A nice mixture of events to try this weekend, including the epic PRL Full. And if you like your running and fancy a challenge, a chance to do a marathon on Zwift!
Having ridden the first event, I found it fun. I was slow to get off the start line (Bluetooth dropout) meant I was starting dead last, but I took it as a challenge to catch a group then try and surf from group to group. It was a well-attended event and I can imagine there were some racing, but this sportive felt more like a group ride. Small pockets of riders of similar abilities grouped together and completed the route. A good event and worth a try with different route lengths to suit.
Stage #2 has two route options to choose from, both based in Watopia, which are:
A Group: Out and Back Again | 1 lap | 39.8 km (24.7 miles) 303m elevation
B Group: Figure 8 | 1 lap | 29.8 km (18.5 miles) 234m elevation
In addition, there are women-specific categories, too. Complete just one ride to unlock a new jersey.
ZA Road Workout Workout #4 – Threshold Under/Overs
The suffering…. er training continues with Zwift Academy Workout 4.
We’re now in block 2, which is designed to build sustained power after block 1 increased your VO2 Max. This will be achieved by performing longer efforts around your FTP, with a cadence element designed to enhance your responsiveness to gradient changes.
Zwift Racing League resumes on 28 September and so the weekly Wahoo Le Col WTRL ZRL Recce Rides return!
These group rides offer racers the chance to scope out the upcoming ZRL courses prior to racing them. Get a leg up on your competitors with firsthand experience on the racecourse.
Pace will be about 2.5w/kg and this week it is on Watopia’s Waistband. The session is timed at 90 minutes.
Saturday, September 25 @ 12:30pm CEST/11:30am BST/6:30am EDT Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2307180
PRL FULL With the REVO Crew
Check out Melissa’s first post for Zwift Insider about REVO’s PRL Full group ride. It’s a really well-done article explaining the details of the route, including tips such as where on the route you can grab some much-needed rest.
Having completed the PRL Full route on my own, I certainly would recommend completing it in a group. Way more fun and undoubtedly faster too!
Saturday, September 25 @ 2:30pm CEST/1:30pm BST/8:30am EDT/5:30am PDT Event details and signup at zwift.com/events/view/2202451
Zwift Run Festival (Marathon / Half Marathon)
Completing a marathon is a big undertaking, but to complete one on a treadmill is an incredible act of endurance, mentally as well as physically. Obviously, this isn’t an event you can just “rattle off” but if you are currently in training for a marathon, or long distance running is simply your thing, then you might be interested in giving this a try. There are other distances such as a half marathon, which may be more accessible to the wider community, which is all part of the Zwift Run Festival.
The Zwift Running Festival 2021 is a quarterly event with community runs in the different worlds. This time it’s Makuri Islands. Have your pick from one-mile fun runs, 5Ks, 10Ks, and even half and full marathons!
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 and men’s team pursuit bronze medalist Kelland O’Brien.
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
When I saw the news that Eric Min, the Co-Founder of Zwift had received recognition as one of the “Best CEO’s for Diversity” as noted by Comparably, I wasn’t surprised as I have been following the evolution of Zwift’s Diversity and Inclusion ethos and was in the process of writing this article when the news was announced.
What’s more impressive is that Comparably’s annual Best CEOs for Diversity represents the top-ranked CEOs, based solely on anonymous sentiment ratings from employees. The awards are derived from 10 million ratings across 60,000 companies. Every CEO on the list is in the Top 5% of all CEOs. In summary, it’s recognised that Eric and Zwift as a whole are leading the way in terms of Diversity and Inclusion.
Anyone that uses Zwift will instantly realise that the Zwift Community is wholly inclusive. Zwift has worked hard to foster this, and the recent addition of Lisa Bourne (Zwift’s Senior Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Impact) shows their commitment as a company. I posed 5 questions to Lisa, who responded as follows:
What are Zwift’s most important values and how have they shaped the approach to Diversity and Inclusion within the organisation?
