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Zwift Year in Review 2020

Eric Schlange
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17
Zwift Year in Review 2020

Unprecedented. That’s a good word to describe this past year. It’s fitting not only in the world of Zwift, but in our world at large as we’ve witnessed rapid societal shifts in how we work, learn, and play.

Cooped up at home – some by choice, some by law – Zwifters found solace and community in our virtual fitness space. And masses of new Zwifters arrived, driven by healthy desires within and unhealthy threats without.

This is our look back at all things Zwift for 2020. It’s been quite a ride...

Major Events

When worldwide COVID lockdowns hit in March, Zwift HQ shifted noticeably from its typical development/marketing cycle into a sort of event-driven survival mode. And it’s hard to fault them for doing so – with all ZHQ employees working remotely and a massive influx of new users, it made sense to divert resources to onboarding new users and keeping everyone busy with a steady flow of exciting events.

Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, it appears this change of focus was successful, at least by some measurements. The subscriber base had grown by 270% as of late November, and Zwift managed to organize and/or host an unprecedentedly huge number of big events this year including:

It took a pandemic to make it happen, but in 2020 Zwift finally gained real credibility on the world cycling stage. While cries of “it’s too easy to cheat” and “my potato doesn’t run Zwift smoothly” may fill Facebook forums, the truth is, pro cyclists and the national cycling governing bodies really discovered Zwift in 2020.

Because they had no choice. Many pros lived in countries were they simply couldn’t ride outside, for weeks on end. Races were cancelled. Governing bodies scrambled to remain relevant. And Zwift found itself holding the keys to the kingdom.

The transition from IRL to virtual was far from smooth, but in a messy year this was not unexpected. In the end, we saw pro riders and their teams discovering Zwift and using it heavily. And they learned that Zwift provides an incredibly useful platform for interacting with a worldwide fanbase, with more than one pro team manager telling us that Zwift offers far more bang for the buck in terms of market reach than other traditional outreach activities.

Governing bodies learned that it’s much easier (and cheaper) to organize events on Zwift than it is IRL. And so we see British Cycling, USA Cycling, and others holding regular events on the platform.

‘Event-driven survival mode” isn’t a good long-term proposition, of course. Certainly Zwift knows this. The generally-restless Zwift natives were willing to be patient in the early months of the pandemic, but calls for improved features and new tarmac are growing as we head into the new year. Hopefully, pandemic pressures will ease and we’ll see a pivot toward more investment in game development early in 2021.

New Roads and Maps

Zwifters love new roads, but 2020 was a bit hit and miss in this regard. Our guess is that Zwift had planned to release a new map for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, as well as a UCI Road World Championships map for the original Switzerland location. But the Olympics were canceled and Worlds were relocated at the last minute, so neither of those maps could be launched!

On the other hand, the first-ever virtual Tour de France led to the frenzied creation of the France and Paris maps, which were the largest new road releases we saw in 2020. These maps feature 10 new routes, including the iconic “Ven-Top” recreation of Mount Ventoux.

France map:

Paris map:

In the last update of 2020, Zwift threw Watopians a bone and added ~4km of connecting roads, allowing for the creation of four new routes:

And early in 2020, before the pandemic changed everything, Zwift released a refreshed version of the Richmond map. For the first time, Zwifters could ride in both directions on Richmond’s roads, which opened up the map for the following new event-only routes:

Along with the new Richmond routes, the February update added the Seaside Sprint route, which is a special one since it began as a Rebel Route!

That’s a total of 19 routes added in 2020. By comparison, 34 new routes were added in 2019.

Looking for a complete list of Zwift routes? Check out our Master List of All Zwift Routes.

FutureWorks Releases

Zwift launched its FutureWorks platform in 2019 and used it to roll out several “beta” features in 2020.

Clubs

Clubs are the most anticipated new feature on Zwift, with the capability to change the entire social landscape by empowering cyclists to group together and organize events on their own.

It started in late March with the rollout of Club Jarvis, the first club added to FutureWorks Clubs. This club was made up of longtime Zwifters only (those who signed up in the early beta period). Since its release in March, Clubs have been opened up to most of the established, larger teams on Zwift – the last we heard, over 80 teams had access.

Additional Clubs features have been rolled out over the year, but the features are still fairly limited. Thankfully, ride leaders can now modify key portions of their events, taking the load off of Zwift Events staff and allowing for quick, efficient edits.

Boost Mode

Boost mode is an event mode released in the April 29th update which adds a new strategic dimension to racing. While many Zwifters aren’t fans of boost mode, lots of racers enjoy hopping into quick Boost Mode races for a little change of pace.

Currently, the only events using Boost Mode are organized by ZHQ. Several Boost Mode races per day can be found in Crit City.

Sights and Sounds Mode

Sights and Sounds mode was released in the April 29th update, along with Boost Mode. The idea with Sights and Sounds is simple: remove the HUD elements so you only see the environment and avatars. The goal is to reduce the number of distracts on the screen, so Zwifters can enjoy the scenery and concentrate on other riders/runners.

This event mode hasn’t seen much use since its release, which is a shame as it really changes the experience in a refreshing way. We would like to see some HUDless races on the calendar – perhaps in 20201?

Steering

Zwifters were a bit surprised when steering expanded to all roads in the August 6th update. This wasn’t on most people’s radar as something to top the Wish List, but for whatever reason Zwift prioritized it.

Rather than using the Companion app to steer like we’d done in the first version of steering released in 2019, the new FutureWorks steering only worked with the Elite Sterzo Smart steering block – which quickly sold out when steering was announced!

