Hollie and Dustin get the opportunity to interview Rich Vale this week! Rich is the person behind all the madness that is Flamme Rouge Racing (FRR). He talks about how he decided to start FRR, what makes FRR so unique, and answers all of Hollie and Dustin’s questions.
0:00 Introductions
2:45 Hollie’s Poem for the week.
4:07 Weekly Catch Up
16:00 Barrage of Questions for Rich Vale about FRR:
How Rich got into Zwift?
How did FRR start?
How do you choose the courses each week?
Why did you choose peppers for the categories/classes?
How do you crunch all those numbers?
Announcement of working with World Indoor Cycling Racing (WICR)- Lee Wild
It’s that time of the week, You know how we all like to speak, About watopia and lots of things, Let’s see what this week brings.
The man that spends his time plotting and planning, Across lots of routes his tours are spanning, Relentlessly trying to wear our legs down, But on our faces there is no frown.
Day after day, on we go, Grabbing a wheel for a tow, Every racer has their own mission, It is not always about position,
So without further a do, Go grab a brew, Let’s all hail, the amazing Rich Vale.
About the Podcast
Each week Dustin and the Queen of Yorkshire, Hollie, get together to talk about Zwift, life, and everything else. Watopian Weekly is available on Spotify and Google Podcasts.
Steering Gamification Events Now Scheduled for Repack Rush & Crit City
Back in September, Zwift announced plans to release “gamified” steering-required races on Repack Rush and Crit City. Late last week they made good on the promise, adding the first test events to the calendar.
The Gamified Race Experience
What are the new races like? Well, I can tell you this: it’s not the Zwift racing you’re used to. These events are short, hectic, and… gamified! Watch Nathan Guerra take on a gamified Crit City race and get rolled at the line by his wife:
About the Courses
The two race courses use new gamification elements:
Blue Boost Pads: increase your speed by 10kph
Red Hazard Pads: decrease your speed by 15%
Green Time Deductions: remove 0.2 seconds from your overall time (available on Repack Rush only)
Boost Powerup: increases your speed by 10kph with each charge, and can be used twice per charge (available in Crit City only)
The gamified Crit City course covers The Bell Lap route, but with some changes. First, you get the new “Boost Power Up”, at the lap banner, which gives you two boosts. Make sure you use both each lap, or it won’t refresh at the lap banner!
Crit City also includes blue boost pads (which speed you up) and red hazard pads (which slow you down). Some of the pads move back and forth, and some swap from red to blue and back again!
Lastly, you can use the entire road (not just your lane) in the newly gamified Crit City, so you can really cut corners when steering.
Repack Rush is a very short (2.8km) route that was launched as a steering test route back in June 2023 when Zwift released their Play Controllers. Like the gamified Crit City course it includes boost pads and hazards… but Repack Rush also includes time bonuses.
This is the first time we’ve been able to do multiplayer events on Repack. They’ll be short, hectic races! But the winner isn’t necessarily the rider who crosses the line first. The game will calculate your time deductions, then display a leaderboard of final results when you cross the line!
Steering Required
You must have a steering device paired to Zwift to participate in these events. The list of compatible devices includes:
Zwift Play
Elite Sterzo Smart
Elite Rizer
Wahoo KICKR Bikes
Jetblack Smart Turn Block
Schedule of Events
Although the event description says they’ll be available through December 10, Zwift’s calendar currently shows them scheduled through the end of the year. Events are on the calendar three times daily apart from Mondays.
The Wrap, Episode 69: Zwift Games Announced, New Gamified Racing, Si Bradley ZRL Deep Dive
This week Si Bradely joins Nathan and Anna to talk all things Zwift Racing League Round 2. With three extremely devoted Zwifter personalities in one space, the topics quickly diverge across the cycling esports landscape. Ranging from pack dynamics, controversial esport rules, MyWhoosh & IV platforms, World Champs, to new race formats… this episode is jam-packed! The trio also takes some time to discuss the newly announced Zwift Games and what it could mean for both elite and community racing in virtual cycling.