We have a number of core values at Zwift but the one that I think resonates most with Zwift employees is “One Zwift for All”. We aspire for Zwift to be a safe and welcoming space for all – both in the game and amongst the team. We value an openness to learning from different points of view and recognize that each individual is starting from their own place along the diversity journey.
I joined Zwift last year to lead our new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) department. Our mission is to operationalize and champion DEIB throughout the organization – threading DEIB into every business decision. Ultimately, we want the Zwift brand to be recognized as highly inclusive and to be admired for the full celebration of the diverse, global community we serve.
What are the challenges of establishing and embedding these values into an expanding organisation so that they align to your policies?
Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by all rapidly expanding start-up organizations is capacity and organizational readiness. There’s a tremendous desire to do and learn more but we have to ensure we build a strong operational foundation that can assist us in delivering our DEIB goals.
To that end, we’ve set up our very first Inclusion Council and first set of Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) which have been designed to operationalize and champion DEIB throughout the organization.
All of this structure is helping ensure that diversity and inclusion become top considerations for all decisions made within the organization – whether it be marketing, game design, performance management, or recruitment. We’ve only just begun our DEIB journey and are excited to have tremendous support across the organization.
How are you overcoming these challenges, and what lessons have you learned thus far?
We’ve developed comprehensive DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) learning programs to educate around bias, privilege, becoming a better ally, racial justice, etc. We’ve launched our inaugural Inclusion Council, a volunteer internal consultancy, and our first set of Employee Resource Groups (LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and Women’s) which will operationalize DEIB throughout the organization and help us drive true inclusion and belonging. We are constantly learning that we need to meet each person where they are in their DEIB journeys. The work can be very personal and cannot be rushed.
How does your approach to Diversity and Inclusion influence how you engage with staff and partners?
At Zwift, we hold regular learning opportunities for staff to promote inclusivity across the organization. We address important topics like allyship and unconscious bias but also educate around best business practises like hosting inclusive meetings and driving accountability for that inclusion. Ultimately, we know inclusion drives belonging and individuals that feel that they belong are more productive and more innovative.
Naturally, we carry these same values across to our partnerships. We seek partners that share the same core values as we do at Zwift.
What advice can you give to any company at the start of their journey when considering their approach to being a more diverse and inclusive organisation?
When it comes to DEIB, it’s important for any organization to assess their current state and think about how a focus on DEIB could impact strategy, culture, and operations. The bottom line is that DEIB is an ever-evolving issue and requires long-term investment to ensure it becomes a part of company culture. DEIB should never be a static, one-off approach to solve a problem. This is why it’s so important to begin with education and resourcing. Take your time to develop a strong DEIB foundation that supports your company values and mission.
Inside Zwift
It is evident that Zwift are working hard to ensure that DEIB is engrained within all company values and in every decision taken. Lisa and her department are acting like the handlebars, helping to navigate the journey the company is on, which has the full backing of the Zwift company. The wheels are certainly moving in the right direction.
I wanted to learn more about their internal strategies which Lisa had mentioned so I caught up with Chris Snook, their PR Director based in London, on the roads of Watopia, to discuss in greater detail. Chris expanded and explained that their Diversity and Inclusion strategies were “always evolving, they are by design always a work in progress. There is no finish line as we strive to do better.” This philosophy mirrors their ethos as a company as they look to constantly innovate and improve the platform.
Lisa has designed Zwift’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategy around three primary focus areas
brand presence and reputation
the Zwift end-to-end experience
internal employee experience
Central to Zwift’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy are the concepts of ‘Belonging’ and ‘Equity.’
I queried Chris on what ‘Equity’ meant and he explained that equity is about providing equal opportunities to traditionally underrepresented or marginalized groups. He referenced the infographic from the “Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.”
The infographic highlights the difference between equity and equality. “Equality” means dedicating resources evenly across different groups, hence why the bikes are all the same. In contrast, “Equity” splits that resource differently based on their need, hence why the bikes are sized to fit. The results of “Equity help achieve “Equality”.
If we use women as an example, this would mean that in order to make a meaningful change toward a 50/50 gender split using the platform, Zwift has to weight their investment in favour of women. This model applies to all underrepresented groups.
