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Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of July 13-14

Eric Schlange
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2
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of July 13-14

The Tour de France is well underway, and events on Zwift help us feel a part of it all! See our two TdF picks below, as well as some featured races and a popular double draft group ride.

🤝 Climb Portal Challenges: Pla d’Adet and Col de Peyresourde (Avajan)

✅ New Roads　✅ Unique Event　✅ Kit Unlock　✅ Popular Event

As the Tour de France continues, Zwift is holding group ride events in the Climb Portal so we can climb the same mountains as the pros!

Saturday we’re on Pla d’Adet, and Sunday we’re on Col de Peyresourde (Avajan). (Tip: don’t be tricked by the stated distance of 9.2km with 33 meters of climbing! These aren’t correct values, which isn’t surprising since Zwift has never featured events in the Climb Portal before.) The actual length of the climbs is:

  • Pla d’Adet: 12.1km, 847m elevation
  • Col de Peyresourde (Avajan): 8.3km, 559m elevation

Hourly events on Saturday and Sunday
Pla d’Adet events: zwift.com/events/tag/climbportalevent4
Col de Peyresourde (Avajan) events: zwift.com/events/tag/climbportalevent5

🤝 TdF Stage 13 and 14 Podcast Rides with THEMOVE

✅Spoilers 　✅ Podcast　✅ Unique Event

These events aren’t seeing a lot of signups, but we love the concept of podcast rides based on current IRL events! As the event description says, “Follow the excitement of the tour with THEMOVE podcast hosted by Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie and JB Hager. There will be SPOILERS in the podcast rides, proceed with caution.”

These events are 60-minute group rides, open-paced without ride leaders, and held on France routes.

Multiple timeslots Saturday and Sunday
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/themove

🤝 Cycle Nation Endurance Ride

✅ Endurance Challenge　✅ Popular Event　✅ Double Draft

Looking for a long group outing? Join the popular Cycle Nation Endurance Ride, which has three different length options, each with its own pace and route. Rides use double draft to keep riders together, and they’re held on flat routes. Each category has its own ride leader, too.

Sunday, July 14 @ 4am UTC/12am EDT/Saturday 9pm PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4442100

🥇 2024 SISU Racing Tour – Stage 5

✅ Unique Event　✅ Kit Unlock　✅ Popular Event

The SISU Tour is a popular 7-stage race event, and Stage 5 is a mountain stage this Saturday on Watopia’s Shorelines and Summits.

Reminder: all categories start together in these races, so be ready to push hard out of the gate!

Read all about SISU Tour 2024 >

Multiple events on Saturday, July 13
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/sisu

🥇 Zwift Women’s Racing Series – Short Scratch – Mountain Mash || Using Racing Score

　✅ Racing Score 　✅ Women Only

Did you know Zwift’s popular Women’s Racing Series is using racing score for categorization?

Read more about Racing Score >
Read more about the Women’s Racing Series >

This Saturday is your last chance to finish this week’s stage, which is a scratch race on Watopia’s Mountain Mash. (It’s a scratch race, but it might as well be an iTT, since it’s all up hill! Bring your lightest climbing bike.)

Saturday, July 13 @ 2:30pm UTC/10:30am EDT/7:30am PDT
Sign up at https://www.zwift.com/events/view/4430924

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!

What is a “Zwift Ready” smart trainer?

Eric Schlange
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3
What is a “Zwift Ready” smart trainer?

What is a “Zwift Ready” smart trainer?

Zwift has begun rolling out their “Zwift Ready” designation for smart trainers. What exactly does Zwift Ready mean and, perhaps more importantly… what does it not mean? Let’s dive in.

What It Means: Virtual Shifting + Cog + Click + More

The Zwift Ready label is for smart trainers that meet three criteria:

  • Supports virtual shifting on Zwift
  • Ships with a Zwift Cog pre-installed
  • Ships with Zwift Click controller
Zwift Cog
Zwift Click

Additionally, although Zwift doesn’t state it on the Zwift Ready FAQ, trainers must deliver a user-friendly unboxing and setup experience to earn the Zwift Ready designation. They also undergo significant bench testing by Zwift before receiving the stamp of approval. Those tests include:

  • Power accuracy verification in various conditions
  • Max power and gradient verification
  • Quality control checks, including perpendicular lean measurement

This means any Zwift Ready trainer should perform within specifications, be easy to set up, and deliver a quality experience on Zwift thanks to virtual shifting that supports a wide variety of bikes. It also means Zwift can point people to some standardized setup guides that apply to all Zwift Ready trainers.