Below you can find all timings of topics which are all chaptered out on the Youtube VOD above.
0:00 Music Intro 3:32 Welcome & Topics 6:50 Anna Races gravel and smashes workouts 12:55 Nathan healing injury & tries to race Zwift Grand Prix 17:30 Is Sprint Coasting the actual problem with Sticky Watts?! 24:05 Zwift Games Announced 31:15 Si Bradley intro Zwift Games Take 36:25 ZRL Round 2 Deep Dive – Race #1 London Loop Reverse 47:15 Race #2 Glasgow Crit Course 53:00 The Team Time Trials hot takes, should we have new formats? 59:27 Race #4 Suki’s Playground Scratch Race 1:02:40 Pack Dynamics Discussion – Where is PD 4.1.1 at with comparison to MyWhoosh & iV 1:14:04 World Championship Timings for MyWhoosh 1:16:52 Race #5 The Muckle Yin 1:18:36 New rolling resistance changes discussion and the bike swaps farewell 👋 1:28:48 Favorite ZRL Round 2 race picks from Si, Anna, & Nathan 1:32:50 Up Next for Si in Esports – Level Velo, Virtual Velo Podcast, Team & Junior support 1:39:53 Fashion for the Week -Zwift Starter Jersey 1:41:55 What Nathan & Anna are up to for next week – wrap up episode.
The Wrap is live weekly on Thursdays 11pm CDT/5pm NZT(Friday). Catch it live on Youtube, Twitch, Facebook & X (formerly Twitter). Subscribe to Zwift Community Live on YouTube for all the latest episodes and live notifications.
This week’s featured videos include a range of topics: the accuracy of the different FTP tests, racing up Alpe du Zwift, an average rider attempting a Zwift race, and Zwift Academy Road. Let’s go!
Zwift 20 min FTP Test | How close is it to a Zwift Ramp Test?
Max from The Watt Life gives a huge comparison between all of the different types of FTP tests. In this video, he compares the 20-minute FTP test, ramp test, Zwift-estimated FTP, and an all-out ascent up the Alpe.
Racing Alpe Du Zwift with a 7-Minute Cut-Off
Watch as pro cyclist Tilly Field races up Alpe Du Zwift in the Zwift Grand Prix. Throughout the video, she provides commentary and points out places where she could have improved her performance.
Introducing Zwift Academy Road 2023
Get the full run-down on the 2023 Zwift Academy Road from Sarah, aka, Everything Is Photogenic. Sarah provides details on the workouts, pro contracts, unlocks, and more!
Average Joe Attempts Category A Zwift Race
Dean, a guest on the EJ’s Training Camp YouTube channel tackles a category A Zwift race. Can he keep up with some of the top Zwifters?
Training Like a Pro! // Zwift Academy 2023
Katie Kookaburra tackles the second workout of the 2023 Zwift Academy. Watch as she talks through the workout and details about the program.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Eight years ago today I went for my first ride on Zwift.
The winter of 2015 was my first “indoor season” as a serious cyclist, and I was already dreading the roller sessions. At the time, none of my local riding buddies were on Zwift – I don’t think any of them had even heard of it. But I saw it somewhere on Facebook, downloaded the game, ran it in “just watch” mode, and immediately knew I had to give it a try.
First Zwift session: November 12, 2015
I found a website in Germany selling Tacx Vortex Smart trainers for ~$290 to my door, so I pulled the trigger. The night it arrived I put it together, hooked my bike in, and went for my first Zwift ride from the middle of my living room. The trainer wasn’t calibrated, and I wasn’t dressed for a real ride… so that effort didn’t last long.
But two days later I went for my first “real” Zwift ride – two laps of Watopia’s Hilly Route (the only route on Watopia at the time). Uploading it to Strava certainly confused local friends. “Are you in the Solomon Islands right now?”
