Rahsaan Bahati speaks with Qhubeka ambassador Andrew McLean about how the bicycle changed his life.
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.
Cycling coach Matt Rowe takes a look at the sixth workout of the Zwift Academy Road program and offers his advice on how to tackle it. But he starts with some useful tips on recovery – an essential part of getting stronger!
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.
Yesterday was the first points race of Zwift Racing League 2021/22 Season 1, and there were several thousand racers who participated. We raced over one lap of Watopia’s Figure 8 Reverse – a popular and exciting course that strangely hasn’t appeared on the ZRL schedule until this season.
Here’s how my race unfolded as a member of the B-category DIRT Roosters squad racing in Division 3 of the EMEA W zone. Mine is just one story of the thousands that could be told, but hopefully it’s an interesting and enjoyable read.
As usual, I followed my normal pre-race routine. Chewed some tasty caffeine gum (two pieces = 200mg of go-go juice), applied PR lotion to my legs, and to celebrate the ZRL points race kickoff I also drank a glass of beet juice two hours before the race.
That stuff tastes terrible (liquid dirt, anyone?) and it always causes a fright when I pee red immediately post-race. But supposedly it’s a good pre-race drink, so I do it anyway.
Then it was time to kit up and awaken the legs and heart by spinning with the C. Cadence groupies. 30 minutes or so with a few sprints to get the heart rate up and I was ready to go.
I pulled the Tron bike out of the garage for this race, because I wanted something that climbed well without losing much speed on the sprints. Lots of other riders had the same idea – I would guess that 70-80% of racers were on the Tron bike in my event.
After checking that Discord was set up, the racing playlist cued, and OBS was recording all the action, it was time. Let’s race!
Ally is my British teammate who rivals me in terms of Zwift obsession. He had already raced in an earlier event with another DIRT squad, and let us know that the first 10 minutes would be tough. He predicted that the initial effort to the top of the KOM reverse would be a 10-minute slugfest above FTP. And he was correct.
The start was fairly tame, and even as we climbed the little kicker before the first sprint things stayed pretty calm. So calm, in fact, that I decided to go hard on the sprint, even without a useful powerup. 4th over the line (pipped by C Ryan from TBR – he’ll show up in the story later as well), but not even in the top 10 for fastest through the segment, thanks to a lack of draft and powerups.
Things calmed a bit after the sprint, allowing me to catch my breath for the KOM Reverse. This is always a tough climb that puts me right on the limit in the early stretches, but I’m generally able to get back into the front pack before we hit the finish banner. And that was the case today. I hammered hard up the steep first section through the statues, then kept pushing to catch the wheels of the riders ahead for the false flat section of the climb.
The first big selection of the race was made on that steep first section, paring the front group down to around 30 riders. And the pack kept stretching out as the climb drug out. As we sprinted up and over the final meters of the KOM I used my aero powerup for a bit of a speed boost. 9th fastest segment time… who would have guessed?
We all took a collective breath after the KOM Reverse and enjoyed the descent. It was time to recover! Team captain Antoine was on Discord checking where everyone was at. We had 5 riders in the front pack of 13, and our toughest competition (the Vikings) had only 3. This was a good sign.
The pack wasn’t pushing hard as we spun our legs out on the flat roads of Ocean Boulevard. There was a group around 12s behind, but they weren’t catching us, so there was no reason to work harder. We all knew there was a long sprint coming up, followed by the final KOM. Best to keep our powder dry.
For the first time in the race I had a useful powerup for the upcoming segment: an aero helmet for the forward sprint. But I wasn’t sure how I wanted to attack it! Should I go all in and get a few points, but burn a match that might cost me on the KOM? Or do I sit in and do the minimal amount of work to stay with the front, conserving for the maximal KOM effort?
As we hit the start line of the sprint, a few riders spun up the watts, including one Viking (A Hogseth) who activated his aero powerup. We couldn’t let a Viking go uncontested, so I pushed a bit harder and grabbed his wheel, activating my aero as well. I sat right on his wheel for the first 2/3 of the sprint, then pushed extra hard to come around. First across the line!
That wasn’t something I’d planned on. I ended up getting 2nd in terms of segment time, too, so that sprint was good for 25 points.
But I couldn’t think about all that – I had to recover before the KOM. I used my newly-found feather powerup on the kicker into The Esses, then sat in and spun as much as possible. A storm was on the horizon…
A burrito was handed to me at the downtown start/finish banner, and I didn’t know what to do with it.
