Just a quick note to let you know we’ve launched Zwift Insider’s Instagram account in earnest. Find us @zwiftinsider!
We’ve actually been on Insta for years, but lurking behind the scenes like Zwift’s Yeti. “Why now?” you may ask. “Better late than never,” we say. It’s a fun place where lots of Zwifters hang out and share their everyday Zwift experiences, and that sounds like our sort of place.
Our Insta account features a fun mix of offbeat reels and posts about Zwift bugs, inside(r) jokes, and the sort of Zwift minutiae we may never actually write a full article about but still find truly interesting. In short: it’s more casual and quirky than our content on Facebook and Twitter. (Sort of like that cool aunt who secretly tells you all the embarrassing things your parents used to do.)
Zwift season is certainly ramping up, and there are piles of fun events on the weekend calendar. This weekend I chose some unique, longer community events that cater to a variety of riders and goals, plus two Zwift-official events which will certainly see a lot of participation. See you out there!
Bicycle Way of Life Saturday Ride
Many of the longer rides on Zwift are at rather fast paces, but here’s a 100km ride at D-level pace (1.8-2.2 W/kg). Held on the rather flat Watopia’s Waistband route, this is a great opportunity to work on your aerobic endurance in a supportive group setting. Note: BWOL says they try to offer ride lead and sweep support, but that isn’t available every week.
BMTR’s weekly Fundo is a popular long ride that we’ve featured more than once. This week’s ride is on France’s flat R.G.V. route and riders have 4 distances to choose from, based on the category they select: A (160.9km), B (99.8km), C (70.8km), and D (41.8km).
Category only determines distance – not pace. All categories start together, and there are no ride leaders. This is technically a group ride, but some will treat it as a race.
This longish (64.2km) group ride has a very novel design, with the ride leader starting the group out with a warmup (10 minutes at 2.5 W/kg), then 10 minutes at 3.5 W/kg… then 3.5 W/kg+ as you hang on as long as you can on Watopia’s Big Foot Hills route.
You get faster by riding with stronger cyclists. So if you get dropped, come back next week and give it another go. See if you can stay in touch longer than the week before!
Zwift’s “Get Rolling” September race series has seen good rider turnouts, and this weekend is your last chance to race Stage 3 which overs 1 lap of France’s Douce France route. It’s a mostly flat route, but watch out for that Aqueduc climb, as someone always gets dropped on this draggy rise!
Thousands of riders are working their way through Zwift Academy Road 2022 program, and this Sunday sees the first group events for Workout #4. Named “Depleting Workout”, this workout does just that with long blocks of “sweet spot” work just below your FTP.
As with all Zwift Academy workouts, you can choose to do this on your own by picking the workout from your on-demand folder. You’ll still get credit for completing the workout so you can graduate from Zwift Academy Road 2022!
FIRESOCKS!! All the rage, or just a gimic? Anna and Nathan talk Level 50 unlocks and showcase the flaming firesocks in-game (for the record they get the big tick of approval from the fashion police).
The new premier division, tournament-style Zwift Grand Prix series has been released and it is epic. A very different direction to the typical races we saw in seasons past. Zwift Racing League kicked off with Climber’s Gambit, a fan fav? It definitely got Anna and Nathan riled up about FTS v FAL. Fashion pick of the week was the moustache kit for Movember and garage pick of the week was the new Zwift handcycle, an awesome addition to the game.
The Wrap is all about showcasing the awesome Zwift community, from upcoming events to must-have tech to community guests to the all-important avatar fashion segment. The live nature of the show means that hosts Nathan Guerra and Anna Russell can interact directly with those watching, gaining valuable insights and opinions across a wide range of topics.
Zwift Grand Prix Begins with the “Parcours Picker”
As explained in a previous post, this season’s top-level Zwift racing look very different from previous years. Now decoupled entirely from Zwift Racing League, the “Zwift Grand Prix” series is happening each Friday at 6pm UTC, with men featured one week and women the next over 6 rounds.
Tomorrow (Friday) at 6pm UTC the Zwift Grand Prix kicks off with its first race for the men, in a format named the “Parcours Picker”. (Women will race their Parcours Picker next Friday.)
This race actually consists of 5 different events. Teams will select 5 riders to take part in 5 different races (one rider per race) on different routes utilizing different formats. The winning team will have the highest total points across all 5 races.
Each race will feature one rider per team, so a total of 12 riders overall per race. Where applicable, PowerUps will be available to add further strategy to the races – but information on PowerUp structure is being furnished to the teams directly and wasn’t available at the time of this publication.
