As the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics come to a close, Matt, Kristin, and Greg share their favorite moments of the Games.
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.
London’s PRL Full is the longest route in all of Zwift, covering 173km/107.5 miles. It’s a route best undertaken in good company, and this Saturday is a wonderful opportunity to do just that!
On the 25th of September, Revolution Velo Racing (one of Zwift’s longest-running community teams) will host a super fun attempt at the PRL Full Badge.
That’s right, we say super fun because what can be better than spending hours on your bike with a bunch of new friends while crushing your goal of earning the longest route badge on Zwift??
The event takes place on Saturday, September 25th, at 5:30 AM Pacific / 8:30 AM Eastern / 1:30 PM UK.
The PRL Full route was released with the original London map, and the intent was to mimic the length (but not the actual roads) of the IRL Prudential Ride London event.
In contrast to Zwift’s other long routes, The PRL Full is quite simple: it’s just 11 laps of the London Loop, followed by a bit more riding to get you onto The Mall where you finish at the Classique forward sprint.
The big feature of the London Loop is Box Hill – 3km/1.9 miles long with 136m (446′) of elevation gain for an average gradient of 4.4%. It’s not a particularly long or steep climb, but 11x up any climb is a challenge!
Read more about The PRL Full >
REVO has a bevy of experienced long-distance cyclists who have tackled events on and off of Zwift. We have some tips to share to help make the experience more enjoyable.
Plan for breaks. Look at the route ahead of time and decide when and where to take breaks. REVO’s Sarah Strange recommends planning your breaks for the descents of Box Hill. Get your avatar into a super tuck, then hop off the bike and take care of yourself. This way your avatar will spend less time stopped on the course, AND you can give your body some rest.
Stage what you’ll need ahead of time. Stopping to wander around the kitchen pondering your snack options wastes precious time. Make a stockpile near your bike with most everything you think you’ll need. Water bottles, hydration mix, snacks, chamois cream, maybe a fresh change of clothing, music, entertainment, the list goes on.
Treat the ride as seriously as you would an outdoor ride of this effort. While you are “just pedaling in your basement”, the toll on your body is similar to an outside event, and in some cases, harder. Get good rest leading up to the ride day, stay hydrated, fueled, and top off your electrolytes. I find that saddle sores are more of a problem indoors than out, so stay in tune with how you’re feeling and remember to adjust your position often. Stand briefly, shift up your cadence, and seriously consider a shorts swap once or twice during the event.
Follow along on our Revolution Velo Friends page this week for more tips leading into our big ride on Saturday.
You can sign up for the event in Zwift’s Companion app, or online at zwift.com/events/view/2202451.
Post below, and we’ll get them answered!
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:
Shimano just released its new DURA-ACE R9200 groupset, and Zwift has automatically applied it to three in-game frames: Specialized Tarmac SL7, Canyon Aeroad 2021, and Pinarello Dogma F. And this week, a sportive series begins which features each of these upgraded bikes. Here are the details…
See details and sign up at zwift.com/events/series/shimano-dura-ace-r9200
“Sportive” isn’t a commonly-used term in the US, but it’s quite common in the UK. It’s a shortening of “cyclosportive”, and it’s sort of a catch-all term that can refer to just about any mass-start organized ride you would pay to participate in which isn’t an official road race.
There’s some overlap between “fondos” and sportives, since they are similar in nature – not an official race, but more of a personal challenge in a group ride setting. But a sportive can also be much shorter than a typical fondo, even just an hour long.
Zwift hasn’t really used the “sportive” term for events in the past, but watch for its future use in events Zwift often organizes with partners that are “shorter than a fondo” group rides and not official races.
Ah, the perennial Zwift question. Zwift has five different types of ride events, which you can filter in the Companion app:
This series is defined as “Ride” events. Some riders will join just to ride with others and complete the route. Others will ride these events as races. Either approach is perfectly acceptable. You do you!
Categories in this series are not used to break riders into ability groups, but rather to determine which route you ride.
There are 4 category options:
A and C groups ride the same “longer” route selection, while B and D share the same “shorter” route.
This event has three stages, each lasting three days, with events staggered two hours part.
Each stage places all participants on a particular DURA-ACE R9200-equipped bike. But it looks like you’ll be able to pick your wheels – so choose wisely, if you’re trying to go fast! We’ve included recommendations below.
See details and sign up at zwift.com/events/series/shimano-dura-ace-r9200
Complete any stage to unlock the Shimano S-Phyre jersey.