Using it could accidentally hurt a teammate on what was a very crucial part of the race (the final KOM). And I wanted to make sure I got a new powerup at the top of the KOM, to help me with my finish. In the end, I opted to just throw it away. I wasn’t hungry anyway.
Watopia’s forward KOM always gets me. It’s just a bit too steep, and a bit too long. This time around I decided to stay seated on the steep first section, hoping to keep my heart rate in check and save the hammering muscles for the final stretches.
The front group didn’t go bonkers at first, until my teammate Thomas started hammering off the front. Then things started stretching. (Thomas is a beast: the strongest rider on our team for sure. He’s not a sprinter, but he can climb and hold high w/kg for a long time. Definitely the man you want for a long breakaway or TTT squad.)
The pack strung out on the second half of the climb, and I was in 6th but couldn’t hold the wheel of the Viking in front of me despite getting out of the saddle and hammering. As we came over the top of the KOM the 5 riders ahead were strung out, but I didn’t have the legs to catch them. Instead I eased and we formed a chase group as the 5 front riders blobbed up.
Our chase group eventually had 6 riders: 3 DIRT Roosters and 3 riders from other teams. We had one rider in the front group: Thomas. Ally and team captain Antoine were with me in the chase group.
We took it easy for a bit, then decided Ally would attack from far out, because that’s the smart thing to do when you’ve got the numbers in your favor (it forces the other teams to chase while you sit in). Unfortunately, another rider (C Ryan from TBR, mentioned earlier) attacked first! He went hard off the front as we climbed out of the ocean tunnel, and I grabbed his wheel as he smartly activated his burrito powerup.
As Mike Tyson famously said: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” It was time to improvise!
Ally came through with a hard pull to keep C Ryan without range, and I worked to hold his wheel, clinging to the hope that C Ryan would run out of juice and my aero powerup and knackered legs would be enough to catch him. But he seemed so far away…
With 500 meters to go I decided it was now or never – I wasn’t going to catch him if I kept waiting with the pack. So I hit my powerup and went hard off the front.
After a few seconds I could see I was gaining on him! And although I was absolutely on the limit, I kept pushing with all I had left, passing him with 100 meters to go. 8th place on the day.
See my ride on Zwift.com >
See my activity on Strava >
See race results on ZwiftPower >
Thomas, in true Thomas fashion, took the win with a long breakaway from the front group. The rest of us finished 8th, 10th, 13th, 15th, and 23rd respectively (out of 70). A strong finishing showing, plus we scored a lot of intermediate points.
The final tally isn’t yet available from WTRL, but Ally’s astute arithmetic shows us provisionally with 318 points, giving us 1st place on the day with the Vikings in 2nd.
We took 1st in terms of finishing points, but also in FAL and FTS points. Needless to say, we were all pretty stoked with that result.
The first 10 minutes of this race were indeed tough: I set a 10-minute power PR for 2021! But what I really appreciate is how much more strategic the ZRL races are getting, with riders easing for recovery between efforts. Zwift races are morphing from feeling like a TT to something closer to outdoor road races, and that’s a good thing.
The Figure 8 Reverse has been one of my favorite race courses on Zwift since early days. There’s something for everyone: climbs, sprints, flat sections. And it’s just the right length for a single-lap race, where you never ride the same tarmac twice. I just wish I could crack that forward KOM! Maybe it’s time to do some hill repeats.
As I wrapped up for the day, I reflected once again on how incredible it is that I get to race in real time with riders from all over the world. As the Zwift Insider guy sometimes it feels like most of what I hear is complaints about bugs or the slow pace of game development. But at the end of the day, there’s no denying the super-coolness of working with a team of dudes from across the pond to win a bike race. Shout out to today’s Roosters:
Did you race ZRL this week? How did it go for you and your team? Share below!
The grueling outdoor Absa Cape Epic MTB race is running from October 17-24 this year, and race organizers have partnered with Zwift for a series of daily short rides leading up to the big event.
The Absa Cape Epic is the most televised mountain bike race in the world and the only eight-day mountain bike stage race classed as hors catégorie by the UCI. Held on the rugged Western Cape of South Africa, each year’s race features around 700km of distance and 16,000m climbing.
For the 8 days leading up to the big IRL race (Oct 4-11), events are scheduled on the half hour every hour.
