One way to stay motivated riding indoors during the long winters is to make your pain cavesomewhere you enjoy being. In this week’s top video, watch as one Zwifter shares how he put together his dream Zwift setup.
We’ve also decided to include videos about Zwift racing, using Zwift for marathon training, a review of the Zwift Cog and Click, and a comparison between Pack Dynamics v4 and 5.
I Built My Dream Zwift Racing Setup
Max from The Watt Life shares a tour of the cycling shed where he houses his dream Zwift setup.
Zwift Racing Is HARD | Cyclist Daily vlog
Jessie McKay shares a day in the life vlog that delivers an inside look at how she balances training and life.
A Breakthrough In My Chicago Marathon Training | 9 Weeks To Go!
Ben is Running shares week 3 of his marathon training, which includes riding in Zwift for cross-training.
Zwift Cog + Click Review: The Future of Indoor Training?
On the Bespoke Endurance podcast, they share their thoughts on the Zwift Cog and Click. Are we experiencing the future of indoor cycling?
Zwift Pack Dynamics 5 vs 4 – What’s Really Changed?
Bike Bonk Biff shares some information on Zwift Pack Dynamics v5 and compares it to v4. How much has actually changed?
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Drops are Zwift’s virtual currency, used to purchase virtual frames and wheels from the Drop Shop. They’re also used to purchase bike upgrades, and it’s the recent addition of upgrading that has many newer Zwifters asking: How can I earn more Drops?
We’re here to help. Below, you’ll find a complete list of tips to help you maximize your Drops earning rate.
It is unknown precisely how your “Drop rate” (how quickly you receive Drops while riding) is calculated, as Zwift isn’t sharing the formula. But we know seven factors influence your Drop rate:
Calories Burned: This is the main factor, and it is strictly based on the power you’re putting into the pedals.
Current Gradient: The steeper the climb, the faster your earn rate. This bonus kicks in at 3% gradients, but scales up as the gradient increases.
Ride Ons Received: When you receive a Ride On, your Drop rate doubles for 15 seconds. This is the “easiest” way to boost your Drop rate!
Time Near a Robopacer: Sticking close to a Robopacer can increase your Drops rate (read more).
Your Gender: Zwift awards female riders 10% more Drops than male riders for the same effort.
Bike Frame: Upgrade an entry-level or mid-range bike frame to a high enough stage and it will earn 5% more Drops whenever you ride it (read more).
Current Speed: This is a minor factor, but it’s true that more distance=more Drops.
Additionally, certain actions in the game award big Drops bonuses, including:
A 50,000 Drop bonus each time you level up
A Drops bonus if you complete the Ventoux KOM and the prize spinner lands on something you already own (example: 15,000 Drops for the helmet or gloves)
A Drops bonus on the prize spinner for certain Zwift events like the Big Spin
Comparing Two Drop Farmers
Given the factors listed above, there are two “Drop Farmer Profiles” I would recommend if you’re looking to maximize your earn rate:
The Robopacer Groupie: This rider sticks with a Robopacer for the duration of their ride, taking advantage of the Drops Multiplier game, increased speed in the draft, and Ride Ons from friendly nearby Zwifters.
The Climber: This rider enjoys climbing steep, long hills and the extra Drops awarded when the road tilts upward.
Based on my tests, The Robopacer Groupie is the highest-grossing approach, earning around 25% more Drops than The Climber if both riders put in the same amount of work. A 75kg rider holding 200W for an hour while staying in a Robopacer group for the duration could expect to earn ~66,000 Drops, while The Climber would earn ~50,000 Drops if they spent their entire hour heading up a solid gradient of 8%+.
(For a baseline reference, a 75kg rider who receives no Ride Ons while just “doing their own thing” alone at 200W on a flattish course can expect to earn ~29,000 Drops hourly.)
The Ride On Question
Note that the estimates for my two Drop Farmers assume they receive 60 Ride Ons during their hour of riding, weighted toward the beginning of their activity. This is an imperfect but not impossible assumption, especially if you’re in a friendly RoboPacer group or you have lots of followers who like to give offline Ride Ons.
Ride Ons are a huge factor here, though, since they double your Drops rate for 15 seconds. Because of this, riding in a RoboPacer group gives you a major earning advantage, as nearby riders often drop “Ride On Bombs” in the group.
Ride Ons received in the RoboPacer group are especially lucrative when your Drops Multiplier is at 2.5x! In our tests, 5 minutes of solid Ride Ons when you first join the RoboPacer group will earn you around ~4800 Drops, while 5 minutes of solid Ride Ons when you’re at 2.5x will earn you ~12,000 Drops!
