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Split-Screen Dreams: How to run Zwift Split-Screen on Your PC

Chris Ovenden
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20
Split-Screen Dreams: How to run Zwift Split-Screen on Your PC

Do you have 2 smart trainers but only one TV?

Do you and your significant other fight over who gets the big screen and who has to ride with their nose pressed against their mobile phone?

Do you long for the warm nostalgic embrace of split-screen multiplayer gaming?

Well, read on, because this article is the answer to all your problems! (disclaimer: this article will not solve all your problems.)

You’ve got troubles? Well I’ve got ‘em too!

Like many couples that zwift, my partner and I often find ourselves wanting to ride at the same time. Until recently, we’d been making this work with one of us on a PC connected to a TV, and the other on a Surface Pro 7 perched on an old music stand. And for a time that was working very well. But then, disaster struck. Zwift developed an issue with the Surface Pro’s integrated graphics. What followed was a series of mid-race crashes and post-crash sulks that threatened to turn our lockdown harmony into Surface-smashing discord.

To avoid a costly Surface Pro ‘accident’, I decided to look for an alternative way to get us zwifting zimultaniously (TM). The front-runner for some time was to run Zwift on a mobile phone and then cast it to the Surface Pro, but the lag and instability over Wi-Fi made that option rather less than attractive. (Plus, it just seemed horribly inelegant.)

With no fix for the integrated graphics issue in sight, I set my mind to a better solution. A purer solution. A solution to harken back to the golden days of gaming.

Could I run two instances of Zwift split-screen on a desktop PC?

The answer, happily, is ‘yes’!

Don’t Sandbag. Sandbox!

To make our split-screen dreams come true, we’ll use a program called Sandboxie (get it here). In a nutshell, some applications, like Word and Excel, let you run more than one instance of themselves at a time. Others, like Zwift, only allow you to run one instance. (This is usually for a good reason. For example, because the program needs to recruit most of the CPU/GPU.) Sandboxie presents a way around this limitation by letting you create an isolated ‘sandbox’ environment in which to run a second instance of a restricted application.

To get started, download and install Sandboxie and then right-click the program you want to run. There should now be a ‘Run Sandboxed’ option. Give that a click and your program will open up in its own environment. (You can tell if an application is ‘sandboxed’ by hovering over its title bar, which will turn its border yellow).

Right click on the Zwift tile and select ‘Run Sandboxed’
Sandboxed window with yellow borders

Now all you need to do to get your split-screen up and running is load Zwift as normal with one log in, and then load a second sandboxed instance with another.

And for those of you wondering, the Companion app works with each instance of Zwift as normal.

Doubling Up

OK, so, a little more detail:

First, you are going to want to run Zwift in Windowed mode (you’ll struggle to see both screens otherwise!). You can then resize your windows and move them to the locations of your choosing. My partner likes a side-by-side set up. I’m more a fan of a top-and-bottom deal (Goldeneye64 style). Resizing the window will alter the field of view, so that may affect how you want to organize things. Also, text will be stretched or squashed depending on your chosen aspect ratio, as you can see below.

Side-by-side
Goldeneye64!

Next you need to think about how you will connect your trainers. The best method I’ve found is to use two ANT+ dongles:

  • First, load up Zwift normally with just one dongle plugged into the computer. Connect the trainer you want to use with that instance in the normal way.
  • Next, load up your second instance of Zwift. Now plug in your second dongle and you should get the option to connect the second trainer. (If you have both ANT+ dongles plugged in when you load up, one instance of Zwift will use one and the other instance will use the other. The problem is that you won’t know which instance is using which dongle. If, like me, you use a USB extension cable to put your dongle closer to your trainer, that’s a pretty important piece of information!)

I’ve had mixed success with getting the second trainer to connect via a Bluetooth dongle (I get the ‘no signal’ issue). Another option, if you don’t have two dongles, is to connect your second trainer via the Companion app. This works well, but locks you out from using Discord on your phone for your comms.

And voila, you are now ready to Zwift split-screened!

Life without Borders

‘But, Chris!’ I hear you cry, ‘what about that ugly Windows border ruining my immersive gaming experience? I’d rather run Zwift on my Nokia 3310 than spend another second looking at that.’

Well, dry those eyes, Sweetums, because I am one step ahead of you. We can use an application called Borderless Gaming (‘[BG]’) to remove those pesky frames (get it here).

[BG] is a neat little program that lets you run an application in windowed mode while making it look like a full screen app. (Why would you want to do this? It turns out for quite a few reasons, but now’s hardly the time, Curious George).

Download and install [BG] then open it up. In the ‘Applications’ Window on the left you should see ‘Zwift’ and ‘[#] Zwift [#]’. Select them one at a time and press the button to ‘Attempt to restore a window back to its bordered state’ (the box with four arrows pointing inwards). Next, press the right arrow to move them into the ‘Favorites’ box. This will automatically maximize the windows, so Alt+Tab back to [BG].

Right-click on ‘Zwift’ in the favorites window and uncheck ‘Full Screen’ then right-click on ‘Zwift’ again and select ‘Set Window Size’. Drag out a box where you want your Zwift window to go and then double-click to confirm your selection. Finally, press the ‘restore window’ button again. (I have no idea why this is the button that works, but it does!) After a second or so, your full-screen window should size down to your selected size. Do the same for [#] Zwift [#] and you are all set.

Select each application and press the ‘Restore Window’ button.
De-select ‘Full Screen’ and then select ‘Set Window Size’

If you want to be precise, work out how large you want each window to be and then select ‘Set Window Size’, but this time press ‘no’ when it asks you if you want to select area. This will allow you to enter an exact size and location for the two windows. For a 1080p screen and Goldeneye split screen, set your first window to x=0, y=0, width=1920 and height=540. The other window should then be x-0, y-540, with the same width and height. For side by side use [0,0,960,1080], [960,0,960,1080].

