Pace Partner Updates: Alpe Bots, 5k Loop Pace Runners + More
James Bailey and friends have been hard at work over at Zwift, testing and tweaking Pace Partners to dial in the best mix of bots, paces, routes, and events.
This week we’re seeing a Zwift first: events led by Pace Partners. And they’re heading up the Alpe! We’ve also got a pile of running bots on trotting around the 5k Loop, and some other changes. Let’s dig in…
Alpe du Zwift Pace Partners
The biggest news this week is a series of test events happening every three hours this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (see upcoming events).
These events are held on the Road to Sky route and have 5 categories to choose from, each “led” by a Pace Partner at a pace that gets them up the Alpe du Zwift climb within a particular target time:
A – Andrew Alpinist – 4.0 w/kg – 49 minutes
B – Beth Baroudeur – 3.3 w/kg – 59 minutes
C – Christopher Climber – 2.8 w/kg – 69 minutes
D – Danielle Danseuse – 2.15 w/kg – 89 minutes
E – Émile Étape – 1.6 w/kg – 119 minutes
These events start at a lower pace so riders can warm up through the Jungle on the way to the Alpe. Warmup pace is just 1/2 of the climbing pace listed above.
If you’re wanting to finally break that 1-hour Alpe mark, or just need a consistent pace set for another target time, give one of these test events a try!
These events have been set up thoughtfully. All categories are visible, and the faster groups start first. That means if you get dropped from your starting group, you’ll have the next-slowest group just behind. Then you can choose your own adventure: try to stay away ahead of those chasers, or drop back and join the slower pace group.
Events include this note: These are Futureworks Events. Futureworks Events use functionality that we haven’t officially released in full. This means that the event has been set up with our best possible endeavours to ensure that the pacing is as accurate as possible, but may not be 100% accurate.
5k Loop Runners
Nine new bots are now trotting along Watopia’s 5k Loop at various paces, so if runners want a bit of company, there’s a bot available:
Tracey Trot: 8:00/km
Albert Amble: 7:30/km
Sarah Stride: 7:00/km
Benito Bounder: 6:30/km
Hettie Hare: 6:00/km
Brendan Bolter: 5:30/km
Rebecca Rocket: 5:00/km
Stuart Speedster: 4:30/km
Patricia Pacemaker: 4:00/km
This Week’s Ride Routes
James has also updated the riding routes for each Pace Partner this week:
Two Pace Partner-related bugs have been fixed, according to James:
“We believe that we have fixed the issue that those on tvOS, iOS and Android were experiencing when trying (and failing miserably) to join a Pace Partner.”
“Stealth Mode on the Epic KOM bridge should be fixed in our next release” (which should arrive in the next day or two).
Share Feedback
James is looking for feedback on the new Alpe du Zwift events, as well as the fresh running Pace Partners. He requests that you share feedback (and any questions) in one of these spots:
Zwift has partnered with USA Triathlon for a 6-week series of training rides and runs leading up to the in-person 2022 Legacy Triathlon on Saturday, July 16 in Long Beach, California (home of Zwift HQ).
Schedule and Route Details
Each Wednesday features a 60-minute ride followed immediately by a 60-minute run. (Perhaps a bit odd when the IRL event is a sprint triathlon featuring a 20km ride and 5km run, but you can use the longer rides and runs as recovery efforts or aerobic endurance builders.) Ride and run at your own pace – these are not races, nor are there event leaders.
The back-to-back brick sessions are scheduled at five different timeslots to accommodate for various time zones.
While the rides in this series aren’t official races, some riders will certainly be treating them as such! If you want to turn in your best possible times, be sure to ride the fastest TT frame and wheels in your garage.
Here are the three fastest choices in game:
Canyon Speedmax CF SLX DiscFelt IA 2.0Scott Plasma RC Ultimate
Lucianotes: the Dramatic Consequences of Avid Zwifting
Two years as an avid Zwifter have had dramatic consequences on my life. For the good and the bad.
