This year, for the first time ever, both groups of finalists arrived in Mallorca to stay at the Zwift Academy Beach House and battle it out in the Zwift Academy finals. It’s like Survivor, but on bikes. And we get to follow them through a 5-episode video series from GCN. Today the final episode arrived…
On the final day of the competition, the remaining 6 finalists battle it out in a Zwift race which ends atop the Epic KOM. But first, they take an easy ride outdoors on Mallorcan roads.
Why are there so many Australians in the Zwift Academy finals, year after year? Last year’s winner Jay Vine chimes in with his view: “The Zwift Academy is a once in a lifetime opportunity for those who haven’t been able to go through the normal means of getting a pro contract. On the other side of the world in Australia and Kiwiland (New Zealand) it’s really difficult to get noticed, and I think that’s why we’ve seen so many Australians make the finals this year…”
On Monday I swapped my “rest day” with my “easy ride day” and combined a few group rides to get me close to my target of 90 minutes. This gave me the opportunity to undertake group rides that I would not normally do, including a Herd Group ride which turned out to be a thoroughly nice spin under 2 w/kg. I combined that with the Neokyo Badge Hunt series to bag a jersey.
It was nice that even when undertaking a recovery ride, I was able to feel I was “getting something” for my time (I know it’s strange, but I still get a sense of accomplishment getting a jersey. I’ll admit, I don’t wear most of them, but it’s just nice to get rewarded for your efforts.)
Tuesday’s “Hour of Power & Squeezers”
Tuesday was the session I was dreading. 1 hour 50 minutes of intervals. It’s called the “Hour of Power & Squeezers” and consists of 3 x 20 minutes at 320 watts, followed by 5 x 30 seconds at 450 watts. I dislike it due to its duration, but I understand and appreciate its value. Especially the final 5 x 30 seconds at 450 watts, as this replicates a race scenario where you are fatigued but forced to surge to bridge to gaps, stay with the pack, or start your own move.
There is not a lot to say about the session other than my listening to two podcasts by Geraint Thomas. The latter involved Jen Voigt, who spoke about pain and suffering on the bike. He was discussing his trademark phrase “Shut up legs!” and as my legs started to tire, I began uttering that mantra.
I completed the session and felt this massive sense of accomplishment. That is only the second time I completed it and it hadn’t gotten any easier, in fact it was harder, as mentally I knew what was to come.
That wasn’t the end of the cycling for me that day because a few hours later, I was cycling up the Alpe du Zwift with Castelli and Esports World Champion Jason Osborne. Having promoted the event, I was keen to join the well-attended event (400 riders). However, I managed only to get to turn 8 before calling it a day and enjoying the descent. It seems that I only get that far on the Alpe these days! With close to 3 hours on the bike, including a tough interval session and nearly an hour of climbing, I had little trouble sleeping, which was just as well as Wednesday turned into a big day.
Change of Plans
Wednesday I was scheduled for my time trial up the Ven-Top, however, my plans had to adapt at short notice because I was racing the new Zwift Chase Race, facilitated by WTRL, to review for Zwift Insider.
Riding the Chase Race
In terms of training, I achieved the intended intensity (thanks to getting dropped by the pack and time trialling to the finish alone), but not the duration. I was scheduled to ride for 90 minutes which would have involved a solid warm-up, race and cool-down. To compensate, after discovering an excellent Instagram account called ZwiftJerseys which promotes rides that unlock jerseys, I joined the Trek Malaysia Social Ride. This was good fun and resulted in not one jersey unlock, but two. Pretty nice, as I have one of those in real life, making it the first Zwift jersey I own… or is it the other way round?
Feelings of Guilt
Several hours later, despite completing the required training time and intensity, I started feeling guilty that I had not tackled a climb, as per the plan. I simply was not satisfied. Cycling Weekly was running their weekly time trial event and I noticed it was on the Bologna course, so I signed up for an evening ride. I promised myself that I would not “go all out.” And I promptly broke that promise at the start of the climb.
I had been good up to that point, starting steadily and resisting the urge to push as riders streamed past me. But when we hit the climb, I decided to have a little dig for a minute. Well, I was flying. My watts were over 400 and I was feeling good, despite those earlier events. I decided to push for another minute and I started to catch people who had previously overtaken me. 2 minutes turned into 3 and at this point I thought “I could get a new 5-minute personal best” so I kept going. I simply kept pedalling and the numbers were staying consistent as I flew past riders on the steeper sections and found myself up into 5th place!
