Watopia’s own KQOM radio station is hosting a familiar voice for your listening pleasure.
Of course, we had to head up the Epic KOM to find out for ourselves. (If you haven’t heard it yet, turn up your volume and listen closely:)
Yes, that’s the voice of Simon Schofield, beloved Zwiftcast creator and host. Simon announced he was drawing the curtains on Zwiftcast in episode #105 just a few weeks ago.
We asked Simon for his thoughts on this little Easter egg. Here’s what he told us:
This is unbelievably cool – on so many levels!
One: I’m just massively flattered and humbled that the Zwiftcast will live on, hopefully for a long long time, in the game.
Two: It’s really subtle – and I like that. Kinda, if you know, you know. I approve.
Three: It’s a knowing nod, at the top of a big climb, to my near legendary status as the longest-riding Zwifter without the Tron bike. See Zwiftcasts passim.
Four: I believe it’s the brainchild of my great friend and erstwhile colleague, Wes Salmon, who very sadly, and also mystifyingly, was let go by Zwift as part of the recent redundancies. I hope Wes will get at least as much pleasure from this as I will.
And Five: Hell, I really am gonna have to start amassing vertical meters now I guess. Excuses to register for the Tron are vanishing faster than Eric Schlange in a B race finishing sprint.
I know it’s been a very difficult week for many of my friends at Zwift and I’m sure mere trifles, touching though this one is, are the last things on their minds. But nevertheless they should know they made an ex-podcaster very happy. Thanks everyone at Zwift.
This weekend I have highlighted some useful structured training sessions as well as some events that will be suitable for all.
Mt Fuji HC Dojo Series 2022 – Workout #8 – SPECIALITY – Yuma KOISHI (Team UKYO Sagamihara)
Those who are interested in structured training may be interested in this event. For English speakers, it’s advisable to sign up to Event B. This session has been created by Yuma Koishi from UKYO and is designed to help develop your climbing prowess.
Andy Potts is a triathlete from the US who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He’s also the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion.
Andy is hosting a structured training session that is designed to work you in Zone 2 and occasionally Zone 3 elements. As the description notes these are “set for all skill levels and are ‘no drop’ events.” This is 65 minutes in duration.
The second race in the first-ever race series hosted by Zwift Insider! Full details can be read here.
There are three events spread over the weekend, two on Saturday and one on Sunday (GTM, at least), giving you the chance to race the “Rebel Routes” which have now made it into Zwift’s official list of courses.
This weekend’s event is hosted on Watopia’s new Eastern Eight route. It’s a bit longer than a typical race at 54.1km, with 412m of elevation gain. Fairly flat, but the Titans Grove KOM in both directions will prove a key selection point!
This is a nice 2-hour ride on the new Eastern Eight course, which unlocks a jersey. Paced at 1.5-2 w/kg, this is a steady ride, which may be most welcome if you have spent the week training hard.
Another steady ride, this time for an hour in duration, hosted on the R.G.V. course in France. What attracted me to this event is that everyone “will stay together.” I think this is excellent because I have been helping a few people “learn the ropes” of Zwift and a group ride is ideal for new joiners to the platform and cycling.
In this special run of weekly episodes, 18 pro riders will be taking on the Turbo 200 Challenge, where they have 2 minutes to answer as many of the 200 random, quick-fire questions as possible. In this week’s episode: Team BikeExchange-Jayco rider Ruby Roseman-Gannon!
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
This update includes Training Plans that are more flexible, two new triathlon-specific TT bikes, upcoming Pace Partner changes, and various other things. Here are the details…
Training Plan Updates
Each of the last few updates has seen Zwift make their Training Plans more and more flexible. Today’s update continues that trend, opening Training Plans wide open so when you sign up for a plan, all workouts in the plan are immediately unlocked. No more waiting until the start of the week, or not having access to certain workouts.
It’s all open. You’re in control. Go get ’em!
New TT Bike Frames
Two new triathlon-specific TT bikes have been added to the Drop Shop:
Felt IA 2.0: 1,136,000 Drops, Level 34+ required, rated 4 stars for aero, 1 for weight
Scott Plasma RC Ultimate: 1,136,000 Drops, Level 33+ required, rated 4 stars for aero, 1 for weight
We’re testing both frames now, and will publish results when available.