More Zwift Levels = Fewer Friends
As I ascended the ladder of Zwift levels and challenges, my IRL social life got closer and closer to that of a Tibetan ascetic monk who has vowed silence and isolation forever.
As Zwift becomes the epicenter of your day, you create your own magical parallel ecosystem, allowing you to survive with only what exists within the boundaries of Watopia.
An example: Scotty the Squirrel has a voice in my head. You would guess it is a high voice but no, it’s an Elvis Presley kind of voice. And Scotty is kind of a jerk. He always appears above my shoulder to laugh at me when I am in absolute pain or about to spit my lungs.
Same with the Pace Partners. Coco Cadence is an incredibly smart lady, able to exchange and debate about almost any topic. She is a little bossy though. From time to time she reminds you to keep your w/kg at the right level. I would not say the same about Bowie Brevet. The guy would not say a word. If you want to have fun, you’d be better off grabbing coffee with an IRS inspector than a lap of Tempus Fugit with Bowie.
Continuous Improvement In Performance, Continuous Deterioration In My Likeability
Among the best things I experienced is this notion of continuous improvement. I remember the first day I climbed ADZ. It was my third day as a Zwifter and I had to find an event in order to be accepted (Road to Sky was a 12+ Level circuit).
I was so proud that I was able to cross the banner. I had no dignity left, no legs left, my body was one piece of immense muscular pain, and the smell my body was producing would qualify it as a chemical weapon. But I was so proud! More than 100 minutes of heroic effort.
It was also the day I saw for the first time some people with the vEveresting tag on their name. When I checked what this vEveresting thing was I could not prevent myself from laughing: who would be so dumb to climb this thing 9 times? Clearly, you must have some unresolved mommy/daddy issues in order to inflict something like this upon yourself.
In any case, here is a table with my progression on some of the most relevant Zwift segments. It gives you a quick overview of what it looks like to have a very structured training plan and spend your life in Watopia. I call it an amazing progression, my wife calls it the ultimate proof I am beyond help.
(Some of the first attempts (Ven-top for example) are from summer 2020, not April.)
Proudly Becoming the “Only Talks about this Ridiculous Virtual Cycling Game” Guy
Before Zwift, people invited me to gatherings because I had a tendency to animate all the dinners. I was the funny guy. Now I regularly invent false excuses to skip dinners with friends, and the few social dinners I attend find me talking exclusively about Zwift and cycling. It’s gotten so bad that people avoid asking me open questions or even better, run desperately in the opposite direction when I join a group.
I have developed an incredible capacity to link any topic with cycling and Zwift. Any. Pick one. You can ask me about climate change, and I will find a transition to finish talking about the gradient in Pot Bank. You ask me about the French presidential election results? About the cross-fertilization of wet soils through bees? No problem. I find an analogy with a Bologna TT or the new Zwift homepage UI.
For them, my friends (or former friends if I want to be accurate), I’ve become the boring “only talks about this ridiculous virtual cycling game stuff” guy. For me, they’ve all become “those idiots who don’t even know what a Tron bike is.”
The worst thing is that I am perfectly aware they couldn’t care less about what I am telling them. I could see their faces progressively decomposing from a polite smile to an extreme expression of boredom when I passionately grumbled about the Dura-Ace groupset bug affecting some of the bikes back in November 2021 as if it was the end of the world (by the way it was the end of the world WTF!).
An Impact On My Quality as a Son and Husband
My Zwift addiction has also impacted my listening and empathy skills, and therefore the quality of my relationships with relatives. How many times have I committed to something without being conscious about it?