Points will be available each lap at the Climb Arch and then once at the finish line
Climb Arch (4,3,2,1) x 5
Finish Line (4,3,2,1)
Note: total race points will accrue across the 5 races and series points will be awarded according to each team’s final points tally.
Watch Live
Each Friday’s races will be livestreamed with commentary on Zwift’s YouTube the Zwift Live Facebook channels. Watch tomorrow’s event below:
Some of the racers will also be livestreaming their races. Tuning into these personal streams can sometimes be much more interesting than the main broadcast! Here are the links we know of:
Zwift’s September update included the first in-game frame from CADEX, named the CADEX Tri. This frame has a very distinctive design which according to CADEX offers strong aero performance, but also custom fit options and light weight that all packs well into a triathlete’s travel case.
It appears CADEX is onto something. Remember Zwift’s Sub7/Sub8 initiative? In June 2022, Kristian Blummenfelt rode this frame to the completion of the world’s first sub 7-hour long distance triathlon event. Blummenfelt and his team of eight pacers each rode the new CADEX Tri frameset and CADEX Aero WheelSystems. He completed the 180km bike distance with a time of 3:24:22 for an average speed of 52.8 kph, shattering his target time by nearly 25 minutes for a historic full-distance time of 6:44:25.
Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop, where it is priced at 1,029,500 Drops and level-locked at 42+:
The CADEX Tri frameset is a no-holds-barred triathlon machine—no restrictions, no limitations. It’s designed, engineered and put to the test by the world’s fastest triathletes in a bold quest to push the sport forward. It rewrites the rules. There’s nothing conventional about this bike. The frame, with its radical monocoque design, unlocks a new level of aero efficiency. It gives triathletes an entirely new way to access nutrition, hydration and other essentials right from their racing position without the wind ever noticing. It’s all right there, tucked inside the aero down tube, invisible to the wind.
The CADEX Tri bike in real life
Like every TT frame on Zwift, the CADEX Tri is rated 4 stars for aero and 1 for weight. But how does it actually stack up against the other 20 TT frames in game?
We ran the new frame through our standard speed tests to find out, and the results were impressive! Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new CADEX Tri frame in Zwift.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The CADEX Tri’s aero performance outclasses every other frame in game, including the former-fastest Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc.
Its flat course test time of 49:36.5 is 4.5 seconds faster than the Canyon, making it the fastest TT frame in game by a significant margin when you consider TT races are where every second counts.
With frame choice sometimes coming down to a trade-off between climb and aero performance we should also mention here that the CADEX Tri is 6.5 seconds faster in our flat test than the two best climbing frames, the Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC Ultimate. See below for details on how it stacks up against those frames on climbs.
Comparing it standard road frames, the four fastest road frames (Cervelo S5 2020, Felt AR, Specialized Venge S-Works, and Uranium Nuclear) all turn in a time of 51:17 on our flat test. That makes the CADEX Tri frame 100.5 seconds faster!
Reminder: our flat test course is two laps of Tempus Fugit totaling 34.6km.
Climb Performance
The CADEX Tri’s climbing performance is also solid. Although it’s not the best climbing TT frame in game, it outclimbs the Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc.
The CADEX Tri turns in an Alpe time of 50:06.5. The fastest overall climbing TT frames in game (Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC Ultimate) complete the test 5.5 seconds faster, while the Canyon Speedmax is 2.5s slower.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
Conclusions
The CADEX Tri’s top-of-the-heap aero performance and solid climbing performance make it the best choice today for nearly every Zwift race where TT frames are allowed. The choice is easy: if your race has you spending more time on flats and descents than inclines: go with the CADEX Tri for the fastest overall speed.
Newer Zwifters will of course notice the level lock of 42+, which is much higher than other top performers (the Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc is 26, the Scott Plasma RC Ultimate is 33, and the Felt IA 2.0 is 34). More incentive to level up quickly!
The CADEX Tri has been added to the following posts, and it can also be found on our Master Zwift Frames List:
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the TT frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top TT Performers for current time trial-related performance data.
The first and only TTT of Zwift Racing League 2022/23 Round 1 happens Tuesday, September 27th on the Wandering Flats route in Makuri Islands. And for the first time ever, we get to ride TT frames for our ZRL TTT race! It’s gonna be fast.
Let’s dig into the race, including tips for bike choice and crucial route sections.
Looking at the Route: Wandering Flats
The Wandering Flats route in Makuri Islands begins in the Yumezi countryside at the start pens near Village Onsen, descending down to the Countryside Sprint then heading over for a flat lap around Neokyo before coming back through the tunnel into Yumezi, up into the Castle area and back to the start/finish banner.