New Run Routes
Two new run routes have been added, and include achievement badges:
Surfin’ Safari: 9.77km/6.07 miles
Splash and Dash: 5.92km/3.68 miles
These are event-only routes at this time, and will be used in the upcoming adidas Run for the Oceans events (more on that soon, in a separate post).
Pace Partner Changes
Although these changes aren’t yet live, today’s update notes include information about upcoming Pace Partner changes (pace partner tweaks are generally done on the server side, so no game updates are required on the client side):
Beginning 15 May, 3 new Pace Partners will be found in Watopia:
Dorothy Duster who will ride at 1.15w/kg
Diego Duke who will ride at 1.8w/kg
Danny Draft who will ride at 2.15w/kg
We will be making significant and regular changes to these Pace Partners throughout the summer.
Additionally, the 4 Pace Partners found in Makuri will be taken offline and will remain offline for the foreseeable future.
Workouts have been added to the on-demand list for May and June. You can only see the current week’s workout, which you can do on your own or in a Wednesday Group Workout.
May 16th – 22nd: WHOOP | EF Pro Cycling’s Yellow Day Workout
May 23rd – 29th: INEOS | The Thomas
May 30th – June 5th: ZA Road ‘21 | Threshold Under/Overs
June 6th – 12th: Athlete Inspired | Punchy Climbs
Workout Localization
This wasn’t included in the update notes, but Zwift continues to localize On-Demand workouts, rolling out 12 workouts in Japanese with this update. According to our sources within Zwift, they are continuing to work to add more workouts and languages.
Permanent Pride Tower
Downtown Watopia had a rainbow-painted Pride Lifeguard Tower that was used for past Pride events, but only visible in events. This was a virtual remake of the Pride Tower in Long Beach which was destroyed by an arsonist in March 2021, but subsequently rebuilt.
New Mountaintop Pens and Event-Only Downhill Routes
Zwifters are reporting new event start pens atop both Alpe du Zwift and Ven-Top. Now that’s interesting. What does Zwift has planned… downhill races? It appears so. There are two event-only routes in this update:
Alpe du Zwift Downhill
Ventop Downhill
Hmmmm….
Bike Changing Bug
Zwifters are also a reporting (and we’ve seen on this end) some weirdness when it comes to changing bikes in the garage or Drop Shop. Bike selections don’t seem to “take” every time, although clicking around enough seems to make it happen eventually.
Bug Fixes and Misc Improvements
Here’s Zwift’s list of fixes and improvements included in this update, with notes in italic from us:
Watopia’s own KQOM radio station is hosting a familiar voice for your listening pleasure. Wonder what this is all about? We’ll have to ride up there and check it out…
Fixed an issue impacting PowerUp probability for events with custom PowerUp settings. This was wreaking havoc on ZRL races, which have since turned off all powerups. Hopefully the bug is truly fixed.
Fixed an issue causing workout blocks to be missing if a workout is started without a power source paired.
Fixed an issue that would cause some running workouts not to unlock on the correct day in a training plan.
Fixed an issue that would cause the ride report to appear when the Zwifter starts a workout.
Fixed an issue that would prevent a Zwifter from advancing from the pairing screen after devices have been paired.
You’ll find lots of racing tips in this week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos! First, find out why sprinting outside may feel easier than indoors, and then get some advice from two winning Zwifters on racing well. If you’d rather compete against yourself, you might relate to another Zwifter who tackles the Alpe du Zwift. And if all this sounds interesting and you want to get started, there’s a video about getting on Zwift with a small budget.
Zwift Sprints are Awful… Here’s Why
Jeff Linder (NorCal Cycling) felt like his indoor sprint power was significantly lower than outdoor. So he did some tests… which showed that was indeed the case. He shows his test results, then discusses how technique impacts power, especially in out of the saddle sprints.
How to win Zwift Racing League Races – Real Race Win Analysis with Tips, Tactics and Techniques
Jake Sanderson breaks down a Zwift Racing League race to give you advice and help you win.
Got my ZWIFT Concept (aka ZWIFT racing technique – How To Win The Race
For more in-depth racing advice, Lam Kong gives some useful Zwift racing tips, including some that led her to victory.
SAVAGE | Alpe Du Zwift Attempt (Cat C Rider) | Breakdown & Vlog
As part of his training for L’Etape du Tour, Alex Reader heads to Alpe du Zwift for a climbing session.