I remember one particular situation in which my mother was talking to me but my entire brain focus was on “will I swap to a gravel bike at the beginning of Temple KOM or not? There are pros and cons to it. First, I am really slow at swapping bikes, and also it depends if I arrive in a group or not and others stop to swap… what a dilemma. Also, Eric recommends swapping but the guy does it in 6 seconds, I saw it in one of his streams…”
Apparently, during that thought process I agreed to go to dinner the following Tuesday at my mother’s place and to bring a homemade dessert (pre-Zwift I was always cooking). I only figured out that I committed to this when my mother called me on Tuesday evening to ask where I was since I was already 45 minutes late. I was actually at 171 BPM ion the last km of the Temple KOM climb of the ZRL stage.
I am an awful awful son…
The same happens when my wife asks me something and I automatically nod when in reality every single cell of my body is obnubilated by this incredible debate on Discord about the likelihood that Zwift fixes the draft issue on some smart bikes (I don’t even own a smart bike).
Note: if you are as much a Zwift junkie as I am, at this point in time you don’t really care about the mother anecdote, right? The only thing you care about is if I eventually swapped bikes. The answer is no.
Monothematic Hobbies, Too
Another thing that has changed since I started Zwifting is my YouTube homepage and recommendations. In 2019 my YouTube homepage was a blend of politics, sports, rock music, cooking recipes, and funny videos of beagles (my dog Luna is a beagle) doing stupid things I would idiotically laugh about.
My wardrobe has also evolved. I am compulsively buying cycling apparel and cycling t-shirts with jokes that can only be understood by other psychologically deranged Zwift addicts like me:
In some aspects, though, my condition has made things easier for others. Pre-Zwift, my friends and relatives used to say that finding a present for my birthday was an impossible task. Now they know that anything related to bikes or Zwift gadgets will have me jumping around like a little kid. Latest one: a bike holder for IRL race tags. Love it.
Better Off, For Sure
All things considered, the substantial impact Zwift has had on my life is positive: I am more of a jerk, I have fewer friends, I find it difficult to communicate with most human beings yet engage in dialog with imaginary animated characters, and I pay less attention to my family. BUT, I am a better Zwifter and cyclist. Totally worth it. 😊
This week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos include two takes on Zwift’s decision to pause its hardware plans – why did it happen and what does it mean? There’s also a tribute to the Zwiftcast and a winner’s analysis of a race. Finally, if you could talk to the pace partners, what would they say? One Zwifter has an answer!
Zwift Cancels Smart Bike Plans On The Heels of Wahoo’s Acquisition Of RGT, What’s Next?
Zwift has put its hardware plans on hold, resulting in a round of layoffs at the company. Tariq Ali (SMART Bike Trainers) discusses this news in the context of the larger indoor training industry.
Zwift Cancels Smartbike & Trainer Hardware Plans
Here is DC Rainmaker’s take on Zwift’s recent news, including some clarification directly from Zwift.
Zwift In-Game Tribute to the Zwiftcast // Swift Zwift Tip
Shane Miller – GPLama gives us a peek at a special tribute to Simon Schofield and the Zwiftcast found at the top of Watopia’s radio tower climb.
I FINALLY WON! Zwift Race Analysis
ZRace Central has analyzed several of his races, and it finally paid off! Watch him use what he’s learned to take the victory.
Fun interview with Zwift Diesel pace bot
As a fun bit, Tim Keffer (FATRIDE) is “interviewing” each of Zwift’s pace partners. Diesel apparently has a few funny stories about Cadence!
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Get ready to flood Watopia with colorful Pride Ons – Zwift has announced its fourth year partnering with Athlete Ally to hold a series of Pride events for the month of June and beyond. The goal of the events is simple: to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community on Zwift. “2022 is bolder, the music is a little louder, and we’re moving forward—together.”
This year four different designs were created by a designer in Zwift’s internal Employee Resource Group (ERG), the Priders. The inspiration for her Pride On design comes from the theme of “rainbows and sunshine.”
From there, all four designs were voted on by the entire Prider ERG, with the favorite design selected and placed in-game as the 2022 Pride On design.
Pride On Events
Zwift holds Pride On events throughout the year, but they will be especially prominent on the calendar during the month of June. Social-paced rides and runs will take place every day of the week, with time slots available across multiple time zones.
