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All About Next Week’s “Ride Like King 16” WBR Benefit Events

Eric Schlange
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7
All About Next Week’s “Ride Like King 16” WBR Benefit Events

All About Next Week’s “Ride Like King 16” WBR Benefit Events

Celebrate Ride Like King’s 16th year (and 7th year on Zwift) next week with events featuring celebrity leaders, product giveaways, jersey unlocks, and even Buffalo bikes!

Every 500km ridden by the Zwift community means one more Buffalo bike donated to World Bicycle Relief – up to 600 bikes! Read on for details…

What is Ride Like King?

In 2007, at age 73, Giant Group King Liu completed a 15-day, 927km ride around Taiwan.  This resulted in a renewed passion for cycling and the benefits it brings to the individual, community, and country.  Following this, King traveled to countries and spoke with governments to promote the positive impacts of cycling. 

His message resonated within the company as well. ‘Ride Like King’ started in 2009 as a small event within the Giant Group to celebrate their founder’s passion for cycling. But it grew to be an annual event and now is in its 16th edition! Zwift is an active partner and has been hosting the event on its platform since 2018.

The WBR Buffalo Bike IRL
And in game!

Event Details

“Ride to Raise” warm-up rides are scheduled hourly from 6am UTC Monday, May 13 to 3am UTC Friday, May 17th. These rides rotate every other hour between two formats and have no special unlocks or prize drawings, but rides in these events (and all events in the RLK16 series) count toward our community distance goal to earn Buffalo bikes:

“Celebration Rides” are scheduled from 4am UTC Friday, May 17th to 6am UTC Monday, May 20th and include in-game kit unlocks and prize drawing entries. The schedule rotates through three blocks of events, with each block hosting 7 event time slots which are 4 hours apart:

  • Event Block 1: Sugar Cookie (1 lap, 39.2km, 258m)
  • Event Block 2: Makuri 40 (1 lap, 40.3km, 312m)
  • Event Block 3: R.G.V. (1 lap, 24.8km, 133m)
    • Open Category D will ride Buffalo Fahrrad bikes
    • Women-Only Category E will ride Buffalo Fahrrad bikes

See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/series/ride-like-king-16/

Celebrity Ride Leaders

The big weekend Celebration Rides will feature pro riders from Giant and Liv’s most notable teams, including Team Jayco AlUla, Liv AlUla, Liv Factory Racing, the Giant Factory Off-Road Team, and Liv Racing Collective. Also, Giant and Liv ambassadors like Ayesha McGowan, Gustav Iden, and others will join in on the fun!

Hint: check the signup list in Zwift Companion to see who is signed up as a ride leader for any events you’re interested in!

Giveaways and Prizes

Participate in the RLK main events from May 17–19, and you’ll unlock the exclusive Ride Like King 16 kit in game.

Also, each main event you complete earns you an entry to win a limited-edition RLK16 jersey along with a signed card by King Liu himself! Three winners will be drawing per main event, meaning 63 winners will be drawn overall.

See giveaway rules >

Questions or Comments?

Post below!

Woman Racer Spotlight: Petra Wiedner

Karla Williams
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0
Woman Racer Spotlight: Petra Wiedner

Woman Racer Spotlight: Petra Wiedner

Name: Petra Wiedner 

Hometown: Baden (south of Vienna), Austria

How did you get into cycling? I engaged in handball throughout my youth and early twenties, but unfortunately had to quit due to injuries. Determined to stay active, I transitioned to cycling, initially focusing on mountain biking. As time passed, I ventured into road cycling as a pursuit for greater speed and endurance. My desire was to cover longer distances with increased swiftness. I’ve embraced triathlon now, because I find joy in the diverse challenges it offers. The combination of swimming, cycling, and running adds a refreshing variety to my fitness routine and resonates with my appreciation for variety. Despite declaring that I would never run more than 10km after I had to quit handball, this year marks a significant shift as I am preparing for my first 70.3 triathlon. I learned: “Never say never” or “I can change my mind at any time”.