I wish I had been on Zwift from the beginning, but when Zwift beta launched in 2014 I was just rediscovering cycling after an 18-year hiatus. So I never got to ride Jarvis. But what I have been a part of so far has been really special. So each year, I look back and deliver my perspective as a Zwifter and the editor of the web’s biggest Zwift fansite.
Post-Covid Normalization
Our all-time Peak Zwift of 49,114 came in January 2021. Remember that time? It was actually illegal to ride your bike outdoors in some European countries! Covid lockdowns sent Zwift numbers off the chart.
A year later traffic numbers were much lower than their mid-Covid peak. The following year was the same story, and this year looks like it’s trending in a similar direction. Zwift is by far the most popular indoor cycling platform, but growth seems stagnant post-Covid.
(Disclaimer: Zwift doesn’t provide detailed user stats, so any number claims in this post are based on educated guesses, Companion app “Zwifting Now” accounts, and any other sources we can pull from.)
Leading the Cycling World
Zwift is far and away the industry leader based on the size and engagement of its user base. But they’re also leaders in the overall world of cycling. Consider this:
Zwift has multi-year deals as the title sponsor of the women’s Roubaix and Tour de France
Each year, Zwift’s Road Academy continues to place riders into pro teams – the first virtual cycling platform to do so
The “Zwift Games” were just announced for Feb-Mar 2024, and they will aim to be “the largest cycling esports competition ever held”
Zwift was dealt one big blow this year, though. They lost the bid to host the 2024 UCI Esports World Championships, a race that Zwift has hosted since its inception. The bid went to competitor MyWhoosh, who was selected as the exclusive platform for 2024-2026.
This news surprised me since Zwift seemed like the only sensible choice for such a partnership. We could speculate all day long about what motivated the UCI’s decision, but at the end of the day, my positive take is that this will allow Zwift to concentrate on making their platform better for everyone, which can only be a good thing long-term.
It’s Not All Roses
2022 saw Zwift making some major cuts to their workforce, reducing staff by approximately 20% along with other big players in the indoor market. 2023 saw it happen again when Zwift reduced staff by 15% in March.
The news we didn’t report on, though, were the names who exited not long after that March cut. Zwift made cuts at all levels of leadership, including some very senior staffers who had been with Zwift since early days. That list included Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Steve Beckett, VP of Acquisition Ian Vinten, SVP of Brand Experience Laurent Janneau, Director of Content Programming Craig Taylor, and more.
Zwift calls their employees “Watopians”, and it’s always a bummer for me to say goodbye to a Watopian who I’ve worked with over the years. That said, former Watopians seem to have a knack for staying positive and landing on their feet. Must be something in the La Croix at ZHQ.
The restructuring clouds had a silver lining, though: it allowed Zwift to bring on fresh leadership. First we heard of Kurt Beidler coming on as Co-CEO, then Mike Lusthaus and Manlio Lo Conte followed not long afterward.
Will these three (and other new Watopians) have what it takes to move Zwift to the next level? Beidler and Lusthaus came from Amazon, while Lo Conte came from Meta. One would think their experience working in companies on the bleeding edge of big tech would lend itself well to Zwift’s further development. So far, I’m optimistic that fresh leadership is moving things in the right direction. Let’s talk about that…
Moving Forward
For years, Zwifters (myself included) have been disappointed in Zwift’s lack of progress as a platform. Over and over again I’ve heard the same phrases from Zwift superfans, the same ones I mutter myself: I love Zwift, but I wish they’d add more roads. I love Zwift, but they need to build out the features. I love Zwift, but they need to fix the bugs.
Superfans like me love Zwift, and because we love it we dream about how much better it could be and get frustrated when it’s not.
During Covid and even for the year or two following, Zwift seemed just to be keeping their heads above water. Hardly any new features shipped, but the platform stayed stable so people could use it.