Since steering gives racers an advantage, it was automatically turned off for all events except some of ZHQ’s Crit City races. But steering can now be toggled on and off by event organizers, so we’re seeing more and more steering-enabled events these days.

In our opinion, for steering to really take off, it needs to be embraced by more race organizers, and more riders need to own Elite Sterzos. We’ll see what happens in 2021!

Pace Partners

Pace Partners for cycling was released in the August 6th update, and ZHQ immediately knew they had a hit on their hands. Zwifters flocked to these robo-riders, enjoying the chance to hop into a “group ride” at any hour of the day, at one of four paces.

Zwift went on to fine-tune the Pace Partner offering, then release Pace Partners for running in the December 17 update.

There’s still so much that could be done with Pace Partners, but this FutureWorks feature is undoubtedly the big winner for 2020.

Anti-Sandbagging

Zwift’s anti-sandbagging features aren’t technically under their FutureWorks banner as far as we know – but it seems like they should be, so that’s where we’re putting them.

These tools are meant to keep under-categorized racers from spoiling races for others. If you’ve got A power but you’re racing as a B or lower, these tools can (theoretically) automatically flag you, alert you, and slow you down so you can’t blow apart the B race.

We saw our first glimpses of anti-sandbagging in April, and since then this feature has been used regularly in ZHQ’s Crit City and Paris circuit races. (There are several anti-sandbagging races held each day – click here for a list.)

Will the tools become more widely adopted in 2021? That’s up to ZHQ, who thus far haven’t given race organizers the ability to use anti-sandbagging tools, or furnished a detailed explanation of how they work.

ZwiftPower Transition

In July, James Hodges (the developer behind ZwiftPower) shared that the site was transitioning over to ZHQ’s control. This was all part of an agreement made many months earlier between ZwiftPower’s key players and Zwift – read more about it here.

The Zwift racing community was understandably less than thrilled with the news. Given Zwift’s slow pace of game development in the preceding months, it stood to reason that further development of ZwiftPower features would slow to a crawl under Zwift’s watch.

It appears those concerns were not misplaced. ZwiftPower was officially moved onto Zwift’s hardware several weeks ago, but this hasn’t resulted in an improved experience for users. Rather, high traffic has led to major delays in .fit file and metrics processing. Detailed race results used to show up within a few minutes of an event ending, and now they are taking 2-4 days to appear.

ZHQ’s plan for ZwiftPower is unclear. We would all love to see ZwiftPower’s features brought into the Zwift product in some official capacity (matchmaking, anyone?), but what that looks like, and when it might actually happen, is anyone’s guess. Until then, we hope ZHQ can at least divert some development resources to the site in order to get those metrics processing much more efficiently!

Game Updates

By our count, Zwift has released 13 “major” game updates this year. Here’s the list, if you’re curious what each update contained:

New UI=Old Sweater

Without knowing what it actually contained, Zwifters were eagerly anticipating the release of a redesigned UI in early 2020. But the rollout kept getting delayed, and as lockdowns began and Zwift usage soared, ZHQ made the decision to shelve the UI project. Here’s what one Zwift employee shared in the support forums:

However – the new UI we’d planned on releasing in March is on hold. We’d been knitting that sweater for a really long time prior to COVID, but the operational changes we made to scale up to the huge spike in usage means we outgrew that sweater. Growing the core product team will help us knit a new one sooner.

From what we’re hearing, Zwift is taking a new approach to the UI revamp. Rather than launch an entirely redesigned UI, they plan to redesign it in sections so they can roll it out as it portion is completed. Sounds sensible.

Hardware

It’s usually educational to look back for a year at what’s happened in the hardware landscape for Zwifters – but 2020 provides the least-interesting retrospective in Zwift’s history. It’s hardly surprising, given the pressures COVID placed on smart trainer manufacturers who even today are still unable to meet demand for their trainers.

2020 did see the release of new Wahoo KICKR and Elite Direto direct-drive trainers, both simply iterations on previous models. And it’s probably safe to say that 2020 was the first year smart bikes really showed up on Zwift, with the Wahoo KICKR Bike, Tacx NEO Bike, StagesBike SB20, and next-generation Wattbike all finally shipping worldwide after years of development, testing, and certification challenges.

In late 2019 we got the news that Zwift was creating a hardware division based in the UK. We have yet to see the fruit of their labors, but this isn’t surprising – hardware like smart trainers can take years to develop. Based on interviews with Eric Min, Zwift is clearly working on some sort of smartbike offering – something that will make it easy to “buy Zwift.” Just pay the money, plug it in, and go. But when will we see this bike? That’s anyone’s guess!

On a related note, this year we launched the Zwift Insider Smart Trainer Index – a database of every smart trainer ever made, including reviews from Zwifters. If you’re researching your next trainer purchase, this is the place to start.

More Business News

We’ve already covered a lot of 2020 news in this post, but there are two bits of big business news worth mentioning.

First, in March various insiders caught wind of a round of layoffs at Zwift. (We didn’t publish a post about it at the time, but you can read DC Rainmaker’s take on it.) Some sources told us the goal was a 15% reduction in staffing, while others said it was an attempt to pivot/reorganize the business. Probably it was a combination of both, but in the end, long-time Zwift executives including Mike McCarthy and co-founder Scott Barger left the company, along with several key high-level employees including the Director of Global Business Development and VP of Digital Commerce.

Zwifters haven’t heard a thing from co-founder Jon Mayfield since the reorg, suggesting that he moved out of his role as head of game development. Our guess is he’s working on “skunkworks” Zwift projects that interest him the most, while leaving the project management and team leadership in the capable hands of guys like Wes Salmon.