How to get on Zwift with a Small Budget
For those wanting to get started on Zwift without spending much money, Cycling Alaska gives some advice and options.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Zwift is Restructuring: Hardware Paused, Refocused on Software
Yesterday Zwift CEO Eric Min sent an internal email informing Zwift’s full staff of 700+ employees that a company-wide restructuring/refocus was underway. The restructuring includes a large number of layoffs, all announced yesterday. Although Zwift’s spokespeople have declined to comment on numbers, one impacted employee who reached out to me estimated Zwift was reducing its staff by ~20%.
Here’s Zwift’s official statement on the restructuring:
Given the current macroeconomic environment, we have decided to scale back our hardware offering, pausing plans to launch a smart bike. As a consequence, Zwift has implemented difficult, yet important changes to the organisation of the business. We are grateful for the contributions of all those impacted and have done our very best to support them.
We are committed to increasing the development of the core Zwift game experience, increasing the speed of new feature releases, and making the platform more accessible than ever before. We firmly believe these changes will allow us to achieve these goals and better support the continued growth of our subscription business. Further, these changes will preserve Zwift’s strong financial position as the world navigates these turbulent times.
I also had a lengthy follow-up call with a spokesperson at Zwift who helped put some flesh on the bones of their public statement. Let’s unpack what this restructuring is all about, and what it means for Zwifters.
Hardware Paused
You may recall Zwift leaking their own trainer plans back in December 2021 as part of a survey designed to discern price points and demand for Zwift’s not-yet-released smart trainers. Zwift is now saying, “we have decided to scale back our hardware offering, pausing plans to launch a smart bike.”
Perhaps the results of this survey made Zwift sit up and take notice. Perhaps they saw the industry-wide trend of hardware sales taking a post-Covid nosedive. Or does the current economic unrest have them thinking bearishly of the coming 1-2 years?
Whatever the reasons, pausing hardware feels like the right move to me, and probably to most Zwifters who are paying attention to the industry.
Zwift may need its own trainers in the future in order to streamline the experience and reach a broader market. But if team sizing decisions need to be made in order to reduce spending, hardware is the logical loser to Zwift’s software. Because the software has plenty of room to grow and improve, while the market already supplies high-quality hardware.
And this was one point made by the spokesperson I chatted with: that Zwift’s primary goal with hardware was always to “grow the pie”, not to take market share. Zwift wants to make its own hardware so it can simplify the new user experience from end to end and thus bring in more users.
Additionally, Eric Min has said in the past that he thinks trainer manufacturers won’t be able to keep up demand, hence the need for Zwift to supply their own hardware. In today’s world this doesn’t seem like a rational concern. But in the lockdown months of Covid, where trainer sales spiked 900% and fresh KICKR inventory was selling out within 24 hours, it seemed like a very real possibility.
This hardware pause is Zwift coming to grips with post-Covid realities, where most of the cyclists interested in Zwift have given it a try, and those who enjoyed it have purchased a smart trainer which will serve them well for the next 1-3 years.
Software Focus
According to Zwift, the silver lining to this restructuring raincloud is a renewed focus on Zwift’s software. Their statement says, “We are committed to increasing the development of the core Zwift game experience, increasing the speed of new feature releases, and making the platform more accessible than ever before.”
That’s exactly the thing Zwifters want to see. In fact, the #1 complaint from dedicated Zwifters is the slow pace of change/improvements/expansion. The Zwift community loves new roads and features, and we simply haven’t gotten many of those lately.
Is Zwift just telling us what we want to hear, or are they making real changes that will result in increased development of the “core Zwift game experience”? Sources within Zwift tell me that part of this restructuring includes co-founder Jon Mayfield moving out of his R&D basement and back into a lead role in Zwift development. That’s big news, and a sign that they’re serious about making some changes.
It could also be argued that “right-sizing” Zwift staff will lead to a more nimble organization overall. But whether that translates to quicker releases of new features or just quicker releases of new bugs may come down to improved QA testing combined with freshly streamlined processes.
