Pas Normal Studios is hosting an extremely long endurance ride this weekend. This is likely one of the longest rides on Zwift’s event calendar. To accommodate for the extreme distance, there will be a rest break at the 100 km mark (halfway point) and the pace will remain at 1.5-2 w/kg for the full duration of the ride.
Riders will be tackling multiple laps of the Tire-Bouchon course in France, with a grand total of 124 miles (200 kilometers)!
At this point, this group ride is a classic. The group ride offers a unique format which caters to all riders’ needs. If you want to sprint and race, that is welcome in this group ride. If you want to hang back with the yellow beacon, that is also an option. The ride will be paced at 1.5-2 w/kg.
This group ride lasts 120 minutes and takes place on the Road to Ruins course.
ZZRC’s goal is to maintain a tight group and create an inclusive and fun group ride for all participants. To achieve this, there is a well-written description describing the protocol for topics such as regrouping, pace, getting dropped, etc. Contrary to most group rides, this is a hilly group ride. The ride will be paced at 2.4-2.8 w/kg.
This will likely be a harder group ride because it ascends Ven-Top, the biggest climb on Zwift.
For those who fancy a race to finish off the weekend, we’ve got the DBR Sunday Race! DBR is pretty well-known for providing some of Zwift’s more competitive and serious race events. To keep the event competitive, there are a few rules in place. This race is a one-off race and does not have any points system to it, just a raw scratch race.
Riders will be racing on the Libby Hill After Party course. Be aware of that hilltop finish!
Rules: Heart Rate Required, Power Meter Required, Category-Enforced
✅ Popular Event ✅ Beginner-Friendly ✅ Legacy Leaders
Looking for a more mellow, social, recovery ride? The HERD Rode to Recovery is likely one of the best social rides in this pace range. HERD’s leaders never fail to provide support and entertainment for riders. The ride will be paced at 1.2-1.5 w/kg for the entire ride.
This week, the group ride takes place on the Island Hopper course in the Makuri Islands. This course is likely one of the most scenic courses on Zwift!
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!
Zwift announced their new Play controllers yesterday, and the community has been buzzing about it ever since. After digging through several hundred comments on social media and blog posts, I’d summarize the feedback as positive overall, with hints of hesitancy mixed in with the understandable ire of Canadians and Aussies who can’t get the controllers shipped to their countries.
Here’s a post answering many of the common Play questions/comments I’m seeing. Got more questions that aren’t answered here? Comment below and I’ll try to find you an answer!
The Play Race Experience
What’s it like to race with Zwift Play right now? I jumped into an event yesterday and used the Play controllers to find out.
What exactly can the Play controllers do? Well, this might change in future firmware/game updates, but for now the following actions are controllable by Play:
Move between and selecting all on-screen UI elements, including the revamped Action Bar
Turn left and right
Brake
U-Turn
Navigate intersections
Change minimap view
Return a Ride On
Give a Ride On bomb
Use Powerup
Flip to look-back camera for 5s
Decrease intensity
Increase intensity
Skip workout block
For a detailed look at which specific buttons do which actions at which times, here’s a PDF from Zwift:
For AppleTV Users
AppleTV is limited to just 3 Bluetooth connections. For many Zwifters that means your smart trainer, heart rate monitor, and AppleTV remote max out what the unit can handle.
So how do you connect the Play controllers, who each use a Bluetooth connection?
Do it using the Zwift Companion app. Connect all your devices to the app, which is on your phone, which is on the same local network as your AppleTV. Zwift can then “see” the devices connected via Companion and use them just like if they were connected directly to AppleTV.
Some Zwifters aren’t keen on this idea because they say the Companion app doesn’t stay connected while they ride. I don’t have a solution for you, except to say if your network is set up properly, the Companion connection should be quite stable. Reading this post may be a help.
What About Sweat?
If you’ve ridden on Zwift for any amount of time, you know that sweat happens. Riders know sweat can destroy your Zwift bike, so one of the first questions they’ve asked is, “Can Play controllers withstand my sweaty hands?”
I asked Zwift this same question, and they told me a couple of interesting things:
The controllers don’t have an IP rating (like IPX7) because those ratings are for water, and sweat, a much more corrosive liquid, is the issue for Zwifters.
Play controllers are officially labeled “sweat resistant”. Zwift performed over 300 sweat ingress tests using special liquids and UV lights to track where the “sweat” went, to dial in the design and ensure sweat doesn’t get inside.
Super long-term testing is different than lab tests, of course, but the fact that the buttons are sealed is a good sign.
Our favorite Aussie Lama did a bit of ingress testing himself – see Shane pouring water on his Play controllers:
Haptic Feedback
Play controllers include haptic feedback (“buzzing” or other physical movement of the controllers) for the following events:
Controllers Paired
Use Powerup
Return a Ride On
Give a Ride On Bomb
Braking
Repack Rush: Boost
Repack Rush: Hazard
Repack Rush: Bonus Time Pickup
These haptics can be turned off under Settings>Preferences.
Braking: How and Why
Zwift Play supports braking by pushing either vertical orange “paddle” inward. Zwifters have asked what braking is like – can you brake “lightly” or “heavily”, or is braking just a binary “on-off” thing?