Secondly Zwift announced in September they had secured $450 million in its series C funding round. This massive chunk of change dwarfed past funding rounds and rocketed Zwift to unicorn status.

What’s Coming in 2021?

Here’s the “what’s coming list” we published one year ago today:

  • Club functionality (allowing teams to organize events, etc)
  • UI Redesign
  • New world launch (Eric Min said, “we are heading east…”)
  • Better automatic race rules enforcement

None of these four items have been rolled out completely – and the UI Redesign and New world never saw the light of day! But this isn’t surprising; nothing went as expected in 2020.

We’re not sure what 2021 holds for Zwift, because we’re not sure what 2021 holds for anyone. But we hope it finds all of you healthy and happy, with friends and family nearby.

Your Comments

What are you thoughts on Zwift’s year? Share below!

Best of 2020 (PowerUp Tri Podcast)

Eric Schlange
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0
Best of 2020 (PowerUp Tri Podcast)

Episode Description:

It’s been a crazy year to say the least, but still we were lucky enough to have many all-star guests join us for great chats. We pick some of our favorites from the last 12 months to give you a little something to listen to as you finish out the year. Maybe you’ll find an episode you haven’t heard yet, or you’ll be inspired to listen again!

About the Podcast:

The Zwift PowerUp Tri Podcast is hosted by former pro triathlete Matt Lieto and Zwift Academy Tri mentor Sarah True. Both are passionate about lending their in-depth knowledge of the multisport to the Zwift Tri audience.

Watopia: All the Miles – A Christmas Century

Jason Hohulin
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27
Watopia: All the Miles – A Christmas Century

Like most of my bad ideas, this ride was a last-minute spur of the moment decision. I wanted to ride all the roads in Watopia in one ride.

I race for Team USMES C1 in the WTRL TTT Latte division, and the day before we came in with a 3rd place overall finish. (Not thanks to me, but rather some very strong teammates. I was the fifth man and more of an insurance policy if one of the top four riders had a mechanical issue.) So my legs weren’t exactly fresh, but I was feeling OK. The goal was to cruise the route around 2.5 w/kg.

Getting Started

The day started off with Christmas presents and some breakfast. Once all the kids were focused on their new toys, I headed to the pain cave to start my journey. My real-life triathlon team is Base Performance and I use many of their nutrition products. I filled two water bottles with their drink, Rocket Fuel, and thought that I’d take a short break once I ran out and could also use that as a pee stop. I opened the basement window and turned on the fan, blowing 7-degree air into the room (a wise decision). I didn’t have a specific route in mind, but started on Tempus Fugit. I figured I would watch the map and make turns to allow for the least amount of backtracking.

After the flats, I headed to Titans Grove so I could go to the start of Repack Ridge and when I exited, I would turn left to finish going through the Sequoias and end up on the North side of the flats. I hadn’t done Repack Ridge much before and it had been a while since my last attempt. Getting used to the phone steering took a little bit of practice.

It’s a Trap!

I used a little backtracking to cover the route from my start point, did a U-turn, and headed towards the beach and Zwift KOM. After a loop around the Italian Villas using one of Watopia’s newest roads, the Bridge/Islands Bypass, I cut back East to head up the Epic KOM.

About halfway up I was joined by fellow Base Performance teammate Matthew Stepaniak. He immediately texted me that this was a trap – he was on an 8% grade with no warm-up! I assured him that we were heading down soon… after the Radio Tower. The “I hate you” response really made me feel the Christmas spirit.

A Welcome Break

Coasting down from the Radio Tower and most of the backside of the Epic KOM was a welcome breather. At the bottom, we took a right turn to hit another new Watopia addition, the Epic KOM Bypass. The next left was downhill as we went back towards the beach, south on the rollers, before the Watopia sprint and headed to the Volcano. Matthew only needed to get 14 miles in and his time was up so I was back on my own. This was a good time for my first break, which lasted just long enough to refill water bottles and visit the bathroom.

The nice thing about only filling up two water bottles is that the next bottles are a little colder than if they had just been sitting there. Also, you can choose what you want in the moment. Rocket Fuel is a mix of Base Hydro, Base Amino, and Base Salt. There are five flavors of Hydro and three flavors of Amino. I went with mixing Strawberry and Watermelon.

First I did a loop around the Volcano Circuit before going up the Volcano Climb. At this point I was still feeling pretty good and knew that I only had the Jungle and ADZ left to complete. When I hit the dirt in the Jungle, I stopped and got off my Tron bike and moved to my mountain bike. I took a left at the entrance and thought the best route would be to go halfway, turn at the Mayan Bridge, loop South in the Jungle and back across the Mayan Bridge before going up the Alpe. I’d hit the last section of the Jungle on the way out after a nice rest of coasting down the mountain.

Tackling the Alpe and Leveling Up

At this point I was around 70 miles in with over 5,000 feet of elevation and I was starting to fade a little. Before I started up ADZ, I once again stopped to change bikes. This time I went for the Specialized Tarmac Pro with the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels. When stopped I noticed an orange bubble on the companion app and knew another friend was close. This time it was USMES teammate Kevin Davis. I knew he raced for our B team and told him if he stayed in front of me the whole way up the Alpe, I’d be his friend forever, and that’s just what he did. There is not much of a draft going up, but I think it was just the motivational push I needed. I was able to hold 200 watts on each leg, but I was bouncing around a bit on my power as my legs were worn out.