Ventoux Spinner
If you’re a climber, it’s worth mentioning that the newish prize spinner atop Ventoux helps to close the gap between The Climber and The RoboPacer Groupie approach. If you earn 15,000 extra Drops each time you summit Ventoux, you’re only 10-12% behind The RoboPacer Groupie approach… a margin that can easily swing in your favor if you’re a friendly Zwifter who gets a lot of Ride Ons.
3 Rules
In closing, here are three simple rules for maximizing your Drops earning rate:
Ride with RoboPacers. If you don’t want to do that, go hit a long, steep climb.
Make friends who give Ride Ons.
Go hard.
Questions or Comments?
What strategies have you used to maximize your Drops? Share below!
This week’s selections are admittedly a bit race-heavy… but the community is hosting some unique and fun races, so we can’t help ourselves! We’ve also got two group rides on our list. See below for details…
Looking for a long, hard effort this weekend? The most popular event in terms of signups this weekend is an Alpe du Zwift race, categorized by rider FTP.
Here’s a popular, spicy long ride with two pace options: B group at 3-3.3 W/kg, or C at 2.5-2.9 W/kg. The B group will be on France Classic Fondo for 100km, while the C group will be on Knights of the Roundabout for 2 laps (105.6km, 695m). Both groups have optional efforts on some of the intermediate segments if you’d like.
Choose your desired pace, listen to the ride leader, and get that endurance work done! Both categories have a leader (yellow beacon) and sweepers.
✅ Good Cause 　✅ Banded 　✅ Endurance Challenge
This 2-hour banded ride on Watopia’s Tick Tock is being held in memory of original ZSUN member and friend to many, Eltjo. The veteran leaders of the ZSUN team are leading this ride, and say:
This is a no-drop social ride (riders will be banded together) where we come together to honour his warmth, humour, and the energy he brought to every ride. All are welcome as we pedal in remembrance of a cherished teammate and friend.
There aren’t many races being held on the Bologna Time Trial course, let alone actual time trials. TNP (Team Not Pogi) are looking to change that by organizing a staggered-start iTT in Bologna!
The race is 16km long, so it’s an out-and-back. You’ll ride up to the top, then all the way back to the start.
✅ Popular Race 　✅ Ladies Only　✅ Unique Event
Women’s Mini Races (3 races in an hour) happen each Sunday, but the ULTIMATE Mini Races are a bigger monthly event. If you’re looking for punchy women-only racing, these races are the place to be this weekend!
This Sunday’s races are rolling courses, with each race longer than the previous. Races are on the LaGuardia Loop (1 lap, 4.2km), Mech Isle Loop (2 laps, 8.1km), and Loop de Loop (1 lap, 12.6km) routes.
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!
It’s the second week of Zwift’s Kick ‘N’ Sprint ZRacing series, and I’m loving the course selections because they suit me nicely! After being outwitted and outgunned in Innsbruck the last week, I went into this race hoping for a higher finish. Read on to learn how things unfolded…
The Warmup
I got on the bike nice and early this time, giving me a full half hour to wake up the ol’ ticker and spin up the legs. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve found for myself the longer I’ve been riding, the more I appreciate a longer a warmup. Is it because I’m getting older, or because I’m learning better how my body works? Unclear.
I was already one dirty chai and a few pieces of Neuro caffeine gum into my day by the time I got on the bike, so I was nicely caffeinated. I also applied some PR Lotion to my legs this week, to keep the burning at bay (I’ve used it for years – this stuff is amazing).
My Warmup “Stack”
After hopping on the bike, I joined the Maria robopacer group, then teleported over to the Coco group to finish up. Zwift popped me into the Glasgow start pen with a few minutes to go. Six laps of Glasgow Crit Circuit with feather and ghost powerups on offer. Let’s go!
Lap 1: Foreshadowing
Glancing at the start list just before the race began, I noticed one Imogen Alton (AEO) on the list with a pro badge next to her name. Uh oh… was Imogen going to treat this as an easy effort? Or was she going to rip our legs off?
I’d find out soon enough.
Right out of the gate, it was clear Imogen would be pushing the pace. She rolled off the front, got swallowed by the blob, then went off at the front at the bottom of the first Clyde Kicker, disappearing as she did it thanks to a well-timed ghost powerup. She wasn’t playing around!