This year, things seem to be moving forward more noticeably. Zwift updates are now scheduled every two weeks, and they’ve been coming out as planned. Zwift Play controllers were released in June, which is big news. The Hub trainer continues to evolve; it now supports virtual shifting, which is more big news. We got a library of famous climbs in the colorful Climb Portal, and even got a Watopia expansion!
Is it enough? Perhaps. Zwift has to keep current subscribers happy while expanding its market, and that’s a difficult balance to strike. While I’d love to see more new roads, expanded race features, rowing, AI-based coaching, and more, I’m happy to see Zwift planning and releasing new features on a regular schedule for the first time in a few years.
A Look at the Competition
Last year I wrote about how RGT may be a serious competitor to Zwift now that they were backed by Wahoo, who had just opened up a lawsuit against Zwift.
A year later, Wahoo and Zwift settled the lawsuit. On top of that, Wahoo shut down RGT at the end of October! From what I’m hearing, Wahoo and Zwift are working together well today and have big plans for the future.
So who is Zwift’s competition in the software space in 2023? While there are lots of indoor cycling platforms out there, only a few are worth mentioning today:
IndieVelo: the new kid on the block, IndieVelo is where many former Zwift racers have migrated due to its racing-first architecture and rapid speed of development.
MyWhoosh: they got the nod from the UCI to host Esports Worlds for 2024-26, but it feels like people only use the platform because it’s free and awards some big prize money.
Rouvy: a popular platform for riders who want to ride “real” roads.
While IndieVelo is bringing some nice race-specific features to the table, and MyWhoosh gets to host Worlds, Zwift doesn’t seem very concerned with trying to beat these competitors.
And they shouldn’t be.
For Zwift to survive and thrive far into the future, they have to focus on growing the market, not on market share. To put it another way: it doesn’t make sense to fight over Rouvy’s happy but tiny user base when there are hundreds of thousands of potential customers ripe for the picking once Zwift makes its product easier to use and more compelling.
Have Trainers Plateaued?
Zwift early success fueled demand and development in the smart trainer space, but ever since Covid we haven’t seen anything happening apart from:
Iterative improvements of existing smart trainer models
Price drops
This year Wahoo released the KICKR Move and KICKR Bike Shift, but we haven’t seen much else for new trainers or smart bikes. What we have seen, though, are price drops. Most trainers that used to be priced between $600-$1000 are now $350-$750. Why so cheap? Multiple reasons:
Glut of product: some companies are still trying to sell trainers they ordered during Covid
Price competition: when Zwift’s Hub sells for $599 with a year of Zwift, it’s hard to justify pricing your mid-level trainer any higher
Apart from Zwift and Wahoo, it feels like trainer companies are simply selling the products they’ve already created. And perhaps that makes sense: maybe we’ve reached a spot on the development curve where continued investment into R&D doesn’t turn a profit. Maybe cyclists already have the features they want.
Maybe.
Or maybe there’s a big opportunity here for someone to come in and do something amazing, like creating a smart bike that works well without breaking the bank.
Still Rocking
Rocker plates are getting more mainstream every year, and I think that’s a great thing. I say this every year, and I’ll say it again: I still don’t understand how people ride for hours on a static setup.
I love to race on Zwift because it pushes me to my limits, which in turn makes me stronger. Just last month I finished my 1000th race (according to ZwiftPower). That’s a lot of sweat!
I’ve been recording most of my races this year, partly because it’s nice to have a way to go back and review what happened. Here’s one recent race where I managed to sneak onto the podium:
Racing continues to develop on Zwift, with category enforcement now the standard for breaking up the field into fun competitive groups. Still, as has been the case historically with Zwift, some of the biggest developments have come from the community. While the ZwiftPower site languishes, Tim over at ZwiftRacing.app keeps adding amazing features, the Ladder races are getting popular, and of course ZRL, WTRL TTT, and my baby the Tiny Races are all working to keep racing fresh and fun.
While I had hoped we would see results-based categories by now, I truly think that in the next six months, we’ll see a big leap forward as Zwift moves into results-based ranking. This should put a stop to sandbagging and really shake up the peloton.