All categories will be racing 1 lap for a total distance of 25.2km with 145m of climbing.
This is one of the easiest routes on Zwift for team time trials, as it is almost entirely flat. The road may look twisty, but it’s the pitch changes that really determine the technicality of a TTT.
Apart from figuring out your pacing in the flats, your team will need a plan heading into the one climb on this route, which happens around the 18.9km mark. This climb up into the Castle area is 2.4km long, averaging 2.9%. That means it’s very draftable and will take most teams 4-6 minutes to complete.
Because most of the route is pan-flat, and the one key climb is quite draftable, you’ll want the most aero TT bike available for your race. The four TT frames shown above are the fastest in Zwift, with the new Cadex Tri actually the fastest of the bunch (watch for a Zwift Insider speed test post this week).
The Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC Ultimate turn in identical times, just 1s slower in our tests than the Canyon Speedmax but significantly better climbers. The Cadex Tri looks to be ~5s faster than the Canyon Speedmax!
Many events are now being planned each weekend on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re not familiar with this course, jump into an event and do some recon! Here’s a list of upcoming Wandering Flats events.
Looking for a video recon, with lovely British commentary to boot? Check out Si’s recon below:
Si Bradeley
Oli Chi
TTTips
Team Time Trialing on Zwift is a challenging mixture of physical strength, proper pacing, fine-tuned formations plus Zwift minutiae like picking a fast bike and understanding drafting.
This week’s course will give valuable seconds to teams who are able to keep their speeds high over any false flats while staying in formation. For a flat course like this, we recommend your team uses a high Trainer Difficulty (75-100%) so you feel the inclines and automatically boost power accordingly.
Your goal in this week’s TTT is to get four riders across the line in the shortest time possible. That means every team’s pace plan will be different, based on the abilities of each rider. We highly recommend having an experienced DS on Discord directing your team, especially if your team contains some inexperienced TTT riders.
Zwift’s September update included a new bike: the Handcycle! Powered by your arms instead of your legs, Handcycles are especially popular with disabled athletes who have reduced use of their legs. That said, they can be used by fully “able” athletes looking for a good arm workout.
The Handcycle is available now in everyone’s garage, free of charge. Here’s how Zwift describes it:
Designed in collaboration with experts in para-cycling, this frame is for athletes who crank with their arms instead of their legs. This well-balanced cycle will let you see the roads from a whole new perspective.
This frame is rated 4 stars for aero and 1 for weight, which seems sensible given the fact that handcycles are quite aero IRL, but also quite heavy.
Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new Handycle in Zwift.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The Handcycle’s aero performance is strong, slightly edging out the fastest road setups (which includes frames + wheels) in game. This includes setups like the Specialized Venge S-Works + DT Swiss Disc wheels.
Its test time of 50:16.5 is just 0.5 seconds faster than the fastest road frame + wheel combos over our test route of two laps of Tempus Fugit totaling 34.6km. Does that make the Handcycle the new fastest road bike on Zwift? Not really. This is a more complicated issue than isolated speed tests. We’ll discuss this more below.
Climb Performance
In contrast to its stellar aero performance, the Handcycle’s climbing performance is quite poor. And this isn’t surprising, given the high weights of typical real-life handcycles!
The Handcycle turns in an Alpe time of 56:07, which makes it the slowest frame+wheel combo in game. The next slowest is the Zwift Mountain bike at 55:51.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
The Wheel Wildcard
Speed testing the Handcycle is a bit different from our typical “frame only” or “wheels only” speedtests, where we isolate the performance of a specific frame or wheelset.
The Handcycle is a unit, like the Tron bike or all Zwift mountain bikes, where the frame and wheels are inseparable. So when we talk about the performance of the Handcycle, we have to compare it to complete frame + wheel combinations, just not specific frames.
By that comparison, as noted above, the Handcycle just barely outperforms (half a second faster over 50 minutes) the fastest road setups on the flats. What are the fastest setups on Zwift? There are four turning in the same fastest times on the flats. Choose from the Cervelo S5 2020, Felt AR, Specialized Venge S-Works, or Uranium Nuclear frames, then pair them with the DT Swiss Disc wheels.
Given the drafting details explained below, one might want to compare the Handcycle to the fastest TT setups in game. It is significantly slower there, turning in a time 95.5 seconds slower on our flat test course than the fastest TT setup (Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc + DT Swiss Disc wheels).
