A. Adams passed me, then T. E1000. 300 meters to go and I was hurting in 4th position. I steered left to get more draft, but my legs were done. More riders passed mein the final 100m, and I rolled across in 8th.

T. E1000 took the win with a powerful, perfectly-timed final kick that pipped S. Leary.

See ride on Strava >
See results on ZwiftPower >

Watch the Video:

Takeaways

Rolling Highlands is a fun race course for me. The three climbs – Breakaway Brae, The Cliffs, and Corkscrew Castle – make it interesting without forcing me out the back.

It’s just that the Breakaway Brae finish always seems to eat my lunch. I do well climbing through the left hairpin, but seem to run out of fuel on the long hall to the line that follows. Pre-race I tell myself I should wait longer before going all in, but somehow I never manage to do it. Because there’s always someone just a little off the front, dangling a tantalizing wheel. If I could just grab that wheel…

My “weebles” (W’bal) chart from intervals.icu is pretty telling when it comes to that final effort over the Corkscrew Castle and Breakaway Brae. W’ is the amount of work you can do over critical power – that is, how big of a bucket you have to draw from when it comes to hard efforts (read more about W’ and Critical Power here.) Ride above your critical power (which is close to, but not the same, as FTP) and you’ll be emptying your bucket. Ride below critical power long enough, and the bucket will refill.

You can see in the chart below that my W’bal began at 25 kilojoules, and dipped to -3.9 as I crossed the finish line. That’s truly emptying the bucket! It’s the lowest I’ve seen my weebles in at least a few months…

If I were to do this race again, I would go easier up the final Corkscrew Castle climb, gambling that it would all come back together before the start of the Breakaway Brae. This would have left me more weebles to play with, and hopefully a bit more kick left in those final meters.

I began this race with a score of 569, just barely sneaking into the 450-570 group. My 8th-place result boosted my score by 5 points, which means I’ll have to race against the big boys next week. Wish me luck!

Your Thoughts

Did you race Rolling Highlands this week? How did it go? Share your thoughts below…