In my tests, braking seems to be just an on-off thing. You slow quite quickly if you keep the brake applied (45kph to 0kph in 7-8 seconds), but if you want to slow just a bit you can tap the brakes to nudge your speed down. So braking is a function of how long you apply the brake, not how hard. (It does feel like applying both the left and right brake at the same time brings me to a dead stop a bit quicker. But I’m not sure why that would be useful.)
Why would you want brakes on Zwift? That’s certainly a sensible question, because who wants to go slower? Braking has no real purpose in Zwift at this point, but when Zwift adds auto-braking to certain corners (automatically slowing riders down to a “safe” speed based on how sharp the corner is), Play would allow Zwifters to handle their own braking and choose an optimal steering line. This (if Zwift does it right) should give a slight advantage over auto-braking/auto-steering.
Bike Compatibility
The Play controllers are made to fit on a standard “drop” handlebar. They will not mount on TT bars or mountain bike bars.
Zwift says they contracted with a London bike shop chain to have them test the Play controllers’ fit on bikes that ran through their shops. This resulted in over 400 bike fit tests, and Play fit on 97%+ of the bikes with drop bars.
The other 3% are probably bikes with some sort of thumb shifter. So Campagnolo’s thumb shifters are a no-go, as are various “sprint shifters” often placed an inch or two down the bar from the hood, on the inside.
While the Play controllers mount nicely on the Wahoo KICKR Bike, they don’t fit on the Garmin Tacx NEO bike, the Wattbike, or the Stages bike according to the Zwift Play Tech Specs. Which leads to the next question: can Zwift make the buttons on smart bikes do what Play does?
Note: some Wattbike owners are saying Play fits on their bike, but the button pads are tilted forward a bit more than they are on standard road bikes.
Play Controller Protocol
Zwift developed their own Bluetooth protocol for Play, and they’ve said this protocol will be open to 3rd parties to use for Zwift accessories. So in theory, smart bike makers could release firmware updates that let all those buttons and levers accomplish some or all of what Play can do.
As far as I know, though, the details of that protocol have not been shared with 3rd parties yet. So there are no firm timelines for when smart bike makers will roll out Play-like functionality.
Firmware Updates
Firmware updates are handled easily in Zwift Companion. Here’s the update flow:
The Play controllers can only be connected to one device at a time, though, so if you connect them to Zwift, then see an alert on the pairing screen that a firmware update is available, you’ll need to disconnect them from Zwift, then connect to them in Companion to do the update.
Pricing and Availability
Zwift Play is being sold at a discounted price of $99/£99/€99 for a limited time (planned MSRP will be $149/£149/€149).
Why the discounted price? Because Zwift needs to build a critical mass of Play users so they can hold events with Play-specific features and gather feedback from a larger cohort of Zwifters. At the same time, Zwift knows it’s not easy to convince folks to buy newly-released hardware, so they’re “rewarding” early adopters with a healthy discount.
Some Zwifters have complained that the MSRP is high. While I agree that $149 feels steep compared to $99, I also have a few more thoughts:
You can’t compare these controllers to something like Xbox controllers, where millions of units are sold annually. Economies of scale demand that pricing for a more “boutique” product like Zwift Play will be a bit higher.
You can’t compare the pricing of these controllers to generic Bluetooth buttons/pads you buy on Alibaba. Those are (in my experience) poorly constructed, far from sweatproof, and very limited in their functionality.
The smart steering blocks from Elite and JetBlack sell for $99, and Zwift Play includes steering and much more.
The controllers are available for purchase in the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union at zwift.com/play. Why not Canada, Australia, or those European countries not in the EU (sorry, Switzerland!)? For the same reason the Zwift Hub trainer is only sold in the US, UK, and EU: because that’s where Zwift has chosen to set up their warehousing/shipping operations, and because separate certifications are required for hardware in certain countries.
At some point in the past few years, Zwift chose to stop shipping worldwide. When we asked about Canada and Australia shipping today, Zwift’s official word was “Zwift is looking into it but there are no confirmed timelines.”
More Reviews
Looking to hear other takes on Zwift Play? Here are more reviews I found:
How the Race Was Lost: ZRacing with Zwift Play Controllers
I’d been craving a Zwift race for weeks, but traveling combined with wrapping up my Build Me Up training plan meant I just hadn’t been able to get one in. Today was the day, though: I was jumping into Zwift’s “OG Racing” June series for a quick 3 laps of London’s Classique route, and using Zwift Play controllers for the first time in a race!
Race Plan
Since this was my first time racing with Zwift Play, I wanted to run the controllers through their paces. Sure, sure, call it an early excuse, but the truth was that I wasn’t singularly focused on winning the race. I wanted to test steering as much as possible, including during attacks. And of course, I wanted to use the various shortcut buttons on the controllers to do the typical race things: powerups, minimap zoom changes, and camera changes.
So I resolved to put in an attack or two, use steering on the turns to my advantage, and generally try to use the controllers as intended throughout the race.
The Start
The race began with 34 B riders and a rather tame pace. I had my eye on T. Williams, S. Hotvet, and Michael L10 since they were the top-ranked riders.
I landed a Feather for my first powerup and used it on the first little climb (Northumberland Ave) to put in a bit of a dig along with D. Ivey from Torronto Hustle. We stretched the pack out and dropped a few riders, but it was too early to attempt any sort of breakaway with just a couple of riders.