Drafting Details
The Handcycle is unique on Zwift because of the way it drafts and gives a draft to others. Specifically:
An upright bike cannot draft a handcycle
A handcycle can draft another handcycle
A handcycle will get half the drafting effect when drafting an upright bike
We’ve confirmed this drafting behavior with tests:
A Handcycle rider at 270W (3.6 W/kg) can stay in the draft of a road bike rider holding 300W (4 W/kg), since the Handcycle rider is receiving 50% of the typical draft benefit
A Handcycle rider at 243W (3.24 W/kg) can stay in the draft of another Handcycle rider holding 300W (4 W/kg), since a Handcycle receives the full draft benefit from another Handcycle. These numbers basically line up with what you’d see if both riders were on road bikes.
A road bike rider on the fastest setups (such as a Venge S-Works + DT Swiss Disc wheels) must hold 300W (4 W/kg) to keep pace with a Handcycle rider holding 300W (4 W/kg), since the road rider receives no draft benefit
Should You Use the Handcycle?
There’s one last question that needs to be discussed: should Zwifters who are riding upright, leg-powered bicycles be using the Handcycle in game?
Zwift says “Handcycles are available to all, but they’re intended for Zwifters using handcycles on their trainers. Thanks in advance for keeping that in mind.”
Leg muscles are much larger than arm muscles, so powering Zwift’s virtual Handcycle with your IRL legs simply isn’t realistic. For reference: the current world record holder for the fastest handcyclist told us that in no time during his training did he hit 700W.
Furthermore, it’s simply bad form. One hand cyclist wrote in to us recently on the topic of leg riders using the Zwift Handcycle and said, “Now, when we finally have visual representation, we are still far outclassed by leg riders because they are not riding the handbikes as they would IRL – using arm-level power.”
Here’s how we see it: if you want to test the Handcycle (powered by your legs) in a casual ride or two, that’s no big deal. But on an ongoing basis, and certainly in competitive events (hard group rides, races), leg riders should stay off the Zwift Handcycle. It’s just the right thing to do.
Conclusions
In our opinion, the Handcycle performs the way it should in Zwift. Like an IRL handcycle it is quite aero, but also heavy. Zwift’s drafting dynamics for the Handcycle make it not a good option for leg-powered racers looking to “cheat the system”, and that’s a good thing since there’s no easy way for Zwift to determine who should have access to the Handcycle and who shouldn’t. Consider the following race scenarios:
TTT: a TT rig is faster than the Handcycle, and receives full draft off other bikes thanks to Zwift’s latest TTT improvements
TT: a TT rig is faster than the Handcycle
Scratch Road Race: the Handcycle will only receive 50% draft benefit off road bike riders, so you’ll be working extra hard while only having the aero performance matching what many other racers are using (fastest road frames + DT Swiss Disc wheels)
The only time the Handcycle could be seen as an advantage in a race is if you plan to ride off the front early, solo (or with another handcycle) and stay away for the duration of a very flat race. In that case, since road bikes can’t draft the Handcycle, it would be the best machine to have. But it’s nearly impossible to stay away from even a small pack of riders for an entire race, and you’ll probably get called on cheating if you’re matching the power of strong leg-powered riders!
The Handcycle will be added to the following posts, and it can also be found on our Master Zwift Frames List:
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
Tiny Race Series – September 24 Route Details and Last Week’s Results
Last Saturday’s Tiny Races were a dusty, slug-it-out affair as each of our custom routes featured dirt as their primary surface type. Kudos to everyone who showed up and went all-in!
This week’s theme is “Fast Finishes”! We’re racing four previously-raced Tiny Race routes, all featuring super fast finishes (either on a descent, or quickly following a descent). Aero is everything!
Here are photos so you can see the precise location of the custom finish lines:
Approaching London Loop finishLondon Loop finishApproaching Richmond finishAt the Richmond finish
Race 1: London Loop(6km, ends in tunnel exiting Underground)
The one short climb up Northumberland Ave will stretch out the pack and provide a place for climbers to drop some sprinters. Then it will be a pell-mell dash past Big Ben, over the bridge, and into the Underground for the finish!
Powerup: Feather
Race 2: Richmond UCI Reverse (4km, ends on straightaway after Libby Hill descent)
A tough route with two gut-punching climbs. Start with a descent, then a longish climb. Grab a powerup at the banner, then it’s a quick descent into a steep (20%+!), short kicker. Grab another powerup at the Libby Hill KOM banner, then descend Libby’s cobbles and end on the paved, straight downhill that follows. Climbers will get away on the last kicker, but bigger riders may just be able to chase them back!