So Many Rides, So Little Time
There was no in-game event calendar eight years ago, and today (I just checked) there are literally 400+ events per day on Zwift’s calendar. Amazing!
That said, the calendar needs a refresh. Back in December 2022 it was announced that the race calendar would get a cleanup… but it never felt like that happened. It feels like there are still a lot of races and group rides on the calendar that aren’t actively maintained, and see very little participation.
Participation in community-organized events has surely been impacted by Zwift organizing so many of their own group rides on the platform. These days there’s often a Zwift-owned event happening each hour, as well as the always-on Robopacers. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, but the simple fact is that Zwift’s stronger presence on their calendar makes it harder for community members to launch new group rides or even maintain existing ones.
Working with the community to develop a properly-dense event calendar is no easy job, and I’m glad I don’t have to do it. James Bailey: I salute you!
What I am responsible for is a small number of Zwift Insider events including the Epic Series and Tiny Race Series. Based on my experience with those events, I would love to see Zwift invest in better backend tools for event organizers. Improving these systems would reduce event configuration errors and streamline the creation and editing of events, logically leading to higher-quality event experiences for end users.
Clubs: What Now?
Last year I had the biggest Club on Zwift, but the media juggernaut that is GCN surpassed me a couple months back.
I’ve got a confession to make, though. Even with the second-largest Club on Zwift (31.3k members, click here to join) I still struggle to put it to good use. The Club chat tool is very limited (no tagging members, no clickable URLs) which means most members just turn off notifications and never check the chat. And apart from chat, the club really just becomes a container for Club events.
Which is fine, I suppose. But having built and interacted with online communities for 20+ years, I can’t help but believe Zwift Clubs could be so much more. I’d love to see:
Club kit designs
Voice chat in game with Club members
Team racing where Club members are automatically linked together
More powerful Club chat/discussion tools
Club leaderboards, to promote competition between Clubs
and more!
The Future Is Bright
It’s not hyperbole to say my involvement with the Zwift community has been life-changing. It’s changed my fitness, it’s changed my work life – it’s even changed my vacation plans! And I’ve loved every minute of it.
I am truly blessed to serve the community through my work here at Zwift Insider. And I look forward to doing it for many years to come.
Ride on!
What about You?
How long have you been on Zwift? Do you feel he platform is moving in a good direction? What’s features are at the top of your wishlist? Share below!
Watopian Weekly Episode 2: Kevin and Justin from DIRT Racing Series (DRS)
This week, Justin and Kevin from DIRT talk about the Dirt Racing Series (DRS). Hollie also gloats over her win against the Z-Wings in the Ladder League, and there’s a highly controversial debate over whether the Innsbruckring Leg Snapper is a Sprint or a K/QOM. So much to talk about!
21:30 Kevin and Justin talk about the history of DIRT, how they joined, and how they are always recruiting.
30:50 Dirt Racing League (DRS) discussion. Kevin and Justin sell all of us on how they have set up the DRS league. This is yet another great example of how the community got together and made something happen. Kevin and Justin do a lot of behind the scenes work and number crunching to make this work.
1:05 How to sign up for DIRT.
1:08 Hollie tries some food off the “American Shelf” at her local shop. It’s riveting for an audio podcast.
Stop right there and wait Your intros are really great They have been outstanding all year So as they say “Hold my beer”
So much to chat about since last time And I’ve got to get this to rhyme From ladder, FRR, and DRS There isn’t time for any rest
So go grab some snacks Get the Twinkies big packs It’ll be quite a large haul Did you get my order Paul?
What antics did we get up to this week? Will we get a DRS sneak peek? So many questions I’m sure you all ask So let’s get on with this task
So this week who is our guest We only ever bring you the best we have 2 for the price of 1 what can possibly go wrong?
So I’ll stop talking now Please take a bow The legends that are Kevin and Justin And would you all please welcome the main man Dustin!