Ultimately, to enact change you have to invest strategically.
Within the company, Chris explained that to foster a positive internal employee experience and drive belonging they have regular seminars covering important topics such as race, gender, pride, and transgender in sport with the purpose of informing and educating staff. As the company is truly global, these topics are tailored to ensure the messages are current and provide the correct cultural insights.
Chris is also a member of Zwift’s inaugural DEIB Inclusion Council, which is specifically designed to champion DEIB throughout the organization and cultivate ideas that can be put into practice. At a recent meeting, an idea was presented outlining how to better support communities and non-profit organizations using the Zwift platform – effectively giving people the tools for fundraising. Chris noted that this was early in concept but highlights the fact that Zwift are actively encouraging their staff to come forward with new ideas to make a positive social impact.
The Global Pandemic and Zwift
Chris noted that during the last year, Zwift has gone above and beyond to ensure that staff have felt that sense of belonging. With offices closed around the world, Zwift adapted their policies to cater for the needs of their employees. As well as ensuring staff had their office equipment delivered to their homes so they were set up to work remotely, the company provided flexibility around working hours to enable staff to balance the daily challenges that they faced with work. To offset the difficulties of confinement, Zwift provided access to virtual Yoga classes and other tools such as access to wellness schemes.
Going forward, Zwift have conducted a staff survey to better understand how staff want to operate in a post-pandemic world and the overall results have highlighted a desire to work flexibly, ensuring a better work-life balance and thus a positive internal employee experience.
Zwift and the Wider Community
Following the in-depth insight into Zwift’s internal polices, I thought it would be worth examining some of the major events that Zwift have facilitated that have been designed to unite and celebrate different aspects of society with their “One Zwift for All” ethos.
In March, I reported about Women’s History Month, where Zwift dedicated itself to celebrating the power and strength of women everywhere through the “Women’s Ride and Run Series” (WRRS).
Also in May, VoxTour 2021 was hosted. This was Zwift’s third annual Voxwomen Tour (aka “VoxTour”) and ran through until mid-May. VoxTour had the objective of introducing more fans to women’s pro cycling while showcasing the training undertaken by women in the pro peloton. And this year, in the true spirit of inclusivity, men were invited to take part in the events as well.
Several weeks later, I reported about Zwift’s Pride On campaign. Zwift had announced its third year of partnering with Athlete Ally to hold a series of Pride On events during the month of June and beyond. The goal of the campaign is to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community on Zwift, educate around key issues impacting the community, and fight for athlete equity in a sport that has recently witnessed increasing attacks against the trans community in particular.
That list is only what I reported on, other notable diversity-focused events the company has launched also included a the yearlong Black Celebration Series. This initiative is designed to “celebrate the history, athletes, heritage, and joy the black community brings to Zwift from around the world.”
So through its partnerships, Zwift is actively working to create a truly inclusive society, as well as pushing for equity between men and women in cycling. They are focussed on racial equity and this is evident with the sponsorship of Legion of Los Angeles, stylised as L39ION.
L39ION
In December 2020, it was announced that Zwift were going to sponsor Legion of Los Angeles, a UCI Continental cycling team based in the United States. It was founded in 2019 by brothers Justin Williams and Cory Williams with the goal of increasing diversity and inclusion in cycling. In 2021, a women’s team was also announced.
Their ethos in their own words is “to advance the sport of cycling, eliminate boundaries, and promote diversity, representation, and inclusion. We want to grow the sport in America and let the American masses know that you don’t need to conform to be a part of the cycling community. The team is devoted to using our platform to give back to the younger generations and showcase criterium racing in a way where athletes can make a good living competing at home in the US.”
Zwift CEO Eric Min said: “L39ION is just a fantastic force of energy that aligns so well with our brand, I couldn’t be happier to partner with the team. This is far more than a sponsorship deal, we have big plans to collaborate and deliver increased diversity and inclusion within cycling. Justin is one of the most influential figures in the sport and we have the platform to help him deliver his message to a global audience.”