This wasn’t going to be a PR day, but that wasn’t the point. I was so close to covering all the miles. Speed or power weren’t a concern. ADZ went pretty well and I didn’t start to complain too bad until we had three turns left. Kevin gave me some encouragement and reminded me that we were almost there and only had to sprint the last leg. I thought “sprint is such a strong word.” It actually did push me though as I stood up and gave it pretty much everything I had left. At the top I got the wheels on the spinner and since I already have them, I got a 1,000XP bonus. This was nice as I made level 34 at the bottom. We had made it and now got to enjoy a long coast down.

Hearing Voices

This is when Kelly Ryan jumped on and we decided to all get on Discord. Kelly is also a USMES and Base Performance member. It was awesome to actually chat with them both instead of just texting through the Companion app. The last leg was just the exit out of the Jungle, but by the time we got there was I sitting at 89.5 miles. It’s pretty hard to put that much in and not get a century ride in, so I continued. It would only be a short climb out and a nice downhill heading back towards the flats.

At this point, my watts were falling off significantly. Talking on Discord helped keep me going and I didn’t mind the power drop because I was still moving at a decent speed either downhill or on the flats.

So Close, But So Far Away…

The second I hit the 100 mile mark I was done. I clicked the menu button and End Ride. The map pops up and goes over all the roads you hit. I watched with excitement to see all of them filled in. However, my heart sank as I saw that I missed doing a loop on the Zwift KOM. I had missed the new KOM Bypass! All those miles, all those hours (over six hours by now) and I failed to hit all of the roads. I was just sick. I clicked the OK button and thought that I had a great ride, hit a century, and completed almost all of the roads, but just didn’t quite get it done.

When the save screen came up I noticed that there was a back button in the upper left corner and I wasn’t sure which screen it would take me to, but I clicked it. It was such a good feeling when it took me back to my ride and let me continue. At this point I was completely shot and in the middle of the flats. I knew that it was only 4 miles away and that I had to get there. Barely pushing 100-150 watts the three of us slowly made our way to the KOM Bypass. I quickly crossed it, saved my ride, and went straight to Strava to make sure everything was there.

See my ride on Strava >

Wrapping It Up

The route ended up being 104.62 miles with 9,160 feet of elevation and took 6 hours and 45 minutes to complete. The only nice thing about having to do a few extra miles at the end was that it pushed me over 9,000 feet of elevation. When I first stopped at 100 miles, I was at 8,990 feet.

Unfortunately, all of the pictures I took using the Companion app came up all black, so I don’t have those to share. Kevin got one of us riding together in our USMES kits and sent it my way. Today was quite the journey and I’m thankful for my teammates’ help getting me through. I think I’ll try to hit all the miles in the other worlds as well, but for now I’m going to enjoy the rest of the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone.

What About You?

Have you ever ridden all of Watopia in one go? That was a much easier ride a few years ago, compared to today. Share your experience below!

Details for this Weekend’s January Zwift Fondo

Eric Schlange
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21
Details for this Weekend’s January Zwift Fondo

Official Zwift fondo events are always a blast, with thousands of riders taking part. Like an outdoor fondo, they feature challenging (read: hilly) routes with three length options. Riders can race the event, or just push to do their best and finish a challenging effort.

The third fondo of Zwift’s 5-month northern hemisphere 20/21 series has just been posted for this weekend!

Looking for Zwift fondo event times and signup? See the list of upcoming fondos in this series

Routes

Zwift Fondo events have three categories (A, B, and C) which are open to all riders. These categories don’t refer to rider strength or speed–they refer to route length.

For January the routes are (click for details):

A: Gran Fondo - 97.2km (60.4 miles), 1148m (3766′)

B: Medio Fondo - 72.6km (45.1 miles), 981m (3219′)

C: Bambino Fondo - 52.1km (32.4 miles), 553m (1814′)

On a related note, we would really like to see Zwift expand the fondo routes to something that hasn’t been used for all past fondos. Maybe it’s time for an Uber Pretzel fondo option? Or better yet, a brand-new fondo route that includes the newer roads not covered in the three fondo routes? Perhaps the KOMonster…

Kit Unlocks

This is a 5-month series, and each month’s fondo has its own unique kit unlock. These kits are exclusive, meaning they will never be available anywhere else in game. A true badge of honor! Here’s a shot of January’s kit:

Upcoming Dates

This monthly series runs through March. Here are the upcoming fondo dates:

  • January 3
  • February 7
  • March 7

Is this a Race?

Yes. Sort of.

A fondo is a “fun race”, meaning it’s more about the personal challenge of finishing a tough course and doing your best. For some riders, the goal is simply to finish the ride. If that’s you, there’s good news: with so many Zwifters taking part in these events, you’ll always have company regardless of your abilities!

That said, thousands of riders turn out for these popular events, and the front of each category is always filled with superfit riders going all out. If you’re feeling strong and looking for an extended race challenge, find a fondo.

Note: efondo events don’t give out ZwiftPower ranking points, so in that sense, this event is not a race.

Questions or Comments

Share below!

An Active Approach to Cycling Injuries: Hip

Christopher Schwenker
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16
An Active Approach to Cycling Injuries: Hip

The majority of cycling injuries are overuse injuries which develop gradually over time due to repeated movement patterns. A recent study states, “Clinical experience indicates that the development of hip pain is a common reason for cyclists to seek professional healthcare.”

The action of cycling involves repeated hip flexion with the hip never fully extending, preventing the hips from “opening.”  The hip joint stays in a fixed position as the leg goes up and down in the same plane, but never straightens or rotates enough to open up the hip joint. This can cause tightness or even shortening of the musculature over time. 