Current Zwift Ready Trainers

Here’s the list of trainers with the “Zwift Ready” designation. We will expand this list as new trainers are added:

What It Doesn’t Mean

It’s important to understand that trainers not labeled “Zwift Ready” may very well provide a high-quality Zwifting experience.

For example, Wahoo’s flagship trainer, the KICKR v6, isn’t “Zwift Ready” because it doesn’t ship with the Cog + Click. But it still supports virtual shifting (just purchase and pair Play Controllers or a Zwift Click shifter) and includes a pile of premium features that make it arguably today’s top trainer.

For a current list of trainers that support Zwift virtual shifting, see All About Virtual Shifting on Zwift.

Trainers Not Tested

It’s good to see Zwift testing trainers to ensure they perform to spec and deliver a quality experience on the platform. But should Zwift be testing more trainers, such as the Wahoo KICKR v6, that don’t meet the Zwift Ready criteria but are still popular with Zwifters?

It’s debatable. Certainly, a fair number of Zwinfluencers already publish in-depth reviews of new trainers, including Shane at GPLama, Ray at DC Rainmaker, Tariq at SMART Bike Trainers, Des at DesFit, and us here at Zwift Insider. Perhaps it doesn’t make sense for Zwift to divert resources to certify the long list of trainers available on today’s market.

On the other hand, Zwift has done it before. Their “Zwift Certified” program tested and verified many trainers, but it was canceled over two years ago. Consumers would certainly welcome an official industry certification. Maybe the testing could be handled by someone else? The UCI, in fact, is working on just such a process.

Questions or Comments

For more information on the program, check the Zwift Ready FAQ on Zwift’s website. If you have questions or comments, post them below!

Tiny Race Series – July 13 Routes, and Last Week’s Results

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – July 13 Routes, and Last Week’s Results

Tiny Race Series – July 13 Routes, and Last Week’s Results

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

How to Unlock the White Tron Bike in Zwift

Eric Schlange
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45
How to Unlock the White Tron Bike in Zwift

How to Unlock the White Tron Bike in Zwift

Hidden in yesterday’s Zwift update is an easter egg for Zwift Ride owners: custom white paint schemes for the Zwift’s Carbon, Aero, TT and Concept ZI (aka “Tron”) frames!

The paint scheme is a white frame with a shiny Zwift logo on the downtube, mimicking the Zwift Ride’s real-life paint scheme:

Once you update to Zwift version 1.69 or later and enter the game with your Zwift Ride frame controllers paired, you will see a banner notifying you of the unlock:

From there, just click on the custom paint scheme at the bottom-right after picking the Zwift Concept Z1 frame in order to get the white “Ride In Style” paint scheme:

It’s important to note that pairing a Zwift Ride only unlocks the paint scheme. It doesn’t unlock the actual bike(s)! You’ll still need to earn your Tron bike before you can apply the new white paint.

Still pondering a Zwift Ride purchase? Use the links below to shop now and support this site…

Purchase Zwift Ride

US, UK, EU Zwifters via zwift.com
Canada and Australia via wahoofitness.com

Watch Two New Interviews with Zwift CEO Eric Min

Eric Schlange
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10
Watch Two New Interviews with Zwift CEO Eric Min

Watch Two New Interviews with Zwift CEO Eric Min

Two long interviews with Zwift co-founder and CEO Eric Min were recently shared on YouTube. Thanks to knowledgeable questions from DC Rainmaker and DesFit, the videos give a rare peek behind the curtain of what’s been happening at Zwift in the past few years… and some hints about what’s coming next!

If you’re a Zwift fan like me, you’ll find lots of interesting tidbits here. That includes the approximate size of Zwift’s subscriber base (over 1 million), employee count (around 300), Zwift’s growth and funding strategy, possibilities for a family plan, and much more.