June 5th, 9th and 11th are special days dedicated to AIDS/LifeCycle events (see schedule here). These rides honor the 1.2 million people living with HIV and support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Kit Unlocks
One Pride On ride or run completion will unlock the 2022 Pride On kit and socks. There are separate kits for runners and riders.
A few things are almost certain to happen during any social group ride on Zwift. Someone will mention bacon, cake, or beer. Someone will tell a Dad joke. And someone will ride off the front of the peloton.
Recently unearthed ancient hieroglyphs found on Jarvis Island show that riders breaking away from the peloton – fliers – have been present since prehistoric times on Zwift. Most fliers are easy enough to ignore, only hurting themselves by not taking advantage of the strong draft effect afforded by the peloton. A more insidious flier spends the group ride organizing secondary pace groups that disrupt the integrity of the leader’s peloton and confuse other riders about the main peloton.
Thus, several iterations of the ride leader fence have appeared in the game to discourage fliers. The present fence seems to have resolved the prior fence’s glitches and once again gives ride leaders the option to remove – to kick or zap – fliers from the ride. Because many riders have no experience with the re-energized fence, let’s discuss some techniques to prevent one’s unintentional removal from events by being zapped.
Fence Basics
The fence doesn’t provide a draft benefit and is simply a visual moving indicator that references the relative position of the ride leader. The fence is set by the ride leader at a specific time interval ahead of the yellow chevron. The leader can change this interval and enable/disable the fence via a simple UI on their screen.
The default time intervals are 2, 5, or 10 seconds ahead, but these can be customized prior to the event. It is important to remember that since the fence is not a uniform distance ahead of the leader but a specific time interval, the fence’s position will move back and forth relative to how long it takes the leader to cover the terrain ahead.
Not every fence is activated to zap. Usually, the ride leader will notify everyone that the fence is active and note the time interval ahead of the yellow chevron for a particular event, but checking pre-ride wouldn’t hurt. If you venture beyond an activated fence, a graphic with a striped fence between your bike and the leader’s chevron, the familiar “Return to Group” message, and a 60-second countdown timer will appear directly under the heads-up display:
My avatar passing through an activated fenceI’ve triggered the warnings and 60-second countdown timer
After returning to the chevron’s side of the fence, the countdown timer, warning message, and graphics disappear. (With a non-energized fence, only the graphics and the annoying “Return to Group” message appear.)
Flirting with being kicked from the eventRemoved (kicked) from the event and placed on the event route
Don’t Get Kicked
So how do you prevent being kicked from an event? The only foolproof method to avoid unintentional removal from an event with an energized ride leader fence is to ride along with the leader’s yellow chevron during a group ride. I usually ride within a 5-15 meter imaginary bubble around the leader to avoid any chance of being kicked.
During larger group rides, where there is a continuous line of riders extending from the leader to the fence, one needs to pay special attention to their position ahead. As with any group ride, it is very easy to steadily creep ahead with a group of riders and ultimately end up tickling the fence. To ensure I know my position relative to the leader, I frequently switch camera views (angles) using keyboard shortcuts. Switching between the “6” number key (head on to rider view/rear view) and the “1” number key (default 6 o’clock view/forward view) allows me to easily monitor my position ahead of or around the yellow chevron. If you are using the Action Bar, cycle through the views using the eye icon (change camera view).
Don’t worry if you happen to fall off the pace and get dropped, there’s no fear of being kicked as the fence only culls those ahead. If you stay close to the leader’s group and distant from the fence, there is no worry of being zapped.
Dangers of Fence-Surfing
Of course, we all know that not everyone will stay with the peloton. The fence has an innate power to draw riders close – like a flame attracting lycra-clad moths. Riding at the fence is called “surfing the fence.” Cruising along surfing the fence isn’t too problematic when everyone is traveling steadily, such as when on a flat road section, since the leader and the fence are not moving forward or backward drastically. In contrast, when the terrain is rolling or going uphill, those surfing the fence need to pay attention because the fence will move toward the leader. Hills and inclines are when you may unintentionally approach and overtake the fence.