[BG] will keep these settings saved for ‘Zwift’ and ‘[#] Zwift [#]’, so the next time you want to zwift together just open up your two instances and start [BG]. (If it doesn’t work straight away, select the applications in [BG] and press the ‘restore window’ button.) When you go back to zwifting zolo (TM, again), simply open up Zwift as normal and set it to full screen mode (requires a restart). Alternatively, you can keep Zwift windowed but set it to full screen mode in [BG] (but make a note of the settings for when you want to split-screen again). Easier still, you could just load Zwift without opening [BG] and maximize the window (but only if you can tolerate that Windows border).

If all goes well, you should now be looking at two borderless windows, each running Zwift.

My partner’s preference is a slightly smaller window so that the text isn’t stretched. Depending on your screen size, you might like to mess around with the exact window sizes. Add in a custom desktop background and, hey presto, things are looking pretty slick! (Be sure to hide desktop icons for a cleaner look.)

Lookin’ sharp!

Caveats and Tech Specs

This does take a bit longer to set up than running Zwift on two separate devices, so make sure you leave enough time before your chosen events to avoid disappointment. I’d also recommend giving things a trial run the night before. It can get pretty tight time-wise if, like us, you get up to ride early in the morning.

Tech-wise, I’m running an old AMD Phenom II I bought back in 2013 and a NVIDIA 1650 Super. That setup handles a single instance of Zwift on ultra and 720p streaming, no problem. Running two instances of Zwift is a bit more of a challenge, and I had to drop the graphics to ‘low’ to get a steady framerate. Once I did that it was all smooth sailing. Streaming was another matter. I found I had to use ‘Desktop Capture’ to get both windows to register in my OBS. (‘Game Capture’ wouldn’t pick up the sandboxed window at all.) That proved too much for my system, though, and completely killed the framerate. Those with a more powerful gaming rig may have more success!

My setup:

  • Windows 10
  • CPU: AMD Phenom II Black x4 3.4Ghz
  • GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1650 Super 4Gb
  • 8 GB RAM

I’ve tried to get split-screen running on my Surface Pro 7 (just to see if I could) and the sandboxed Zwift crashes on start-up. I suspect that you’ll want a discrete graphics card to get it working, so bear that in mind. With that said, Zwift is notoriously temperamental and I can’t promise this will work on your machine, whatever the spec!

A further caveat: after installing the latest Windows Feature Update, I encountered a whole host of problems with USB ports not registering properly. This not only stopped the Sandboxed instance of Zwift from connecting via ANT+ USB (causing the app to crash), but also caused various Internet dropouts from my USB Wi-Fi adapter. A quick roll-back to the previous version and everything is hunky-dory. Moral of that story: if it ain’t broke, don’t Windows Update it.

Wrap it up, Chris

We’ve run this setup on group rides, the Thursday TTT, and for a few hours of general riding around Watopia. So far everything seems very stable. We have a large TV linked to the PC and this is a much better option than having one of us on a huge screen and the other on a phone or tablet. It’s also great to ride side by side on the same screen (it certainly makes it easier to cheer each other on, mid-ride!).

So for those who ride with their partner (or children, siblings, friends etc.) but don’t have two large screens, this is a really attractive option. I have a more powerful PC on the way and I am definitely considering this for when we are racing at the same time (hopefully with the option to stream both races from the same machine).

Questions or Comments?

So that’s the long and short of split-screening with Zwift! Drop a comment below to say how you get on or let us know your solutions to zwifting together.

Ride on!

Lucianotes: Bologna Fans vs Bologna Haters

Luciano Pollastri
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38
Lucianotes: Bologna Fans vs Bologna Haters

One of the things characterizing most of the intensive Zwifters I know is that we can have endless heated debates about the most nonsensical and useless topics as if they were a matter of life and death. 

Forget politics, religion, who is the NBA, NHL, or NFL GOAT. For a Zwifter there is nothing more important and controversial in the world than:

  • What is the best bike for a specific circuit or race: Tron absolutists (Tron for all races) vs Cherry Pickers (each race deserves its specific bike choice). Each participant goes with his own analysis, projection of weight and aerodynamics of the bike combined with his own weight and height, Zwift Insider analysis and consolidated frames and wheels performance Excel file showing you are one second faster with this setup vs this other setup. Then the acid remarks “All this time wasted for just one second in a race? I told you Tron is always the best choice” and the other one going “What do you mean by ‘just one second’??!!! One second means the world to any respectable Zwifter, it is the difference between winners and losers.” 
  • How close the experience on Zwift is compared to IRL road cycling: goes from 0 to 100% and everybody refers to his own superior racing experience or alleged biomechanical expertise.
  • W/kg vs absolute watts: to what extent one performance indicator is prevailing over the other on the flats, the climbs, and the course of an entire race.
  • Wahoo, Tacx, or Elite? The bell rings, beginning of round 1. FIGHT!!! The only way to win is by exhaustion as literally nobody will ever disavow their own smart trainer. Mine is more accurate in power measurement vs mine is more realistic, electromagnetic vs kinetic flywheel, connection stability, gradient simulation, is road feel a gimmick or a must… you name it. Endless “mine is bigger than yours” debates.
  • How to solve the flawed ZP categorization? I think this one is the one we’ve spent the most time on within the team. How the current system incentivizes or not people to cheat on their weight and/or sandbag, and what would be a better one. Between those rooting for a ranking by points, the ones praising a ponderated average on P5 – P20 – P60 (not only P20), and those advocating for a wild jungle with no categories at all, we never reach a conclusion. We all are perfect devil’s advocates, destroying the idea of the colleague without offering a better alternative ourselves.   

There are as many useless and nonsensical topics to debate as there are Zwifters in this world.

One of the most memorable debates I had with my ZRL team was when I dared to say that my preferred circuit, by far, was Bologna, especially when it is an individual time trial (the “Zwift Fast Fridays: Bologna Time Trial” event is the best). 

Think about it. You have everything Zwift can offer in 8km:

  • From a circuit profile perspective: an almost perfect balance between the flats and this incredibly beautiful and steep climb.
  • A tactical choice to make on the distribution and management of your effort: do I start at 100% or do I negative split it (on this precise topic I highly recommend reading this article by Eric).
  • An almost perfect circuit to benchmark a 20-minute FTP test until you reach CAT B (then the circuit becomes a little short).
  • The scenery: diverse, changing, and most important very realistic. For those who fell in love when visiting Bologna IRL, it brings back the nostalgia, flavors, and sounds of the city. 