The pack will get stretched and snap up the Rooftop KOM, but it’s the descent afterward, and riders’ sense of timing, which will determine who crosses the finish line first.
Zwift displays preliminary race results in game when you cross the line, but points are computed after all four races finish, with final results on ZwiftPower. (We have to press a ZwiftPower button to compute results manually, so if your rankings don’t show up right away, just 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:
Immediately following each hour’s racing, we’ve scheduled 30-minute “Chat & Chill” events where riders from all categories can spin out their legs together and have some fun chatting about how it all went down. Find them at zwift.com/events/tag/tinyraces.
This weekend sees a range of good events. Three of our picks are hosted by Zwift, and two by SISU Racing.
Zwift Academy Baseline Ride
I couldn’t be more positive about Zwift Academy Road 2022 and the “Baseline ride” in particular, which is a fun event to try. I very much like the format that sees you ride easily in a group, then at key points it becomes an individual challenge as the “no draft” feature is enabled and you try and post your best times on different segments.
The event is hosted on the “Legends and Lava” route which is quickly becoming a favourite of mine given it has varied terrain.
Handcycle Ride with Challenged Athletes Foundation
You may have already heard that Zwift added a handcycle to the game in this week’s update. But did you know Zwift has partnered with the Challenged Athletes Foundation to host handcycle group rides from Sept 16-23?
Rides will be led at a 1-1.5 W/kg pace, and everyone will be on handcycles in game. Routes vary depending on which day you join. Hop in and experience a handcycle on Zwift (even if you’re powering it from your “footcycle” at home!)
The Zwift “Get Rolling” events are another highlight in recent events, and I have to commend whoever came up with the concept in Zwift HQ.
The second race sees you tackle the “Sand and Sequoias” route and is one that is rarely used for racing. Consequently, I was in the wrong position when the race tackled the rolling hills which saw me dropped from the front group!
All this did was inspire me to tackle the event again, this time I decided to do it in the dinosaur costume that was on offer – once you’ve raced in a dinosaur costume, everything else will seem boring!
Despite being dressed as a dinosaur, racing is competitive so be sure to do this one with fresh legs.
(Personally speaking, I think this needs to be added to ZRL. Forget power-ups, dino costumes would be way more entertaining.)
I’ve never included two events by the same team before in one of these posts, but on this occasion it is deserved.
This first offering by SISU Racing race gives you the opportunity to gain the status of “World Champion” as SISU Racing is excited to announce the “SISU Worlds.”
This event is held across two weekends this September, in a cycling festival. The aim is to crown a SISU TT and SISU Road World Champion in all grades, with separate events for Women and Men.
This event is their TT offering and consists of 4 laps on the “Two Bridges Loop” in Watopia, totaling 28.4km and 292m elevation.
I know there is a large proportion of riders on Zwift that really enjoy Crit racing, so I am highlighting this new series to enjoy. It starts this weekend.
As SISU state “We’re excited to launch Season 1 of SISU Racing SATCRITDAY. We’ll race the LaGuardia Loop in New York each Saturday (alternating directions) for eight weeks and crown a LaGuardia Champion and LaGuardia Team Champion across all grades.”
The course selected is going to make for some dynamic racing. Good luck and enjoy!
This week in our Top 5 Zwift Videos, you’ll get two guides to Zwift Academy Road 2022 as this year’s program starts! Then learn more about workouts, as one video explains Erg mode while the other discusses the downsides of changing your workout difficulty. Finally, there’s a race analysis video where you can get some pointers for your own racing.
Zwift Academy 2022 (Road) // Everything You Need to Know
It’s time for Zwift Academy! Alex Reeder gives you the rundown on the basics of the road cycling program for 2022.
Zwift Academy Road Everything You Need To Know 2022
For a deeper dive into Zwift Academy 2022, check out this video by Sarah LaRoque (Everything Is Photogenic).
How Cheating Your Zwift Workouts Changes Your Training
Zwift lets you dial your workout down if you need to, but should you? Paul Vodsden (Mapdec Cycle Works) shares his opinion and some alternatives to make a hard workout manageable. (Note: Be aware that for Zwift Academy, you must complete at least 75% of a workout for it to count toward graduation!)
Zwift Academy Erg Mode
Have a smart trainer and wonder whether or not to do your Zwift Academy workouts in Erg mode? Endurance Sweat will help you decide.
Suffering to the Finish! – Zwift Race Analysis // TFC Mad Monday B+
Oli Chi (ZRace Central) analyzes a recent Mad Monday race and shares what he learned from the tough competition.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