Most cyclists have tight hip flexors, which can lead to pain showing up in the lower back and the underdevelopment and shortening of the glutes.  Although this may not always manifest as hip pain, hip tightness is a huge problem for cyclists. The hip flexors can shorten and pull the pelvis forward, causing an anterior tilt, leading to back pain. 

In addition, pain may come from stiffness in the hip rotator muscles, a group of muscles hidden beneath the glutes. This includes the piriformis muscles which extend from the tailbone to the top of the thigh.  As your hip rotator muscles tighten, you may begin to feel pain in your deep glute area, with subsequent weakness and muscular imbalance.

Basic Anatomy of the Hip

The hip is located where the head of the femur, or thighbone, fits into a rounded socket of the pelvis. This ball-and-socket construction allows for three distinct types of flexibility:

  1. Hip flexion and extension – moving the leg back and forth
  2. Hip abduction and adduction – moving the leg out to the side (abduction) and inward toward the other leg (adduction)
  3. Rotation – pointing toes inward (internal rotation) or outward (external rotation) and then moving the straightened leg in the direction of the toes

Also known as the acetabulofemoral joint, the hip joint is comprised of these basic components:

  • Hip bones, including the femur and pelvic bones
  • Hip articular cartilage that decreases friction between the bones and allows for a smooth gliding motion
  • Hip muscles that both support the joint and enable movement
  • Hip ligaments and tendons: tough, fibrous tissues that bind bones to bones and muscles to bones
  • Synovial membrane and fluid which encapsulate and lubricate the hip joint, respectively

Hip problems occur when any one of these components starts to degenerate or is in some way compromised or irritated.

Common Hip Pain Complaints and Injuries

  • Anterior (front): hip flexor tendinitis
  • Lateral (outside): hip bursitis, gluteus medius syndrome
  • Medial (inside): osteoarthritis, femoracetabular impingement syndrome
  • Posterior (rear): piriformis syndrome, gluteal tendinopathy

Immediate First Aid for Acute Injuries

The PRICE principle, an acronym which stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation, is the standard for the treatment of sports injuries during their initial phase of discomfort.  It should be applied as soon as possible for 24-72 hours.

Basic Bike Fit Recommendations

Typical areas of focus during a bike fit for a cyclist with hip pain include selecting crank length, handlebar size, and handlebar position that do not exceed the athlete’s range of hip flexion at the top of the pedal stroke.

Ensuring that the height of the saddle is not too low or that the fore-aft position is not excessively rearwards decreases hip flexion range and limits the stress of posterior hip musculature to contract at a longer length.

Active Treatment Plan For Hip Pain

What follows will be the foundation of a solid cycling injury active treatment and prevention plan, beginning with the basics of flexibility, strength, and recovery with a focus on the hip joint. 

By completing all elements of the program, and building upon it with each installment of the series, you will be equipped to withstand the physical stress of cycling with less pain and greater enjoyment in addition to having a resource to refer to when symptoms necessitate.

Flexibility Exercise of the Hip

Find the Zwift Insider Hip Flexibility Program complete with exercise descriptions >

Static Stretching Tips

  • Go to point of stretch and hold for 15-30 seconds
  • 3 repetitions per exercise
  • Don’t bounce!

Strengthening Exercise of the Hip

Find the Zwift Insider Hip Strengthening Program complete with exercise descriptions >

Strength Training Tips

  • Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions to start
  • Don’t perform if experiencing severe sharp pain (PRICE)
  • Increase intensity by adding weight or increasing repetitions
  • Strict form is essential!

Foam Roll Recovery Techniques

Find the Zwift Insider Hip Foam Roller Program >

Foam Rolling Benefits and Technique

  • Improves circulation to enhance muscle recovery
  • Relieves muscle tension to improve flexibility
  • Roll slowly and when you find a tender spot, focus in on it by rolling back and forth until you feel it soften or release

The Follow-Up Appointment

Stay tuned, as in the next edition of this series I will address cycling pathology of the low back, including how posture and core stability contribute to this debilitating condition.  We will examine active intervention measures to keep you riding, training, and racing at your best!

Is This You?

Have you ever experienced hip pain while cycling that you were able to work through?  If yes, what bike fit changes, stretches, strengthening exercises, or recovery techniques worked best for you?

This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos: Leith Hill IRL, Rocking the Alpe, Beginner Tips and Beyond

Karissa Minn
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1
This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos: Leith Hill IRL, Rocking the Alpe, Beginner Tips and Beyond

This week, the Top 5 Zwift videos include a comparison of Zwift’s Leith Hill to the real-life climb, a new Zwifter’s attempt at Alpe du Zwift, some advice for beginners, and handy tips for all Zwifters.

Cycling Leith Hill | Which Is Faster, Zwift or Real Life? Full Gas With Power Data & Comparison

Two full-gas climbs. One in the real Surrey Hills, and the other in Zwift’s London world. Phillip Lovett is back with another Zwift vs. real-life comparison, this time on Leith Hill. See side-by-side footage showing how they compare, and find out which time was faster at “Bike Racing Without Mercy.”

Alpe du ZWIFT in 60 mins – 100Kg/220lbs newbie + Wahoo Kickr Bike ROCKER

Mark Lewis noticed his KICKR Bike was creaking and not allowing much movement, so he set it on a rocker plate built by Tim Churchill at Churchill Woodcraft. Then he launched an all-out effort up Alpe du Zwift, aiming for a 60-minute climb. There may or may not be a fall and some strong language at the end!