Descending the Bologna climb
The top of the Bologna climb wasn’t the finish of the race, there was the descent and a few kilometres to contend with. I got passed along the valley floor and finished 6th in a race I wasn’t actually competing in. That included a new 5-minute personal best of 5.8 w/kg and 395 watts. To put this into context: in the space of 6 weeks, training with Rowe & King, my 5 minute power has increased from 5.48 w/kg to 5.8 w/kg. A significant improvement.
Thursday
Thursday, was a low intensity ride, so I opted to ride with Stages, another group ride I have not tried before. But the pace was too high so I was soon on my own, pedalling my own rhythm. Sadly, no jersey unlock this time.
Mountain Massif TT – Powered by Muc-Off
Climbing the Alpe
Friday was my Mountain Massif TT – Powered by Muc-Off race. I didn’t win the event, but I knew already at the start that wouldn’t be the case as a Chinses rider I am familiar with attended and he climbs at 6.1 w/kg. But I did smash the climb, increasing my FTP from 345 to 349, with a 20-minute average of 5.4 w/kg. My best yet!
In the space of 3 days and 2 races, I had achieved a new personal record for 5-minute and 20-minute power. I was satisfied.
I finished off the week with a couple of gentle rides in Neokyo, loosening up the legs and earning a few badges. A good week’s training complete and I had the chance to reflect on reaching new heights – training with Rowe & King is delivering the results.
This week, our Top 5 Zwift Videos feature two more looks at the new Neokyo section of Makuri Islands, including our collaboration with Sherpa Dave on a route ridealong. Then get some suggestions for races to join in the Zwift Racing League winter off-season. Finally, Zwifter tries his first race and does pretty well, while another trains for her first major bike event – the Leadville 100.
Route Ridealong with Zwift Insider on the Neokyo All-Nighter route
Sherpa Dave and Zwift Insider are working together to bring you the Route Ridealong series – videos that zoom along each Zwift route, giving you details on sprints, climbs, and other notable sections. (These videos are included in Zwift Insider’s route detail pages.) Check out this one on the Neokyo All-Nighter!
Preview of Zwift’s new Neokyo world
TacomaCyclist rides through one of the flat routes on the Neokyo section of Makuri Islands (a world that also includes Yumezi). How does he think the new roads compare to others on Zwift?
What to race on Zwift in ZRL Off-Season (Winter 2021/22)
Are you a ZRL racer looking for more events to enter between seasons? Si Bradeley has some suggestions on what to race before the next season of Zwift Racing League starts.
My First Zwift Race!
Jourdain Coleman enters a Zwift race for the first time, and while he makes some mistakes, it’s impressive how well he recovers from them.
Training for Leadville 100 MTB: Indoor training on a Wahoo Kickr, Zwift, & Nutrition
Novice rider Vivian (The Amateur’s Adventure) is working toward a goal to ride the Leadville 100. Along the way, she realized Zwift could help her keep her training on track.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
This year, for the first time ever, both groups of finalists arrived in Mallorca to stay at the Zwift Academy Beach House and battle it out in the Zwift Academy finals. It’s like Survivor, but on bikes. And we get to follow them through a 5-episode video series from GCN. Today episode 4 arrived…
On Day 4, the remaining 8 finalists are certainly feeling some fatigue from the accumulated efforts of the previous days. But that won’t stop the judges from dishing out a challenging ride!
Today’s effort: a 130km outdoor ride with 2808m of elevation gain, ending on Mallorca’s fearsome Sa Calobra climb, where things will get spicy. The judges will be looking at riders’ ability to go hard on the climbs, but they’re also looking for their ability to handle a bike on challenging descents and ride efficiently in a bunch.
Sa Calobra Climb Results
Men’s Results (full 9.44 km)
1
Alex Bogna
26:31
2
Sam Hill
26:59
3
Byron Munton
27:13
4
Cooper Sayers
27:52
Women’s Results (final 3.2 km)
1
Maud Oudeman
10:29
2
Caitlin Conyers
10:36
3
Rachael Wales
10:49
4
Imogen Alton
11:25
Riders of the Day
Two riders were selected for their standout performances on the day:
Rachael Wales
Alex Bogna
Eliminations
At the end of Day 4, two riders were chosen to be eliminated:
Byron Munton
Imogen Alton
Watch Episode 4
Next Up
It all comes down to tomorrow – the final day, where we will learn the two winning finalists for Zwift Academy Road 2021. Who will earn the pro contracts?