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I’ve been actively participating in racing for nearly three years now. Initially, I would occasionally take part in races, but my commitment intensified when I became a part of a team – CrushPod, leading me to compete on a more regular basis. It’s more fun suffering together – joking aside: we learn from each other, provide mutual help and support, push and encourage when needed, and even exchange baking recipes.

Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes, I joined CrushPod in August 2021. We are a women’s-only team, and thanks to the cycling tours organized by NoGodsNoMasters, many of us have had the opportunity to meet in real life.

What do you love most about racing? I have a passion for challenges, and every race presents one. It tests not only your physical and mental strength but also your concentration, endurance, reaction time, creativity with tactics, ability to endure suffering, and how well you can collaborate as a team. There’s so much more to it than simply pushing the pedals. It involves competing with others as well. Each race provides a goal for the next – to be faster, earn more points, time sprints better, and strategize attacks earlier or later. Ultimately, I aim to learn something valuable from every race.

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? The team time trials will always be one of my favourites because it aligns with what I learned with CrushPod, and since their founding, at least one team has participated in the weekly WTRL TTT. Points races are great because you have to collect FTS/FAL points, and for me, it often means pushing to the limit. In comparison, a scratch race focuses on drafting to perfection and timing your finishing sprint. In a chase race, it’s a challenge to find the team players and work together – you need to get organized quickly, and when you get caught, it completely changes. Every race category has something unique, and I can’t really decide.

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? It is the Tour de Boudica stage race hosted by the Warrior Games. This year, I participated in it for the first time, although CrushPod had teams competing there before. The format is great, the organization is amazing, and all the women who race in it are fantastic – there’s a great spirit from all of them.

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Outside: achieving victory in a 12-hour race with an all-women’s team and completing my first triathlon in Styria (where I originally come from) with a big smile. Inside: winning the ZRL with CrushPod Verdandi.

What is your favourite food to eat post race? Kefir – well, not exactly a food, but since the races are mostly in the (late) evening, and my stomach is a wetty when it comes to eating late. 

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Do it, and it doesn’t matter what the outcome is. Just feel the passion of racing. But what comes next? Find a team that provides a safe and fun community, so you can grow with them and step out of your comfort zone.

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of May 11-12

Eric Schlange
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0
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of May 11-12

Lots of variety in this weekend’s picks, with a couple of fresh route badges available, a group ride for a good cause, and a unique “Goldilocks” race with bonus seconds for top finishers up the Leg Snapper!

🤝 Bike MS Community Challenge

✅ Good Cause　✅ Kit Unlock

Join the team at Bike MS for their monthly Zwift Community Challenge! Two timeslots, with two distances to choose from, and you unlock not one but TWO jerseys when you complete an event! These rides are about raising awareness and support for the fight against multiple sclerosis. As the team says, “Multiple Sclerosis does not stop, so neither will we as we ride together for this great cause.”

This month’s rides are on Neokyo Crit Course, with distance options of 35km or 50km.

Sunday, May 12 at 12:20pm UTC/8:20am EDT 5:20am PDT
and 6:20pm UTC/2:20pm EDT/11:20am PDT
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/bikems

🤝 Team Velos – Route Bagger Challenge

✅ Beginner Friendly　✅ New Route Badge

The incredible Team Velos squad is hosting a route bagger ride on Saturday, on the newly-badged Spiral Into the Volcano route. The ride leader will set a steady pace of 1.9-2.1 W/kg, and sweepers will help any dropped riders.

Saturday, May 11 at 2pm UTC/10am EDT/7am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4342624

🥇 Stage 1: Bag That Badge – Queen’s Highway After Party

　✅ Popular Event 　✅ New Route

Hop into the first stage of May’s ZRacing series to earn one of the newest route badges in game, for one of the newest routes in game! Queen’s Highway After Party is 19.9km long, with 259m of climbing. It takes riders on five laps of the Queen’s Highway loop, followed by a finish up the Yorkshire KOM Reverse.

Multiple times throughout the weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/zracingmay2024

🤝 BMTR Fundo

✅ Endurance Challenge

The BMTR Fundo is a personal challenge against the distance and/or the clock. Some participants will ride the event like a race and others will ride it more casually with a primary goal of completing the distance.