Playing with Zwift Play
As we finished the lead-in and began the first of 3 laps, I started noticing an annoying steering bug: the game kept bouncing my avatar to the right. See it here as I approach the lap banner for the first time:
This continued to happen throughout the race, whenever the pack of ~25 riders was tight around me. I never noticed it happening when the pack was stretched or I was off the front with just myself or a handful of riders.
That was the only annoying thing I noticed as I raced with Zwift Play, though. Here are some of the things I actually liked about Zwift Play:
Cutting corners made me more efficient. The hairpin at the top of Consitution Hill is a bit annoying, because it’s overly wide so even when you “cut the corner” there’s still a lot of road you can’t ride on the inside of the turn. But I was able to take efficient lines in the turns thanks to steering.
Steering to the side when attacking seemed to make it impossible for other non-steering riders to follow my wheel. That was fun.
Powerups at my fingertips: it felt easy and natural to just push “Y” to activate a powerup while keeping my hands on the hoods.
Minimap changes: sometimes I like to toggle between different minimap zooms, and the left arrow let me do just that.
Rearview cam: the down arrow activates the rearview camera for 5 seconds, which is really handy when you’re attacking off the front and want to see what’s going on behind!
Lap After Lap
Nothing remarkable happened during most of the race’s 3 laps. A few riders attempted to stay off the front for a bit, but they were no match for the pack of 20-25 riders behind.
I tried my own attack near the end of lap 2, just to see what would happen if I went off the front and steered to the edge of the road. Would chasing riders without steering be able to get on my wheel? It sure didn’t look like it:
We shed a few riders as the laps went on, but it would all come down to the strategic final ~2km as we climbed Whitehall one last time then went flat out to the red brick finish.
The Finish
I was holding a Draft Boost powerup heading into the finish, which wasn’t the one I was looking for. I had hoped for an Aero Boost so I could attack off the front whenever I wanted, because the Draft Boost was only useful when I was drafting.
So I decided I would follow any wheels that jumped on the way up Whitehall or soon after, using the Draft Boost to conserve energy so I would have the legs to put in a second attack once the boost ran out.
With ~1.2km to go we hit the last hairpin and one A. Baxter attacked. I revved up the power and activated my Draft Boost while S. Brosda jumped hard, flying past Baxter. I kept pushing, getting on Brosda’s wheel then quickly coming around him as A. Chadha blew past us with his Draft Boost.
With ~500 meters to go I had steered onto Chadha’s wheel when S. Hotvet (the top-ranked rider in the race) zipped past us with an Aero Boost and 13+W/kg! I kept hammering on knackered legs and Sammy C joined Chadha and I in fighting for the scraps as Hotvet cruised to victory a few seconds ahead.
I finished 4th on the day with a weak sprint that wasn’t helped by my deciding to chase the attack from way out. But that was part of the fun of “Playing with Play” today.
Watching the video back, I realized in my “race brain” state I forgot I needed to steer into the draft of other riders in the final sprint. Zwift also bounces me right and further out of the draft mid-sprint. Would it have made a difference in my result? Perhaps.
Takeaways
The Zwift Play controller was helpful in this race, apart from the wacky “bouncing to the right” bug mentioned above. I’m still not sure Zwift has the steering/pack movement thing dialed, but it does provide for some fun elements like cutting corners or steering to the edge of the road to avoid wheelsuckers.
After the race I learned about one place on the Classique route that allows for real corner-cutting. Check this out:
If Zwift implements auto-braking on tight corners, and more riders get steering devices like Zwift Play, I think the “feel” of Zwift racing will change dramatically, in a good way.
Your Thoughts
Are you ready to try steering in Zwift races (again)? Ordered your discounted Play controllers yet? Share your thoughts below…
Big news today from Zwift: they’ve launched Zwift Play, the first dedicated game controllers designed specifically for Zwift.
We’ll be talking in much more detail about Zwift Play in future posts, but today we’re covering the basics of what the controllers do, why they’re needed, how they’re set up and used… and where you can order yourself a pair (at a big discount)!
Zwift Play Functionality: The Basics
Zwift says, “Zwift Play aims to unlock the benefits of game interaction for more Zwifters by placing full control at their fingertips.” What exactly does that mean? The following actions are all controllable by Play:
If you’re looking for precise details on what each Zwift Play button does at any given time on Zwift, click below for a detailed PDF comparing Zwift Play functionality to existing keyboard and AppleTV controls:
Why a Zwift Controller?
Some Zwifters use the Companion app while in the game. Others may interact using a keyboard, AppleTV remote, or the touch screen on their Zwifting device.
However you choose to control the game, Zwift’s user metrics show that making it easier for Zwifters to interact with the game and each other increases the length and frequency of activities. In fact, Zwift says Companion users are on Zwift 2-3x more per month than those who don’t use the app!
Zwift Play places game control at your fingertips, so you don’t have to take your hands off the bars to activate a powerup, navigate an intersection, drop a Ride On Bomb, etc. Additionally, Zwift Play brings new functionality to your handlebars – the ability to steer and brake in game!
Setup and Pairing
Zwift Play consists of two controllers – a left and a right. They are made to fit standard road bike “drop” handlebars, and quickly attach securely using silicone straps. (Zwift partnered with a chain of bike shops in London to test the Play controller’s fit on hundreds of bikes, so you can rest assured they’ll fit your bike as long as it uses drop bars.)