Enough was enough for Andoni. He would not stand one more word of praise for the Bologna circuit:

“I HATE IT!!!! I HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT!!!! This is the worst circuit ever!! A pain. There is no way to find your rhythm in there, and just when you start finding your pace BAM!!! It’s already finished!!! RI-DI-CU-LOUS!!”

Each of those words felt like a bullet slowly breaking through my body and leaving me bleeding to death. As my jaw clinched over such an absurd and ungrounded statement I prepared to shout, “Blasphemy!!!! Let’s solve it with a trial by combat!!!”

But before I could even react, Oskr bounced on Andoni’s initial statement: “Oh yes!!! Bologna is horrible. Whoever likes Bologna has for sure childhood issues to resolve. Liking Bologna is almost as worrying as liking fresh beetroot juice!!”

I felt all by myself, misunderstood by the entire world and ready to retreat forever in silence and isolation to one of the Pyramids of Watopia’s Mayan Jungle.

However, as always when you are drowning in deep waters, a friend catches your hand to get you out. This time my savior was Albert:

“Bologna is the Holy Grail!!! A monthly pilgrimage to Bologna should be mandatory for each Zwifter to keep his Zwift membership! We should have Scotty the Squirrel reminding you that you are not in compliance with your Bologna monthly pilgrimage and at risk to lose a category, or even better, your Tron bike!!!”

Beyond the fact that the mere possibility of losing my Tron bike left me quietly weeping for several minutes, knives started flying around, each camp getting growingly dismissive and inconsiderate towards the other one, and eventually questioning the respectability and honorability of our corresponding mothers (like in most of languages, the basic list of insults in Spanish involves mothers).

So Albert and I were Bologna fans. Andoni and Oskr were Bologna haters. What about the other members of the team? 

In each debate you need a Switzerland. A permanently neutral camp which will use fake empathy to try to find a meeting point between fans and haters, almost denying the unsolvable differences between the parties. And it works. The best possible outcome was to agree to disagree, and in the end this is the status we attained. We also agreed to never mention the topic again. Never. It would revive wounds which will never heal. What happens in Watopia stays in Watopia.

Now, jokes aside, hopefully by now you understand that my recollection of events is highly exaggerated and any resemblance with what actually happened is mere coincidence. But I do love passionate debates. For me, those can only happen with the people you feel close enough to expose yourself without feeling judged, because they are as crazy and involved in the game as you are. My ZESP Jerbos team is definitely a safe space for that. 

An Active Approach to Cycling Injuries: Kettlebell Exercises for Cyclists

Christopher Schwenker
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13
An Active Approach to Cycling Injuries: Kettlebell Exercises for Cyclists

Using the kettlebell in your cycling strength training program provides several unique benefits, making it an appealing choice for off-the-bike training. 

The Benefits of Strength Training with Kettlebells

  • Efficient use of training time: The ability to flow from one exercise to the next without the need to adjust or change your equipment results in shorter, more intense workouts.
  • Total body training: Most kettlebell workout plans employ a vast range of muscle groups, allowing you to stimulate a greater number of muscle fibers in a shorter period of time.
  • Cardio aspect: The dynamic nature of the exercises and greater muscle recruitment cause an increase in heart rate while developing muscle strength and endurance.
  • Less equipment required: Due to the flexibility and adaptability of the exercises, with the utilization of only one piece of equipment you are able to perform a challenging and progressive workout.
  • Little space needed: Most exercises can be performed in a compact space and in the safety of your own pain cave.
  • Functional for daily life: The exercises are based upon normal everyday movement patterns which translate as improvement in the performance of daily living activities as well as cycling.
  • Counteracts the negative effect of prolonged sitting:  By dynamically engaging core and postural muscles, the exercises negate the deleterious effects of prolonged sitting in the saddle and out.

Zwift Insider Kettlebell Strengthening Program

Find the Zwift Insider Kettlebell Program complete with exercise descriptions >

Chime in!

Do you use kettlebells as a tool in your cycling strength training?  Your fellow Zwifters want to know how they work for you! Comment below…

Giant Camden Tron Hunters Rides Announced

Bianca Fernandez-Clark
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36
Giant Camden Tron Hunters Rides Announced

When I started Zwifting in 2019, I wasn’t sure what was all the hype. I was happy to sit on a turbo with some music or watching a TV show and follow my workout on my watch. To me, indoor training was just the less-than-enjoyable thing you have to get through midweek before the real and enjoyable outdoor cycle day arrived, which I would do on the weekends with my teammates at Giant Camden Team Liv. 

Seeing all the Zwift maps on my Strava gave me some “FOMO” though and I opened an account. Four weeks later my coach had to have a sit down with me as a form of intervention; my Zwift addiction was in full swing: I was doing all my workouts from my coach, and on top of them, joining everything from the Zwift Academy tri, races and group rides and don’t even get me started with leveling up to get new kit and bikes. I was Zwift addicted and I LOVED it.

How Team GC Zwift was born

This is me Zwifting whilst on a Town Hall – nothing gets in the way of my workouts!

I will never forget the first day of lockdown date as it was my birthday. I had planned a big ride with my club teammates (Giant Camden Team Liv was the first exclusive female club in London); all that was canceled and I spent my birthday on Zwift instead. I had a chat with Nick (Giant Camden store owner) on what we could do to keep our clubs and communities together during what looked like pretty tough months to come. We started with “let’s just put a few Meetups in place for our trainings”, and from that conversation, team GC Zwift was born!

None of us could have predicted what our club was going to become. We had just a few riders from our affiliated clubs and amazing ride leaders and coaches who were giving out time to lead Meetups and group workouts. We also had just 1 team in the weekly WTRL TTT (now 10+!). As I look back to 2020, I see how we were all adjusting to life in lockdown and all its challenges, but getting together on Zwift, keeping that sense of community, is one of the things that kept us sane and helped us get through the year.

Tron Hunters Rides – getting you closer to the Tron!