It’s Not Just Zwift
If you’re paying much attention at all, you’ve probably already realized that this sort of restructuring isn’t just happening at Zwift. Covid made things crazy in 2020-21, but 2022 is turning into a year of reckoning for many tech companies, especially young ones. Russia’s invading, tech stocks are tanking, inflation is ballooning, interest rates are rising, and the overall economic outlook for the next few years is growing more bearish by the month.
As Erin Griffith noted in a New York Times article yesterday, “…what’s different now is a collision of troubling economic forces combined with the sense that the start-up world’s frenzied behavior of the last few years is due for a reckoning.”
Zwift’s spokesperson emphasized to me what was emphasized in their statement – that Zwift is in a strong financial position currently, and is making these moves so they can stay in a good position moving forward. If you believe what they’re saying (and I do), then Zwift is looking down the barrel of a few economically unstable coming years and taking early steps to ensure the survival and even growth of their business moving forward.
On a Personal Note
As yesterday morning turned into afternoon and then evening, I heard from more and more Watopians (that’s what Zwift calls their employees) who were being let go or had friends being let go. This includes some surprising layoffs of friends I interact with regularly in key leadership positions in the company.
All of them said the same thing: it was a tough day at Zwift.
I won’t name names here, but simply want to wish all these (now former) Watopians well. Zwift has said they’ve done their best to support impacted employees, so hopefully each of you feel well cared for and can land on your feet with a new gig as quickly as you’d like.
Wrapping It Up
Given current economic and world realities, Zwift restructuring around a refreshed set of priorities isn’t surprising. Many may even welcome the news as evidence that Zwift is thinking rightly.
But will the restructuring just enable Zwift to continue delivering what it’s already been delivering for years? Or will the leaner organization be able to refocus and take its software and the content it delivers to the next level?
It’s impossible to know that answer today, but we’ll know soon enough. Perhaps we’ll see some interesting releases this summer when traffic numbers are lower and pushing the beta envelope is a bit less risky. Or perhaps Zwift will get some major releases queued up for September/October, when foul-weather Zwifters come inside looking for all that’s new and great in our favorite virtual world.
It won’t take long to find out if Zwift is serious about “increasing the speed of new feature releases”. Speaking for all Zwifters, I’ll say I hope it happens soon… not zoon.
Rahsaan Bahati is planning to take on Garmin Unbound Gravel this year so he assembled a team of friends to help him prepare and share their gravel secrets. Matt Lieto leads the conversation, having done the event in the past, and Shayne Gaffney provides all the training advice as the Performance Training Manager at Zwift.
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
Heading into the race my team (the DIRT Roosters) were sitting in 1st place overall, but our position was far from secure. We had a fire in our bellies, though – we had worked our way up from Division 5 to 1, and this was our chance to win it all in the Bs!
Winning the season would require a strong finish in this race, but we were ready with a solid team that has a good mix of climbers and sprinters. We divided the team into two groups, and each group had its own strategy:
Our three best climbers (Antoine, Thomas, and Arjen) try to hold onto the front pack and even grab FTS/FAL points on the KOM. If they’re in the front group for the sprint, go for FAL there as well.
Our three best sprinters (Clem, Dejan, and myself) don’t blow up on the KOM, but try to hold a good pack position then go for FTS points on the sprint.
That was our plan… but how did it really work out? Here’s the story of the Roosters’ final race of the ZRL season.
Race Prep
I did what I could to be fresh and prepared for the race, following my normal routine:
Easy effort the day before
Plenty of sleep the night before
A clean, carby oatmeal breakfast
Beet juice two hours before the race
Caffeine gum – two pieces (300mg), one hour before the race
PR lotion on my legs about 45 minutes before the race. More bicarb=less burning.
Pick my bike setup (Tron bike for decent climbing and sprinting) and join the start pens with 30 minutes to go to save my spot in front.
A nice 30-minute warmup with the C. Cadence crew
My legs felt fresh, and I knew the course well. My personal plan was this:
Go hard up the KOM, even though I stood no chance of KOM points, in order to stay in a good pack that would carry me to my best finish position
Hit the sprint hard for FTS points
Finish well
Start + Climb
The start was easy, which surprised no one. A few riders attacked off the front after a minute or two, which made no sense whatsoever. The Roosters sat in and waited for the real fireworks to begin.
We hit the base of the KOM and the pack began powering up. My goal was to finish the climb as close to the front as possible, but I knew I was outclassed by many of the riders in the field. So optimizing my finish meant striking a balance between pushing hard to hold a wheel and easing off the gas so I wouldn’t blow up.