This week’s event is on Wandering Flats, with 4 distance options based on the category you choose (ranging from 41.8km to 160.9km).

Saturday, May 11 at 12:10pm UTC/8:10am EDT/5:10am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4374277

🥇 The Zwifty Fifty with DZR

✅ Unique Event

DZR says this race is “the Goldilocks of Zwift racing intensity and endurance balance.” When 25 is too little and 100 is too much, try this weekly race! This week riders are taking on 6 laps of Innsbruckring for a total race of 53km with 463m of climbing. And here’s something fun… there are bonus seconds awarded for the first three riders across the line on the Leg Snapper each lap! See dzrracingseries.com/the-zwifty-fifty for more info…

Sunday, May 12 at 12:45pm UTC/8:45am EDT/5:45am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4375488

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!

Tiny Race Series – May 11 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – May 11 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Tiny Race Series – May 11 Routes and Last Week’s Results

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

Speed Tests: Updated Rubberbanding for Meetups, Clubs, and Group Workouts

Eric Schlange
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13
Speed Tests: Updated Rubberbanding for Meetups, Clubs, and Group Workouts

Speed Tests: Updated Rubberbanding for Meetups, Clubs, and Group Workouts

You may recall that in March we ran tests on Zwift’s “Keep Everyone Together” (aka “rubberbanding”) mode for Club events and Meetups. Here are links to those posts:

In summary, our simple 2-rider tests showed that Club events used a completely different banding algorithm than Meetups, and that speeds didn’t fluctuate very realistically based on power variations. Our conclusion was that Zwift’s banding algorithm for Meetups was most accurate in terms of speed, and should be used for all banded events, perhaps with some tweaks to make speed fluctuations feel more realistic.

The good news is that the folks at Zwift HQ read our posts, and one of Zwift’s developers – Hugo Teixeira, the brain behind much of Zwift’s current pack dynamics – put in the work to improve Keep Together Mode, with an updated algorithm released in last week’s game update. Not only does the algorithm produce more realistic speeds, it also now works the same way for all banded events: Club events, Meetups, and even Group Workouts!

After running a few tests to confirm that the same algorithm was being used for Club Events, Meetups, and Group Workouts, we ran some tests to find out exactly how speeds changed.

Flat Test Results (using Fuego Flats Reverse)

Rider 1Rider 2TimeSpeed (kph)
300Wnone10:36.240.0
300W300W10:21.540.9
300W225W11:04.338.3
300W150W11:04.138.3
300W75W11:05.938.2
225Wnone11:4835.9
225W225W11:45.336.1
225W150W12:17.734.4
225W75W12:20.034.3
150Wnone13:4530.8
150W150W13:0332.5
150W75W14:1920.6

Compare these speeds to solo riders on a closed course:

Rider 1TimeSpeed (kph)
300W10:35.040.0
225W11:46.1136.0
150W13:43.5630.8

Observations

Overall, these speeds are much faster than the old banded Club Rides. They’re close to the old banded Meetup speeds, but not the same.

The speed of a solo rider in a banded event now perfectly matches a solo rider free riding, which is great – that’s a definite improvement!

There appears to be a speed “floor”, based on 300W tests. There we see that a 225W drafting rider and a 150W drafting rider both return basically the same speed. Even a 75W drafting rider is just 1-2 seconds slower than the 225W rider.

Two riders holding the same wattage is always faster than one rider holding that wattage solo, which doesn’t match our TTT test results, which showed that a group of riders holding the same wattage travels at the same speed as a single rider holding that wattage.

That said, the difference isn’t massive. It’s interesting, though, that the speed for a solo 225W rider is so close to the speed of 225W riders (within 3 seconds) while the other two power levels (300W and 150W) show a much greater disparity.