Things I didn’t know when I first started on Zwift

What do you wish you knew when you were just starting Zwift? Anwar Eaton explains the basics and some tips he’s learned.

Top 10 Zwift Tips & Tricks For Beginners

Filmed back in March when some locations had limits on outdoor activity, this video is useful for Zwift newbies at any time. Check out Cycle Nutter’s top 10 pieces of advice for beginners.

5 COOL ZWIFT TIPS No One Told You About

Sarah LaRoque with “Everything Is Photogenic” outlines 5 lesser-known tips for Zwifters of any level. (But we think someone might have told you about some of them…)

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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

The View from the Back: Riding Alongside Jonathan Edwards, Triple Jump Champion

Tim Perkin
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4
The View from the Back: Riding Alongside Jonathan Edwards, Triple Jump Champion

In 1995 I watched along with many millions as British Triple Jumper Jonathan Edwards hopped, skipped, and jumped his way to a world record so epic (18.29m) it has stood for 25 years and remains unbroken.  Jonathan was so good that night at the Gothenburg World Athletic Championships that he broke the world record not just once, but twice.  This was sporting excellence. 

Following that famous night, he went on to dominate the technical athletic disciple of Triple Jumping, winning every medal possible and in 2002 holding the “four majors” titles at the same time (Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and European Championships).  No one has dominated the sport since. 

25 years on from the magical night in Gothenburg, I had the privilege of riding with this British legend and cycling enthusiast on Zwift. We discussed those events and his interest in cycling and his use of the platform.  From a personal point of view, I was interested in exploring how ex-professional athletes use Zwift.     

Getting Set Up

We arranged a ride in Watopia via the Meetup function and I selected the “Tick Tock” course mainly because it did not have any big climbs to contend with.  I thought it might be a bit too challenging for me to conduct the interview whilst struggling up the Epic KOM.   Like my carefully selected route, I had planned my questions and had them ready to copy and paste into the chat function on the Companion App. However, I was mightily relieved when Jonathan suggested we do the interview over the telephone, whilst cycling.  This was probably going to be the most unique interview he would have to do and I was in favour as it would give the experience a more natural feel, just like two people chatting whilst cycling outside.  It did present me with a new challenge, though: writing and riding. To offset the difficulties of this, I printed the questions and left suitable gaps to fill in the answers, as we went, just like an old school exam.

As we started our ride, Jonathan explained that he was introduced to cycling via another British Olympic legend, Sir Chris Hoy. For those who are not familiar with Sir Chris Hoy, he is the second-most decorated Olympic cyclist of all time with a total of seven Olympic medals (six gold and one silver), so certainly not a bad person to get you involved in the sport.

Zwifty Details

Jonathan has clocked up a massive 10,415km on Zwift and is at an impressive Level 35, achieved over 3 years. He was introduced to the Zwift platform via Sir David Brailsford, former performance director of British Cycling and current general manager of Ineos Grenadiers professional cycling team. Despite using the platform extensively, Jonathan confessed that he has never undertaken a Zwift race, which I hope to change because with his explosive power, I am sure he would do fantastically well in short races such as the TTR Mini Series. However, he explained that he uses the platform for general fitness and treats riding on Zwift like he does outside, where he has no interest in competing. 

I’ll confess, I was not expecting that answer. But in retrospect, having won everything in your chosen sport I can understand.

We both agreed on the benefits of using Zwift, one being the ease of using the platform and as he eloquently stated, “You just get on your bike and away you go, making it more convenient and safer than having to spend 30 minutes navigating busy roads before reaching quieter country lanes, like in the real world.”  Outside of the world of Watopia, Jonathan cycles on a custom Racer Rosa and enjoys riding in the Lake District, which is a beautiful part of the UK. This area was home to some of the UK’s best-known writers including William Wordsworth, one of Britain’s most famous poets, and Beatrix Potter, the famous children’s author.

Jonathan explained his Zwift setup, which is probably not too dissimilar to many. It includes a 36″ TV connected to an Apple TV which hosts Zwift. He uses a direct-drive Wahoo KICKR, and most importantly has a big fan – something all Zwifters can agree to be a necessity!  This setup is hosted in his garage.

Talking of Zwift setups, it was at this point I had a dreaded “drop out.”  This put my multi-tasking skills to the test as now I had to jump off my bike and swap from being a “Riding reporter” to “IT Technician.”  It seems that I am cursed with having technical problems at the worst moments, the last one being in the Zwift Hill Climb Battle that completely disrupted my race.  Fortunately, Jonathan took this small delay in his stride and understood it was all part of ‘Zwifting’ and after a quick fix, I jumped back on my bike and we were back up and running.   

Watopian Favorites

Back in Watopia, Jonathan mentioned he doesn’t have favoured bike frames or wheels in-game and so I highlighted some of the different ones available and their benefits.  He went on to explain that he enjoys riding with small groups around 5-6 people and thinks the new ‘Pace Partners’ are a good addition and also occasionally uses the different in-programme training plans, and typically likes to train around the 2.5-3 watts per kilo mark.   

He was impressed with the variety of rides and routes that are on offer and how so much can be achieved within an hour.  This is something I could completely agree with because for me, even after 6 months of using Zwift on a daily basis, I am still discovering new events and different routes.  We agreed that what can be achieved in an hour of training on Zwift is incredible, and we both shared the common fact that we are both spending hours cycling within Watopia for fitness and for the sheer enjoyment.