I pushed hard for the first 5-6 minutes, holding onto the wheels of the front group. Then we hit a particularly steep bit, the pack surged, and I pulled the plug. After that it was just a mental and physical slog as I tried to stay in touch with a small group of riders around me constituting places ~40-50 in a race of 70. Far from impressive, but I had to keep pushing, because as we Roosters say… every point counts!
Teammate Dejan was behind me while Thomas, Antoine, and Arjen were holding their own in the front pack. Clem eventually dropped from the front group and came back to my pack.
I finished the climb in 21:35 (318W average), beating my previous PR by 2 minutes. Then it was time for a long downhill and sweet, sweet recovery.
Recover + Sprint
On the way down our pack swelled a bit as we caught a couple of TBR riders who were up the road. (That was good news since TBR was our closest competition for the overall season.) Our pack now constituted places 35-49, and DIRT teammate Ally had joined us on Discord to help Sean with DS duties. Sean stayed with the front three riders while Ally stayed with the back three, and both of them did a great job of talking and pushing us through the race.
No one in our group pushed hard until we hit the Leg Snapper, then the fireworks began. I’ve got decent 1-minute power which is perfect for the Leg Snapper, but there was no reason to push hard here unless others attacked, since I would be sprinting for FTS points just up the road.
But of course, it’s the Leg Snapper – so someone will always attack. Clem and I followed their wheels as our group strung out, then we recovered a bit on the descent before arriving at the sprint.
Sprint faces!
I was next to Clem as we neared the sprint, and I spun up my watts, hoping I could give him a bit of a leadout, then he would come around and I could grab his wheel. The leadout part sort of happened, but Clem is so freaking strong that he blew past me like I was standing still!
He took 1st in FTS. I took 13th.
The Finish
Rooster vs TBR
The riders were totally strung out with 1.6km to go. I had a TBR rider (Broeshart) just up the road, and he became my carrot as I listened on Discord to Antoine and Thomas dying a thousand deaths in their finish line sprints.
I kept waiting for Broeshart to start his sprint, but when we got to 250m to go and he still hadn’t started, I jumped. Broeshart grabbed my wheel and peaked at some impressive numbers, but eased off just when I thought he was going to come around and pip me at the line. I crossed the line in 37th place, just a wheel ahead.
(36th-40th place all get 15 finishing points in ZRL, so it really didn’t matter if I beat him to the line. But this is cycling…)
Things got a bit confusing in the hours following the race, as many riders were DQ due to “Code 7”, which WTRL describes as “Rider has exceeded Division Power Limits”.
Here’s what is confusing: the “Division Power Limit” is a secret, and can change between races. It’s a different number from ZwiftPower’s category limit (ZwiftPower says you’re an A if you have three races where 95% of your 20-minute power is 4.0 or more) because WTRL gives you a bit of a buffer. Some racers had calculated the Division Power Limit to be 4.1 in past races, but WTRL can and does change this limit on a per-event basis.
Over the course of the next 18 hours we would see our result bounce around from 1st to 5th as various riders got a Code 7, then the Code 7 disappeared. Clearly WTRL was tweaking the Division Power Limit.
As of now, 22 hours after the race, WTRL shows us in 4th in the provisional results:
We would have taken 1st if Thomas hadn’t received a Code 7 – but that’s just an observation, not a complaint.
Thomas had a calculated FTP (that’s 95% of your best 20-minute power for the race) of 4.167 w/kg, and received a Code 7 DQ. Captain Antoine had an FTP of 4.164 w/kg and did not get a Code 7 because (we think) he’s a lighter rider and was under the absolute watts limit. Maybe. At the time of this post, WTRL’s Division Power Limit for this race seems to be 4.15.
With that 4th place finish we hold onto 1st place for the overall:
Thomas receiving a Code 7 means he can’t race in the two Finals races next week, which is a bummer. But we’re all celebrating with him that he’s now an A on ZwiftPower, an A according to WTRL… and an A in our hearts.
Takeaways
It’s possible that better pacing would have earned me a better time up the KOM – I averaged 356W for the first ~6 minutes trying to hold onto the front group, then 306 for the final ~21 minutes.