The real danger presents after you crest the top of the climb while the leader is still climbing. As you move faster and further down the hill, your momentum carries you further away from the leader and their fence. You are now at the mercy of gravity if you pass beyond the fence, triggering the 60-second timer as your avatar speeds down the hill.
Moments like this are where the “A” key keyboard shortcut comes to the rescue. Yes, the same A key that brings up the Device Pairing Screen and, when inadvertently pressed in a race, abruptly halts any chance you had of winning, now just might prevent you from being kicked from the ride!
Zwift’s device pairing screen
Since there are no brakes in ZWIFT, opening the Device Pairing Screen by pressing the “A” key acts as a defacto brake since pressing the “A” key stops your avatar, even on a downhill. Of course, you are still at the mercy of the time it takes for the leader to crest the hill and progress downhill, but at least you can now stop your momentum and allow the fence a chance to catch up and pass.
Zwifters using iOS/AppleTV/Android can’t bring up a keyboard. Therefore, you don’t have this emergency braking contingency using the A key. When using iOS/AppleTV/Android, if you surf the fence on a hill, you must be careful not to get ahead of the fence on the downhill.
Late Join Option
There is one – albeit transient – last resort if you inadvertently are kicked from a ride. If the Allow Late Join option is activated, you can rejoin the ride during the first 30 minutes of the event. (Currently, there is a bug that may prevent you from being able to rejoin an event directly. To work around this, just start a free ride and click the option to rejoin your last event.)
Wrapping It Up
Hopefully, this information will allow you to negotiate and enjoy this brave new post-energized fence virtual world. Got questions or comments? Share below.
This weekend brings a diverse set of events for people to try. I have highlighted the ones that especially captured my attention!
World Bicycle Relief’s Pedal to Empower
To celebrate World Bicycle Day on 3rd June, Zwift is hosting an event to help World Bicycle Relief reach their goal of riding 1,000,000 kilometers between June 3–5.
Join this global movement and make a world of difference. To donate, visit pedaltoempower.com
Mt Fuji HC Dojo Series 2022 – Hill Climb Road Race
I promoted this event last year and it’s nice to see that it has returned to the Zwift calendar.
This weekend is the main event, a race up the Alpe du Zwift. There is a good turn out so expect the competition to be stiff, but this provides the perfect opportunity to set some new personal records. Just make sure you have fresh legs and select the fastest bike and wheel combination you have.
I think the event’s description best summarises what this is all about. I have all the admiration for Imogen as she battles back to peak performance:
“After a horrific accident in January with numerous surgeries and months of rehabilitation, Plantur-Pura rider and national Irish road champion Imogen Cotter is able to train again at full force. In order to celebrate her comeback on a bike, the Irish Zwift specialist will be leading the ‘Imogen Comeback Ride’ on Saturday June 4. Join Imogen Cotter at 1.45 PM CET for a live warming up on Instagram (@imogencotter) with the social ride on Zwift starting at 2.00 PM CET. Imogen will be replying to all your questions during this 45-minutes workout, with a suggested pace of 2,0–2,5 W/KG.
All participants will be assigned the official Plantur-Pura team kit. Zwifters posting a photo of their participation mentioning #ImogenCotterZwiftRide get the chance to win the Irish Plantur-Pura champion kit signed by Imogen Cotter or one of the three Plantur-Pura fan packages.”
These Unbound endurance rides have been well-attended. This weekend, if you fancy getting the tough “The PRL Full” route badge, you may want to sign up to one of the various group rides on offer.
I am highlighting this event because I tried this during the week and it is easily one of the hardest training sessions I have done! Basically, there are 5 intervals that are working around your FTP.