About the Podcast
Each week Dustin and the Queen of Yorkshire, Hollie, get together to talk about Zwift, life, and everything else. Watopian Weekly is available on Spotify and Google Podcasts.
Zwift Grand Prix: Round 3 Men’s Scratch Race Report
Round 3 of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix introduced two new variables to the Zwift Grand Prix: a split race schedule and a scratch race format. The men’s Grand Prix field raced two laps of the London Loop Reverse this week, while the women’s field will head to Glasgow next week for a 15.3km points race on the Glasgow Crit Circuit.
The men’s and women’s races integrate with the Zwift Racing League, the biggest racing league on Zwift. The Grand Prix races occur on Thursday, and the Zwift Racing League takes on the same course the following Tuesday.
Watch the Livestream
First up, 80 of the best Zwift racers in the world lined up in London for the first and only scratch race of the men’s 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix. That meant there were only points available at the finish line, linear from 1st to 80th. Here’s how the scoring looked:
With this scoring system, the strongest teams would be rewarded the most, not just individual riders. Placing three riders in the Top 10, for example, would be more valuable than winning the race but not placing another rider in the Top 20.
The other variables at play were the Feather and Anvil power-ups. Riders would get the Feather power-up at the London Loop (Start/Finish Line) and the Anvil power-up at the top of Fox Hill. Heading into the second and final lap, riders could choose to use their power-ups on Fox Hill or save them for the finish. Every team’s strategy was different, and it was all about to unfold during live coverage of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix.
On Lap 1, the peloton thinned during the first ascent of Fox Hill, with Lennert Teugels (ABUS – Synergy) and David Talbott (Saris | Nopinz) driving the pace. Only 60-some riders were still in contact by the bottom of the Fox Hill descent, and the rest of the men would never see the front of the race again.
Lap 2 was the last opportunity for the climbers to attack the 12% slopes of Fox Hill, and it didn’t take long for Talbott to hit the front with 2 km to the top of the climb. If you thought Lap 1 was hard, Lap 2 was even harder, and by the time the first rider crossed the Fox Hill KOM banner, only 22 riders were left at the front of the race.
Thomas Perren (NeXT eSports pb Enshored) used his Anvil power-up on the descent, while Mickael Plantureux (Hexagone) launched off the front to get a gap over the rest of the front group with 6 km to go. Lionel Vujasin (Coalition Alpha) sprinted up the escalator, but the front group came back together before the rolling river road that led straight to the finish line.
Talbott tried a late-race attack with 3.8km to go, but Teugels helped chase them down, and with 2.5km to go, it was all back together. The theme of the race continued with relentless attacks and familiar names. Plantureux launched again with 2.2km to go, and it wasn’t long before Teugels bridged across.
The pair had a 6-second gap with 500 meters to go, and Teugels used his Anvil power-up to sprint to victory ahead of the charging peloton. Plantureux came across the line in second, while Haavard Gjeldnes (Movistar eTeam) took the final place on the podium.
Every rider counted in the points-heavy scratch race, but it was fitting that Teugels led ABUS–Synergy to the Round 3 victory while Plantureux put an exclamation point on a fantastic performance from Hexagone to finish second. NeXT eSports pb Enshored finished third, ahead of Coalition Alpha and Wahoo Le Col.
After two quick loops around London, these were the team race points from Round 3 of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix – Men:
We’re already halfway through the Grand Prix season, and here are the team standings after Round 3 of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix – Men:
Coming Up Next
Next week, Round 3 of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix continues with the women’s Points Race in Glasgow. The women will have nine intermediate sprints in just 15.3km on the Glasgow Crit Circuit.
Zwift Racing League scoring applies, which means that First Across the Line (FAL) and Fastest Through the Segment (FTS) points are available at the two intermediate sprint locations: the Clyde Kicker and Champion’s Sprint (Lap Arch).