Tour for All and the Virtual Tour de France
In May 2020, during the height of the global pandemic, Zwift ran the “Tour For All.” This was to support Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in their response to COVID-19. This charity provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare.
Zwift created a multi-stage event and kicked off the Tour with a $125,000 donation to MSF’s COVID-19 Crisis Fund. This was to support the organization’s global emergency response to the pandemic and its consequences.
Zwift pledged that they would match that donation at the end of the Tour if 250,000 Zwifters finished at least one stage. And that’s exactly what happened!
The consequence of Zwift hosting this successful event was that the Amaury Sport Organisation, (ASO) owners of the Tour de France, and other notable sporting events, approached Zwift to discuss the concept of hosting a Virtual Tour de France in July.
Zwift agreed on the condition that there would be classifications for both men and women, and gender with men and women riding identical stages and receiving the same broadcast coverage. The ASO were in total agreement and the rest, as they say, is history.
Building on their now established relationship with ASO, Zwift have recently announced that it will become the title sponsor of the Tour de France “Femmes avec Zwift” that will be held from July 24-31 in 2022, beginning on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after the final stage 21 of the men’s Tour de France.
Summing up
Chris explained that Zwift employees (or ‘Watopians’ as they are called internally) are the biggest champions of Zwift and share the sentiments of the Zwift community at large. Watopians “talk the talk and walk the walk” as they strive to create “One Zwift for All.” Unlike the races and events we all enjoy on Zwift, as Chris noted earlier, for this topic “there is no finish line” so expect to see much more from Zwift in this field in the upcoming months and years.
*Special thanks to Chris Snook (PR Director) and Lisa Bourne, (Zwift’s Senior Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Impact) for their help with this article.
Matt Rowe takes a look at the fourth workout of the Zwift Academy Road program and offers his advice on how to tackle it.
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
How the Race Was Lost: Losing To My Teammates in Yumezi
I’ve been riding with the DIRT (Dads Inside Riding Trainers) team on Zwift for three years, and it’s a great bunch of folks. It’s also a huge team, with 10,000 members in its Facebook group and over 4,000 registered riders on ZwiftPower.
It’s so big, in fact, that we can hold races with just our team members – and they’re always fun and competitive!
Heading into Zwift Racing League 2021/22 Season 1, DIRT leaders organized a couple of Tuesday races on scheduled ZRL routes so we could get to know the new routes and have fun pummeling each other. Last week’s race was on 3 laps of the Makuri Islands Flatland Loop, and it was a combined category race, so I got destroyed by the A’s and strong B’s.
This week was 2 laps of the Makuri Islands Countryside Tour, with categories only racing each other. Whew! I was happy to see that since I didn’t want to chase the A’s up the Temple KOM. It would be hard enough with the strong B’s in our group, including Neil Tucker who is the 10th-ranked B rider in the world.
DIRT is such a huge team that we have a large number of individual ZRL teams set up… 38 B teams this season! Today’s race was sort of an informal race between those “teams within the team”, with ZRL team members putting their team code in their name so we could tell each other apart.
The Messy Warmup
As usual, I tried to follow my normal pre-race routine. Chewed some tasty caffeine gum (two pieces = 200mg of go-go juice), and applied PR lotion to my legs. Then it was time to kit up and awaken the legs and heart by spinning with the C. Cadence groupies.
This warmup was a bit messy. I popped into the C. Cadence group and noticed Eric Min was riding. Then we all started chatting, including the usual banter with Jason “I’m Always Riding with C. Cadence” Wagner (I’m convinced he’s a bot). I popped into the start pens as early as possible to give myself a call-up, then realized I needed to figure out my bike swap plan.
As I explained a few months back in “Which Bike Should I Use on Zwift’s Makuri Islands Routes?“, the Countryside Tour route is an interesting one since it includes the dirt KOM climb and descent, then a short paved descent to the finish line. On a multi-lap race you wouldn’t want to swap bikes in the early laps, because you’ll lose too much time coming to a stop to get back on a road bike after the descent.