A rechargeable battery (claimed 20-hour life) powers each wireless controller, and both controllers can be charged easily and simultaneously using the included USB Y-cable.
Each controller is paired to the game separately under the “Steering” section of the pairing screen:
Note: due to Bluetooth connection limits, AppleTV users must pair Zwift Play controllers and other Bluetooth devices through the Companion app.
The Play Experience
In unboxing and setting up the Zwift Play controllers, it quickly becomes clear that Zwift has put many hours and dollars into this product. Their design is sturdy yet refined, with a sealed button design made to withstand the sweaty rigors of Zwifting.
Both controllers feature orange paddles that deliver steering and braking functionality. Rock the paddle inwards to brake and pull out to steer. Simple. It’s a different sort of steering and braking input than we’ve seen before, but it becomes intuitive very quickly.
Zwift recently made all events steering-enabled by default, so if you have Play controllers they’ll be usable in all events and free-ride activities. The new Repack Rush route also launched this week, and it is clearly designed as a playground for Zwift Play users. Get ready to nail the apex of those turns!
Whether you typically interact with Zwift via the Companion app, a keyboard, or some other method, if you’re anything like us you’ll quickly find that the Play controllers can handle most (if not all) necessary game interactions very smoothly, all within reach of your hands on the hoods. This isn’t just another steering device; it’s a hardware-driven reinvention of the Zwift experience.
Zwift emphasized to us that they have purposely launched Play during the low-traffic months, and consider this the “beta testing phase” for the Play controllers. While the controllers are already very functional, Zwift is looking for community input on current features and future functionality.
On a recent media call, Zwift co-founder Jon Mayfield said this about the future of Zwift Play: “Community feedback will guide where we go – but indoor cycling will certainly get more interesting from here on out.”
On Sale at Zwift.com
Zwift Play is being sold at a discounted price of $99/£99/€99 for a limited time. The planned MSRP will be $149/£149/€149.
The controllers are available for purchase in the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union starting today at zwift.com/play.
This week’s routes alternate between climbing finishes and downhill finishes. You’ll need to ride strategically depending on your strengths and weaknesses!
Approaching Ven-Top finishJust after Ven-Top finishApproaching London Loop finishLondon Loop finishApproaching Spirit Forest finishSpirit Forest finishApproaching Island Outskirts finishIsland Outskirts finish
Race 1: Ven-Top (3.1km – ends ~100m past intersection with Petit KOM road) We begin with the longest climb of the day, turning right from the pens and heading straight up France’s Ventoux KOM.
Powerup: Feather (1x)
Race 2: London Loop (6km – ends in Underground tunnel) The short climb up Northumberland Ave will stretch out the pack and provide a place for climbers to drop some sprinters. Then we’ll dash past Big Ben and over the bridge into pell-mell chaos in the Underground finish!
Powerup: Anvil (1x)
Race 3: Spirit Forest (3.35km – ends partway up Temple KOM) This dirty, mostly-uphill route takes us on the rarely-ridden cross trail that connects both sides of the Temple KOM partway up their respective climbs. Then we’ll turn left off that trail and continue the Temple KOM for a bit, ending at a custom finish.
Powerup: none
Race 4: Island Outskirts (6.2km – end after descent, on the boardwalk) Race from Mech Isle up the Shisa Sprint climb, then descend back down to the boardwalk for the final sprint. Timing is everything – when will you use the anvil?
Zwift displays preliminary race results in game when you cross the line, but points are computed after all four races are finished, with final results on ZwiftPower. (We have to do some data processing on our side to compute results, so if your rankings don’t show up right away, be patient.)
Riders will earn points based on finish position in each of the 4 Tiny Races. The category winner of each week’s series is the rider with the most points across their timezone’s 4 races. Here are the links for each timezone’s results on ZwiftPower:
Tiny Race rules are simple, but still every week 7-10% of registered ZwiftPower racers get disqualified and removed from the final results. Don’t let that be you! Four races, four rules:
You must have a ZwiftPower account, because final results are processed by ZwiftPower (learn how to sign up)
No skipping then returning. These races are meant to be raced as a set of 4. If you need to leave early, that’s fine… but once you miss a race in your hour’s set of 4, don’t come back and race another or you’ll be disqualified from that race since you rested while others were racing! (Example: racing only races 1 and 2 is fine. Racing 1, 2, and 4 is not – you will be DQ from race 4. And if you race 2, 3, and 4, you’ll be DQ from all those races, since you skipped race 1!)
Heart rate monitors are required for podium finishers
ZPower/Virtual power is not allowed. Smart trainer/smart bike or power meter required.
Join a Chat & Chill Cooldown
Immediately following each hour’s racing, we’ve scheduled 30-minute “Chat & Chill” events where riders from all categories can spin their legs together and chat about how it all went down. Find them at zwift.com/events/tag/tinyraces.
Zwift Insider Kit Unlock
Finish any Tiny Race or a Chat & Chill ride and unlock the Zwift Insider “Ride Smarter // Ride Harder” in-game kit.
