“Pla d’Adet” Climb Portal Details
See zwiftinsider.com/portal/pla-dadet/
What is coming June 12th?
What is coming June 12th?
Update (June 12, 2024): the big news was Zwift Ride, the first-ever indoor smart bike from Zwift! Read all about it here>
Today, Zwift released a teaser video clip across its socials, with the message “Something new is coming June 12“:
So what is it? What’s new and arriving June 12th?
It’s clearly something special since Zwift has invested in a media campaign, including recruiting Mathieu van der Poel and two others for a special video shoot!
Full disclosure: I know exactly what it is. But I can’t talk about it, because, like everyone else who knows about it, I am under a media embargo until June 12.
So, I’m going to furnish you with some links and enhanced photos from what’s already public and invite you to make some guesses and discuss the possibilities in the comments below.
First: some stills from Zwift’s video, with lighting enhanced to bring out details. The riders are all on the same bike setup, which appears to be using a direct-drive trainer like the Wahoo KICKR Core (the legs match). You can also clearly see some sort of Play Controller unlike what’s on the market today:
Over on Zwift Hype, there’s discussion fueled by James Eastwood sharing Zwift’s patent for a handlebar with an integrated version of the Zwift Play controller:
In that discussion, Zwift veteran Patrick Tan brought up the “Zwift Ride” smartbike that was teased in December 2021:
Your Thoughts
What is Zwift going to unveil next Wednesday? Share your thoughts below!
Tiny Race Series – June 8 Routes, and Last Week’s Results
Tiny Race Series – June 8 Routes, and Last Week’s Results
See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.
More Details Released on Zwift’s Upcoming “The Grade” Watopia Expansion
More Details Released on Zwift’s Upcoming “The Grade” Watopia Expansion
Today Zwift released further details of their upcoming “The Grade” Watopia expansion. See below for the latest info, including a live stream collaboration with Zwift Community Live up The Grade tomorrow!
New Route Details
This expansion will bring 8 new free-ride routes to Watopia:
- Oh Hill No, 7.8km with 306m elevation – the most direct pathway to The Grade
- Coastal Crown Loop, 15km with 185m
- Glyph Heights, 25km with 537m
- Mayan Mash, 34km with 755m
- Tide and Temples, 36km with 459m
- Peak Performance, 45km with 725m
- Snowman, 44km with 577m
- Elevation Evaluation, 44km with 1493m
Note: Based on ZRL’s Summer Showdown using a “new and exclusive route” in Watopia, our guess is that this expansion includes one or more event-only routes.
Release Date
Zwift says The Grade expansion will roll out to Zwifters between June 11-13. This follows Zwift’s typical bi-weekly update schedule and phased rollout methodology: the release (version 1.67) will occur on Tuesday, June 11, but won’t reach all Zwifters until the 13th.
Community First
Zwift is inviting the community to take the lead in organizing events on the new routes. Events can start on June 13, and there’s an event request form to fill out if you’re interested.
“The Grade” FTP Test
The most interesting development in this expansion is “The Grade” and its new FTP-detection algorithm. This climb is a KOM segment like others in the game, but Zwift will compute your FTP using your average power over the segment’s duration.
Related: All About FTP (Functional Threshold Power) and why it matters on Zwift
Why the change? Zwift explains, “Traditionally, FTP tests have daunting workouts and therefore dreaded by many cyclists. The Grade aims to provide an easier and more accessible way to calculate this number by building a test into the natural terrain of Watopia’s Southern Coast.”
How does it work? Zwift analyzed over 700,000 FTP tests conducted on the platform, matching the FTP test result to the riders’ critical power curve to “create a system capable of calculating FTP on any completion time over 8 minutes.”
Your average power on the segment is shown as you ride, to help you target a particular pace. The climb is also broken up into 10 segments (like Alpe du Zwift and the Climb Portal) to help you track progress.
When you cross the finish line (up near the intersection with the Epic KOM) you’ll be greeted with a signpost displaying your detected FTP. If your FTP increases you’ll get a pop of confetti, and the game will automatically update your saved FTP value for use in future workouts.
Route Restrictions
All of the new routes will be restricted to level 10+ Zwifters, just like the other southern coast routes.
That said, if you’re below level 10 you can still join the many community-led events that will be held on these routes!
More Info
More information on this expansion can be found at www.zwift.com/watopia-expansion
See It Live
Shane Miller (GPlama) along with Zwift Community Live and Zwift Insider have been granted early access to The Grade. Shane has just published a video of his experience taking it on, including five tips for success:
Zwift Community Live’s Nathan and Gabi Guerra will live stream their FTP test on The Grade tomorrow (Tuesday, June 4th) at 11am PST/2pm EDT/6pm UTC along with Eric Schlange from Zwift Insider.
Check out Zwift Community Live’s YouTube channel or Zwift Insider’s YouTube channel to watch the live streams tomorrow!
Direct link to ZCL’s scheduled live stream >
Direct link to Zwift Insider’s scheduled livestream >
Questions or Comments?
Post below!