As we became pure Zwifters (no more “indoor is the gateway to outdoor”, Zwift won us over), the question became “how do you get the Tron”. We had a lot of new zwifters, plus more experienced clueless zwifters like me who did not know you had to have the Everest challenge selected (I could have 3 Trons by now!). All I know is that we wanted that sweet, fast, and neon-looking bike!

We started scheduling our Meetups and personal workouts exclusively on hilly routes, grinding the Alpe and subsequently Ven-Top – I have climbed Alpe du Zwift so many times I never want to do the route again!

During our pitch to Zwift we sent the proposal of a “Tron Hunters” ride to be added to the official events for all the Zwift community. We are sure lots of Zwifters can’t wait to get their hands on the Tron, but it’s so hard!

Here’s how we view these rides: there are a lot of hilly routes on Zwift that aren’t a grind, and you can rack up elevation quickly with multiple laps (we did the math). Also, everything is more fun in a group, so that 2% more progress towards the Tron you’ll get at the end of the ride will be an enjoyable 2%! And even if you have the Tron, these are excellent endurance sessions with a first-ride bonus of getting to keep the Giant jersey:

Event Schedule

Our Tron Hunters rides are every Sunday at 8:30 AM GMT. In the future, we may add additional slots for our Zwifters across the globe. Find our rides at https://www.zwift.com/events/tag/giantcamden

Our last ride we climbed NYC KOM 6 times!

What’s next?

We have a few ideas of more rides for the community and one topic we are passionate about is encouraging more females into cycling – every day is Women’s day! We have a strong female base and are lucky to have Amy Pritchard, a team GB AG World Champion, in our ranks. With her deep knowledge of cycling skills and how she manages training and coaching being a full-time NHS worker and mother of 2, we believe this will be an amazing opportunity for women (and men!) to learn from her on future weekly ride-outs.

Watch this space!

Lucianotes: Mountain Massif TT Event: Fromage AND Dessert

Luciano Pollastri
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12
Lucianotes: Mountain Massif TT Event: Fromage AND Dessert

In France, many degustation menus include a Fromage (Cheese) or Dessert (Dessert) option. Meaning the price of the menu includes cheese OR dessert, and you have to choose between one or the other. You can also, for an additional fee, go for the Fromage AND Dessert. Your choice mainly depends on your appetite for the day. Freedom of choice. 

And then you have the “Chef Tim Perkin Special Monday’s Massif Mountain TT Degustation Menu”.  The particularity of Chef Tim Perkin is that he makes Fromage AND Dessert mandatory. You get Time Trial AND Mountain by default. No way out. Want it or not. If you are toast, done, full, you can’t take it anymore, too late… you get both and that’s it. 

The invite was everything but attractive. It seemed like Tim wanted to have dinner by himself, positioning the event as close as possible to what the definition of a torture session is:

“What do you get if you cross a mountain race and a time trial?  An absolutely intense, but highly unique event that will test the ability of any rider. 

This is the chance to push yourself beyond your perceived limits and do something that you haven’t done before.”

Who would be lunatic enough to go for this? Well, close to 500 Zwifters enrolled, including some legends like Jonathan Edwards (Triple Jump World Record Holder), all proudly and publicly acknowledging their insanity by RSVPing. 

Chef Tim prepared a shortened version of the Mountain 8 route for our consumption: close to 6km flat portion Fromage, followed by a 6km Epic KOM Reverse Dessert, with an Antenna hot fudge topping.

Dinner was due at exactly 8PM Central European Time. 

The original intention was, through the event, to create an allegory to the 2020 Tour de France 20th stage, where Tadej Pogačar (without a power meter by the way) destroyed the Climbing TT one day before the end of the race. He distanced Primož Roglič by 1 minute and 56 seconds and won the Tour de France against all odds in one of the most outstanding overturns in cycling history. A typical David against Goliath story. 

In line in the pen, galvanized by this incredibly inspirational story, we were all Rocky Balboa underdogs ready to ignite the world with our wattage output. In reality my main concern was to check the bike choice of my enemies beloved fellow Zwifter colleagues. With such an eclectic route profile, the bike choice was not that obvious, and I eventually opted to go as light as possible: Tarmac Pro and Meilenstein Lightweight.

Music choice is utterly important for me in these circumstances. The last minutes of the wait were accompanied today by the classic but never aging “Final Countdown” by Europe. IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOOOOOOWN!!!! NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAAAAAAAAA, NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA!! For sure I was singing way too loud and out of tune because a shoe hit my back in objection (or maybe it was only a survival reflex from my wife). 

3…..2……1….. GO!!!! I unleash close to 700w for 15 seconds, then sit and maintain 450w for another 30 seconds to finally stabilize around 320w, which is 4.11 w/kg for me, my cruise pace. (Yes, point eleven. Not the same as point ten or point twelve. If you believe it is the same you should return your Zwifter diploma to ZADA and sell your smart trainer to someone who actually cares. You don’t deserve to be part of our community. 😁)

Remember that Rocky Balboa spirit I referred to earlier? It lasted exactly 7 kilometers. Three km into the Epic KOM reverse I started my mutation. I downgraded from the Hulk to James Bond in the third km of the ascent, from James Bond to Gru the Villain in the fourth, and finished somewhere in between an anemic version of SpongeBob and an undertrained variant of Steve Urkel by the time we were finishing the KOM.  

As many riders were overtaking me, not even noticing me, I turned on the first gear of my excuse-maker machine. Since I knew I would need to stick to one of those self-made excuses until late in the night, and that I was certainly going to be writing about the event, it needed to be rock solid. I was tempted by two equally laughable alternatives. I let you choose for me the one you prefer: 

  1. I enrolled very late to the race so I could not prepare for it as I normally do.
  2. As Zwift was displaying crazy numbers, the only reasonable explanation is that I have not calibrated my smart trainer in three weeks, it is certainly not working properly and misrepresenting my wattage output. 

If anyone is interested, just send me a private message. I can generate tons of them spontaneously, customizing the excuses to your individual skills, physical attributes, local climate, gear, apparel, isotonic drink of choice, astrological sign, and past traumatic events. I am still in Beta mode, but in a month or two I will ask for royalties if you use them.