Climb Test Results (using Alpe du Zwift)

Rider 1Rider 2TimeSpeed (kph)
300Wnone49:3014.8
300W300W51:3514.2
300W225W53:0913.8
300W150W53:4713.6
225Wnone1:04:4411.3
225W225W1:04:3711.3
225W150W1:06:3411.0
150Wnone1:35:367.7
150W150W1:31:168.0
150W75W1:34:117.8

Compare these speeds to solo riders on a closed course:

Rider 1TimeSpeed (kph)
300W49:2814.8
225W1:04:4411.3
150W1:35:367.7

Observations

Overall, these speeds are close to the old banded Meetup speeds, but not the same. They’re a bit slower for the higher power numbers, but a bit faster for the 150W tests.

The speed of a solo rider in a banded event now perfectly matches a solo rider free riding, just like in our flat tests. That’s a definite improvement.

Unlike the flat test, there doesn’t appear to be a speed “floor”, based on our 300W tests. You’ll see as the following rider’s power decreases, the climb time increases as well. This feels realistic to us, so no complaints here.

One rider holding a particular wattage vs two riders holding that same wattage delivers somewhat inconsistent results, with the single rider being faster in our 300W test, but the pair being faster in the 225W and 150W tests.

Conclusions

The keep together changes rolled out in Zwift’s latest update are a big step in the right direction, delivering (in our opinion) the best “banding” experience in game to date. Speeds vary more realistically based on rider power, they’re consistent across different types of banded events, and they’ll be overall faster for Club Events and Group Workouts, which is a change we think most Zwifters will endorse.

We have just two banding-related recommendations left. First, Zwift should mark banded activities as “gamified” in Strava the same way they mark Climb Portal efforts that are scaled to 50% or 75%. Because nobody is doing a banded event to set a segment PR on Strava (or if they are, they shouldn’t be allowed to). Having these efforts displayed on Strava leaderboards just confuses things.

Additionally, Zwift shouldn’t save in-game Leaderboard timings for banded events, although displaying them in the actual event would be fine.

In conclusion: nice work, Hugo. Ride on!

Your Thoughts

Have you tried Zwift’s updated keep-together algo yet? Share your thoughts below!

All About Zwift’s New Pinarello Espada TT Bike

Eric Schlange
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15
All About Zwift’s New Pinarello Espada TT Bike

All About Zwift’s New Pinarello Espada TT Bike

In 1994, Miguel “Big Mig” Induráin set a new hour record, breaking the 53-kilometer mark for the first time in history on the track in Bourdeaux with a distance of 53.040 kilometers. And he did it atop the Pinarello Espada, a bike which quickly became legendary itself!

The carbon-framed, Campagnolo-equipped bike weighed in at 7.5 kilograms and was custom-molded to fit Big Mig. Only four versions of the bike were ever created, and Induráin won both of the long time trials at the 1995 Tour de France on a version modified to allow shifting.

Last weekend, Zwift held the first-ever set of Pinarello Espada Challenge races, where everyone was riding the new in-game Pinarello Espada, chasing a “Big Mig” RoboPacer set at 510 watts (6.3 W/kg) for an hour.

We wanted to know just how fast this bike was, but performing a test wasn’t as simple as it is with most bikes, since the Espada is only available in these events.

So we joined an event, turned on our firewall so only our test bot was visible (no drafting!), and then rode two laps of Tempus Fugit at 300W (4 W/kg) to perform our standard flat test.

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

The Pinarello Espada turns in a time of 49:05 in our flat test, which puts it at or near the bottom of TT bike performance in Zwift, depending on how you crunch the numbers.

Usually we test frames and wheelsets separately, but the Espada, like the Tron bike, can only be tested with its disc wheels installed. Therefore, we must compare its test results with other TT frames using disc wheels.

If we assume the Espada’s wheels are as fast as the fastest disc wheels in game (DT Swiss ARC 62 Dicut Disc), that would make the frame the second-slowest in game, only faster than the Zwift TT frame by 11 seconds.

Realistically, though, you would think the Espada’s wheels would be faster than anything in game, since the Espada uses full disc wheels on the front and back while all other wheelsets in game have the disc only on the back wheel.

If that’s the case, though, that would make the Espada frameset possibly the slowest TT frameset in game.