It is without doubt a tough one, and I knew I wasn’t suffering alone as this was one of the few group training sessions I’ve done where there was literally no chat happening. If you want to build your fitness, this is one to build into your schedule.
Companion App Update Enables Group Workouts in Zwift Clubs
Update: Zwift added many more workouts to the Clubs library since the new initial launch. See the full list >
Yesterday Zwift released an update to their Companion app on Android and iOS. The new version (3.36) unlocks much-requested functionality for Zwift Clubs: the ability to host group workouts!
Available Workouts
In this first iteration, Zwift has made 11 popular cycling workouts available – three apiece from the “Less than 30 minutes to burn”, “Less than 60 minutes to burn”, and “60-90 minutes to burn” categories. They’ve also included the Ramp Test and Ramp Test Lite workouts.
Cycling Workouts
Run Workouts
For runners, Zwift has enabled 4 popular workouts in this initial release – two apiece from the “Less than 30 minutes to burn” and “Less than 60 minutes to burn”.
Run Workouts
Future updates will certainly include additional workouts, but our guess is Zwift wanted to get these out to the community for initial testing and feedback.
Creating a Group Workout Event for Your Club
Creating a workout event for your Club is easy and intuitive, much like creating a non-workout event. At a minimum it requires 4 easy steps:
Tap “Group Workout” on the initial Create Event screen
Tap the workout template you want to use
Fill in the event details (everything is pre-filled except for date/time, but you’ll probably want to customize the title and event description, among other things)
Tap “Publish Event”
Tap “Group Workout”Select your desired workout templateChoose your date/time and further customize the eventAdditional settings
In practice, creating an engaging and high-quality group workout event will require a bit more work:
Tap “Group Workout” on the initial Create Event screen
Tap the workout template you want to use
Fill in the event details (everything is pre-filled except for date/time, but you’ll probably want to customize the title and event description as well)
Tap “Change Route” to change which route the event uses. Each workout template is attached to a particular route by default.
Select a ride leader if desired
Tap “Change settings” at the bottom and turn off Late Join (see below for more on this). You may also want to make the event visible to anyone with the event link.
Tap “Publish Event”
Notify your Club members of the new event, by whatever means you’d like
Note: rubber-banding (“keep together mode”) is enabled for all Club Workout events at this time, and cannot be disabled.
Zwift Insider’s First Group Workouts: Ramp Tests!
We’ve created two group workouts for today (Friday, June 3) to test the new Club Workouts feature. Both are under our Zwift Insider Club (join club here), and both events use the Ramp Test workout:
Join one of our events and give this new feature a try! We think it’ll be a fun challenge for riders to keep pedaling as long as they can. Once your legs stop turning, cheer on anyone who’s still going, via in-game chat!
If you like to ride and run, our friends at WTRL have just the competition for you! Season 5 of the four-weekZwift Duathlon League bike-and-run race series is about to start. Registration is now open, and the season begins on June 8, 2022.
How the Races Work
The concept is simple: Zwifters will ride as far as they can in 35 minutes, then run as far as they can in 15 minutes, with a 10-minute transition from cycling to running.
The bike races are mass-start, with no drafting, so you will need to select your best Time Trial bike and be prepared to go full gas! (See below for help choosing your fastest TT setup.)
A transition time of 10 minutes allows you to change your shoes and power up the treadmill.
The run event is simple: just run as far as you can in 15 minutes.
In total your race lasts 60 minutes. A perfect 1-hour brick workout!
Individual, Age Group, and Club Competitions
There’s something for everyone with ZDL’s multi-league approach. Get a team of at least four athletes together and you can compete in the Club League. Or if you’re competing solo, there are separate individual and age group competitions.
You must create an account with WTRL in order to register for the series. Event details (private signup links) will be furnished via email.
Picking a TT Rig
The cycling routes for this series are flat enough that an aero TT rig is really what you’re looking for. That said, the new Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC frames are your best option for any routes that include hills (races 2 and 4). And race 1 may be a place for a bike swap, if you’re strong enough to reach the Temple KOM within 35 minutes.