See event details and sign up at Zwift.com >
Not officially – they are classified as group rides and won’t count toward race rankings on ZwiftPower.
That said, many riders will race these events, for the fun of it. You do whatever you’d like!
Complete any of the events to unlock the Cape Epic kit.
Qhubeka is a global charity that moves people forward with bicycles in Africa (“Qhubeka” is an Nguni word that means “to move forward”). People earn bicycles through Qhubeka’s programs, improving their access to schools, clinics, and jobs. Funds raised by this campaign help children get to school, participate in sports, and improve access to job opportunities.
Rahsaan Bahati speaks with Qhubeka ambassador Ashleigh Moolman Pasio about how the bicycle changed her life.
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.
Our newest Rebel Route is a pitchy little number covering the upper portion of Watopia’s oldest climb, “the KOM”. It’s a fun loop if you’re looking to build sprint/anaerobic power (easy on the descents, all in for the climbs), seeking a personal challenge (how close can you get to the Strava KOM?) or just wanting to compete with a friend on a little-known loop.
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Watopia’s KOM banner is your start/finish line. From the KOM banner you will descend for a bit, then make a hard right into a short kicker climb. Keep your speed up over the crest, descend a bit more toward the statues, then turn right onto the “KOM BYpass” road.
This new section was added in Zwift’s December 2020 update and is slightly downhill in this direction. Gather speed on this bypass road, then smash it once you turn right onto the KOM, as this is the longest sustained climb of the entire loop.
This loop is never flat! Its descents are more gradual than its climbs, so you get to have fun whizzing down the hills, then hitting the punchy climbs nice and hard!
The easiest way to get onto this circuit is to choose “Hilly Route” from your Watopia route options. This will take you up the KOM in a forward direction. Once you hit the KOM banner your loop has started, meaning you’ve got a lead-in of about 1.8km (1.1 miles).
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete the Hilly KOM Bypass Loop, beginning in downtown Watopia after selecting the Hilly Route:
To complete additional circuits, just keep turning right!
Route details:
Distance: 2.5km (1.6 miles)
Elevation Gain: 31m (101′)
Strava Segment
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
The latest episode of WoZ is out, covering all things great and beautiful in our favorite virtual world.
In this episode, host OJ Borg brings us:
Scott McGrory takes over the podcast for a limited run of 3 podcast rides with 3 Australian Olympians, fresh from Tokyo! This episode features track racer Maeve Plouffe.
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.
Registration is now open for Zwift Academy Tri 2021 (sign up here, or in game). Here’s a complete look at this year’s program including changes from the previous year, workout details, graduation requirements, schedule details, and more!
Now in its third year, Zwift Academy Tri is an annual event that serves two purposes. First, it’s a global training program for triathletes of all levels. Secondly, it’s a worldwide talent ID competition to determine the six members of this year’s Zwift Academy Tri Team (more on that below).
Each year ZA Tri evolves to improve on its dual goals of building an inclusive training community and spotting talented athletes. Here’s what’s new for ZA Tri in 2021:
Designed especially for new Zwifters and/or first-time Academy participants, these short, nonrequired events explain the basics of structured training and introduce you to the overall ZA Tri program. They will be available on the event calendar as group workouts starting October 5th, but also available (along with all Zwift Academy Tri workouts) in the Zwift Academy Tri 2021 folder in your on-demand workouts menu.
Understanding your progress over time is a key aspect of training effectively. It also inspires us to greater fitness! That’s why this year’s ZA Tri program includes “progress” rides and runs at the start and finish of the program.
Both the rides and runs are all-out races, so give it all you’ve got in order to set accurate benchmarks!
Note: athletes going for a ZA Tri team spot need to complete the advanced versions of the Baseline and Finish Line rides and runs.
New features in Zwift’s Companion app will let you track your overall Academy progress, as well as stats on your PRs for the Baseline and Finish Line events.
The year’s program includes 5 fresh run workouts. New for 2021, participants have a choice between a short or long version of each workout.
Additionally, these workouts include two new features never before seen in Zwift Run:
To complete Zwift Academy Tri 2021, participants must complete a total of 14 events:
All requirements need to be completed between October 18th and December 13th.
Athletes aspiring to the Zwift Academy Tri Team have additional requirements – see below for details.
Available for group workouts Oct 18-28
Designed to improve aerobic threshold—which for most people is around Ironman pace—this session leans a little into long-distance triathlon with intermittent 30-sec bursts meant to induce extra fatigue. This variable intensity has been proven to be effective at pushing thresholds up.