By the time we turned right to the antenna,  the crowd looked like a long procession of Spongebobs. Even the ones pretending to still be Hulks were debunked by their avatar’s cadence in the low 60s.  

A quick look at the top of the climb and now it’s my complaining and swearing machine turning on. We, French, are all provided with a very powerful one within our DNA:

“I can’t believe I have put myself in this situation again. How can I be so stupid, what’s the point, who even cares? Plus this thing is not even real… I am by myself in my pain cave like an idiot, all this because I could not resist Tim calling on me… freaking testosterone. I took it as a “I bet you don’t have the guts to enroll in the climbing TT” and like a jerk I fell into it.  And now my legs burn and I am sweating like a steam-cooked Chinese dumpling for what? Nothing!! Literally nothing!!”

I bet it sounds familiar and resonates with most of the people experiencing the 17% gradient on the last segment of the race.

Once at the top of the mountain, I would be lying if I said that the verb “enjoying” was the first coming to my mind to describe how I felt about the Fromage AND Dessert meal. 

I felt I needed two or three antacid tablets to digest it all.

Now, seriously, the service was excellent and deserved a 35% tip for sure. We had tons of fun before and after the event through the Discord channel. 

In any case the event was a great great idea. It felt like an immense meet-up combined with a huge challenge and at the same time the celebration of being together. 

Cherry on the cake from a personal perspective: today I improved my FTP 11 watts and was upgraded to Category A by ZP.

@Chef Tim. This was presented as a “unique” one, but I can’t wait to receive an invite for the next “unique” Fromage AND Dessert event. 

Editor’s note: thanks to the success of the first Monday’s Mountain Massif TT event, it is now a weekly event on the Zwift calendar, held at 19:00 CET.

World of Zwift – Season 2, Episode 19

Eric Schlange
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0
World of Zwift – Season 2, Episode 19

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:

  • This Week In The World Of Zwift
  • Rider Recon – Douce France with Ben Foster
  • Feed Zone Flashbacks
  • Team Profile: Canyon Esports
  • ZRL Season Preview with Matt Stephens
  • A-Zwift

Top 5 Zwift Videos: Beginner Racing, Long Rides, Time Trials

Karissa Minn
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1
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Beginner Racing, Long Rides, Time Trials

Three of this week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos offer race advice and analysis, including one focused on time trials. The others feature a different sort of challenge – long endurance rides. One Zwifter tackles the PRL Full route, while another takes on the Uber Pretzel.

Pick the Right Race – Zwift Top 5 Tips

General Elost’s advice about picking a race is especially helpful for beginner Zwift racers. He goes over how to find events and see details on Zwift and ZwiftPower, how to identify your strengths and choose a race that suits them, and how to sign up for the right category.

Getting Stronger (2 race breakdowns)

Sometimes it can take a while to get used to the type of hard efforts that you need in Zwift racing. Claudio Marquez goes through two of his races and talks about what he’s learned over the past few months.

Riding the Zwift PRL FULL, Long Runs & Strength

Eric Abbott had a long ride on his training schedule, so he jumped into the Zwift Insider Badge Hunters ride on the PRL Full course. He soon found out that some Zwifters take “it’s not a race” as a challenge!

100 Mile Zwift Challenge | Uber Pretzel

If you’re going to do a 100-mile ride on Zwift, the Uber Pretzel is a tough route to choose! And that’s exactly the challenge Eloise Park set for herself.

Zwift Racing: the Individual Time Trial

Wonder how Zwift’s time trial racing mode works? Oliver Rodgers will show you, and he’ll also give you some insights based on how he completed the race.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

Monday’s Mountain Massif TT – The Review

Tim Perkin
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Monday’s Mountain Massif TT – The Review

The Zwift community is special.  When you do something that the community does not like, they will tell you about it. But equally, when you do something they like, they will let you know. Those are rules I like and can relate to because it makes things clear.

The event that I created for the purpose of the ‘Behind the Scenes’ article left me nervous.  I was nervous that people would not attend, I was nervous that people would not like the format of the event, I was nervous about the feedback I would receive.  I was nervous.  All week. 

The name was “Monday’s Mountain Massif TT,” a 12.2km TT up the reverse side of the Epic KOM, finishing up the Radio Tower. I developed the event concept for the purpose of explaining the work that goes into setting up an event.  The event created an internal pressure within myself to deliver an exciting and new experience for my fellow Zwifters.   How did I do?

The stats

460 signed up riders.  188 finishers on Zwift Power, across all categories.

Feedback  

“Very nice event!  If this becomes a regular event it would be great.” – Ole Christian Fagerli

 “Thanks for organizing! I’ll certainly do more of these if it becomes more of a regular event! Nice addition could be to make it into a real TT event. Would be cool to have another climbing TT besides Bologna.” –  Joris

 “Great event Tim and a real race of truth, at least for finding your FTP. Perhaps next time (I hope there will be a next time) you might want to call it sandbaggers exposed.” –  Russell 

“It was a great event! It was a long time ago that my legs were so sore. I really enjoyed it. I blew up on the radio tower climb.  It was also the first event where I was so overthinking my bike choice. I really loved the prep for the event.  All total it made a great experience.” Ronald

“Love it hate it and love it and again and again and again. Heart, legs shouts to stop but after finish line and some downhill ride thoughts come maybe i will do it again! Thanks and till the next time!” Rob

Next Steps

The Zwift community had spoken, they liked my event, I was relieved as much as I was delighted.  I promised that if people liked this event, I would approach Zwift about hosting it on a permanent basis, with a couple of minor tweaks to enhance the experience, including:

  • Changing the time to 19:00 CET
  • Moving the finish line back by 50 meters, so it just finishes a little closer to the top of the Radio Tower summit.

I contacted the Zwift Events Team who responded that they would see if it was possible.

Mountain Massif HQ

Behind the scenes, I did feel nervous in the lead up to the event.  The day before, I had to reach out to the Zwift Events Team to enquire if everything was setup correctly because it was not visible on my Companion app, it had literally disappeared when I looked for the Monday event.  Saturday night, the clocks had changed to signal the start of summertime and I feared that the change in time had impacted things. 