I have been fortunate enough to ride the two big mountains in Zwift: the Alpe du Zwift and Ven-Top. These of course based on the iconic Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux real-life climbs and despite being immensely challenging, they were memorable experiences for all the right reasons.
Therefore, when the opportunity arose to test my legs on the real-life Box Hill, I couldn’t pass it up. I was excited to compare the route to that found in Zwift.
But before talking about my experience on the climb, it’s worth explaining where it is geographically and how it has risen to fame.
About Box Hill
Box Hill IRLBox Hill on Zwift
Box Hill is situated in the Surrey Hills, south of London, UK, and is designated an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” (AONB). It is one of 46 nationally protected landscapes in the UK, and has equal landscape status and protection to a national park.
Its direct rail links from London Victoria and Waterloo make it a popular destination. Additionally, it was used during the 2012 Olympic Road Race, where during the Men’s event the climb was tackled nine times.
In terms of stats, it’s not a particularly impressive climb. In fact, if it was situated in the Alpes it would barely get a mention, being only 2.5km in length with an average gradient of 5%, maxing out at 8% with only 129 meters in elevation gain! However, it is its accessibility and proximity to London that gives it its fame.
According to the National Trust, the route has been tackled by 103,268 cyclists a total of 773,437 times. The fastest climb? 4min 37 seconds, at an average speed of 32.5kmh.
It is without doubt the 2012 Olympic Road Race that elevated Box Hill to another level with the event watched by 15,000 on site spectators and a global audience of two million. The route and its surrounding areas forever became associated with road cycling, and it was consolidated further when it was included in the Prudential RideLondon 100 route.
Memoires of Box Hill
In 2012, I watched the Men’s Olympic Road Race at the finish line on the Mall, alongside the wife of recently retired American pro cyclist Tejay van Garderen and the sister of Chris Horner, who were both competing for the US Team. I can recall watching as the British Team sat on the front of the peloton, trying to control the race to bring it home in a bunch for Mark Cavendish to finish off and win the sprint. It was a super strong team that consisted of Bradley Wiggins, who had just won the Tour de France, Chris Froome, who had finished second in service to Wiggins, Mark Cavendish who was the reigning World Champion and had just won the prestigious final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées, Ian Stannard and the Road Captain, David Millar.
My lasting memory of the day was seeing the British Team climbing Box Hill, and I looked forward to the day when I could do the same. Little did I realise that it would be 10 years before I would get the chance to fulfil that ambition.
Box Hill and Zwift
The Box Hill start on Zwift
Zwift launched their London map (including Box Hill) in July 2016, so when I started riding on Zwift and ventured out of Watopia, I was delighted to finally ride Box Hill. For the last few years I have been climbing and descending the famous Hill virtually, and consequentially it’s a climb I have come to know well. I’ve learned that no matter what pace you ride it, whether solo or in a group, it’s always a challenge and therefore I wanted to see how I faired when I tackled it in real life.
Box Hill In Real Life
I came with high expectations, perhaps unrealistic expectations. Ultimately, I think I have been spoilt by Zwift.
I was staying in a hotel close by and my plan was to take the bike and ride up Box Hill. However, the traffic and busy roads meant I was rethinking this strategy before even getting on my bike. This was not looking good.
After checking in at the hotel and getting my bike set up, I decided that perhaps it would be better to ascend the climb from the other side, figuring it would be less busy. From Zwift, I know this as “Fox Hill”, however, this does not directly map in the real world.
To get to the back of Box Hill, I had to navigate Pebble Hill Road. I started to get a feeling of being on Zwift, because there was a conga line of cyclists going up this small incline.