“Col du Galibier (Lautaret)” Climb Portal Details
“Col du Galibier (Lautaret)” Climb Portal Details
See zwiftinsider.com/portal/col-du-galibier-lautaret/
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Tough Workouts, Race Wins, and Pain Caves for Small Spaces
Ambitious goals take lots of dedication and hard work. The Alpe Ape has been hard at work to achieve his goal of holding 6 w/kg up Alpe du Zwift. This week’s top video features the third episode in his series documenting his journey.
Additionally, we’ve picked a video about a Zwifter’s race win, a pain cave set up for small spaces, winning a category D race, and a comparison between Rouvy and Zwift.
Alpe Du Zwift – Chasing 6W/kg – Ep.3 Trials and Tribulations of The Alpe Ape
I won this Zwift race… and got demoted! How is this possible?!
My Pain Cave 2024 – A solution for small spaces
How To Get an Easy Win in cat D!
Is Rouvy the Zwift Killer?
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Woman Racer Spotlight: Femke Vaessen-Bril
Woman Racer Spotlight: Femke Vaessen-Bril
Name: Femke Vaessen-Bril
Hometown:Dieren (Gelderland)
How did you get into cycling? My husband has been a cyclist for as long as I have known him, during COVID the swimming pool (I used to be a speed swimmer) was closed so I had to do something different. Tried running for half a year but that wasn’t my thing. After 17 years of nagging, I agreed to try my husband’s bike and indoor trainer in October 2020. From the very first minute I fell in love with both road and e-cycling.
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? 3,5 years (started December 2020)
Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes, SYNERGY race team and TeamNL
What do you love most about racing? The fun! Racing is a great sports effort, getting better every time, trying new tactics and lots of fun with others. With two children it’s sometimes a struggle to get everything planned and organised, but with Zwift it is so easy to exercise at home whenever you want to get together with Teamies.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love the TTT working together as a team getting 1% better each week, and points races with sprints.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Tour de Boudicca, Iceni, Tiny Races, Women’s Racing Series, Fearless Team Championship and Wahoo le Col besides ZRL of course.
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Winning the WTRL TTT world championship in February 2022 with the team. I haven’t raced outdoors yet, but my most memorable outdoor rides are the Alpe d’Huez with my son (9 yrs in 2022) and the Mont Ventoux with my daughter (7yrs in 2023).
What is your favourite food to eat post race? First I drink a protein shake mixed with water and after that I treat myself with ice cream or another dessert and a cold 0.0% beer.
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Have fun! Start in D or C pen (if you haven’t done a FTP test) look at what other riders are doing, watch learn and don’t expect to win right away. Be patient results will come!
Any upcoming race are you looking forward to? Yes, my first outdoor race. I’m going to participate in the 8-hour team race on Zandvoort, the F1 racing circuit in June.
Also, not a race but a great event, on the 6th of June I’m going to try to cycle up the Alpe d’Huez 6 times to raise money for the Dutch Cancer Society.
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of June 1-2
This weekend has an eclectic mix of notable events, including Tiny Races categorized by VO2 Max, Pride rides, and a fondo with a party bus!
🥇 Tiny Races – VO2 Max Categories
✅ Unique Race ✅ Popular Event
For the first time ever, this week’s this week’s Tiny Races are categorizing riders based on your detected VO2 Max! We’ve also moved from 4 to 5 categories, so field sizes should be smaller and closely competitive.
Give them a try, and let us know what you think by commenting on the Tiny Race homepage!
Three timeslots available every Saturday
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/tinyraces
🤝 Zwift Labs: Big Foot Hills Fondo
✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Party Bus
Zwift Labs events are well underway, with the featured event lasting just a few days before moving on to something new and experimental. Some have been hits (Beat the Bots), while some have been misses (Group FTP Test). This weekend it’s the Big Foot Hills Fondo – 1 lap of the route for 69.7km of total distance.
This isn’t technically a race, but most riders will treat it as one. All categories will start together, except the E category which is labeled “The Party Bus”. Join them for a good time!
Read all about the Zwift Labs events >
Multiple time slots Saturday
See upcoming Zwift Labs events at zwift.com/events/series/zwift-labs
🥇 Zwift Women’s Racing Series
✅ Women Only
Zwift’s popular Women’s Racing Series is in its fifth week, and Saturday is your last chance to finish week 5’s stage. It’s a points race on Makuri Islands’ Sprinter’s Playground, so bring your most aero setup!
Read more about the Women’s Racing Series >
Even if you haven’t raced this series yet, it’s a wonderful opportunity to jump in and race a sizeable field of women. Why not give it a go?
Saturday, June 1 @ 2:30pm UTC/10:30am EDT/7:30am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4326737
🤝 Pride Rides
✅ Good Cause ✅ Kit Unlock
Pride On is back for 2024 on Zwift, and each day of the week features a different event setup. Saturdays are Weekend Pride Parties on the Richmond UCI Worlds route, while Sundays are 60-minute Pride Rides hosted by the LGBTQ+ Zwifters club.
Multiple time slots this weekend
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/prideon
🤝 RO4H Rookie Group Ride
✅ Beginner Friendly
If you’re a beginner looking for a doable pace, check out the inclusive and supporting RO4H (Ride On For Health) Club and its rides!
This week’s Rookie Ride is a 60-minute ride on Watopia’s Big Flat 8 (31.5km, 108m).
Sunday, June 2 @ 2pm UTC/10am EDT/7am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4397920
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 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!