But neither was anyone else. We started with 40 riders, and after averaging 555W to get up and over The Clyde Kicker in 29 seconds, the group regathered, and we still had 38 riders. Strong group!
Lap 2: @&#% Ghosts!
Heading into the second lap, I got another ghost powerup. This would turn into a recurring theme: ghosts when I wanted feathers. Most of my ghost powerups were activated somewhere near the front of the pack, in hopes that riders would see it happen and put in an extra dig to chase invisible me, wasting some energy. (It rarely works, but it seems smarter than just trashing the powerup.)
This lap was rather unremarkable, apart from the fun we had when one Zwifter’s message autocorrected a rider’s name from “Molinari” to “marinara”.
Lap 3: Imogen’s Big Jump
As we descended from The Clyde Kicker on the third lap, I saw Imogen roll off the front and disappear once again. Oh boy. By the time she popped back onto our screens she was probably 50 meters ahead and motoring. One rider jumped hard to join her. I sat in the draft, because I could feel I didn’t have it in me to bridge up.
Lap 4: The Move
Entering lap 4 I finally got a feather. Hurray! This made it significantly easier to maintain a good position up the climb. (I was able to do it at 483W average instead of the 510W+ I’d had to hold on the previous laps.)
Imogen was still off the front, being chased by Molinari/Marinara and others. She messaged “work with me” as we descended from The Clyde, but I’m not sure anyone had the legs to take a pull.
The end of lap 4 is when “the move” happened, with four riders jumping off the front of the peloton to bridge up to Imogen. (I was poorly positioned to respond to the jump, and probably wouldn’t have had the legs to do it even if I was in the right place.)
We went from a pack of 31 to a pack of 27 with 5 off the front, and the chase was officially on as the front group appeared to start working well together with Imogen’s encouragement.
Lap 5: the Breakaway Stays Away
Another feather helped me up The Clyde on the fifth lap, but boy, those 30-second efforts were hurting!
The breakaway stayed away, but the group was also breaking up as we started the final lap. Would we be able to catch any of them? Three kilometers to go…
Lap 6: the Finish
I held onto my feather powerup for the final time up The Clyde, knowing riders would attack hard and it would be a big effort to stay well-positioned. And it sure was! 543W and a feather kept me in a good position and earned me a time of 27.38s on the segment – my fastest ever.
But there was no time to celebrate. Imogen and Marinara were 8s up the road, with Scotty P between us in no-man’s land. I was sitting sixth wheel, hoping the two strong riders pulling just ahead would help me close the gap to the breakaway. But there were 25 more riders strung out just behind!
Speaking of not celebrating: I got a ghost as my final powerup, atop The Clyde. Not what I was hoping for.
Imogen put in a big dig on the descent, dropping Marinara and going solo off the front. (Did she use a ghost again? She wasn’t close enough for me to see.) A few riders were off the front of our group, but we were 20 strong, so I sat in the wheels, letting the draft close down the gap.
With 300 meters to go, everyone in the breakaway had been reeled back in. Everyone except Imogen, that is. She was 11s away, and not coming back. We were all sprinting for scraps.
And sprint we did! I got out of the saddle and gave what I had left on that interminable sprint, but it just wasn’t enough. I crossed the line in 5th place.
As it turns out, Imogen was a 2021 Zwift Academy finalist who looks to be a TT specialist based on her ProCyclingStats profile. She averaged 4.6W/kg (267W) for the race, and appears to have raced it very smartly given her power profile. It was fun to watch her execute her race place, and it took me back to a Tour de Zwift ride/race I lost to one Jadon Jaeger (5-time and reigning USA Masters TT Champ). Pros are pros for a reason!
Me? I just tried to survive each Clyde Kicker and ride efficiently in between, hoping to have something left for the final sprint. And I cursed the Zwift gods each and every time they gave me a ghost powerup. This was a hard effort, as evidenced by the red spikes on my ride report:
Further evidence: my W’ Balance chart on Intervals.icu, where you can see how each Clyde Kicker emptied my power bucket just a little bit more, with the final sprint dipping me into the negative numbers:
That tells me I left it all out there, which is exactly what I was aiming for.
My 5th place finish bumped my Racing Score up from 552 to 558.
Your Thoughts
Did you race this week’s ZRacing event in Glasgow? How did it go for you?
Testing Zwift’s New Bike Upgrade “Anti-Cheat” Measures
This week’s game update included this interesting and intentionally vague note: “We made some improvements to ensure that bike upgrades are unlocked via genuine efforts.”