With its latest update, Zwift auto-upgraded everyone’s Specialized Tarmac SL7, Canyon Aeroad 2021, and Pinarello Dogma F frames to use the new DURA-ACE groupset. It’s like a ninja mechanic snuck into your Zwift garage and upgraded your bikes for free!
The only downside is that our tests show that the new DURA-ACE isn’t performing as well as the old stuff. The upgraded bike frames have slowed by 2 seconds in our flat tests, and 19 seconds in our Alpe climb tests.
It’s a bug Zwift will be fixing ASAP. It’s sort of excusable – in the entire history of Zwift, groupsets have never been upgraded. Attempting to do so has apparently had unintended consequences.
With all of that said: everyone is being put on the same (slightly slowed) frames for these events, so at least we’re all equally disadvantaged. But we wouldn’t recommend racing Alpe du Zwift or any major climbs on one of the upgraded frames until Zwift issues a fix.
Post below!
Registration is now open for Zwift Academy Run 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 second year, Zwift Academy Run is an annual event that serves two purposes. First, it’s a global training program for runners of all levels. Secondly, it’s a worldwide talent ID competition to determine the six members of this year’s Zwift Academy Run Team (more on that below).
Each year ZA Run evolves to improve on its dual goals of building an inclusive training community and spotting talented athletes. Here’s what’s new for ZA Run 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 Run program. They will be available on the event calendar as group workouts starting September 20th, but also available (along with all Zwift Academy Run workouts) in the 2021 Zwift Academy Run 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!
The ZA Run program begins and ends with special 5k benchmarking events so you can set your baseline time at the start, then see progress after completing the Academy.
Baseline runs will be scheduled in the first 4 weeks of the program (Oct 4-Nov 1) and Finish Line Runs will be scheduled in the last 4 weeks (Nov 1-29) of the program.
New features in Zwift’s Companion app will let you track your overall Academy progress, as well as stats on your PRs for the short, medium, and long-duration efforts for the Baseline and Finish Line rides.
The year’s program includes 8 fresh 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 Run 2021, participants must complete a total of 10 runs:
Runners aspiring to the Zwift Academy Run Team have additional requirements – see below for details.
This session begins with a progressive warm-up before diving into sets of alternating 1-minute steep hills, followed by a 2-minute hill at a slightly lower incline.
Start with a fast 3-minute interval to spike your heart rate before doing a series of hill repeats to work on cardio strength. Then, it’s 2-minute cutdown intervals to put the icing on the cake.
This workout models a typical 5k race. The only difference is that we will keep the tempo portion in the middle slower than race pace in order to build up aerobic fitness.
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 to see if you can finish the last rep at 1-mile race pace.
Master your 5k goal race pace with multiple sets of short, fast intervals! Each set consists of a 3-minute interval, followed by a 2-minute interval and finally a 1-minute interval. The pace picks up with each successive interval and is followed by a 2-minute recovery phase before starting up again.
The purpose behind this workout is to give you both the specific endurance and exact speed work you need to make your 5k race pace stick. This is a high-intensity workout where all of your fast running will be above your lactate threshold speed. Be sure to come into this one well-rested and ready to give it your all.
This workout helps improve your Lactate Threshold speed faster than ever by spiking it with a VO2 surge in the middle. The heart of this workout is the 5-minute intervals with the middle 1-minute of each interval run at a faster pace (just over 5k goal pace). You will get a 2-minute recovery period following each fast rep.
We’ll be running 3-minute intervals with a 2-minute recovery between reps. We will vary paces throughout the workout in order to replicate how to run a championship level 5k.
Runners will unlock new kit as they progress through the program:
Many ZA Run participants will be aiming for a spot on this year’s ZA Run Team whose goal is to qualify for and compete in a major marathon (NYC, Chicago, or Berlin) in the fall of 2022. Here’s a look at the first year’s team:
If you’re trying to get onto the Zwift Academy Run Team you must complete your Baseline and Finish Line Runs using both a cadence tracker and a heart rate monitor. Both of these are required in order to be considered for the Zwift Academy Run Team.
What else will Zwift use in order to determine who makes the 6-member Zwift Academy Run team? See the full terms and conditions, which include a detailed “Selection Process/Team Participation” section.
What is the selection criteria? The terms and conditions state:
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 a 2022 Major Marathon, and the running related presence and activity on social media as well as within the running community.
This year’s ZA Run coaches were first introduced last year. Both are experienced coaches who have trained runners from beginner level all the way up to Olympic athletes.
Back for his second year, Terrence brings total integration of sports science, strength, conditioning, and sports therapy. He guides athletes to the Olympics and results on the global stage, maximizing training sessions to help runners achieve their potential.