In my previous article, I rightly praised the Events Team stating “If the IT function of Zwift are the cranks of the bike, then Mark’s [Cote, Director of Content Programming] Events Team are the handlebars, brakes, shifters and saddle, because his team is so integral to our experience and the unsung heroes.” 

I should have added that “they are the mechanics too, fixing any issue we experience.” 

I was extremely impressed when Mark personally responded and investigated the potential issue.  Shortly after, he confirmed that the event was visible on all apps. I had previously checked the filters and had done all the obvious error checking, but no sooner had it disappeared; it reappeared in my Companion app, along with a few other events.  It was strange, especially as I had taken screenshots and sent to Zwift to assist with error checking and verified with several friends. 

What all this experience did was to reinforce my established belief that the Zwift Events Team do an excellent job and deliver first class service, even on a Sunday.  Without them, these events we all enjoy and look forward to would not happen.  Furthermore, I was impressed with Mark’s leadership in personally taking responsibility and ensuring everything was correct.  I am confident that Mark’s vision of having “any Zwifter being able to find any content, within 15 minutes” will be achieved, sooner rather than later and for the benefit of the entire community.

The Event – The View from the Back

The time arrived to start the event.  I had set up a Discord server and was pleased to warm up while chatting to my fellow Zwifters who were taking part.  This was set up to provide a user experience similar to real life where you meet before an event and exchange stories whilst warming up.  I was wanting to create an inclusive experience, to make this more than just a race. With 10 minutes to go, I left Discord and entered the pen.  There would be no last minute joining for me.

It was nice to see the pen full of people; my one fear of putting on an event and being the solo participant was averted.        

I’m not going to write my usual detailed story of my struggles, but let’s just say the race could be split into 3 sections, 1) the start 2) the climb 3) the Radio Tower.

The first 6-10 minute flat section, before the start of the climb, was punishing.  I opted for a climbing set-up of the Specialized Tarmac Pro and Env 3.2 wheels, as recommended by Ben in this YouTube video.  My tactic was not to go too deep and push too hard but at the same time not let the people on the TT bikes get too much of an advantage.  This was more difficult than I thought, as you naturally try to keep pace.

My heart rate tipped into the 170s, which was an indicator that I was pushing too hard.  Part of my trouble was my heart rate was naturally elevated due to nerves. I don’t normally get nervous before a Zwift race, but when it is your event, it’s a totally different experience!

The start of the climb couldn’t come fast enough and fortunately I was able to make up several places as I noticed some people who had started on a TT bike had stopped and were changing to a climbing setup.  I thought that was an interesting tactic, but I’m not sure how successful it was. 

Onto the climb. I tried to get into a rhythm, but couldn’t find it.  I certainly wasn’t in my groove like my previous mountain climb.  Despite this, I just kept turning the cranks, trying to do myself proud in my own event.

As I progressed up the mountain, I was trading places with various riders and was starting to tire, a long way before the last difficult climb up to the Radio Tower.

I would say the last 8 minutes was pure torture.  But, I had nobody else to blame except myself.  This was harder than I expected.  A lot harder. I would go as far as to say “brutally hard!” 

On the final climb up to the Radio Tower, I was able to pass a fellow competitor on a TT bike.  They had done exceptionally well; it just looked like the TT bike seemed too heavy to make it up the 13% gradients.  That put me in 11th place and now it was simply a question of holding on to the end.  I became more focussed on the gap to the people behind me instead of ahead.

As I crested the climb, I was expecting the finish line to be just at the top of the final little climb, by the Radio Tower. But it was probably 50 meters further than I planned, which was simply too much for me. My legs gave out and I coasted over the line.

Despite the exhaustion, I was happy. I had competed in a race of my own design and enjoyed it.  Then as other racers finished, I started receiving live feedback, which delighted me.  The Zwift community had spoken – they liked the event.  Mission accomplished!  

My final thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed the process of designing an event and engaging with Zwift to get it built. Equally, I enjoyed my attempts to promote it through my network.  I was worried about the outcome but the pilot showed that I had delivered something the community liked.  Ted, a rider from Race3R told me on Discord that the 30 minutes all-out effort was a thoroughly intense workout and that he enjoyed the fact that the event was slightly shorter than the normal Zwift races.

The Zwift Events Team deliver – again!

As I finished writing this article, my e-mail “pinged,” Mark had responded.  The opening sentence read:

Hey Tim,

I added this event to our recurring schedule and it’s on every Monday.  Next week’s event is here: https://www.zwift.com/events/view/1981008

Brilliant!  I had established a new regular recurring event for the Zwift community to enjoy.  I could not be happier.  That’s my Monday nights taken care of, for the foreseeable future.    

I will leave the final words to the first-ever event winner, Ed Laverack who posted on Twitter “A great event it was too! Absolutely cracking format.”

Watch Ed’s race recording:

See you all Monday night, 7pm CET.  Thanks to all of those who participated.

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

More Uphill and Down Dale – Tips for WTRL TTT #103 – Harrogate Reverse

Sherpa Dave
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More Uphill and Down Dale – Tips for WTRL TTT #103 – Harrogate Reverse

My passion for cycling started in a hotel bar when I was 49 years old, tipped the scales at 120kg and never exercised. Three years later I’ve lost the weight (down to “almost” 75kg) and I’m on Zwift most days! I climbed real-world Ventoux twice in a day, and I vEverested Alpe Du Zwift. I love the WTRL TTT, and each week I publish a recce with a course profile, bike recommendations, and even some target times. I have also started posting video recces and highlight reels, and you can find me on YouTube here.

For over a year now, the Thursday WTRL TTT has been the center of my week and Eric has been wonderful in letting me share that obsession with you here on Zwift Insider.

The TTT is an amazing ride… but if you can’t ride (or even if you can ride, but want more action) don’t forget to tune in to the live stream on Zwift Community Live’s YouTube Channel at 6:15 (UK time)… or even my own livestream event. 

Review of TTT #102: Watopia’s Waistland

Remember, I’m trying to hit 11th place with my predictions. Apologies to Vienna, Frappe, and Mocha – I was way out! But well done Doppio and Espresso. 