What’s this about, exactly? Are Zwifters unlocking bike upgrades by less than genuine efforts? How is Zwift trying to stop them? And will these changes actually block the exploits? Let’s dive in…
What’s This About?
Ever since Zwift launched their Bike Upgrades feature in March, a small, squirrelly subset of Zwifters has been gaming the system by teleporting to riders perched on big descents. The Zwifter could then coast downhill, accumulating time or distance towards their next bike upgrade. Wash, rinse, repeat… long, continuous descents like Ventoux or Alpe du Zwift let you accumulate distance or time quickly, with zero effort.
This has become a sort of dirty little secret in the Zwift racing community, which of course is full of riders who really care about the performance of their in-game bikes. There is definitely debate about whether “gaming the game” is ethical. Some riders say, “If the game allows it, it’s allowed,” while others say doing so clearly violates the spirit of the upgrade system.
I’m with the latter group, but I’m also not losing sleep over gamers gaming. After 10 years on Zwift it’s what I’ve come to expect, and preaching about it from an ethics standpoint won’t do much good. The only real solution is for Zwift to block the exploit.
How To Block an Exploit
Zwift is being vague about the measures they put in place to “ensure that bike upgrades are unlocked via genuine efforts.” However, it doesn’t take much thought to figure out what those measures could entail. A few ideas:
Power threshold: Require an average power of, say, 10W before incrementing distance or time towards an upgrade.
Elevation threshold: Require your elevation descended to be less than or equal to your elevation climbed before incrementing distance or time towards an upgrade. (Zwift would need to build a bit of wiggle room into this one to account for routes that begin with a short downhill, perhaps saying descended meters must be less than or equal to climbed meters + 100m.)
Average speed ceiling: No legit rider can average more than ~50kph for very long, yet coasting down Alpe du Zwift you’ll average 70-80kph. Zwift could simply not increment distance or time towards an upgrade once your average ride speed goes over, say, 60kph. Zwift could even make this rule a bit smarter and add power into the equation, dividing your average speed by average power and saying something like “If your average kilometers per hour/watts is higher than X you don’t get credit towards an upgrade”.
Teleport trigger: To reduce the chance of legitimate activity being flagged, Zwift should only trigger checking the activity with rules like those above after a Zwifter has teleported in their session.
Of course, I don’t know exactly how Zwift is blocking the exploit. But by testing it, perhaps we can begin to get some ideas…
Testing, Testing
A rider atop Alpe du Zwift, in prime teleporting position…
To get some clarity on how Zwift’s anti-exploit measures work, I ran a simple test. I placed a bot atop Alpe du Zwift, facing downhill, then had a second bot teleport to this rider.
The first thing I learned: the rider you teleport to needs to be moving downhill when you teleport to them, otherwise your avatar won’t go anywhere after teleporting until you put some power out to get moving downhill.
Once my “cheater bot” was moving, I kept my eye on the minutes accumulating toward the bot’s road bike upgrade, which requires a certain number of kilometers to be ridden in order to upgrade.
What I found was that only the first 3km of descending counted toward my upgrade. While my avatar actually coasted downhill for ~12km, Zwift has some sort of new limiter built in.
Before teleportingAfter teleporting and coasting down the ~12km Alpe
Next, I tried the same with a TT bike, which requires a certain number of minutes to be ridden in order to upgrade. My first attempt was part of the ride activity above, after I descended the Alpe on the Zwift Aero bike. My bot began with 0 minutes logged toward its first upgrade of the TT bike, then coasted all the way down the Alpe, which takes approximately 9 minutes. Afterward I rolled to a stop at the bottom I checked… and we were still stuck at 0 minutes!
Working on the theory that the first teleported descent (with the Zwift Aero) must have triggered some sort of limit which made it so I couldn’t log even a few minutes of descent on my second time down the Alpe, I saved that ride session and started a new one.
Once again I teleported to the top, and descended the full Alpe again with the TT bike. This time, I logged a massive 2 minutes toward 240 needed:
No Takebacks
If you’re a racer who didn’t try to game the system – and actually, if you’re one of those who did – you may be wondering if Zwift is planning on clawing back the bike upgrades that were earned through less than genuine efforts.
Zwift has told me that they don’t plan to retroactively apply these rules. This is in line with how Zwift usually handles these sorts of situations: if Zwifters figure out how to game the system, Zwift may release an update that blocks the exploit, but they don’t go back and change what people unlocked, take away XP/Drops, etc.