Last week I was listening to the Nowhere Fast Podcast and heard Kevin Bouchard-Hall talking about how last year he did 30 races in 30 days. I have been in a bit of a funk lately, and felt like I really needed something to change things up… so I sort of spontaneously decided (I had been thinking about it anyway) on the No Breakaways Podcast to do it and document the… races?… process?…torture?…fun?
First things first, I decided to ask Kevin about the 30 for 30. What inspired him and what did he think about it?
Where did the 30 for 30 idea come from?
KBH: It sorta happened by accident. There are all sorts of fad feats of strength like Everesting, 100 km every day from Xmas to New Years, and I was in a funk and needed something to get me out of it. Mike Swart egged me on a bit about racing all the time and somehow it turned into the 30 for 30.
How did you feel during it?
KBH: After I was about 5 days in I was attached to the idea of keeping it going and it was motivating. After the first weekend, I realized this was going to be tiring and I needed “rest races.” In those races I would start the race feeling so terrible, especially since Zwift races always start so fast anyway. But after 20 minutes I would always feel better. It was nice to go through that over and over, since it helped build confidence that feeling crummy to start would work out to feeling better. Really it was about learning not to put any stock in how you feel when you first get on the bike.
How did you feel afterward?
KBH: Fit and remotivated. Riding every day was the new normal now. I felt like a cyclist again. My fitness score in Training Peaks went from 28 to 58. Not going to win any pro races with that but that is enough to ride hard and not immediately explode.
Kevin’s TrainingPeaks during 30 for 30
Who should do it, when and why?
KBH: If you have a coach or are a pro you shouldn’t do this! But if you don’t and need a massive reset for normal exercise, need to learn to accept being tired, want lots of race practice without fear of performance, this plan is for you.
Kevin’s 30 for 30 races
I also texted my co-host, professional cyclist and coach Jordan Cheyne after our episode about it, and here is what he had to say:
Jordan being a snobby know-it-all
What does he know about anything anyway?
So far I am 7 days in. Here is a day-by-day breakdown. You can also follow the progress on Strava. I will link to the races in the title of the day.
Day 1 – 12/2/21 – Oh Crit!! Subzero Double Race 1 and Race 2
Losing the Pack
The OMC Double race is my absolute favorite Zwift race to do. They are short, sometimes punchy, and generally have a high level of competition. Highly recommended. I raced both races since this was before I knew I was doing the 30 for 30. The first race was on the Neyoko Sprinter’s Playground course, which was a little more punchy than anticipated but good fun all around. I tried a couple of attacks which didn’t even start to work. Decent sprint, 21st.
The second race was on Crit City, typically one of my best courses, but I was tired. I mainly sat in and by lap 5 (of 10) I knew I would make it to the end with the top group. Well, I mostly did except the last punch up the little hill tailed me off the back and I ended up sprinting for… 21st.
Finishing Places: Race 1: 21st out of 58, Race 2: 21st out of 42
This was a single-category (E) race so I was a little nervous, but it was when I had time and it was flat on the Tick Tock course. My teammate Ned Bowen was in the race with me, which always helps me feel better. The pace was tame until we hit the climb out of the desert, but I managed to make it with the front group and sprint for the win (or not so much).
My issue with Cat A sprints is that they always bomb for the last 1 km at a wattage I can’t do, so it is less a “sprint” and more of a “go for one minute as hard as I can and slowly fade while people ride into the distance.” Which is exactly what happened.
Dadurday has been a Saturday staple for me for a long time. It’s at 6am here so it is early enough where no one is up and I can get it finished before the family demands pancakes. This is a chase race, so normally the hills are “tame” until we get caught by the A’s or it is the last lap and people decide to go for it.
This week was on the Railways and Rooftops course in Neoyko, which is basically just laps of the KOM. Apparently Tim Busick is the person who picks the courses for this race. I have done this race a number of times with Tim, and I noticed that the week he decided to have us do five KOM laps he was mysteriously absent.
I would like to be clear that every time I have raced with Tim he is encouraging, warm, helpful and always drops some Ride Ons. I would also like to be clear that on laps 4 and 5 I was not happy with him.