In precise numbers, the Espada is 28.5 seconds slower than the fastest setup in game (Cadex Tri frame with DT Swiss ARC 62 Dicut Disc wheels) on our test course, which is two laps of Tempus Fugit totaling 34.6km. That’s a difference of around 0.4 kilometers per hour.

Climb Performance

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to test climb performance yet, since the Espada is limited to the Pinarella Espada Challenge events which are held on the Tempus Fugit route.

Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.

Conclusions

The Pinarello Espada TT bike is iconic for sure, but it’s not one you would want to use in a race where bike choice is an option. (It’s worth noting that at this time, it’s not even available for purchase in the Drop Shop, so this isn’t a decision Zwifters need to make. Zwift says it will be available in the Drop Shop eventually, and also says more Pinarello Espada Challenge events will be held in the fall of 2024.)

If you’re doing a TT race and aren’t sure what to use, check out Fastest TT Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level for help in choosing your ideal rig.

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.

TSOZ Closer Look: “The Grade” Watopia Expansion

Eric Schlange
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51
TSOZ Closer Look: “The Grade” Watopia Expansion

TSOZ Closer Look: “The Grade” Watopia Expansion

The latest “This Season on Zwift” press release came out last week, detailing what’s in store on the platform over the next few months. Zwifters love fresh tarmac, so one of the most exciting upcoming releases is The Grade – a new Watopia climb with some surprising functionality under the hood.

Read below for more on what’s arriving soon in Ciudad la Cumbre!

A Grade that Grades

If there’s anything I’ve learned about Zwift over the years, it’s that they love creating unique names that are infused with meaning. “The Grade” is no exception. This new climb begins from Ciudad la Cumbre (“Summit City”) on Watopia’s Southern Coast expansion and heads straight up hill for several kilometers!

“The Grade” is a straight, steady, steep climb, and it’s meant to host FTP tests. That’s where the second meaning of the name comes into play. With the rollout of The Grade, Zwift will introduce a new FTP detection algorithm. According to internal contacts, Zwift used the data from over 700,000 FTP tests on the platform to create an algorithm that accurately detects your FTP based on a max effort ranging from approximately 10-20 minutes.

This new algorithm should be in place when The Grade launches, and it should roll out to the full game eventually.

The Grade is strategically located in a place that makes it work well for FTP tests, too, since riders are required to ride at least 10 minutes or so to reach the base of the climb.

According to verbal descriptions I’ve heard, The Grade is long, straight, and steep for the FTP portion. It then levels out a bit, before continuing on in a more zig-zaggy fashion to the top of the Epic KOM. It also sounds like there will be a secondary descent option for riders who climb The Grade but don’t want to continue to the top.

New Road=New Routes

Of course, with new tarmac we’ll get some new Watopia routes. Zwift says, “The expansion will launch with several new routes available for freeride exploration, training, and racing.”

When Does It Arrive?

Zwift’s press release says The Grade is “Launching June 2024”.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of an in-game climb designed for FTP tests? And do you like the idea of an updated FTP detection algorithm that doesn’t require a full 20-minute effort? Chime in with your thoughts below!

Zwift Announces Membership Price Increase

Eric Schlange
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294
Zwift Announces Membership Price Increase

Zwift Announces Membership Price Increase

Today, Zwift notified subscribers that the monthly and annual membership price is increasing by approximately 33% for all users, effective immediately. The new pricing is below:

LocationMonthly MembershipAnnual Membership
USA$19.99, plus applicable taxes$199.99, plus applicable taxes.
European Union€19.99€199.99
Iceland, Norway & Switzerland€19.99, plus applicable taxes.€199.99, plus applicable taxes.
UK£17.99£179.99
CanadaCAD $24.99, plus applicable taxes.CAD $249.99, plus applicable taxes.
AustraliaAUD $29.99AUD $299.99
Japan¥2,400¥24,000
Rest of WorldUSD $19.99, plus applicable taxes.USD $199.99, plus applicable taxes.