Available for group workouts Oct 28-Nov 7
Combining endurance and threshold riding makes this workout an impressive challenge, with quick changes in specific cadence between sets to keep you on your toes.
This session dials in strength and threshold power with the changes in torque—ideally boosting your FTP. This session is great when done in Erg mode.
Available for group workouts Nov 7-17
This session is typically known as an up-and-under session, where you perform efforts at slightly over and then slightly under your 70.3 race pace power. Not only is this a great way to get more comfortable at your 70.3 pace, it tends to improve that number!
Available for group workouts Nov 17-27
A one-stop shop for boosting your anaerobic, aerobic, and neuromuscular systems, short intervals are key to any training plan. By manipulating the work-to-rest ratios, we’re able to target each of these three factors to a greater extent.
Available for group workouts Nov 27-Dec 7
Threshold is the point at which the powerhouse of the muscThreshold is the point at which the powerhouse of the muscle cell (mitochondria) can no longer produce energy (ATP) aerobically. So, to build this, we perform repeated high intensity efforts—somewhere around 7-8 out of 10 in terms of perceived intensity.
Available for group workouts Oct 18-28
Just like cycling, working on specific strength in running is a great way to improve your running off the bike, specifically in long distance triathlons.
Available for group workouts Oct 28-Nov 7
Running at a long-distance pace while fatigued isn’t easy, but the gains you reap are well worth it. It’s also a perfect chance to see how much the middle portion of the workout might fatigue you, as you pick up speed after dishing out an Ironman pace effort.
Available for group workouts Nov 7-17
As we fatigue, one of the first things to deteriorate is running form. So maintaining proper form while running at high speeds with some fatigue is an essential skill to train. This session is designed to help hone in on that. An ascending pace tempo session, Workout 4 aims to progressively increase the pace every few minutes to just above threshold.
Available for group workouts Nov 17-27
We’ll begin at an aerobic tempo effort before moving into faster intervals. Each rep will get faster than the previous one. The goal is This session has you building top end speed with some fast 400m reps sandwiched between endurance-based 400m reps. These faster paced runs are great for boosting neuromuscular coordination and mechanics.
Available for group workouts Nov 27-Dec 13
Threshold is the point at which the powerhouse of the muscle cell (mitochondria) can no longer produce energy (ATP) aerobically. To build this, we perform repeated high intensity efforts—somewhere around 7-8 out of 10 in terms of perceived intensity.
To ensure the best results from your structured training, you’ll want to start your ZA Tri running workouts with accurate pace settings. If you don’t know the run paces you’re capable of, take the Zwift 5k Test. Make sure you are rested before completing the test for best results!
The same goes for the cycling workouts – make sure you have an accurate FTP setting before starting the workouts. To quickly find your FTP, try taking the Ramp Test.
Participants will unlock new kit as they progress through the program:
Many ZA Tri participants will be aiming for one of six spots on this year’s ZA Tri Team whose goal is to qualify for and compete in the 2022 Ironman World Championship.
To be eligible for team selection, athletes must:
What else will Zwift use in order to determine who makes the 6-member Zwift Academy Tri team? See the full terms and conditions, which include a detailed “Selection Process/Team Participation” section. Specifically, it states:
… performance potential, previous race results, ability and availability to meet the Team training schedule, availability and willingness to participate in any scheduled Team training events and camps, ability and willingness to race at the 2022 Ironman World Championship and any necessary qualifying races and the triathlon related presence and activity on social media as well as within the triathlon community.
This year’s ZA Tri coach is Dr. Dan Plews, a world-class coach and athlete with a PhD in exercise physiology.
He’s worked with 25 World Champs and Olympians in triathlon, rowing, and sailing. Long course triathlon is his passion, having coached athletes to numerous 70.3 and long course wins as well as several sub 8-hour performances. On top of all that, Dan holds the Kona course record—8 hours and 24 minutes—for the fastest ever age-grouper.
Sign up in-game, or do it online at zwift.com/academy/zatri
Post below! We’ll do our best to answer any questions, and may reach out to Zwift HQ if you have queries we can’t answer.
Dave Towle took over the podcast to lead a UCI Road World Championships Special episode. Keep an eye out for extended cuts and more interviews to come with Kasia Niewiadoma, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, and more.
Learn more about the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Rides >
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.