With 20 years of experience as a pro athlete, 3x Olympian Jen Rhines coaches runners of all ages and ability levels from amateurs to Olympic hopefuls. Last year, she mentored the Run team to nail their nutrition and improve their mindset during training.
Sign up in-game, or do it online at zwift.com/academy/zarun.
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.
Zwift’s newest update adds the Shimano C50 wheelset to the Drop Shop. While Shimano’s Dura-Ace C50 wheels have been around for years, an updated IRL version was just announced as part of Shimano’s big Dura-Ace R9200 rollout (which any roadie worth their chamois already knows about). The C50’s release on Zwift coincides with the 9200 groupset being made available on a few Zwift frames as well, so Shimano+Zwift have definitely coordinated a virtual rollout to back up their IRL rollout.
Shimano has had the C40 and C60 wheels in game from early days. Neither wheelset exhibits remarkable performance, but they’re also the lowest-cost hoops in the Drop Shop apart from a couple of Zwift’s own wheelsets.
The new C50 wheels are available for 88,700 Drops on Zwift, which is a very low price considering they retail for around $2000USD/pair. You must be at level 28+ to purchase them in game, and they are rated 3 stars for aero, 1 star for weight. Here’s how they’re described in the Drop Shop:
“The perfect blend of low weight and aerodynamic performance, the all-new DURA-ACE C50 features an updated all-carbon tubeless rim and new hub design that drops weight while enhancing rigidity.”
Zwift’s star ratings point to these wheels being mid-pack aero performers and poor climbers. Logically they should climb better than Shimano’s C60 but slower than the C40, while outperforming the C40 on flat ground but losing to the C60.
But experienced Zwifters know that real-world performance doesn’t necessarily translate to Zwift performance, so at Zwift Insider we run frames and wheelsets through a battery of tests to learn just how well they perform in Zwift’s virtual world.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Shimano C50 wheels in Zwift…
The Shimano C50 wheels turn in a flat test time that places them in approximately the 30th percentile for aero performance. Not great, but also not surprising given the performance of other Shimano wheelsets in game.
As expected, the C50 is a bit faster (2 seconds) than the C40, and slower (9 seconds) than the C60 in our flat test.
The C50 wheels turned in a time of 51:11 on our test course (two laps of Tempus Fugit). By comparison, the fastest wheels in game (DT Swiss disc) turned in a time of 50:25.5.
The Shimano C50 wheels are rated at just 1 star for weight, so we didn’t expect their climbing performance to be anything noteworthy. Their climb test result puts them in the 19th percentile among the universe of wheelsets available on Zwift.
As expected, the C50 wheels climb a bit better (3.5 seconds) than the C60, and a bit slower (4 seconds) than the C40.
Shimano’s C50 wheels turned in an Alpe du Zwift time of 49:35.5, placing them 23.5 seconds behind the two top climbing wheelsets (Lightweight Meilensteins and Roval Alpinst CLX).
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
It seems Zwifters get what we pay for when it comes to in-game Shimano wheelsets. With unremarkable performance on both the climb and aero sides, it’s hard to recommend these wheels for anyone unless you’re a big Shimano fan or just want your virtual bike to match your IRL steed.
We’ve added the Shimano C50 wheelset to our Master Zwift Wheels List and will also update the following posts with their test data:
Share below!
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.
Photo credit: @milossavicvisuals
This week we welcome American unsung hero Jackie Hering to talk about Collin’s Cup and her impressions and experience of the event.
Jackie is generally an athlete that lets her results speak for themselves, but in this episode, we get a glimpse of her genuine and straightforward personality. Long story short, she’s awesome, and if you listen to this episode you’ll be a fan as well!
On top of all this, and Sarah True is back and she’s got a new human to tell us about!
The Zwift PowerUp Tri Podcast is hosted by former pro triathlete Matt Lieto and Zwift Academy Tri mentor Sarah True. Both are passionate about lending their in-depth knowledge of the multisport to the Zwift Tri audience.
I see many people introducing themselves on WTRL’s Facebook page in order to find a ZRL Season 4 team. As I am also looking for a team, I’ve spent the last few days struggling to find the right balance in my presentation: being honest, genuine, not exaggerating but not minimizing qualities and flaws. This is important because in the end, entering a ZRL team is like entering a brotherhood.
So, even if being half-French half-Argentinian makes me the closest thing to perfection a human being can be – kind of a semi-deity if you think about it objectively – I need to put some perspective on it. Though five volumes of 3000 pages would only scratch the surface of my wonderfulness, I have tried to make a comprehensive list consolidating pros and cons you, basic human beings, would enjoy and suffer if I am racing with you. How should I present myself to potential teammates?