But my pack also caught several riders who finished the climb well up the road from us, so finishing with a slightly better time probably wouldn’t have changed my end result much.
It would have been nice to earn at least a few sprint FTS points, but once again I’ve been humbled racing in the B1 division. I’ve consistently been one of the lowest point earners on my team, struggling to grab points with my “good but not great” sprinting, poor climbing, and “smarts only get you so far” finishes.
On the plus side, racing in B1 has consistently pushed me to the limit! I set new 2022 power bests for a big stretch of my power curve between 9 and 26 minutes thanks to that murderous Innsbruck KOM. Most of my teammates saw similar PRs.
An Incredible Rooster Run
If this week’s result holds, that means the Roosters have completed an incredible perfect B-category run in the past 4 seasons…
The Rooster’s first ZRL season was 2020/21 season 2. They were placed in EMEA W B Division 1 and finished second to last. At that time they had a different captain, but current Roosters Antoine, Dejan, Arjen, and Clem were already on the team.
Antoine took over as captain in the next season (2020/21 season 3), and Thomas and I joined the team. WTRL had the Roosters listed in Division 2 just days before the season began, then dropped us to Division 5 just two days before the first race!
We made it our personal mission to prove that we deserved more than a Division 5 slot. And we did just that, winning 1st place that season.
The next season WTRL put us in Division 3. We took 1st place again. Then it was on to Division 2 for the 2021/22 season 2, where Sean joined the team and we took 1st once more.
And now we’ve taken 1st in Division 1. It’s been a hard-fought journey for the Roosters since being relegated after our first season, but it certainly feels good to come back and finish on top, winning four seasons in a row. You couldn’t write a better story.
Your Thoughts
How was your final race of the season? Any power curve bumps or Code 7s? Share below!
Editor’s note: this is part 3 in a 3-part series on Tim’s Arena Games – London experience. If you’re unfamiliar with how the Arena Games work, read part 1 here. You may also want to read part 2 for a firsthand description of the actual races.
It had been 3 years since I had last ventured into London (the global pandemic saw to that) so I was markedly excited about catching the train to the capital. What was once considered “normal” was now a novelty and something not to be taken for granted.
Back in the day, traveling across London always felt like a mission, one to be endured and not enjoyed, the destination being all important. This time, however, for the first time since I can remember I took pleasure in navigating London’s vast underground train network as I headed out to Stratford and the Olympic Park.
I was heading to the Arena Games, which is a new triathlon event based solely indoors and conceived during the dark days of “lockdown” in 2020.
The Aquatic Centre
Despite now being 10 years old, the Olympic Park still retains its grandeur. As I exited the train and began my walk to the Aquatic Centre, the memories of that special summer returned.
I knew I was heading in the right direction when I saw event branding promoting the event.
Although I was fortunate to attend many of the 2012 Olympic events, I was sadly not able to get tickets for any of the swimming races. I remember those tickets being “hot property” and at the time I would have had a better chance of finding gold in my garden than getting Olympic Swimming tickets! This was therefore the first time I had attended the Aquatic Centre and I wasn’t disappointed.
I had arrived early, and as I searched for the entrance, I bumped into the Zwift Social Media Team, who like me, were on hand to report on this unique and special event.
Zwift’s Social Media team
Press Pass
After getting my much-coveted press pass which gave me “all access” around the venue (other than the athlete’s area, which I wouldn’t have ventured into even if I could have), I was good to go.
I was shown where the “Media” area was, where I could set up my laptop and write about the event, but it was too far away from the action for my liking, situated high up where the fans would be. I wanted to be in the heart of things, so I kept the laptop in the bag and opted for my trusted notepad and pen, giving me the freedom to move around and capture the action. With my Canon camera slung around my neck, I was all kitted up.
The Heats
I am glad I had attended the event early to witness the qualifying heats. This is because it gave me an opportunity to understand the intricacies of the event and identify small details that potentially could impact the event. In a race with such intensity and high levels of competition, the margins for winning and losing are slight. Every second counts!
For example, I noted that immediately from the swim transition to the bike, many athletes started pedaling, getting their avatar up to speed, before pausing to slip their feet into their shoes, which were kept in the upright position, usually by elastic bands. In one case, an athlete could not get their foot into their shoe and it was several minutes before they eventually did.