Riders and Race Formats Confirmed for the Olympics Esports Series 2023 Cycling Finals
Back in March, Zwift and the UCI announced their involvement the Olympic Esports Series 2023, where they are committed to delivering the cycling events at the live series finals at Singapore’s Suntec Centre June 22-25, 2023.
Today they’ve announced the details of the Olympic Esports Series cycling finals which will give live spectators attending the Olympics Esports Week 2023 the opportunity to witness the high intensity of cycling esports first-hand.
Four Teams of Four
The finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023 will feature four teams of four cyclists – two women and two men – who will compete in a series of six races that will test their physical fitness and mastery of Zwift’s in-game elements. The winners will prove both their cycling and esports skills, and will be the world’s first Olympic Esports Series winners.
Zwift has previously hosted elite cycling esports competitions including the 2020 Virtual Tour de France and all three editions of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. The finalists selected (below) to participate in this year’s Olympic Esports Series have proven themselves at the Zwift Grand Prix cycling series and the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, and collectively represent 11 nations.
Team Fuego
Lou Bates from Great Britain, Marlene Bjärehed from Sweden, James Barnes from South Africa, and Martin Maertens from Germany.
Team Titans
Vicki Whitelaw from Australia, Linda Klein from the Netherlands, Zack Nehr from USA, and Kjell Power from Belgium.
Team Lava
Alice Lethbridge from Great Britain, Teppo Laurio from Finland, Lionel Vujasin from Belgium, and a fourth rider TBA.
Team Epic
Jacquie Godbe from USA, Charlotte Colclough from Great Britain, Ben Hill from Australia, and a fourth rider TBA.
Race Format and Routes
Building on the successes of the multi-format 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, each team will take on three challenges in the Olympic Esports Series 2023 Cycling Competition: the Eliminator, the Sprint, and the Climb. Each of these challenges will have a men’s and women’s race. Riders will earn points according to their finishing position, and the team to accumulate the most points will be crowned the winners.
The Eliminator: All riders will take on the Eliminator, which will be held on the hillynew Wee Yin course created specifically for the Olympic Esports Series 2023, featuring 3 ascents of the Sgurr Summit followed by the Glasgow Crit Circuit. The starting fields for men’s and women’s races will be 8 athletes. Each time the race passes through an arch, the last placed athlete will be removed until there are 3 left for the final sprint. Points will be awarded according to final positions and the order of elimination.
The Sprint: Each team will put forward their best male and best female sprinter to take on one lap of Glasgow Crit Circuit in a fast and furious race. The starting fields for these races will be 4 athletes. Points will be awarded at the intermediate sprint (The Clyde Kicker) and at the finish line (Champion’s Sprint).
The Climb – Finally, the team’s best climbers will race the Climb, which will take place on the steep slopes of the Sgurr Summit North climb. Teams will again need to choose their riders carefully – anyone on the start line will need to be able to accelerate uphill in order to secure the win for their team.
Learn More
Other events in the Olympic Esports Series 2023 include Archery (Tic Tac Bow), Baseball (WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros), Chess (Chess.com), Dance (Just Dance), Motor Sport (Gran Turismo), Sailing (Virtual Regatta), Shooting (created in Fortnite), Taekwondo (Virtual Taekwondo), and Tennis (Tennis Clash).
In the Zwift Hot Topic series, each week we’ll bring up a popular discussion, controversy, question, or creative idea 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!
Zwift recently made some changes to PowerUps, and I think most are welcome. The anvil and burrito, in particular, were in dire need of some tweaks. And the ghost may actually be useful now!
But I want more.
More changes, more choices for event organizers, and yes – more PowerUps!
I know, I know, some people aren’t a fan of these little bonuses during races:
I hate the randomness of them, and how they can be the difference between race won/race lost. Despite the naysayers, I find the Zwift racing experience very realistic, and power ups just make it a lottery.
Rachael Elliot
I’d prefer it if they didn’t exist – they ruin every race with a sprint finish (which, let’s face it, on Zwift IS almost every race) because no aero = no chance.
Stuart Crawford
The key anger with power ups is typically the randomness of them. When doing a route and one power up is vastly better than the others and you get the bad ones over and over there’s not much you can do but burn matches to stay in the race.
Chris Wallner
But others agree with me that they can add a needed element of skill to Zwift racing:
I like them. The anvil was too powerful but it’s been toned down. I like when races have the less powerful ones, like the ghost or feather or steamroller. It adds an element of tactics that’s missing from Zwift racing (vs real life racing).
Aki Sato
I also like that they can force you to think creatively if you get one that isn’t ideal. If you know other racers have an aero helmet and you’ve got a feather, you might try an attack on that last kicker instead of waiting for the sprint. I’ve seen others attack with a ghost PowerUp or a burrito when they probably wouldn’t have without it.
Zwift experimented with PowerUps during the 2023 Tour of Watopia. Why not make these experiments available to all event organizers?
Give us the option to…
Assign certain PowerUps to certain banners or arches, where everyone gets the same one at a particular arch. This seemed to go well in the Tour of Watopia. This takes out the “random chance” aspect, but it still keeps an element of skill in the timing and how you use them. Want a leg up on your opponents at the finish? Try baiting out their PowerUps with a test attack!
Give PowerUps at other locations. What if everyone got a feather just before the Epic KOM? How would they use it?