Zwift’s Messaging

Zwift’s short press release on this price rise can be found below:

We have worked hard to keep prices locked since 2017. In response to rising costs and inflation, we have changed our membership fee to support the continued development of our platform experience.

We are proud of the additional platform benefits introduced since 2017 that Zwifters now enjoy daily. With an additional seven worlds, two event maps, plus a host of new experiences like the always-on Robo Pacer group rides, or the Climb Portal that transports Zwifters to iconic climbs from the world over. The possibilities on Zwift have never been greater.

And yet the best is to come. Zwift will always be investing into the future of our member’s product experience. The most recent edition of This Season On Zwift revealed some of the highlights Zwifters can expect to see over the coming months. We are committed to delivering more user benefits, new game features, and content experiences in the months and years ahead.

When will my price increase?

Zwift says “Updated pricing is now in effect for new subscribers. Existing monthly subscribers will pay the new price on their next billing date after 6th June, while updated pricing for existing annual plan members will come into effect from their next renewal date.”

A Long Time Coming

Rising subscription costs are not news in the tech world these days. It’s hard to find a service that hasn’t hiked its price in the past five years! Some, like Netflix, have bumped up their prices multiple times since Zwift last increased from $9.99 to $14.99 in November 2017. (Netflix, in fact, has done three price increases since 2017, resulting in their premium membership price more than doubling.)

DC Rainmaker actually predicted this price increase back in February 2023 based on a Bloomberg interview with Eric Min in which Eric said that the $15/month pricing was “not sustainable” for much longer and that Zwift was considering annual memberships. (Annual memberships rolled out in November 2023.)

Then in February 2024 Zwift announced a sweeping workforce reduction, saying “Zwift remains a healthy, global business with a passionate community. We have seen accelerated growth over the last year but in the current environment, we must focus on sustainable and efficient growth.”

With at least $614 million of investment funding the company, and few investors looking to put more money into the beleaguered indoor fitness or cycling spaces, Zwift’s leadership knows they need to become profitable soon for the business to survive. Or to put it another way: the runway is only so long.

Zwift’s price increase means it essentially price-matches competitor TrainerRoad (currently priced at $19.95/month or $189.95/year). Meanwhile, competitors Rouvy and Wahoo X are $14.99/month and MyWhoosh and IndieVelo are free.

KICKR CORE Zwift One Price Increase

Since the KICKR CORE Zwift One trainer includes one year of Zwift membership, the price of the trainer + membership combo is increasing today as well to match the $50US annual membership increase.

That means it is now priced at $649.99US, €649.99, £579.99 AUD 1,129.95, and CAD 1,049.99.

Wrapping It Up

It’s been 6.5 years since Zwift last increased prices. Since then, Watopia has expanded with Alpe du Zwift, Fuego Flats, Titans Grove, the Southern Coast, and more. The Innsbruck, Bologna, Yorkshire, Crit City, France, Paris, Makuri Islands, and Scotland maps all launched. And features including Training Plans, in-game steering, Clubs, RoboPacers, HoloReplay, Teleporting, Climb Portal, and virtual shifting have come to the game!

Still, nobody likes a price increase. How many Zwifters will this drive off the platform, and can Zwift provide a compelling enough service to keep growing its membership at the new price?

Your Comments

Share your thoughts below!

TSOZ Closer Look: Training Connections

Eric Schlange
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20
TSOZ Closer Look: Training Connections

TSOZ Closer Look: Training Connections

The latest “This Season on Zwift” press release came out last week, detailing what’s in store on the platform over the next few months. One big update sure to change the structured workout landscape for indoor cyclists is the new Training Connections API, which provides a standardized way for third-party workout providers to send your scheduled workout each day to Zwift.

Let’s dig into how this will all work, why it matters, and when it will arrive!

How It Will Work

Zwift has integrated with various services over the years – you can see these under “Connections” in your profile at zwift.com or in the Companion app. But almost all of those connections have been, essentially, one-way connections from Zwift to the other service’s API. For example, if you’ve connected your Garmin account to your Zwift account, when you save your Zwift activity, it sends that activity data over to Garmin, using Garmin’s API.