The heats also gave me chance to get a good feel for what to expect and helped me understand the race format, which was a new concept for me and one which I liked. I liked it because despite this being a race between athletes, with the bike being a “no-draft” event and swimming being in your individual lanes, it really was an individual time trial and a true test of your speed and power. Furthermore, with it being indoors, the variables were as controlled as possible. (The only possible advantage would be if you were an athlete who lived or trained in a hot environment, because the hot and humid conditions did add a level of difficulty that was an influencing factor. And I am speaking from first-hand experience, having Zwifted in temperatures of more than 35C!)
As well as scribbling useful details in my notepad, I had my camera on hand to capture shots. Then as soon as heats finished, I was switching again as out came the Dictaphone in the form of my iPhone as I recorded my interviews with the athletes.
Being this close to the action, it was easy to see how coordinated and organised everything was. Everyone has a job, a purpose, everyone working together to ensure the event worked. This was impressive. This was teamwork in action.
Break in Play
Like the athletes, I was relieved when the heats were over and I had a chance to catch my own breath. Working hard to record all the details of the event in temperatures over 25C was a challenge and it was difficult to know where to focus my attention.
It was during this interlude that I was able to catch up with the Zwift Social Media team who were busy capturing the action in much the same as I was.
Then I decided to get some lunch, realising I could feel my energy waning after being literally on the go since 5am with little more than a slice of toast. At this point I had to navigate around a lady who was sat in the hallway, ironing a shirt. As I passed her, I turned and offered her help, it was the least I could do. As we started chatting, I recognised the face and her voice was surprising familiar, I was having one of those moments where I was sure I knew this person, but couldn’t place it. Then I realised it was television presenter Orla Chennaoui! Orla is front and centre in the cycling world, covering all the major events and so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to see her here.
Orla on the floor
Orla was absolute fun, and we joked about her glamourous position of ironing her clothes on the floor. This was truly behind-the-scenes access.
The Final
Like the athletes I had time for a brief recovery before the start of the Women’s Final and as the spectators took their seats, I decided to position myself in the dedicated space reserved for the media. The media section was right with the spectators, so I was able to soak in the atmosphere.
After taking photos and watching the first few transitions, I moved down to the side of the swimming pool so I could capture the action from close up.
As I entered the arena floor, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer noise from the crowd. This was intense and I wasn’t even racing! I realised this would be the closest I would get to experiencing anything like this and it was exhilarating.
Being this close to the athletes, you could see the suffering they were going through as they pushed themselves beyond their limits to come out victorious. I made sure that I kept out of the ways of the cameramen who were getting up close and personal to capture the important action shots.
At the end of the race, knowing how pumped on adrenalin I am after a Zwift race, I was conscious to give the athletes space and waited patiently to see who I could talk too. Fortunately Beth Potter, who I had spoken to earlier, was gracious enough to talk to me about her second place. You could see she was visibly disappointed, so I regaled her with her stats, which did little to lift her spirits, which I could understand and appreciate.
I decided to repeat the same process for the Men’s final, and I headed to the media section, camera at the ready. The Men’s race was equally as explosive, and at the end one athlete was left on his treadmill, gasping for air. Again, something I could identify with and is often the case after a Zwift bike race.
I didn’t get a chance to speak to any of the athletes that got medals. Instead I had a good conversation with Canadian Jeremy Briand who had set the highest power output of the day, and the fastest bike split, at 5:08 and 6.2w/kg.
Breaking down
No sooner had I finished speaking to the athletes, then the very surrounding where I had conducted the interview was dismantled. Fearing I was only in the way, I decided I’d better collect my personal belongings and head to the hotel.
I was lost in my own thoughts about the day as I navigated the busy London streets to my hotel. As I entered my room and the door closed to silence and serenity, I sat on the edge of the bed to gather my thoughts. That quite literally had been an unforgettable day!
In this Kiwi Crew Ride special episode, Greg Henderson takes the listener through what it’s like to take part in the group ride which turns into a 10-minute, all-out, sprint race.
In the newest iteration of the Kiwi Crew Ride, a podcast with a Kiwi guest automatically plays when the ride starts (for this episode, the special guest is Shane Archbold). Then as the ride transitions into the sprint, Greg Henderson sticks around to DS riders while heart-pumping techno music blasts.
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