I felt unsafe. The road was narrow, there were oncoming cars and cars alongside me and riders I wanted to overtake. This wasn’t nice and made me realise how busy the British roads have become. At one point, as I was overtaking a cyclist, they realised that couldn’t make the hill so suddenly braked and unclipped, causing me to veer out of their way, nearly getting clipped by a car that was passing too close. I wasn’t enjoying this and was relieved to pull off and commence the climb to Box Hill. This is where I realised that “Fox Hill” from Zwift, does not mirror the descent from Box Hill in real life. In truth, the ascent up Box Hill from the back is pretty much a straight road, where you actually go through a small village called “Box Hill.”
Next, I passed a view point that was nice but full of people and I found myself slowing behind cars as they stopped for one last view. Due to the narrow road, I found myself unable to get by these cars and their descent was furthered hampered as they slowed for the many speed humps that were situated on the road. I had to slow to a stop as I rounded the corner to the Visitor’s Centre which marked the summit, as people walked across the road without looking and more cars joined the convoy for the descent.
This was chaos. This was unpleasant.
Given the lack of progress, I took the opportunity to stop and take photographs. I had to wait several minutes for the road to be clear so I could get a nice photograph that would show the climb in its splendour. As I was stopped, several motorbikes roared past me, along with cyclists on all different bikes. This was busy. Really busy.
I reached the base of the climb and turned around to ascend. I had to wait for one cyclist to start his ascent and two cars to pass, before I could get going.
The lower slope of the climb was straightforward and it was here I caught the cyclist who I had given the head start, and I passed them before the first bend. There was a short bit of road before the hairpin where I had to slow then stop as two cars navigated their way round. As I entered the straight section, more motorbikes sped by. Then it was on towards the final corners before the summit.
Without pushing, I did it in 8 minutes exactly.
As I waited to descend, the cyclists I passed had finished and commented “Well climbed!” which I took to be an equivalent to a “Ride On!”
I then decided to descend for another attempt, this time I would push it a bit more.
Ascent 2
As I descended, I was stuck behind a car and literally had to ride holding the breaks, I was caught by a mountain biker. I turned to him and commented, “It’s more fun on Zwift!” He agreed.
As I started my second climb, my day out nearly came to an early end as a Quad Bike decided to overtake the car that they had been following and came barrelling down at me so fast I didn’t even have time to ditch the bike in the hedge. He squeezed by me with a small gap to spare.
I was frightened and wasn’t hanging around, so I was up out of that saddle and in climbing mode. I wanted off this climb and quickly. I crested in 6 minutes 51 seconds. I continued on to the descent, the way I originally came up, where I was joined by another cyclist.
The cyclist overtook me, and they were a little larger than me in stature, so I sat behind them in the draft, classic Zwift style, but that plan came to an end pretty sharpish as the potholed road resulted in his bike being rattled so hard that his bidon dislodged and I had to manoeuvre to avoid hitting it, ala Geraint Thomas style (you may remember Geraint hit a wayward bidon in the 2020 Giro, causing him to crash and ending his Giro challenge). I sat up and let the rider go, another close call putting me into self-preservation mode.
This was not fun.
Summary
It certainly was an eventful few hours in the saddle, and when you compare Zwift’s version of Box Hill to that in real life, Zwift have accurately recreated the details that are painted on the road and the climb feels very similar, with my ascent times being a good measure of that.
Where Zwift I think has the advantage and why I prefer it, is because it’s simply safer. On Zwift I am not worrying about cars, the road surface, or other cyclists and can cycle at a nice rhythm. If you haven’t ever cycled Box Hill in real life, it pains me to say I don’t think you are missing much. There are plenty of nicer, quieter climbs and areas to cycle within the UK.
They say “never meet your heroes in real life”. Perhaps this should be expanded to “never ride virtual roads in real life” – however, to counter my own point, I can’t help but think how fantastic an experience Alpe d’Heuz and Mont Ventoux are. Hard to say, but one thing remains unchanged: I certainly appreciate riding on Zwift.
What About You?
Have you ridden IRL roads which you’ve also ridden in Zwift? How do they compare?