I hope you enjoy listening, and I invite you to comment on what you found most interesting!

Zwift CEO Interview: What worked, what didn’t, and what’s coming?

Chapters:

  • 0:00 Quick Introduction
  • 0:35 What did Eric do before Zwift?
  • 3:01 First time Eric showed Ray Zwift
  • 4:33 Zwift employee bases and HQ behind the scenes
  • 5:32 Why take on investor backing for Zwift?
  • 6:50 Which cycling app was Eric’s inspiration?
  • 7:54 Eric’s Bike Collection/Fleet
  • 8:46 Eric’s favorite route to ride in the world
  • 9:30 Explain the leadership changes over last year
  • 11:40 What Eric wants to change near-term
  • 12:51 How can Zwift attract new users to Zwift?
  • 14:25 Can Zwift ever get an ROI for investors?
  • 16:12 Explain the price increase
  • 17:30 How many paid subscribers does Zwift have?
  • 17:55 Is Zwift’s staff count right-sized now?
  • 18:40 How do you balance new cycling tech vs waiting?
  • 19:46 How does and will Zwift leverage AI?
  • 20:48 What’s Eric’s proudest moment at Zwift?
  • 21:42 Why hasn’t Zwift invested in structure training?
  • 22:47 Zwift’s complicated industry relationships
  • 22:33 Is Zwift’s Women’s Tour de France Sponsorship working?
  • 26:35 Is Zwift still trying to get into the Olympic Games?
  • 27:40 Explain all things Zwift Secret Tron Bike
  • 29:30 When will other companies be compatible with Zwift Ride Frame?
  • 30:00 Why can’t people use Zwift Ride/Cog with other platforms?
  • 31:13 Why isn’t Zwift doing more around cheating?
  • 32:51 What’s Eric’s favorite Zwift feature?
  • 33:55 Will Zwift gamify the platform more?
  • 34:51 What’s unannounced coming up?

Zwift CEO Eric Min: Zwift Ride, Zwift Tron Bike, Price Increases, and the Future of Zwift

Chapters:

  • 0:00 The Origins of Zwift
  • 8:51 Zwift App Evolution
  • 10:14 Jon Mayfield’s Role at Zwift
  • 12:20 Zwift’s Inflection Point
  • 13:50 Future Plans
  • 16:59 Working with smart trainer companies
  • 18:22 Zwift Tron Bike
  • 21:27 Tron Bike Ideas in the Zwift Ride
  • 22:55 Zwift Ride Concept
  • 28:25 Zwift’s Target Audience
  • 31:24 Thoughts on the Price Increase
  • 34:46 Zwift Family Plan?
  • 39:11 Future of Zwift Run
  • 41:52 What Zwift Level is Eric?

Your Comments

Share below!

Zwift Update Version 1.69 (131597) Released

Eric Schlange
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74
Zwift Update Version 1.69 (131597) Released

Zwift version 1.69 begins its phased rollout today. This update includes a major change to the pairing screen’s behavior, fresh pack dynamics, steering tweaks, and… a white Tron!

Get all the details below…

Auto-Steering Changes

UPDATE July 16, 2024: Zwift has rolled back the auto-steering change that enabled auto-steering once there was no steering input for 10 seconds.

Zwift’s update notes say, “Optimized automatic steering when riding in groups to take better advantage of the draft.” This update actually includes multiple changes to the game’s pack dynamics.

These changes will be rolling out to Zwifters in the coming days as Zwift enables them on the server side, but the changes will not be in effect for races. Our sources tell us Zwift wants to see what the community thinks of the changes first.

Here’s a quick video showing some of the changes, as well as the pairing screen change explained below:

Pairing Screen Changes

The update notes say, “In case you forgot to pair a device before starting an activity, you can now open the Pairing screen and maintain your speed as long as you continue to pedal.” We say, hurray!

No longer will entering the pairing screen stop your avatar. This means if you need to pair a different heart rate monitor or other device in the middle of your race, it’s not a race-ending move. Your avatar will keep moving, unless you’re pairing a new power source.

If you are putting out less than 20 watts while in the pairing screen, your avatar will quickly brake to stop as before. So if you want to stop, just stop pedaling and enter the pairing screen. Or, get a set of Play Controllers and use the brakes!