So anyway, I was with the top B group when we got caught by the A’s after the KOM on lap 3, then we went down together. When the next KOM started I put in big dig to try to stay on, but I was off pretty quickly:
Losing the pack again…Grimacing in Pain…Wondering where Tim is
I ended up with a nice little group where we were doing some attacks and counters. It was pretty fun. I tried a long sprint to the finish and ended up getting beat by everyone in the group.
I was initially going to do the Restart Racing Sunday Classic, but I woke up feeling terrible. Once the race started I realized I had forgotten to eat dinner yesterday, which explained why I felt so bad. I’m a real pro.
This was a normal Crit City race (Bell Lap) so it was hard up the rollers but the rest was pretty steady. I was able to stay with the front pack until the final push to the line where I got dropped in the last 30 seconds of the race. I didn’t have a sprint, and was definitely tired today, but I am not sure if that was a function of my legs or just poor nutrition.
Decided to hop into a night race (a rarity for me) because it was the time I had. There were only 7 random A’s signed up about 3 hours before the race so I thought I would try to get some good ranking points. (Sometimes I sign up for A when all the pens start together because I figure I would get a better ranking and race the same people.)
Well I get to the line and I see Marcus Duval from NExT is there, and John Jantz (Saris No-Pinz) and Pier-Andre Cote from Team Rally. OK, so this will hurt. We start, and the lead-in and first lap are no problem. At this point, because I am arrogant, I am thinking about how I am gonna win this race, and how I will look wearing what I assume is a laurel wreath you get from winning an A race. All questions you don’t have to answer on lap 2 of a 5 lap race.
I’m sure you know where this story is going. Lap 3 they go HARD on one of the hills, and that is my race. I’m off the back with a couple B’s… right where I belong. Luckily I was able to pull it together and get 13th. Solid finish in an A field for me (pay no attention to the number of people in the field).
Bright side – only 10 watts off of my all-time best 20-minute power, and still feeling really good. This was the best race I have had in a long time.
Back to the B’s where I should be. 3 laps of the ol’ Park Perimeter Loop. I tried to prod a few of my teammates into this race, and for most of the day they were quiet – then I showed up to the line and there were five of them! Shout out to my guys Joe Thomas, David Charles, Curt Jansen, David Torrelio, and Derek D’Angelo.
This course has one defining feature, which is a climb that’s about a minute long. So we get there on the first lap and everyone just BOMBS it. This was more than I bargained for. I ended up in group 2, but it all came back together pretty quickly. It was obvious that this was gonna be the key feature – the other hills might tail someone off the back, but they weren’t gonna break up the field.
Lap 2 is more relaxed and I stay there no problem, but then on lap 3 a couple of people get a gap off the front before the hill and are pushing, and on the downhill leading up to it someone just flies off the front to bridge. Some people try to go but the pack is breaking. And I am tired. Then we get to the hill and I push really hard on the bottom and get into a great position – top 7 or so. We make the turn on to the really steep part, and that thing happens where your watts are slowly going down, and you are trying harder and harder, you stand up and sit down and just nothing is working and everyone is slowly moving away. I end up missing the back by 2 seconds. Crap.
From there it was a iTT to the finish to hold off a couple of guys. Good day, hard effort. Very close to my max 1-minute power from 2021.
One lap of Greatest London Flat, Chase Race… let’s get it. I didn’t do the one last week so I was excited to try it. This was only 12 hours after the last race, so I was still kind of tired but not terrible. Pretty standard chase race, but the people in my group were really encouraging, which was cool. The hard part was the hill, but there was never a chance of getting dropped, either because the group wasn’t pushing (likely) or I was really strong (less likely). I did feel like I helped the group up the inclines, but in general just wheel sucking.
Had a very good sprint for being tired (8.9 w/kg for 15 seconds) and was really happy with that. Finished with the top group to finish off the week.
Finishing Place: 13th out of 47
Weekly Wrap
This was a really fun week, much more fun than I expected. I honestly got more excited to race as the week went on. It really focused me and I am excited to race more.
This was the first week I’ve ridden all 7 days in well over a year. My power was good at the end and really felt strong. Looking forward to the next 7 days.
Week 1 Stats
Average Finishing Place – 17.9
Finishing Percentile – 48.9%
Kilometers Raced – 191.7 km
Time Raced – 280 minutes
Average W/kg – 3.4 W/kg
If you see me in a race this month do me a favor and don’t push the hills.
“Buddy’s Countdown to Christmas” with the Ascenders Team Announced
Buddy the Elf is perhaps the best-known sweeper in all of Zwift. (Not familiar with him? Read our interview.)