Riding vs Jumping

I was interested in understanding the difference in training from what Jonathan does with cycling compared to what he did to dominate the sport of Triple Jumping.  He explained that his current bike training is the complete opposite of what he did historically. 

Training for the Triple Jump involved short duration, high-quality sessions focused on your anaerobic power whilst in contrast, cycling involves longer, less intense sessions and is more aerobically based, which Jonathan mentioned was not one of his strengths.   

Favorite Record

Turning the topic of conversation to his strengths as a Triple Jumper, I had to know: having won every medal in the sport and achieving the World Record (18.29m), what was he most proud of? The answer was without a doubt the World Record.  After holding it for a quarter of a century, I asked if he had become attached to it and the answer was a simple “Yes”. However, he was gracious in admitting that having held it for 25 years, that was a nice “line in the sand to meet” and fully appreciates that one day it may be beaten. 

As it stands, only 6 athletes have jumped over 18 meters in the history of the sport, with the second place being some 8 centimetres behind. Ironically, the World Record wasn’t actually Jonathan’s longest jump; previously he had recorded a staggering 18.43m in Lille, but that was not an official record due to regulations around wind assistance.

The Power of Perception

Jonathan stated “the jump of 18.43m blew my mind,” and went on to explain that it changed how competitors viewed him. He was to be forever a marked man.  Jonathan described that moment as one where his perception of what was possible changed.

I think in our own individual ways, whilst cycling on Zwift we have moments where we achieve results above what we think we are capable of, whether that is finishing high in the rankings of a major event, pushing a certain wattage, finishing a climb, or completing some grueling training programme. It’s these moments that change our own perception of our abilities and keep us returning to Zwift to push those boundaries further.

Wrapping It Up

Soon, our ride was over. What a privilege it had been to ride with Jonathan!  It was interesting to learn that after a lifetime of competing and dominating at the highest level of sport he was happy to be pedaling around Watopia without the need to compete. 

And so perhaps the biggest challenge isn’t all the races we turn up to and thrash ourselves in, but to understand what actually motivates us to ride in the first place. Is it like Jonathan, the simple enjoyment of just cycling?

Join the 500km ride In Support of World Bicycle Relief December 30, 2020

Eric Schlange
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Join the 500km ride In Support of World Bicycle Relief December 30, 2020
The WBR Buffalo Bike

On Wednesday, December 30th, riders from around the world will be converging on Watopia for the WBR500: a 500km ride in support of World Bicycle Relief.

Some Zwifters will attempt the full 500km. Others will be on relay teams working together to cover the full distance. And others will simply be joining for a portion of the ride to lend a draft in support of those going the distance.

WBR’s mission of providing bicycles that change lives is a worthy cause in itself. This event may also appeal to those looking to top of their Festive500 miles, or perhaps do the whole challenge in one epic go. Read on for details!

Scheduling and Logistics

There is no official 500km event on the Zwift calendar – rather, several different “ride leaders” will be starting their 500km efforts at different times, and Zwifters can join any leader or group they’d like.

It is recommended that you add “WBR500” to your Zwift name, so other riders know you’re part of the challenge. You may also want to wear the WBR kit – use unlock code “GOWBR” to do so.

All leaders will be riding Watopia’s Tempus Fugit route, the flattest route in game, to keep the pace steady and help riders stay grouped.

To join a ride leader, simply follow them via Zwift Companion, then start Zwift and find their name so you can click to “Ride with”. Here are the leaders’ Zwift names and their start times:

  • Random Danish Guy- 7:00 AM CET
  • K. Thomas – 3:00 AM CET
  • Steve Cambria – 6:00 AM EST
  • Kieran Ronan – 3:00 AM PST
  • Michael Ziock – 3:00 AM PST
  • Andrew Chee – 9:00 AM MYT

A Discord server has also been set up for the event – click here to join.

Stages SB20

Stages Smartbike Giveaway

Each fundraiser who secures at least $150 USD will be eligible for one entry to win the Stages SB20 Smartbike bike. (If you raise $1500 you will have 10 chances to win, etc.)

Fundraising and Donations

The 3R team has set a goal of raising $75,000 through this event – one Buffalo bike ($150) for every kilometer covered. You can donate directly to the cause via their page on WBR’s site, and even click to join the team so you can launch your own fundraising effort based on your WBR500 ride.

In addition, Speedvagen has partnered with WBR to auction a one-of-a-kind custom bike, with all proceeds going to WBR.

  • The winner will get the full bespoke treatment with the frame geometry specifically built to their measurements.
  • Custom paint scheme to reflect the World Bicycle Relief colors and logo.

To place your bid on the Speedvagen visit tinyurl.com/wbr500sv

More Info

For more info on the event, join the WBR 500km Strava Club, check out the event on Team3R’s Facebook page, and visit their WBR Fundraising page.

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

The View from the Back – An hour with a Tour de France Champion

Tim Perkin
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The View from the Back – An hour with a Tour de France Champion

Zwift is the gift that keeps on giving. 

If you are reading this, chances are I am preaching to the converted. But I feel I need to confess.  You see, I am constantly finding things that keep me returning, day after day, hour after hour to the platform.  To put it simply, I’m addicted.  There we go, I’ve admitted it, “I’m addicted to Zwift.”

But, I’m not the only one addicted. Every time I enter Watopia, I am joined by fellow riders and runners who are finding themselves happily returning to the platform day after day.

The reason for this addiction is that there is always some event going on, some race, some badge to collect, some PB to smash.  There is always a new experience to be had. And it’s for this reason why Zwift never gets boring. 