Force Field Visuals

If you have steering enabled and you steer into the boundary of a lane or into another rider, a small red force field now shows, indicating that your rider is being stopped from moving the way you are steering.

Homescreen Revamp

This change actually rolled out via server-side updates over the past two weeks, but we wanted to include it here since any major homescreen changes are newsworthy.

Zwift has added a new “hero” slot at the top of the homescreen. It’s currently being used for the TdF Climb Portal Challenge, and what we like most is that it shows how many Zwifters have signed up for the challenge! This is a feature we haven’t seen before on Zwift’s challenges/missions, and we think that bit of “social proof” is very powerful. Zwift could use it in other ways, such as showing which workouts are most popular.

There’s also a new “challenges” row showing challenges you can currently join. This includes short-term challenges, but also shows the three ongoing challenges (Climb Mt. Everest, Ride California, and Tour Italy) if you are a new Zwifter.

“Ride In Style” Paint Schemes

A fresh Easter egg from Zwift! Just for Zwift Ride owners, there’s now a white-framed paint scheme automatically unlocked for the Zwift Carbon, Aero, TT, and Concept (Tron) bikes.

(You’ll have to earn the Tron bike before you can use the custom paint scheme, of course.)

More Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

  • Updated the estimated completion times and difficulties shown in the Home screen for the Watopia routes Coastal Crown Loop, Glyph Heights, and Mayan Mash.
  • In the FTP Tests section of Zwift Workouts, the ZADA Power Test is replaced by the Elite Racing Verification Test.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause riders to swerve when taking the Epic KOM bypass in Watopia.
  • Fixed an issue where intersection controls were incorrectly visible during some events.
  • Fixed an issue that could potentially cause the Coastal Crown Loop route in Watopia to appear incomplete after completing it.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the Neokyo All-Nighter route in Makuri Islands to not be completed if scheduled for multiple laps in an event.
  • Fixed an issue that could incorrectly award the KOM jersey for The Grade KOM.
  • Fixed an issue where bike wheel shadows could appear to be cut off when riding on the Coastal Crown Loop route in Watopia.
  • The “Overall Progress” text in Climb Portal is now translated for all supported languages.
  • Windows:
    • Fixed a potential crash that could occur when starting Zwift.
    • If an unsupported version of OpenGL is detected, a helpful message will be shown with a link to the related Zwift support article.

Discuss this release on Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!

Top 5 Zwift Videos: Tour de France, Close Races, and Zwiftcast

Oli Chi
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2
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Tour de France, Close Races, and Zwiftcast

Let the Tour de France begin! Once again, Zwift is bringing the Tour de France festivities into the game. Learn all about the Tour-themed events, decorations, and more in this week’s top video.

We’ve also selected a video about the Zwift Racing League Summer Showdown finale, the return of Zwiftcast, a Zwifter’s long indoor session, and an FTP test on The Grade.

Zwift Game Update 1.68 // Le Tour 2024 Arrives // Climb Portal Events!

The latest Zwift update was recently released. Shane Miller, GPLama, details the new Tour de France decorations and the addition of Climb Portal events.

AERO V NEXT: Summer Showdown Finale

Josh Harris, one of the top e-sport cyclists on Zwift, talks through his final race of the Summer Showdown Series. Can team AERO hold off NeXT to take the series win?

Episode 201:The Zwiftcast Is Back! What Did We Miss?

In case you haven’t heard, the Zwiftcast is back! Tune into the latest episode from the top Zwift podcast where the hosts discuss the future of Zwiftcast, the latest big changes on Zwift, and more.

Three-Hour Ride on Zwift or Four Hours in the Rain?

Would you choose to ride three hours on Zwift, or four hours in the rain? This Zwifter chooses to ride three hours on Zwift and documents the workout.

New FTP? The Grade FTP Test

Watch as J Mower puts himself, and the The Grade, to the test in his latest live stream. Can he set a new FTP?