So, all in all. If I had to summarize all of this on a Facebook post, what am I left with? Would the following work?
Would you adopt me into your ZRL Team?
Here’s the update of the month that Zwift didn’t tell us about – unofficial support for the new AppleTV remote!
The second-generation AppleTV 4k was released in April 2021, and many Zwifters picked one up hoping for an improved Zwifting experience. Specifically, the old AppleTV remote is legendary among Zwifters for being a big pain to use with its swiping motion – but the new AppleTV remote has click navigation along with swiping ability.
Unfortunately, Zwift didn’t update its AppleTV app to support the new remote… until this week’s release! While the official update notes don’t mention enhanced AppleTV remote support, things have definitely changed for the better.
Why wasn’t this oft-requested feature mentioned in the update notes? Probably because Zwift hasn’t fully rolled out support for the new remote. It works well on certain screens, but not so great on other screens. It specifically works well in these instances:
Watch our favorite Aussie Lama deliver a full rundown of the new AppleTV remote on the current version of Zwift:
Post below!
The weekend starts early! There are lots of new events kicking off, starting with my new Mountain Massif TT event on Friday. To celebrate, I am rounding up some new events to highlight to try. (If I have missed any, be sure to highlight it the comments section.) And of course, I’ve included current Zwift Academy Road events!
After a tough week at work, what better way to kick-start the weekend with a TT up half of Alpe Du Zwift?
I have expanded my popular Mountain Massif TT series by launching this new event that takes riders up to turn 8, approximately 12km from the pens with 622 meters of climbing. This gives racers the opportunity to go “full gas” and really attack the lower slopes, knowing the finish won’t be too far. A chance to really test yourself and attack the climb.
For the month of September and October, the event is being sponsored by Muc-Off, you can read about their products in my article here. For detailed information about the event, read this article.
Friday, September 17th @ 12pm CEST/11am BST/6am EDT/3am PDT
Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2286194
– OR –
Friday, September 17th @ 7pm CEST/6pm BST/1pm EDT/10am PDT
Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2286185
Phil Gaimon’s cookie-themed charity ride (Phil’s Fondo) in Malibu has one more year on hiatus, so he’s taking it to Zwift! This looks to be the most popular ride this weekend, with hundreds already signed up.
Ride whatever pace you’d like – there’s only one category to join, and there will certainly be some competition at the pointy end. It’s a short ride – just one lap of Greater London 8.
And bring cookies! The event description says, “Just like at Phil’s Cookie Fondo, we’ll race up the climb, and then stop to eat cookies at the top while our friends catch up.”
This event (and the IRL version) is a fundraiser, so please consider a donation to Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry.
Saturday, September 18 @ 4pm CEST/3pm BST/10am EDT/7am PDT
Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2256185
– OR –
Saturday, September 18 @ 10pm EDT/7pm PDT
Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2256189
You may have read my article promoting this event from earlier in the week.
Race3R are offering the chance to undertake a 12 or 24-hour endurance challenge. This ride is a training event, the first of many that will be hosted in the build-up to the main events with the 12-hour ride scheduled for 15th January and a 24-hour ride on 26th February.
This is going to be an epic challenge for sure and training certainly will be required.
Saturday, September 18 @ 8am CEST/7am BST
Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2291092
This is a new Sunday race and in this edition, it’s 42.7km on the Sand and Sequoias circuit. Each week there will be a different event, with a race time of approximately 90 minutes.
Sunday, September 19 @ 9am CEST/8am BST/10:35am EDT/7:35am PDT
Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2292906
– OR –
Sunday, September 19 @ 2:30pm CEST/1:30pm BST/8:30am EDT/5:30am PDT
Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2292904
Another week, another new workout. I’m looking forward to giving this a go, I just hope it is not as hard a Workout #2. Let us know how you get on in the comments below.
Zwift states: “This session has two goals: enhance lactate tolerance, which allows you to perform at intensities above your FTP for longer, and boost your VO2 Max. This session will hold you at a high VO2 max over the majority of each set and raise your maximal aerobic capacity”.
Multiple dates and times, see all upcoming >
You must complete two recovery group rides in order to graduate from Zwift Academy Road 2021. Ideally, you would do one recovery ride after the first block of three workouts, and another recovery ride after the second block of three workouts.
Recovery rides are very easy – 45 minutes at an easy pace. They’re a requirement because learning how to recover is such an essential part of training! They’re also hosted by helpful ride leaders, so enjoy the banter and spin out those legs.
Multiple dates and times, see all upcoming >
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!