But on the final lap, it seems like a smart move to swap to a gravel bike at the start of the climb, then stay on it to the finish. You’ll have a a disadvantage against road bikes on the paved descending finish, but you’ll be able to pass a lot of riders on the KOM before that.
So that was my plan. But which bikes should I use? I wanted two bikes that were close to each other in my garage so I didn’t have to scroll too much when swapping. I settled on the Cervelo S5 2020 (fastest aero frame in game) and the Canyon Grail (fastest gravel climber). They are only separated by 1 bike in my garage, so I wouldn’t need to scroll at all when swapping. Easy peasy!
I also went with the DT Swiss ARC 62 wheels, since they’re decent all-arounders.
While I was dinking around with bike options, I realized I needed to reboot my entire system since OBS (my video recording software) wasn’t showing the Zwift screen. This often happens when Zwift issues an update.
Blegh. Lots going on. I ended up back in the pens with three minutes to go, and I’d never actually done a normal warmup. Oh well. Let’s race!
Lap 1
In the pens
The race started off tame enough – calmer than the previous week’s race where all the categories were together. We had 62 B racers involved, and since us B’s weren’t sitting in with the A’s this time around, things were a bit more sedate. Or perhaps it was just because everyone knew that the KOM is where the fireworks would begin.
The action kicked off on the Countryside Sprint, when riders went hard for the FAL and FTS prime times just like we would in ZRL. I gave a half-hearted effort, using my draft boost powerup to keep my work to a minimum without getting dropped. The pack stretched out thanks to the sprint, then the road tilted up as we headed into Village Onsen and the effort ramped up again.
This is where the first selection of the race happened, with a good chunk of riders getting dropped off the back. It’s a tough section if you’ve got strong riders pushing the pace. First the sprint stings the legs, then you climb to Village Onsen, then there’s more climbing up to the Fishing Village. None of the climbs are steep, but they’re long enough that sustained power is required.
As we turned left on the dirt of the KOM climb I was sitting nicely in the front group of ~35 riders. I knew the pack would splinter on the climb, and I knew it would take me 7-8 minutes of effort to get to the top. So I just tried to pace myself well, keeping my speed up by drafting when possible and pushing extra hard on steeper sections.
Through the big temple (about 1/3 of the way up the climb), a group of riders hit it hard and broke away off the front. Unable to grab their wheels I keep going hard, finishing the climb with 4 other riders, places 14-18.
Then it was time to descend. I used my aero powerup to pull our group a bit closer to the riders just ahead, and other riders from behind joined our group as we settled in for the second lap.
Lap 2
As we hit the flat farmlands there were 4 riders not far up the road, the remaining 8 riders of the leader group way ahead, and several riders well behind us. I messaged, “Let’s let the 4 ahead sizzle for a bit” because I could see we would easily reel them back in. They were obviously strong climbers (that’s how they ended up ahead of us in the first place) – so why not let them burn their legs out a bit before we catch them and give them a free tow?
We weren’t going to catch the front group. And the group chasing us wasn’t going to catch us. So it was time to ride smart.
By the time we hit the Country Sprint the four had been caught. Our group now contained places 9 through approximately 25. The sprint strung out our group again, then as we hit the climb to Village Onsen my teammate Timmermans went hard on the front, so I grabbed his wheel, putting in a bit of a team attack to make everyone else chase. Eventually the pack caught us, and before I knew it we were riding through the Fishing Village, about to turn onto the KOM. Bike swap time!
I stayed on my bike for the start of the dirt, because it’s quite flat (and even goes downhill for a bit), and I didn’t want to hit the brakes and throw away a bunch of speed. So I hung in the draft while we rode the dirt at 30kph, but when the road tilted up as we entered the bamboo forest and speeds dropped to around 20kph I hit “A” to stop quickly, “Esc” to leave the pairing screen, then “T” to bring up my garage (Zwift keyboard shortcuts for the win). A quick click on the Canyon Grail, then I started pedaling as I exited the garage screen.
Total time from hitting the brakes to starting pedaling again? 6 seconds. I think that was my fastest change yet!
Bike swapped. Time to catch that group!