Zwift.com connections screen

The connections available under your Zwift account were accomplished by Zwift coding up an integration with the other providers’ APIs, which meant each provider required custom development work on Zwift’s end. Not the most scaleable approach.

The only service that sends info to Zwift is TrainingPeaks. (Today’s Plan used to do it as well, but they are no longer in operation.) If you have a scheduled workout for the day on your TrainingPeaks account, and you open up Zwift, that scheduled workout will be available for you in Zwift.

The goal of Zwift’s new training API connection is to allow services to send their structure workouts to Zwift accounts, without Zwift needing to do custom programming to integrate with each service’s API. Instead of Zwift coding up a hookup to each service, now the other services will be able to hook into Zwift. So Zwift has built and documented their API, and now they can hand that to other providers and let those providers do the integration work.

And providers will want to do this work, because it adds value to their own service if Zwifters can easily access their workouts from within Zwift.

Zwift says, “Once the API Connection is set up and approved, workouts built outside of Zwift will pull directly into the Zwift platform and show in the Custom Workouts folder.”

Hopefully, if it’s my scheduled workout for today, it will also show up first in the “For You” carousel on the homepage (I believe this is how TrainingPeaks workouts work today). Less clicking is a good thing!

Which Training Providers?

That’s the big question, of course. Zwift’s press release says the feature will launch “with a few launch partners”, but they aren’t saying who. TrainerRoad would be the most popular choice among Zwifters, since many riders are already paying for a TrainerRoad subscription and running it alongside Zwift.

But there are other platforms providing workouts as well, including:

Hopefully we’ll see a huge list of providers coming on board once the feature is released.

The Platform, Not the Content

This is a smart move on Zwift’s part, as it greatly expands the library of potential workouts on Zwift and makes it the de-facto “host” for your indoor training.

Yes, Zwift still needs to maintain a healthy library of built-in free workouts and training plans. And it’s true that their existing library could be improved in various ways. But once the training connections API is in place, with workout partners Zwifters are already using, we’ll have access to our daily workouts from our selected providers, in our favorite virtual world. That’s a win all around.

Now Zwift just needs to bring lots of training partners on board!

When Does It Arrive?

Zwift’s press release says, “Launching Early Summer 2024”, but the text later on says “The training API will launch later this spring with a few launch partners.” So I’m guessing the initial launch will be in June or July, with more partners coming on in the months to follow once Zwift works out any kinks in the live system.

Your Thoughts

Do you use a third-party workout provider you’d love to see integrated with Zwift’s new training connections API? Chime in below!

Top 5 Zwift Videos: Training Plans, First Races, and Zwift Running

Oli Chi
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Top 5 Zwift Videos: Training Plans, First Races, and Zwift Running

Do Zwift’s training plans really work? In this week’s top video, one Zwifter shares his results from Zwift’s Build Me Up training plan.

Also in the mix is a video about a cyclist trying out Zwift running… and of course, a few racing videos!

Did I Raise My FTP After Zwift’s 12-Week Build Me Up Training Plan?

After 12 weeks of consistent training, Tim from TBB Cycling shares his results from the 12-week ‘Build Me Up’ plan on Zwift. Was the result worth his time?

Newbie Cyclist Takes On Zwift Race For The First Time (Cat D)

After recently purchasing a Wahoo Kickr Core Zwift One, Aden Hodges decided to join one of his first Zwift races. Watch as he provides commentary on his race.

Cyclist tries… Zwift Running!

As cyclists, most know the phrase “Only run if you are being chased.” However, Jake of SNOWMAN Cycling decides to venture into the realm of running. Watch as he tackles a 1-hour run on Zwift!

Racing Until I Win

Ryan Condon has been putting in the work over the past few weeks and it is starting to show. He decides to challenge himself by racing until he can take the win. Can he take his first win on Zwift?

Zwift B Cat is WILD… and big verified announcement!

After years of hard work on Zwift and YouTube, Erik Lee, aka Don’t Get Dropped Cycling, has received his verification check mark! Watch as this freshly verified Zwifter tackles an incredibly fast category B race.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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

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