Next week, leading up to Christmas, Buddy will be leading 7 rides over 5 days in the “Buddy’s Countdown to Christmas” ride series with the Ascenders Team. These rides will be supportive and at a social pace because as Buddy says, “There’s room for everyone on the Nice List!”
“Pacing the Elf” Contest
Seven rides means seven chances to win Buddy’s “Pacing the Elf” contest.
Not familiar with that contest? It’s simple. Ride closest to, and most consistently with, the Yellow Beacon (Buddy) throughout the entire event. The winner is awarded with a Pacing with an Elf Certificate, Elf Socks, and a few other surprises.
Ride Schedule and Routes
Each ride will take you through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, past the sea of twirly-swirly gum drops, then through the Lincoln Tunnel.
(Just kidding. But each ride is on a different route!)
Zwift’s December update included the third frame in game from New Zealand-based Chapter2. Named the “TOA”, Chapter2 says it’s the next evolution of their TERE frame which is also available in Zwift… an all-road, integrated race bike.
Here’s how the Chapter2 TOA is described in the Zwift Drop Shop:
“The TOA is the culmination of all the CHAPTER2 frames that have come before it. TOA, which means ‘to be victorious, win’ in Maori delivers an all-out, no-compromise carbon fiber race-ready frame platform designed, engineered, and manufactured to the most exacting standards. Inspired by the TERE’s Performance All-Road DNA and the AO’s versatility, the TOA has all its cables/hoses tucked away from sight and the wind, creating an aerodynamically seamless transition between the MANA bar and the TOA’s Kamm-Tail chassis.”
This frame is priced at 426,000 Drops and level-locked at 18. It is rated 3 stars for aero and 2 for weight, and includes a color slider so you can pick your look.
The Chapter2 TOA in real life
Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new Chapter2 TOA frame in Zwift.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The TOA turns in a solid aero performance, but nothing that makes it a top choice for flat races. It just barely beats the Focus Izalco Max 2020 and Scott Addict RC, putting it at around the 81st percentile.
Its test time of 51:22 is 14 seconds faster than the default Zwift Carbon frame given to all Zwifters. By comparison, the fastest frame in Zwift (Cervelo S5 2020) turns in a time of 51:17.5 on our test course, which is two laps of Tempus Fugit, totaling 34.6km.
Climb Performance
Due to Zwift’s Dura-Ace 9200 bug (see “Still Not Fixed” note at bottom of page here), we already knew the TOA wouldn’t be winning any hill climbs. It turns in the same time as the Specialized Allez Sprint, ranking in the lower 45th percentile.
Without the bug, the frame would theoretically climb around 19 seconds faster, which would boost it to 2nd place in the overall climbing rankings. But that’s all silly talk until Zwift gets the bug fixed.
The Chapter2 TOA currently turns in an Alpe climb time of 49:13. By comparison, the fastest climber in game (Specialized Aethos) completes the test is 48:50.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
Conclusions
Without Zwift’s Dura-Ace 9200 bug, the new Chapter2 TOA frame would be beating the Scott Addict RC as the best all-arounder in game. But thanks to the bug, the frame’s performance is nothing special.
Watch this space, though, because it looks like once Zwift fixes their groupset weight issues, this frame will be an all-around winner.
The TOS’s numbers 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.
This year, for the first time ever, both groups of finalists arrived in Mallorca to stay at the Zwift Academy Beach House and battle it out in the Zwift Academy finals. It’s like Survivor, but on bikes. And we get to follow them through a 5-episode video series from GCN. Today episode 3 arrived…
On Day 3, riders began with a 2-hour outdoor ride in a storm. An easy ride in terms of pace, but a bit difficult due to the weather.
Then it was time for a Zwift race! Three laps of Richmond’s Cobbled Climbs route in a points format, with more points available towards the end of the race, so endurance and pacing really counts.
Zwift Race Results
Maud Oudeman was consistently strong and crossed the finish line first for the ladies, while Sam Hill jumped off the front at the start and stayed away to the finish for the men.
Women’s Results
1
Maud Oudeman
23 points
2
Rachael Wales
16 points
3
Caitlin Conyers
6 points
4
Imogen Alton
3 points
5
Willemijn Prins
0 points
Men’s Results
1
Sam Hill
24
2
Byron Munton
10
3
Cooper Sayers
9
4
Alex Bogna
5
5
Mads Rahbek
0
Eliminations
At the end of Day 3, two riders were chosen to be eliminated:
Mads Rahbek
Willemijn Prins
Watch Episode 3
Next Up
Tomorrow the remaining finalists will join their pro teams to take on a long mountain ride which includes the fearsome Sa Calobra. And two more finalists will be chosen for elimination!