In the Zwift Hot Topic series we focus on popular discussions, controversies, questions, or creative ideas in the Zwift community. We’ll share a couple of different perspectives, but we want to hear your thoughts, too. So read on and chime in below!
This summer, a group of Zwifters raced in an Olympic Esports arena to show the potential of virtual cycling competition.
Is Zwift ready to host a contest for those coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals? Let’s look back at the test event.
The Olympics Esports Week showcase was held in Singapore in June. It culminated in the Olympics Esports Series Finals, which featured more than 130 players competing in 10 different virtual sports, cheered on by a live audience. According to the IOC, the series generated more than 6 million live views across all channels. Including qualifying events, more than 500,000 people participated!
Cycling was represented by a multi-stage Zwift race, where four teams of four Zwifters competed in three short events. Each team, comprised of two men and two women, had its own platform with four Wattbikes and screens. As the men and women swapped turns, teammates cheered and encouraged each other.
“I absolutely loved competing in person with teammates next to me,” said Alice Lethbridge, a competitor with Team Lava. “The co-ed format was one of the things I praised in my feedback. It made it more exciting.”
James Barnes said racing alongside other riders – even just getting to meet them in person – was “awesome.” He was on Team Fuego, which began communicating as soon as the teams were announced, setting up a WhatsApp group so they could talk and strategize.
“I am hoping this happens more often,” he said. “(It was a) serious feeling of meeting old friends who just had not seen each other in a very long time. Reporters could not wrap their heads around that this was the first time we all met each other, and we were not on the same Zwift team.”
For the first event, “The Eliminator,” all four riders from each time rode an elimination race. In “The Sprint,” each team fielded its best sprinter for a points race. Finally, “The Climb” set each team’s best climber against each other. The race events were short and engaging, and different riders got their own chances to shine.
Other sports featured included archery, baseball, chess, dance, motorsports, sailing inshore, sailing offshore, shooting, taekwondo, and tennis. Each of the competitions took place on virtual platforms like Gran Turismo, Just Dance, and even Fortnite (where participants shot at targets instead of other players).
Many of the sports, like cycling, imitated the physical demands of their non-virtual counterparts. Taekwondo athletes competed using virtual reality headsets and full-body controllers that tracked their movements.
“It provides opportunities for so many more people, and it makes high-risk sports safer,” Lethbridge said. “No risk of head injuries in sports like cycling, taekwondo, or boxing. That’s a huge win, especially for young athletes.”
Bumps In The Road
The event wasn’t without its problems. At the start, some of the athletes had trouble using their virtual gearing – especially Team Titans, who were located farthest from the receiver. It worked fine in rehearsals, but race day came with an audience and probably a lot more signal interference.
Vicki Whitelaw, who raced for Team Titans, said more needs to be done for eSports cycling to have credibility as an Olympic sport. In addition to the shifting problems, one rider on her team could not even get into the starting pen for their first race.
“Athletes who have spent hours upon hours of their time in Olympic cycles to get to the live event should not be disadvantaged based on the distance that they are positioned from the receiver,” Whitelaw said in the Zwift Racers Facebook group.
There was also a moment of confusion when a “photo finish” – which didn’t involve any photographs – reversed the announced result of one of the races.
Multiple participants said their screens showed Marlene Bjärehed of Team Fuego in first, and Lam Kong of Team Lava in second. Kong’s teammates said she knew she had placed second. But for a few minutes, the broadcast showed and announced her as the winner.
This experience isn’t new to Zwift racing. Riders (and spectators) may see their avatars in a slightly different position than what Zwift’s server has calculated.
Lionel Vujasin, of Team Lava, said creating an event-specific build of the Zwift program might help prevent confusion.
“The biggest point in my mind is Zwift is yet to find a good interface (for the broadcast) and showing the data viewers actually want,” he said.
Whitelaw said positivity is great, but addressing these issues is more important.
“Otherwise it will only be seen as the social platform,” she said, “rather than one where serious competition can be taken seriously at Olympic and World Championship levels.”