Change PowerUp length by a set amount. The Tour of Watopia doubled them, and when combined with the previous point, this led to some crazy fast climbs up the volcano. Or cut them in half for a “PowerUp-lite” experience where timing is everything.
And some ideas for new PowerUps:
Domestique:Give the PowerUp you’re currently holding to a teammate! This might replace their current PowerUp, get added to it, or only work if their PowerUp slot is empty. You would have to be able to select the person somehow – or maybe it would go to the closest member of your primary Zwift Club.
Thief:Like the Domestique, but more chaotic. Switch PowerUps with a random person around you. I can see this causing a lot of rage, but it makes me laugh, so I like it.
Team Car: Similar to the “Coffee Stop” feature, you’ll stay with your current group even if you stop pedaling. But be careful – if an attack goes off the front before the PowerUp ends, you won’t be able to follow it!
Tailwind: Eric Schlange suggested this on The Wrap recently, and I love the idea! It would give your entire group an aero boost. I can see this inspiring breakaways to form and work together, making racing more interesting.
Neutral Flag: This one’s a bit of a troll, and it’s probably too negative to be a good idea, but it makes me laugh. For a short time, the race is neutralized – all gaps stay the same no matter what you do. Sure, it can discourage attacks, but it could also help a break stay away!
What do you think? Do PowerUps have a place in racing or not? What are your ideas to make them better?
Welcome to my week 12 “Build Me Up” (BMU) training log.
About this Series: I’m journaling my way weekly through Zwift’s “Build Me Up” training plan and calling out tough workouts, minor bugs, and Zwift feature suggestions along the way. For your reference, my FTP is set to 321W, as detected by Zwift’s ramp test at the start of the plan. Past weeks: Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // Week 5 // Week 6 // Week 7// Week 8// Week 9 // Week 10// Week 11
This last week was about recovering so I could take a final FTP test (or two) to measure my progress. Would the test show improved fitness? Read on to find out…
I finished week 11 with a big 2-hour workout on Thursday, then got in just 1 easy hourlong ride on Sunday morning in between visits to see our newborn granddaughter. Luckily she came just in time, at the tail end of this training program! Two of week 12’s workouts were super-easy leg spinners, so I decided to skip them and do “Alpha” as a leg opener workout to get prepped for the big FTP test the following day.
Alpha is an easy enough workout – something you would do the day before a big race or fitness test. It gets your heart rate up, gets your legs putting out some power, but doesn’t really fatigue you at all.
And so we arrive at the FTP Test. This is the capstone of 3 months of Build Me Up training. After all that work, would I see an increase in my FTP?
First, I need to mention again that there’s a caveat here: the BMU program begins with a Ramp Test, and ends with a 20-minute test. These are two very different tests, and my guess is that the Ramp Test gives an inflated result for many riders, including myself.
So I didn’t expect to see a major increase from today’s test, because my hunch is that if I’d begun the program by taking a 20-minute test my result would have been 5-10W lower than it was with the Ramp Test.
There’s a lot more that could be written here. Like how Zwift uses 95% of your best 20-minute power to compute your FTP, even though that’s not actually how FTP should be computed (the actual 20-minute FTP test includes an all-out 5-minute section prior to the test). But I’ll just say that I did the math going into this test, and knew if I averaged 335W for the 20 minutes I would be just below my tested FTP of 321W. If I averaged 340W I would be just over.
I knew I could do 320W for 20 minutes. 340W seemed like a big ask. So I decided I would start at 335W, then up my wattage after 10 minutes if I felt like I could sustain a higher pace.
As luck would have it, my IRL cycling buddy Zane was grabbing coffee near my house just before I started the test, and he stopped in to cheer me on. It’s always good to have some real-life support!
After a looooong warmup, I began the 20-minute effort. This puts you in free ride mode, which is basically a 0% gradient where you have to manage your gearing and cadence in order to hit the power numbers desired. I quickly settled into a good gear where I was averaging 335W at 95-96RPM.
5 minutes ticked by, then 10. I was suffering – my heartrate had gone over threshold just 90 seconds into the effort! But 335W seemed doable, so I kept pushing. I shifted to a higher gear to mash the pedals for a minute or two at a lower cadence, but the higher cadence felt more efficient/comfortable, so I settled in there.
With 5 minutes to go, time had slowed to a crawl. I was keeping that 335W average, but couldn’t seem to sustain anything higher for any amount of time. I decided I would just keep this pace up until I had a minute to go, then I would go as hard as possible for the last 60 seconds.
So that’s what I did! In those last 60 seconds I averaged 412W while dying a thousand deaths. Then my result popped up:
Was I disappointed by the result, which was 2 watts lower than my tested starting FTP of 321W? Not a bit. Sure, it would have been amazing to get a higher number. But as I’ve already explained, this isn’t the same test as I began with, so we’re not comparing apples to apples.
To put it another way: there’s no possibility I would have achieved a result of 319W if I’d taken this test at the start of the program.
My Strava power curve got a nice upgrade. This test, in fact, was my highest power in the 15-20 minute window for all of 2021, 2022, and 2023! That’s a good sign, right?
To throw one last confusing bug into my BMU experience, when I went to save my activity I got the ol’ “FTP Increase Detected” box. How confusing is this?
I have two theories here. Not sure which one is correct, but I have a hunch:
The alert popped up because my FTP test result (319) was lower than my saved FTP (321). This was Zwift swapping my FTP back to the higher saved number.