There are diverse events to try this weekend, including two from our friends in Canada, tackling the mighty Uber Pretzel or Ven-Top, and more. We’ve sorted these events from longest to shortest, since they’re mostly happening on Saturday.
Z Badge Hunt – The Über Pretzel – hosted by Zwift Insider
You may have seen the post earlier this week – Zwift Insider is hosting “The Über Pretzel Badge Hunt Event” on Saturday. This is believed by many to be the hardest route on Zwift, so the most “fun” way to ride it is in a group.
Zwift Insider-hosted rides include Eric on the beacon as well as Discord, plus hundreds of fellow riders to keep you company.
Writing about my sub 60 Ven-Top effort last week hopfully inspired others to attempt the difficult challenge of riding Ven-Top and thus, I have highlighted the event where last week’s drama unfolded.
Good luck. Just completing the Ven-Top climb is a huge achievement in itself.
To my surprise, there are very few cycling federations very active on Zwift. But Cycling Canada is one that is, and I’ll soon be catching up with them hear of their plans for Zwift, so watch this space. In the meantime it’s worth highlighting this event, which looks to be a lot of “Fundo”!
Every Saturday Cycling Canada hosts a fondo-style ride open to all skill levels and abilities on rotating courses. Course offerings sample some of Zwift’s longer distance routes, with sub-categories split by distance. The event is marked as a “ride”, but Zwifters can expect some action at the front, not unlike an in-person fondo. Join at your own pace to reach your weekly distance target, or challenge fellow Zwifters to race with some higher pace off the front.
4 laps in Neokyo on the Sprinter’s Playground course totalling close to 50km is going to be a challenge. If you don’t know the route, you will by the time the race finishes.
TTR do some fun events. You may have enjoyed their TTR Mini race, like I have done in the past. Sunday’s offering looks pretty unique and fun, check it out.
“The Battle is on!
This is the race between TTR and other clubs. We will feature one club periodically, the rules are simple. Group B need to catch Group C in 5 laps or 2 laps. For 5 laps setting, the start is 2 mins apart. For 2 laps setting, the start is 1 min apart. Follow the leader (if it is available) in each group to form the peloton and gaining the best draft effect. This course is fast and flat, it is only possible to catch/escape by working with each other. And the club with the best team work will get the best fun!”
This update includes new routes and badges, a few Drop Shop additions, and a pile of bug fixes. There are also behind the scenes updates we can’t yet access. Here are the details…
New Routes and Badges
Two Watopia routes which were previously event-only have been made free-ridable and given route badges in today’s update.
Climber’s Gambit and Legends and Lava were launched with Zwift Academy Road 2021 to be used as baseline and finish line ride test courses. They’ve proven popular with Zwifters, though, as they make great race courses! If you’re looking for double XP, head out and complete two.
There are also three new event-only fondo routes included in this release, which will be used in the upcoming ZFondo Series. More on that series (and the new routes) very soon, but for now, here are the basics:
2022 Bambino Fondo: Starts in Downtown Watopia, and includes sections of Beach Island Route, Ocean Lava Cliffside, and Fuego Flats. Finishes at Volcano KOM. Total distance/elevation: 52.3km/400m
2022 Medio Fondo: Similar to Bambino. Starts in Downtown Watopia, and includes sections of Beach Island Route, Ocean Lava Cliffside, Fuego Flats, Titans Grove, and Volcano KOM. Finishes at Epic KOM. Total distance/elevation: 77.2km/924m
2022 Gran Fondo: Similar to Bambino and Medio. Starts in Downtown Watopia, and includes Beach Island Route, Desert Flats, Hilly KOM, Titans Grove, and Volcano KOM. Finishes at Epic KOM. Total distance/elevation: 94km/1141m
New Bikes and Wheels
New bike day is always a good day! This update includes two new frames and a new wheelset:
Chapter 2 TOA bike: 426,000 Drops, 3 stars for aero, 3 stars for weight, level 18+ required
Cube Litening C:68X bike: 373,500 Drops, 2 stars for aero, 3 stars for weight, level 32+ required
Novatec R4 Disc wheelset: 95,900 Drops, 3 stars for aero, 2 stars for weight, level 24+ required
Racers, don’t get too excited – the Novatec wheels aren’t a disc aero wheel. They’re just made for disc brakes, hence “disc” in the name.