Meeting Mo

Talking of new experiences, I was out cycling around Watopia and after several heavy days of racing, my legs were tired and in much need of a rest.  Normal people would forgo the ride and take a day off, but we Zwifters, we don’t do that.  We convince ourselves that an easy session is equivalent to a rest.  So, I was gently cycling around Watopia on my rest day and I was approaching a runner.  This was a little more unusual than normal as I was going up the Zwift KOM and I could see the pace of the runner being around the 4 min per km. 

I quickly did the calculations and realised that this runner was running up hill in 40 minute 10km pace, which was quick.  I appreciated there might not be gradients with the treadmill, but the person was still running at 16kph.  Then I saw the runner’s name, ‘M. Farah’. Surely this wasn’t the legendary British runner Sir Mo Farah, the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history?  So what did I do?  I slowed and asked him.  I didn’t get a response, but to be fair, I didn’t really expect one given he was now running at 3.30 min per km, uphill.  I made sure I took a photo for posterity and off I cycled.

I later verified that this was the real Sir Mo Farah.  What a unique experience, as for a brief moment, I cycled alongside the Olympic champion, Sir Mo Farah.

Hello, G

The miserable British weather must be bringing all the star athletes to the Zwift platform, because the following day I was cycling the Jungle loop when right in front of me was British professional cyclist and 2018 Tour de France winner, Geraint Thomas (G).  He was easily recognisable with his Ineos Grenadiers kit and his Pinarello bike.  Conscious that just like me he was out for a morning ride, and not wanting to impose, I asked if I could join him. He obligingly and politely replied “Yes, but I am going slow” – that suited me because I was just doing an hour’s recovery ride and let’s be honest, I wouldn’t have stood a chance of keeping hold of his wheel under any other circumstances.

So for the next hour, I cycled with Tour de France champion and Olympic Gold medallist Geraint Thomas.  I did try and engage in a bit of conversation on a couple of occasions, opening with a question about the weather (a favourite topic for us Brits), but that got no response, which I completely respect.  Fundamentally, he was out for a morning ride and probably wanted to mind his own business. He was gracious enough to let me ride alongside him and I respected that by not bombarding him with messages.  What an absolute superstar.

As we left the Jungle, we continued up the reverse Epic KOM. I have previouly written how my favourite race is the ZWC Hill Climb Battle which goes up the Epic KOM, so it was pretty special to be riding up my favourite mountain climb with G.  What wasn’t lost on me either (which I stated to G, who is recovering from an injury sustained in the Giro D’Italia) was that I knew the effort recovery takes because I have been battling this never-ending journey to recover from cancer and it was 7 years to the day that I was first diagnosed. I have been fortunate and I appreciate special moments like today.  It was very kind of G, for letting me ride with him.     

I always enjoy the reverse Epic KOM route, but I enjoyed it that much more today.  We cycled at a more relaxed 3 watts per kilo, as opposed to my usual lung busting 5. Like the day before with Sir Mo Farah, I was sure to take a photo of me alongside G as we cycled up the Epic KOM, as people would never believe me.  I also took one just as we crested the climb.             

As we descended, we were soon joined by a couple of additional riders and before long, our small bunch was at the bottom of the climb. As we entered the outskirts of town, I sensed this was a good time to leave my ride with G.  I thanked him and he continued off up the road, minding his business as he went, an absolute gentleman, and I’ll repeat what I said earlier, a superstar.

Like I said, Zwift is the gift that keeps on giving – thank you G and Ride on! 

Have You Seen the Yeti on Alpe du Zwift?

Eric Schlange
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Have You Seen the Yeti on Alpe du Zwift?

Zwift’s worlds are full of colorful flora and fauna. Watopia’s creatures, in particular, bring an especially fun aspect to the game. It all started with Scotty the Squirrel, but now we have Jarvis the Bear and numerous unnamed animals like the ocean tube whale, the desert roadrunner, the ibex atop the Epic KOM, and of course the dinosaurs in Titans Grove.

But have you seen the Yeti on Alpe du Zwift?

A Playful Hint

The Yeti is the most elusive of Watopia’s creatures, and in fact his (her?) existence wasn’t confirmed until months after the Alpe arrived in-game. Zwift’s creative team placed a playful hint after turn 12 which says “Méfiez vous du yeti” (beware of the yeti) in 4.9km:

Then just up the road, Zwift artists had a little fun, turning tree branches on turn 9 into an object that looked rather yeti-like:

But this isn’t the Yeti. And it’s nowhere near 4.9km from the warning sign. No, to see the elusive beast you’ll need to keep climbing!

The Yeti also makes an appearance on the Crit City mural:

Yeti’s Favorite Haunts

The Yeti is most commonly seen off to the left after you pass the orange tents of turn 7, sitting on the rocks to the left of turn 5, or on the right side of turn 4. These areas, incidentally, are approximately 4.9km from the warning sign at turn 12.

Here are a few Yeti pics from Zwifters:

Caught on Camera: a Yeti In the Wild

I’ve never seen the Yeti while riding the Alpe, despite keeping my eyes open on 25+ trips to the top. I’ve even held multiple Yeti hunting expeditions, parking my bike near turn 5 and recording video for hours so I could later scrub through quickly to see if I could spot the Yeti.

But no joy. No Yeti.

Then just a couple weeks ago, I parked at turn 4 and powered up the trail camera. Here’s what happened a few hours later:

As far as I know, this is the first instance of the Yeti being caught live on camera. I’m still waiting for the call from National Geographic.

What About You?

Have you seen the Yeti? Where did you spot him? Share below!

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