Zwift re-computed 95% of my 20-minute power for the activity and decided it should be a couple of watts higher. I’m leaning toward this answer, as the FTP test said my average was 338W when I crossed the line, and 95% of 338 is 321.1.
I got new threshold power notifications from TrainingPeaks and Intervals.icu upon saving the activity, too! TrainingPeaks said 321W, and Intervals.icu (my new best friend) said 323W.
Intervals.icu had my FTP at 313W after my starting ramp test, so I consider this to be evidence of a boosted FTP.
After resting a day following the horrendous 20-minute test, I took a Ramp Test to wrap up my Build Me Up program. The Ramp Test isn’t actually part of the final week of BMU, but I wanted to finish with the same test I started with, to see if I at least got stronger in whatever areas the Ramp Test tests.
My legs didn’t feel great as I warmed up, and I actually considered binning it and just taking another easy day before testing. But I pushed on, and surprised myself by finishing the 440W block and getting a few seconds into 460W for a new Ramp Test PR:
Hurray! I don’t think my FTP is actually 335 – I think the 20-minute test is more accurate – but improving by 14W on the Ramp Test from the start to end of the program is a good result in my book. That’s a 4.36% improvement.
Whine of the Week: What is my FTP?
In Zwift’s early days, we only had the 20-minute FTP test workouts to determine our FTP. The game has also attempted to determine your FTP based on 20-minute power during all activities, but this can overstate your FTP since it doesn’t include the 5-minute all-out effort prior to the 20-minute test, which is what the “official” test requires.
Then Zwift released the Ramp Test in 2019, which gave us a new and less suffery way to test our FTP. A welcome addition, but not the most accurate, at least for some riders.
Lastly, in 2022 Zwift began computing our “zFTP” – Zwift’s estimate of our FTP based on our power numbers across 2-50 minutes in all Zwift activities.
So what is my FTP, anyway? Especially if you’re a newer cyclist, it’s a confusing question if you’re only looking to Zwift for the answer, because you’ll get 4 different answers. Here are mine:
20-minute test result: 319W
In-game 20-minute power detection: 321W
Ramp Test result: 335W
zFTP: 306W
I would love to see Zwift begin auto-computing a full fitness profile for all riders, then using the FTP (and other) numbers from that to determine structured training parameters and recommend certain workouts. This is a huge area of potential growth for the platform, in my opinion.
One to Keep, One to Throw Away
I think each week of BMU features a key “cornerstone workout” and another which doesn’t really need to be done, so I thought it might be useful to call those out each week, in case your schedule is tight. For week 12, here are my picks:
Key Workout – FTP Test: Sure, you may have nothing to compare your result to. But it’s still important to finish the program with a test to see where you’re at!
Throw Away – Renewal: with a huge portion of this 30-minute workout being at Z1, this is a workout you could easily skip during your recovery days in lieu of going for a walk, an easy outdoor ride, or a spin with a RoboPacer.
What’s Next?
I plan to write one last post about my Build Me Up experience, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of the program from my perspective.
As for what’s next in my riding/training – I’m going to be enjoying more outdoor riding in the coming weeks, for sure. But I’m also looking forward to smashing out some Zwift races! See you out there…
The latest Zwift update has been announced and will be released in phases over the next few days. This release has some fun features and important changes, so let’s dig into the details!
Repack Rush Opens
Many Zwifters noticed construction in Titans Grove during the last few weeks, and today we see what Zwift was working on: Repack Rush! This short route is a steering game that includes boosts, time bonuses, and hazards that you pick up (or avoid) by steering your rider.
The route is paved, twisty, and 2.76km long. The goal of this FutureWorks “game route” is to use steering, gamified elements, and of course your own legs to finish the route in the shortest time possible. Ride over the blue boosts for a speed boost, ride through the green stopwatches for a time bonus (they’re worth 0.2 seconds each), and avoid the red hazards which slow you down!
At the end of the route you’ll get a summary screen showing your Repack Rush time(s) and a link to view the global leaderboard. You can then click to try it again, or click to switch to free ride mode and exit into the redwoods near the entrance to Titans Grove.
Here’s a quick ride-through:
Why is Zwift releasing a steering game today? We can’t say for sure, but as explained in our recent Recent Zwift Leaks: 6 “Coming Soon” Features post, this may be Zwift preparing to release game controllers in the near future.
The Action Bar has been reworked as promised, bringing more options to this key UI element:
The refreshed Action Bar adds popup submenus for camera positions, emotes, and the new Teleport feature (more on that below). Here’s a quick video run-through:
Additionally, the contents of the Action Bar change depending on the type of activity you are currently doing:
These Action Bar changes have carried over to the Companion app for a consistent experience. Tapping the Change View, Teleport, or Emotes icon in Companion now brings up a submenu:
Teleport Feature Launched
The much anticipated Teleport feature launched in today’s update. Originally called “Rider Teleport” when Zwift announced it in April, the feature is now called “Teleport” because it works for runners as well as riders.