The pack was just up the road, perhaps 75 meters away, so I started chugging up the hill, quickly gaining ground. Within 45 seconds I had caught the first rider in the pack, and a minute later I was near the front of the pack, with 4 attacking riders just up the road. They were going hard, and I would have to put in some real effort to catch.
By the time the road flattened over the wooden bridges near the top there were just two riders up the road from my original group (plus the 8 riders in the front group). I had two riders with me, and was focused on catching those two riders up the road (K-Dog and my teammate Timmermans).
But I didn’t want to pull the two guys with me up to Timmermans. So I waited until we finished riding over the wooden bridges after the KOM banner, because road bikes roll faster on wood than my Grail. Once we hit the extended dirt section I hammered, dropping the two riders with me and bridging up to Timmermans, who had dropped K-Dog.
I thought I’d made the perfect move to join my teammate, but one rider (Hill) put in a strong dig to follow my attack, and we ended up swapping pulls on the descent as we made our way onto Timmermans’ wheel, which was just a couple seconds ahead.
Then we hit the pavement, which I knew wouldn’t be pretty on my gravel bike. I tried to conserve and sit in the draft as much as possible, then Hill jumped hard and I couldn’t grab his wheel. Timmermans and I spun our way to the finish line, and I crossed in 11th place.
The “last lap bike swap” is definitely a good move on this course. I’ll be doing it again, and I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone.
What I would not recommend is what I saw some of my DIRT buddies do in this race: start on a mountain bike. Or swap on the first lap. Neither of those approaches will give you an edge!
Could I have attacked this race differently and achieved a better result? I can’t see how, but I’m open to your ideas. That first KOM, where I lost the front group, was a 332W effort where I set a new PR on the segment (7:17). I’m not sure I could have gone any harder than I did. In fact, my Strava power curve shows me setting a new 6-week PR between 6-22 minutes thanks to that first KOM effort.
Interestingly, on the gravel bike for the second lap I set a time of 7:19, with an average power of 320W. Not a bad time considering I stopped for a bike swap and had lower power than the first attempt. It just confirms that the gravel bike is significantly faster than the road bike on the Temple KOMs!
Your Thoughts
Have you raced Countryside Tour yet? How did it go for you? Share below!
As the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics come to a close, Matt, Kristin, and Greg share their favorite moments of the Games.
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
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!
Show up on time, because there is no late join for this ride. Why? Because if you late joined more than a minute or so into the event, you wouldn’t unlock the route badge! And we don’t want that on our conscience.
This will be a double draft ride, so sit in with others on the flats in order to conserve your energy.
Participants are encouraged to group up with new friends of similar speed and encourage each other along the way. Riding with others will increase your speed for the same wattage output!
There will be a beacon but only to keep the chatter going and encourage proper rest stops, intake of fluids, and the eating of nutritious snacks like cake and donuts.
The very fastest riders can finish The PRL Full in 4.5 hours, but most folks require 5.5-7 hours, with some taking even longer. Our Yellow Beacon hopes to ride the course in about 6 hours, whereas our red beacon will probably take somewhere over 7 hours.
Come and join us, make a day of it with REVO! If you’ve never ridden with us before you’ll also earn a jersey alongside your new bragging rights.
REVO Ride Tips
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.
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…
“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.
Is This a Race?
Ah, the perennial Zwift question. Zwift has five different types of ride events, which you can filter in the Companion app:
Workout: group bike workouts
Race: competitive events which count toward ZwiftPower ranking points, etc
Time Trial: a non-drafting event where it’s just you vs the clock
Fondo: only used for official Zwift fondo events, as far as we’ve seen
Ride: everything else. These could be anything from casual group rides to 4+ w/kg slugfests – but they aren’t official races
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
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: men’s/mixed longer route
B: mens/mixed shorter route
C: women only, longer route
D: women only, shorter route
A and C groups ride the same “longer” route selection, while B and D share the same “shorter” route.
Schedule and Routes
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.