Conclusions
These simple tests don’t show exactly what Zwift is doing to limit the exploit, but they do show that the exploit is now greatly limited, at least in the circumstances I tested.
Of course, we can count on Zwifters to push the limits of the system, looking for ways to unlock bike upgrades more easily. I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground to see what they come up with next, but please share below if you hear anything!
Yesterday, Zwift posted the new “Summit Seeker” mini-challenge. The concept is simple, but finishing won’t be easy! To unlock the XP bonuses, riders must conquer Watopia’s three most iconic longer climbs: the Volcano KOM, Epic KOM, and Alpe du Zwift.
Summit Seeker Routes
The Challenge consists of three routes you must complete:
Got a workout scheduled for the day, but want to get some extra XP and knock out this challenge? You can do both. Just pick your route from the Challenge’s home screen, then choose your desired workout once you’re in Watopia. Ride your workout, make sure you also complete the route, and you’ll get credit for the workout and the route!
Wahoo Announces KICKR ROLLR Onboard Power Firmware Update
Today, Wahoo announced a firmware update to their KICKR ROLLR which brings native power sensing to the device. Let’s take a look at this unique “smart trainer”, how to update its firmware, and more details behind what Wahoo released today.
About the ROLLR
The ROLLR, for those unfamiliar, is a unique sort of “smart roller” because your rear wheel rolls freely on the rear rollers, while your front wheel is loosely clamped in so you don’t need to worry about keeping the bike upright. This setup allows your bike to move more freely than a standard direct drive trainer setup, and also makes it easy to get your bike on and off the trainer.
It sold for $799 when first released, but has been priced at $699 for some time now. Shop on Wahoo >
From when the ROLLR was originally released in early 2022 until today, the unit hasn’t sensed or transmitted power. It does adjust resistance to simulate in-game gradients, but riders were expected to either pair an external power meter or connect the ROLLR in “speed only mode”.
Wahoo says they found many customers were using speed only mode, which delivers a less-than-ideal experience in games like Zwift. So they worked on a way to estimate power from your back wheel, and that’s the update we’re seeing today.
Updating Your ROLLR Firmware
Installing the update is easy: just connect to the KICKR ROLLR via your phone’s Wahoo app and follow the firmware update instructions. The whole update takes 1-2 minutes.
Power Accuracy Deep Dive
The big question everyone’s asking is: how accurate is the ROLLR’s new onboard power sensing?
Wahoo is very upfront in setting expectations. The ROLLR firmware page says:
Power readings are consistent when using the same equipment, but they aren’t designed for racing or comparing across devices. For riders who need precise, race-ready data, KICKR ROLLR supports Power Meter Connect to use your bike’s power meter instead.
In fact, Wahoo isn’t even stating an accuracy percentage like you see on most smart trainers. And that’s fair enough, as it’s basically impossible to get accurate power from a roller setup. Changes in tire size, tire temperature, tire pressure, tire speed, rider weight, rider position, and more will all affect any power estimations.
Shane Miller ran the updated ROLLR through a bevy of tests, and dropped a great video (we expect nothing less!) today, sharing details on power accuracy for the updated KICKR ROLLR:
The good news according to Shane is: the unit is acceptably accurate, at least if you’re on a road bike, riding in that “sweet spot” range where most riders will spend their time. This makes complete sense, because Wahoo had to build a set of assumptions into their power sensing algorithm. So they’re assuming riders are on road bikes, within a particular weight range, riding within a particular power window.
If you get outside of that range – riding in your granny gear, for instance, or sprinting at 800W – power accuracy will drop. But even then, as Shane says, the experience is still a good one. Using the ROLLR’s new onboard power sensing delivers a better workout and overall ride experience than the “speed only mode” riders without power meters were using, and that was Wahoo’s big reason for releasing this update.
However, if we head over to DC Rainmaker’s post about the updated KICKR ROLLR, we find his experience is quite different. He found the roller was consistently underreporting and overall less accurate than Shane’s results might indicate. To be fair, Wahoo has said they erred on the side of underreporting power, which is a good move in my opinion. Ray quoted one of Wahoo’s product managers as saying:
“This is not an attempt to replace a power meter, but to get new users without power moving in virtual training and riding platforms. If and when a user does upgrade to power we are hoping they see a power boost vs a decline. Often when using virtual power and upgrading to a power meter users see a decline in power, which can be disappointing.”
So is the new KICKR ROLLR’s onboard power sending good enough?
I’d say yes. While it won’t be +/-1-2% accurate like a good direct drive trainer, it will provide consistent results for riders who ride in a consistent fashion. And the overall Zwift experience with onboard power vs the speed-only mode should be vastly improved.