Photos by James Barnes
Racing Toward The Future
Organizers of real-life races can have these kinds of mix-ups and problems, too. Lethbridge pointed out that in some outdoor races, drivers have ignored roadblocks, motorcycle communications have been lacking, and results declared at the line have been corrected later.
“Overall I thought it was an incredibly well-run event,” she said. “Of course there will be teething problems the first time through.”
Zwift and IOC officials worked quickly to fix some of those problems, she said. In rehearsal, when the riders pointed out that their powerful sprints would move the Wattbikes around, officials anchored the equipment by drilling into the stage.
Barnes and Vujasin mentioned that other eSports had bigger technical problems than virtual cycling. The taekwondo competition had to pause several times to adjust body sensors when their virtual legs flailed out of place.
Vujasin stressed the need to have a setup that’s connected with cables and said to “avoid wireless at all costs!”
“Zwift is far in advance compared to other platforms of other sports,” he said. “We tend to be hard on Zwift, but for real, we are pretty lucky.”
In the end, Team Fuego took first place in the series, Team Epic placed second, and Team Lava filled out the podium in third, ahead of Team Titans in fourth place.
1st place for Team Fuego! (Photo by James Barnes)
Zwift has some work to do to be ready for the Olympics, but this showcase was a good display of its potential, especially compared to some other sports. For the athletes, it was a taste of the real Olympic Games that might be coming soon.
“Words can’t describe the experience, to be honest,” said Vujasin. “Once you participate in the opening ceremony, you can definitely feel the Olympic spirit, and it’s awesome!”
Your Thoughts
What do you think? Is Zwift ready for the Olympics? Share below!
This weekend’s notable events consist of a popular banded group ride, a special guest ride, the start of a popular race series, and two endurance group rides.
Zwift made a few changes to the rubberbanding mode with the latest game release. Join the BanditZ Tronathon to see what the changes are all about! This group ride is one of the most popular each weekend and for good reason: the ride is no-drop, well-organized, and full of fun to keep you entertained as you trek up Alpe Du Zwift!
This weekend, the ride is quite a bit longer than usual, featuring the Four Horseman route which traverses the Watopia Hill, Volcano, Epic, and Alpe Du Zwift KOMs. This is also a great opportunity for riders to snag the Four Horseman route badge.
🤝 SPECIAL GUEST: Stage 1: World Tour – Movistar Team
✅ Popular Event ✅ Special Guest Leader
As part of the World Tour Zwift Ride Series, Zwift is hosting select pros to lead a few group rides. These rides are a great opportunity to ask questions and get to know these pro cyclists. This specific ride will be with Albert Torres of Movistar, an extremely accomplished track and road rider.
Fancy a race this weekend? Join the HERD for their Winter Racing League. Unlike most races, there is only one category for each race, meaning all riders start together regardless of traditional category. This is a good opportunity for riders to grab some Zwift Power ranking points! This race is part of a 20-race series, but only riders’ top 16 results will count.
Riders will be racing on the new Going Coastal course in Watopia. Expect a fast and flat race!
✅ Popular Event ✅ Endurance Ride ✅ Legacy Leaders ✅ Women Only
Calling all female Zwifters! Join Catrina Weiss for a fun social ride around the roads of the Makuri Islands. This is a 100-kilometer ride and the leader will be holding 2-2.5 w/kg throughout the ride. If you do find yourself falling behind, let riders know in the chat so you have the best chance of getting help and making it back to the main group.
The group ride will be on the Wandering Flats course in the Makuri Islands.
This ride was originally created to help riders train to climb Bear Mountain in New York. But it can be a helpful training group for all riders! Leaders will be present in each category to help pace riders. The ultimate goal of these rides is to help riders improve their climbing ability.
This group ride will be taking place on the Shorelines and Summits course in Watopia – each category will be covering a different distance.
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!
Your Thoughts
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!