Teleport lets you seamlessly move between RoboPacers or active friends who are currently in the same world. This lets you do fun things in a single activity that weren’t previously possible, like:
Warming up with a slower RoboPacer before popping over to a faster pace group
Bouncing around the map to ride or run with friends who are currently online
What do your activity maps look like after teleporting? Zwift has done a very nice job when viewing the activity on Zwift.com:
Strava (shown here using the ZwiftMap for Strava Chrome extension) isn’t quite as pretty. It charts all the lines the same way, even though the teleporting portions aren’t figured into your overall activity distance:
A few Teleporting rules:
Zwifters don’t get distance credit or XP for the distance covered while teleporting.
Zwifters will get credit for any routes or segments completed during their activity, as long as they don’t Teleport in or out during that route or segment.
Zwifters cannot Teleport into or out of events.
You can only Teleport to Zwifters you follow who also follow you back.
The Drops multiplier game restarts whenever you teleport to a RoboPacer… even if it’s the RoboPacer you are already with.
Power Curve Window and Limit Changes
Zwift maintains a “critical power curve” for all riders to properly categorize them when entering Category Enforced events. Today that power curve was expanded from 60 to 90 days. This makes the power curve’s time window consistent with the 90-day window used for our personal records visible for leaderboards and HoloReplays.
Zwift also modified the zMap limits for all categories, reducing each limit by 0.1 to 0.3W/kg. (You don’t need to know what the limits are, since they’re computed automatically, but if you’re curious you can see the updated limits on our Category Enforcement page.)
These changes will result in some Zwifters being re-categorized in Zwift’s Category Enforcement system. Specifically, the changes will require some Zwifters to race in a higher category than before.
Note: Zwift tells us the new power curve window and/or zMap changes may not be immediately visible on ZwiftPower or Zwift.com, but they have taken effect and are determining which categories each Zwifter can race.
More Fixes and Tweaks
Additional tweaks and bug fixes Zwift listed for this update:
Zwifters can now see which workouts have been completed and when in the workout browser.
Fixed an issue in the Ride Report where output wattage was not visible in the Critical Power graph.
Fixed an issue where the nameplates of other Zwifters were visible when the Heads-Up Display (HUD) was disabled.
Fixed an issue in the Garage where scrolling (via scrollbar) was reversed.
Fixed a crash that could occur when free riding and joining a private event.
Fixed an issue where running events on the event-only Splash and Dash route would not complete as expected.
Fixed an animation issue with the Handcycle that could occur after completing a challenge.
Fixed an issue that made it difficult to see the position of the text cursor when editing a custom workout title.
Fixed an issue where Workout bias adjustment could be decreased to negative values.
Fixed an issue where incorrect badge titles were shown in the Badges screen.
Android: Fixed a crash that could occur after closing the Pairing screen.
There are also a few more bug fixes and new features we’ve discovered in this update:
KICKR Bikes lose steering ability after taking a Coffee Break (bug from v1.39)
New u-turn popup UI when performing a u-turn on PC using the down arrow
On-screen gearing is now visible for users on the Tacx NEO Bike Plus (and the original Tacx NEO Bike with firmware update). This update was actually rolled out around a month ago, but we just learned about it.
New u-turn UI
Questions or Comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
As temperatures continue to warm with summer quickly approaching, many Zwifters are heading outside to their local roads. Zwift, however, is like a city that never sleeps.
This week we’re highlighting a remembrance ride with Team Type 1. Following this event, we have several endurance group rides, a social ride with a sweet kit unlock, and Zwift Insider’s very own Tiny Races.
🤝 Remembrance Ride On With Type 1 Social Ride for Dirk Mercy
✅ Popular Event ✅ Feel-Good Factor ✅ Beginner-Friendly
Recently Dirt Mercy, a member of the Team Type 1 Diabetes team on Zwift, passed away unexpectedly. Team Type 1 will be hosting their usual group ride this weekend in honor of Dirk. The ride will be paced at 1.5-1.7 w/kg.
The ride will take place over 60 minutes on The Fan Flats course. This is a great course for a social group ride like this one.
A bit longer than the traditional group ride, this ride by Galaxy Cycling Club is aimed to be a supportive group ride. Every week, the ride changes to a different format; some weeks it is 100 km, 100 minutes, etc. Another perk to this group ride is their superb sweep team who help riders rejoin the pack if dropped.
This is a dual-category event featuring categories C and D. Category C will be riding on the Greater London Flat course while Category D takes on the Sleepless City course for 75 minutes.
As one of the most popular events happening every week, the JETT Endurance Ride is a fast-paced and well-led group ride. Typically, the group ride is roughly 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) and takes 2:30 hours or less. However, the duration will vary depending on group size and pace.
There are two categories available in this event, category B and C. Both will be riding 9 laps of the Island Outskirts course in Urukazi, amounting to just over 100 kilometers.
We all love a good kit unlock. This weekend, Team Vegan is hosting a 45-minute group ride as an opportunity to allow riders to socialize and unlock the team kit. Whether you are vegan or not, this ride welcomes all! The ride does not have a specified pace range, but leaders will be present in the group ride.
The ride will be taking place on the Ocean Lava Cliffside Loop in Watopia. Watch out for the hills on this one!
As we get deeper and deeper into the summer, it is becoming increasingly hard to find competitive races. Now I typically don’t feature Zwift Insider or Zwift branded events, but for those hardcore racers out there, the Zwift Insider Tiny Races are likely the best place to find highly-competitive racing across all categories and time slots.
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!