Stage 1: September 22-24
Longer route: 3 laps of Makuri Islands Flatland Loop (38.8km/24.1 miles long, 298 meters/978′ elevation)
Shorter route: 2 laps of Makuri Islands Flatland Loop (26km/16.2 miles long, 199 meters/653′ elevation)
Bike: Specialized Tarmac SL7
Wheel recommendation: it’s a flatter route, so grab the fastest wheels you can from this list
Stage 2: September 25-27
Longerroute: 1 lap of Watopia Out and Back Again (42.3km/26.3 miles long, 334 meters/1096′ elevation)
Shorter route: 1 lap of Watopia Figure 8 (30.2km/18.8 miles long, 255 meters/837′ elevation)
Bike: PInarello Dogma F
Wheel recommendation: each route features one or more decisive climbs where the main selections will be made. If you’re concerned with hanging onto the front group up the climbs we recommend picking a strong all-arounder wheelset to match your all-arounder Dogma F. Check out the Zipp 454. DT Swiss ARC 1100 DiCut 62, CADEX 65, Zipp 353 NSW, ENVE 3.4, or other wheels ranked near the top of our stacked wheel percentile ranking.
Stage 3: September 28-30
Longer route: 1 lap of London Triple Loops (41.4km/24.4 miles long, 569 meters/974′ elevation)
Shorter route: 1 lap of Keith Hill After Party (36.7km/16.3 miles long, 198 meters/435′ elevation)
Bike: Canyon Aeroad 2021
Wheel recommendation: each route features one or more decisive climbs where the main selections will be made. If you’re concerned with hanging onto the front group up the climbs we recommend picking a strong all-arounder wheelset to match your all-arounder Dogma F. Check out the Zipp 454. DT Swiss ARC 1100 DiCut 62, CADEX 65, Zipp 353 NSW, ENVE 3.4, or other wheels ranked near the top of our stacked wheel percentile ranking.
Complete any stage to unlock the Shimano S-Phyre jersey.
Looking a Gift Horse In the Mouth
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.
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!
Intro to Zwift Academy Run
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).
New for 2021
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:
Orientation Workouts
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.
Baseline + Finish Line “Progress Runs”
Baseline/Finish Line tracker in Companion
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.
Progress Tracking in Companion App
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.
Workout Updates
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:
Run/walk recovery sections where participants can choose their pace
An incline indicator in the HUD
Graduation Requirements
To complete Zwift Academy Run 2021, participants must complete a total of 10 runs:
1 Baseline Run event
All 8 Zwift Academy Run workouts (group workouts or individual, your choice)
1 Finish Line Run event
Runners aspiring to the Zwift Academy Run Team have additional requirements – see below for details.
Workout Details
#1: Alternating Hill Repeats
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.
Long (45 minutes)
Short (25 minutes)
#2: The Oregon
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.
Long (50 minutes)
Short (35 minutes)
#3: Tempo Sandwich
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.
Long (55 minutes)
Short (35 minutes)
#4: Cutdown Ladder
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.
Long (60 minutes)
Short (35 minutes)
#5: Intensive Intervals
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.
Long (50 minutes)
Short (35 minutes)
#6: 5k Specific Over/Unders
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.
Long (55 minutes)
Short (25 minutes)
#7: Threshold Intervals with VO2 Spike
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.
Long (60 minutes)
Short (30 minutes)
#8: Intensive Intervals
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.
Long (50 minutes)
Short (25 minutes)
Key Dates/Schedule
ZA Run in-game registration opens September 20
ZA Run orientation group workouts available September 20-Oct 3
ZA Run begins October 4
Makeup events available during the final week of the program (all events of the program will be available this week)
ZA Run ends November 29
ZA Run Team applications accepted from 100-150 selected participants Dec 10, 2021-Jan 17, 2022
ZA Run Team member announcement (approximate date)
Unlocks
Runners will unlock new kit as they progress through the program:
2 events: unlock ZA running cap
5 events: unlock ZA running socks
7 events: unlock ZA running shoes
10 events: unlock ZA running shirt
Zwift Academy Run Team Selection
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.
Coaches
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.
Terrence Mahon
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.
Jen Rhines
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.