One final note: while I considered doing some power comparison tests myself using the KICKR ROLLR I have sitting in the garage, my concern is that doing so will just add more messy data to an already messy picture! The ROLLR computes power based on a pile of assumptions, and every bike setup, rider, and individual ride will vary in how closely it matches those assumptions. In the end, I don’t think additional data from my testing will prove useful.
Questions or Comments?
Do you have a KICKR ROLLR, and have you tried its new onboard power sensing? Share below!
Zwift version 1.95 begins its phased rollout today. This is a fairly minor update, but there are several notable game changes included. Read on for details…
iOS M-series Improvements
Zwift says this release includes “Various visual improvements for M-series iPads, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Pro.” To be more precise, this update includes just minor UI tweaks for iPhone 16. M-series iPads, on the other hand, get actual game resolution upgrades:
All M series iPads will now have improved bike and rider shadows
All M3 iPads will have the above and higher color and shadow resolution
All M4 iPads will have the above and even higher shadow resolution
Zwift says, “Additionally, we will continue to share other opportunities to further improve graphics on M series iPads and will share further updates once available.”
Event Cooldowns for All
Zwift began testing an “Event Cooldown” feature in late June. It’s a simple idea: instead of returning riders to the open world as soon as they finish their event, let them continue riding with fellow event participants for 10 minutes. This gives riders the chance to chat with each other and cool down before moving on with their next activity.
During the cooldown you can also see riders’ finishing positions pinned to their backs, and you can click to bring up the results screen.
Zwift says, “Event Cool Down will be turned on for all events. This will also take effect for earlier game versions.” And while the finishing positions feature had been temporarily disabled a few weeks ago due to a bug, Zwift says everything is fixed in this update, and finishing positions will be visible once again during the cooldowns.
Zwift says, “Looking for a friendly wheel to join? Zwifters will now receive a notification when a mutually following friend starts Zwifting in the same world. Simply use the Teleport feature to join them.”
You probably already know that you can click from the “Join a Zwifter” card on the homescreen to join any friends you follow (who also follow you) who are actively Zwifting:
And you probably know that, while you’re actively Zwifting (but not in an event or workout) you can teleport to a friend who is riding in the same world as you.
This update adds a notification to the top-center HUD element informing you when a friend starts Zwifting in the same world. You can then use the teleport feature to easily join them if you’d like. Here’s what that notification looks like:
I think this is a good feature to encourage the community feel of Zwift, but there are a few issues:
When you first begin Zwifting, the feature brings up alerts for every friend who is already Zwifting in that world. That’s a lot of notifications if you have a lot of friends! I expected the feature to only show a notification if a friend started Zwifting after I started Zwifting. If Zwift wants to notify me of all the riders I could teleport to when I begin my ride, perhaps a simple “summary notification” could come up that says something like “23 friends are Zwifting in Watopia, use Teleport to join…”
The alerts come up when you are riding a workout. This doesn’t seem helpful, as you can’t teleport during a workout. Plus, if you are in a workout, chances are very good you’re not interested in teleporting to a friend anyway!
Blocking Bike Upgrade Gamers
Zwift says, “We made some improvements to ensure that bike upgrades are unlocked via genuine efforts.”
This is an interesting one.
Ever since Zwift launched their Bike Upgrades feature in March, a small, squirrelly subset of Zwifters has been gaming the system by teleporting to riders perched atop big descents. The Zwifter could then easily coast downhill, accumulating time or distance towards their next bike upgrade. Wash, rinse, repeat… long, continuous descents like Ventoux or Alpe du Zwift let you accumulate distance or time quickly, with zero effort.
Zwift is being vague about the precise measures put in place to “ensure that bike upgrades are unlocked via genuine efforts.” However, I’m doing a bit of testing today, and will write a separate post with the results. Because that’s the Insider way!
(Before anyone asks: Zwift has told me that they don’t plan to retroactively apply these rules… that is, to somehow claw back bike upgrades people may have earned through less than genuine efforts. This only applies moving forward.)
Michael Lander Memorial
In a nice touch that Zwift isn’t announcing publicly, some memorial road art has been added to Sector 6 (aka Dutch corner) on Alpe du Zwift, honoring Michael Lander, a well-loved member of the BMTR community who we lost earlier this year.
Release Notes
Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:
Windows: The Ultra graphics profile is now enabled for the following graphics cards: AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT, Intel Arc 140V.