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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

Woman Racer Spotlight: Taneal Otto 

Karla Williams
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0
Woman Racer Spotlight: Taneal Otto 

Woman Racer Spotlight: Taneal Otto 

Name: Taneal Otto 

Hometown: Currently Cape Town South Africa

How did you get into cycling? All started in 2016 when my journey through triathlon and teaching spinning classes at the gym led me to being a sucker for cycling.

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? 52 levels ago (HAHAHA) 

Are you part of a Virtual team? A part of the all-fierce Wahoo Le Col!

What do you love most about racing? Seeing how far I can push myself. It’s ever-evolving and so rewarding.

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? Points race makes it spicy because I can break away solo and that makes it a TT too!

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Current best race series is for sure the Iceni race series p/b Aeonian!

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Most memorable moment I’d say is just starting… and from there seeing my growth along the way.

What is your favourite food to eat post race? Post race food if I win is a burger… if I don’t then I usually eat regrets.

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Best advice is to just be calm. It’s not always about the numbers so don’t let that scare you. It’s a tactical game, different to the outside world but in most cases very similar. Sit in the bunch, relax, follow the moves because trust me, the easier you make it for yourself, the more you enjoy it. The more you enjoy it the easier it is to smash your limits.

Any upcoming race are you looking forward to? Looking forward to possibly being in the World Series team and wrecking some races with my team!

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of July 6-7

Eric Schlange
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1
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of July 6-7

Results-based categorization… it’s finally coming to Zwift! This weekend hosts some of the first races ever to use Zwift Racing Score for categorizing riders.

Along with scored events, we also picked some popular group rides and races…

🤝 L’Etape du Tour Main Stage: July

✅ Kit Unlock

It’s the final ride of the L’Etape du Tour series! Complete one lap of France’s Petit Boucle  (62 km/38.5 miles, 430 m/1,411′) with friends. You’ll also unlock the virtual Santini L’Etape du Tour de France official event kit!

Events every 2 hours this weekend
Browse events at zwift.com/events/series/virtual-letape-du-tour

🥇 Tiny Races – Using Zwift Racing Score

✅ Racing Score 　✅ Popular Event　

Zwift began rolling out Racing Score test events last week, and this Saturday, for the first time ever, we’re using the new Racing Score metric to categorize riders in the Tiny Races!

It’s also our 100th weekend of Tiny Races, so to celebrate we’re doing a throwback race and taking on the same four race courses that we started with in the very first Tiny Race events.

Three timeslots available every Saturday
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/tinyraces

🥇 Zwift Women’s Racing Series – ITT – Jurassic Coast || Using Racing Score

　✅ Racing Score 　✅ Women Only　✅ iTT

Speaking of racing score, did you know Zwift’s popular Women’s Racing Series is using racing score for categorization?

Read more about the Women’s Racing Series >

Your last chance to race the first event of the 8-week series is on Saturday. It’s an individual time trial on Watopia’s Jurassic Coast.

Saturday, July 6 @ 2:30pm UTC/10:30am EDT/7:30am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4430951

🥇 2024 SISU Racing Tour – Stage 3

✅ Unique Event　✅ Kit Unlock　✅ Popular Event

The SISU Tour is a popular 7-stage race event which kicked off last Saturday. Stage 3 is a flat race on France’s R.G.V.

Reminder: all categories start together in these races, so be ready to push hard out of the gate!

Read all about SISU Tour 2024 >

Multiple events on Saturday, July 6
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/sisu

🤝 USMeS Monthly Century Ride

Several cyclists in racing gear ride on a cracked, dry road by a body of water, with green hills and mountains in the background. A US Military E-Sports logo appears on the left side of the image.

✅ Endurance Challenge　✅ Legacy Leader

Looking for a long group outing? Join the USMeS Monthly Century Ride! This month they’re on Watopia’s Eastern Eight route, meaning you will cover a little over 3 laps during the 162km event.

This ride generally has two leader beacons. One will ride at a 2.5w/kg pace, and the other at ~3.0w/kg plus. Pro tip: check out the Discord channel for some voice chat, which can help pass the time on longer rides.

Saturday, July 6 @ 1pm UTC/9am EDT/6am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4102306

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 – July 6 Routes, and Last Week’s Results

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – July 6 Routes, and Last Week’s Results

Tiny Race Series – July 6 Routes, and Last Week’s Results

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

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