Both of the new frames use the new Dura-Ace 9200 groupset, which means they’ll be victims of the overweight Dura-Ace bug plaguing new frames on Zwift. That makes a total of 8 frames with this bug… these two frames plus the Specialized Tarmac SL7, Pinarello Dogma F, Canyon Aeroad 2021, Liv Langma SL Advanced Disc, Moots Vamoots, and Uranium Nuclear. We will be updating all of our test results and charts soon to reflect overweight Dura-Ace timings, as a bug fix doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.
That said, we’re running these frames and wheels through our standard battery of tests, and will report on the results soon.
New Running Training Plans
Two new running plans have been added to the Training Plans list:
3 Run 13.1 Lite: marathon speed builder in 3 days a week. 4 weeks shorter than 3 Run 13.1 plan (12 instead of 16).
5k Record Breaker Lite: 2 weeks shorter than 5k Record Breaker plan (6 instead of 8).
Hidden Updates
According to our sources at ZwiftHQ, this release includes a number of updates/features to be rolled out over time in controlled releases to portions of Zwift’s user population.
This method of releasing and testing new features is becoming Zwift’s modus operandi, as it allows them to test new features in more controlled ways and easily roll back changes if needed.
What are these hidden updates? We don’t know everything that’s going on beneath the hood, but updates include:
An updated homescreen, slated for initial rollout this month and wider release in January
Clubs updates, with a very limited number of beta testers already using the new feature
Bluetooth FTMS Trainer Control changes: this is a “flagged” feature, so it isn’t live yet – but Zwift has put in a lot of work to revamp their FTMS code and make it more reliable and powerful, including two-way communication with trainers (so Zwift will always know your trainer’s state) and error logging
Bug Fixes and Misc Improvements
Here’s Zwift’s list of fixes and improvements included in this update, with notes in italic from us:
A number of Neokyo visuals have been fixed or improved. Hopefully the artists have optimized things a bit, to improve framerates for PC users.
The minimap for Neokyo now makes it clear which roads are available for Zwifters to ride or run. This should make things a bit less confusing for Neokyo n00bs!
When nearing the end of a Meetup, the distance remaining value will transition to meters/feet to make it more clear exactly when the meetup ends.
Removed the ability to bring up the pairing screen by clicking or tapping on the power, heart rate and cadence display box. (This causes your avatar to stop, which in most cases, isn’t ideal).
Added more spawn points in Neokyo routes so Zwifters are less likely to spawn on top of other Zwifters.
Added the ability for KICKR bike riders to disable steering.
Updated text in the Back to Basics – To the Max workout.
Updated the automatic screenshot system to be more likely to grab a screenshot for shorter activities. Previously the auto screenshot happened around 30 minutes, which meant many shorter Zwift activities didn’t get a screenshot. This is why so many Zwift activities on Strava show the default (riderless) screenshot!
Fixed an issue causing some route lead-in and total distance information to be inaccurate for Neokyo routes.
Fixed an issue which could cause Japanese text in the garage to appear incorrectly.
Fixed an issue causing the total distance of a lap to be incorrect in the route selection screen.
Fixed an issue with some Gravel Grinder Training Plan workouts which had incorrect cadence targets.
Fixed an issue causing the workout completed date to appear as a long string of numbers on some devices.
Fixed an issue that would cause riders to abruptly swerve on some Neokyo routes. Hopefully we’ll still swerve through the Shopping District. That feels realistic, and makes us feel like rebellious teens!
Fixed an issue which would cause KICKR Bike riders to get pushed aside when riding in a pack. Gotta respect the KICKR bike riders…
Fixed an issue that would prevent Zwifters from using both sides of a two lane road when transitioning from a road surface to dirt.
Fixed an issue which would cause some audio to cut out in certain situations in large events and podcast rides.
Fixed an issue with the Makuri Island minimap which did not properly show the tunnel between Yumezi and Neokyo.
Fixed an issue with the Return to Original World dialog box when finishing a Group Workout.
Fixed an issue where the Menu button and Return to Me button would overlap when Fan Viewing.
Fixed an issue on Apple TV which would cause the button focus highlight to be visible in the profile settings screen when it shouldn’t be.