Category#80PredictionActual PL TimeMy position
Vienna39:4438:0039:533rd
Doppio36:1035:5035:4412th
Espresso36:2036:1036:2411th
Frappe37:0836:4537:311st
Latte40:0339:3040:096th
Mocha44:2843:0044:562nd

Our regular columnists from Team Giant Camden filed the following report on their trip around Watopia:

Thursday rolls round again the Giant Camden team machine winds into top gear to get the teams ready for the start line. As a regular in the Livin on a Prayer team I thought I would have to sit out this week’s ride due to family commitments and with one or two other regulars doubtful LoaP was retired from the roster and the riders reallocated, Captain Diego went up a notch to the Eagles and the remainder went to help the Holy Rollers. Come Thursday and I’m back in the reckoning along with Jo so we both go to the Rollers. At the last minute Rollers captain Debs got stuck at work so the five-strong team were 4 LoaPers and one Roller.

On the start line (without the Trikes), banner up and a 9-minute delay to discuss tactics (maybe we should have done that a bit earlier?). Time to go and we’re pedaling – something very odd…, all riders are together no glitches!

A tidy pace line held through the first 10km, a slight hitch as Bernard lost his Discord connection and 10 seconds while reconnecting then a furious sprint to catch the group. Franky held his own throughout despite the colorful comments, Rob and Pete pulled us along and used their superior physiques to help on the downward inclines. All five of us together the whole way and then to the final 500m sprint finish. 

Harrogate Circuit Reverse

Next Thursday we have a 27km ride around the Yorkshire countryside. This is a technical course with nowhere to hide. It is a sequence of hills and descents with few stretches of flat to regroup.

Each lap is 13.8km with 240 grueling meters of climbing. Simon Schofield, head voice on the Zwiftcast comes from Harrogate has a nice race recon of the forward route… I dunno… read it backward or something. Alternatively, you can watch my recon ride of Harrogate Circuit Reverse. I’ve been practicing with my new video editor so let me know if you like what you see!

This course is best described as lumpy. It’s not a mountain, but goes up and down throughout the ride. If you’re practiced maybe you can balance the relative masses of your riders so the lighter ones lead you up the hills and the heavier ones lead you back down… but there’s no getting away from the fact that heavier riders will have their suffer-faces on. 

The ride starts with a nice easy 2% decline, but don’t let that fool you into a false sense of security. DO use it (and the slight incline that follows) to get into formation and sort yourselves out. After that it’s a sequence of hills; the first is the sprint hill (because the Sprint is on it) at just 2.5% to test the legs, then the Reverse KOM is 1.1km at 4.5% to sap your strength, and a little bump up Penny Pot Lane (1km at 4%). Next comes the aptly named Pot Bank Wall which is 750M at 8% and then a bump up Otley Rd (500M at 5%) before descending down to finish the lap back in the center of Harrogate.

What to ride?

Which bike should you use? When Eric tested this it came out a complete tie between S-Works Venge versus Tron. I’ve ridden this on both and frankly neither bike seems to make any difference. 

My suggestion is pick a bike that mitigates your weaknesses – if you hate the hills go lighter weight, if you are a weight weenie yourself pick something aero to help on the descents.

Route Recon Rides

There aren’t many rides or races on this course – check out the event listing on zwifthacks.com to see for yourself. Your best bet is just to watch me suffer through this ride in my video recon above!

Race breakdown 

Race breakdown here is tricky. This ride isn’t about knowing the route for me – it’s about knowing your team and managing the effort. For each hill there is a descent, so there is a corresponding recovery – but only if your fellow teammates can manage their effort in sync with you.

Every one of these hills and the descents can cause splits in the team – make sure you stay together.

Start to the sprint banner

The ride starts with a nice easy 2% decline… don’t let that fool you into a false sense of security. Do use it (and the slight incline that follows) to get into formation and sort yourselves out. 

The first proper hill is Kent Hill, which appears at 1.6km (and 15.4km). This is a 1.1km hill averaging 2.5% but actually broken into three 3% rises as you can see from the Veloviewer profile. This hill ends at the sprint banner, then you descend towards the KOM. 

The Kent Road Climb shouldn’t give you too much trouble – just watch your friends!

Up and down the KOM

Descend from the Sprint Banner to 3.7km where the Reverse KOM starts. 

Reverse KOM is a hill in three parts – part 1 is just 100m at 5% then it eases for 200m to 2.5km before the long steady 600m climb to the KOM banner at 5%. After the KOM banner the incline turns to a decline and you head towards Penny Pot lane. 

Unlike the gentle Kent Hill Climb this is a proper gradient. There is benefit to sticking together as it is below 5% for significant parts, but to do that you will have to be disciplined. 

The descent is 5%. Group together and get your speed up… maybe you can supertuck a little. 

Penny Pot Lane

The descent from the KOM turns upward into the Penny Pot Lane at 6.3km – no flat here! Penny Pot Lane is in 2 parts, a 400 meters at 7% then 600m at 2.5%. You reach the top when you turn sharp left from Penny Pot Lane on to the B6161 and take the short descent to Pot Bank. 

Pot Bank Wall

There is no easy answer to Pot Bank. I swear doing the recon ride I saw the gradient clock 24% for a moment.

The climb starts at 8.6km and it is the first 300m that’s the worst, averaging over 10%. Then the climb eases back to a much more manageable 4%.

I’ve done this climb in two different TTTs. Both times my team crumbled on the second lap. In a way that is OK – let the 4 riders with something left in the tank take it to the finish while everyone else limps home! 

Otley Road to the start

On its own, the Otley road climb isn’t bad at all – its just 500 meters at 5% – but after the rest of this route it kills. Gather yourself after Pot Bank and work at the best speed you can. Be disciplined! 

After the top of the hill it’s a lovely 2.2km 2.5% descent to the start finish gate, where you get to do it again for one more lap!

Target times

Here are my predictions for this week!

Category#85My Prediction
Vienna44:4144:30
Doppio39:1838:45
Espresso39:4439:45
Frappe41:1341:00
Latte45:3745:15
Mocha53:4553:30

Wrap up

This is a technical, lumpy course. There is no defining feature of this course, rather, it is a sequence of hills that will sap the energy of the whole team. If you know your fellow riders, and modulate effort to stay together, you will deliver a great result.

Zwift Racing League 2020/21 Round 3 Week 1 Guide: Douce France TTT

Sherpa Dave
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Zwift Racing League 2020/21 Round 3 Week 1 Guide: Douce France TTT

My race week centers on the two WTRL events – Tuesday is Zwift Racing League (ZRL)… Thursday is for the TTT. Martin and Steven of WTRL have cracked the code of making Zwift racing practical and I’m all in!

Each week I publish a recce filled with a course profile, bike recommendations, and even some target times. If you like your recces delivered visually find me on YouTube here.

I rode ZRL Season 1 and 2 with a small contingent of rebels from Rowe & King, first in the Ewoks, then the Droids. But for season 3 the club is going to town with ZRL – ten teams to start and new rider requests coming in daily. I will be with the 11-rider squad of the R&K Hyenas. I hope to see all 10,000+ of you out there on Tuesday!

What’s a Team Time Trial

Season 3s opener is a Team Time Trial. If you’re a returning ZRL racer you know the drill (skip this section!) but if you are new to ZRL and haven’t ridden in the Thursday league, you’ve probably gathered the Team Time Trial format is different from your everyday rides and races. Let’s explore that a bit…

In the ZRL TTT your team of 4-6 riders sets off at a pre-ordained time (more on this later) and works together to get around the course in the fastest time possible. Sounds simple… and it is. But the trick is in how you get the best performance out of the team. 

What makes a TTT different?

What makes a TTT different? Basically it’s about the teamwork. In a normal race on Zwift, you are pretty much on your own. You might get comfort in seeing team jerseys, but frankly that’s about it. In the TTT you are working together the whole time: using the stronger members to help the weaker members, using climbers to pull the team over the hills… you get the idea. The mission is to either be in front of the team pulling, or be safely in the draft resting. 

Sherpa Dave’s 5 tips for a better TTT:

  1. Master the team start
    Assuming you all survive the team delay time, make sure you coordinate the start as a team. My teams always does a 20-second countdown, and we start pedaling at 5 to make sure the trainers wake up. You should aim to be in formation and at race pace within 15 seconds with no stragglers. 
  2. Communicate
    Discord is the way to go here. Share clear and crisp updates so everyone knows where you are and how your legs are doing.
  3. Have a plan
    Whether it is a speed target, a w/kg target, or something else, make sure everyone knows what they are meant to do. If there is a significant hill, have a plan for it… and a fallback plan!
  4. Situational awareness
    Know who is ahead of you, and who is behind. If you see a 1-second gap anywhere say so. Look after your teammates.
  5. Have fun!
    Whether it’s getting to know each other in the pen, chatting afterwards in your group chat system of choice, or bantering mid-race, make sure you have fun. R&K Team Captains all do a weekly write-up to capture the team’s spirit, culture, and humor so we end up with fantastic intra-team and cross-team community. I highly recommend it! 

Douce France route recon

One fast lap… that’s all this is. But this route is a little more technical that it looks at first. 

Take a look at the ZwiftHub profile below. The route starts with three rollers which change into a series of small bumps and then is pretty much flat from 7km to 10km before you start the climb up the aqueduct. The aqueduct climb starts well before the actual KOM marker. After descending (around 11km) the route is mostly flat (there are a few little rollers) all the way to the finish at 24.1km.

What to ride?

Bike recommendation on this route is pretty straightforward: aero rules the day. I will be riding my S-Works Venge with the pretty Super9 disc wheels. You should pick your most aero bike and wheels.

See Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level if you need help knowing which setup you should use.

Route Recon Rides

This is a popular group ride route so if you like company. check the event listing on zwifthacks.com. Additionally, France is one of the guest worlds Saturday through Monday, so you can easily free-ride the route.

That said, I rode this route yesterday so you don’t have to… France is one of the most beautiful Zwift worlds but on Tuesday you will be going too fast and hard to notice. Here is my recon ride in glorious HD!

And here’s a recon from Rick at No Breakaways:

Race breakdown 

This is a beautiful ride, almost perfect for a Team Time Trial. I break this route into four sections:

  • Three small hills to get you started (3km)
  • Bumpy stuff for the next 5km, then flat to the aqueduct hill
  • Up the aqueduct hill and down the other side
  • Flat with occasional bumps for the remaining 12km

Part 1 – Three small hills

Don’t underestimate these three small hills. They start at 1km and the road is windy, so it can be challenging to get your group working well together. Keep an eye on your teammates and keep communicating. Don’t over-exert here, your first priority is to stay together. 

Part 2 – 5km of bumpy stuff

Each of these bumps is tiny – maybe 1 or 2 meters max… but the repeating change from ascent to descent will throw everyone off. The effect is similar to the dreaded Esses in Watopia. What is helpful here is a strong voice – a DS if you have one, but in reality (sorry DSs) anyone will do. Just call out the top and bottom of each bump reminding the team to manage their momentum. 

At 8km, shortly after the Ballon Sprint, the terrain settles down and it’s flat until you begin the climb to the aqueduct. 

Part 3 – Up and down the aqueduct

Many will tell you this is a 400 meter hill averaging 3% – in fact, that’s what the ZwiftHacks map says. That is just the timed KOM though! The hill itself starts at the 10km mark and is 800m at 2.5% manifesting as a series of short 5% steps. The descent is the same, 800m at -2.5% in a series of steps.

From 24km to the start/finish gate is 1.2km of downhill and flat. Finish with a group sprint to show the crowd what you’re made of. 

Part 4 – Mostly flat to the finish

Once you descend the aqueduct (approximately 12.4km) it is mostly flat all the way to the finish. 

That’s 12km for you to get into formation and ride like the wind. There are a couple of minor bumps along the way but nothing to slow you down. 

Wrap up

If you’re new to the TTT format this route is a wonderful starting point. A little technical undulation at the start to see how well you operate as a team, but a long flat section at the end to practice formations.

If you are experienced at TTTs this is a flat out ride. Start with 6, end with 4, claim your points!

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