We’re back into racing again with Zwift Racing League Season 2, and with 10,000+ people competing this is by far the biggest eRacing event on the planet.
The team component of this league, alongside the growing use of Discord, has led to the emergence of serious team tactics. Some work, some don’t, and for anyone who watches my commentary of the APAC Region you’ll know I love a good whiteboard analysis.
Now I’m taking my whiteboard virtual, releasing videos showcasing great (and not so great) tactics from the week of racing. This week I talk about how to execute a good solo breakaway in Zwift, a feat not for the faint-hearted.
Watch the Video
Basically, there are 3 keys to making a solo breakaway stick:
Pick a Strategic Point
The best places in a race to attempt a breakaway are either where you will take your competitors by surprise or where the terrain suits your strengths.
An example of a surprise attack could be on a flat piece of road but around a hairpin turn. Zwift physics slightly slows the pack around a hairpin and if you up your watts through that portion you can get a jump on the field once you’re back on the straights.
An obvious example of a strength attack would be if you are a light rider and you break away on a climb. Beware with this strategy that you will need to keep the watts high once you crest the climb and start going downhill. Another great spot is right after a sprint segment where everyone lays off the gas. Push your powerup closer to the end of the segment and use the momentum to gas by your competitors as they ease up.
Push Watts Very High When You Make the Attack
As you can see in the video both attacks are about 3-4watts/kg higher than those in the pack. For example, you would want to attack at 8watts/kg when the pack is going 4-5watts/kg.
Save an aero, feather, or burrito powerup for any planned attack. This will give you an extra boost to get riders out of your draft and enable you to quickly create a 7+ second gap.
The Magical 15 Seconds
The video highlights a solo breakaway that worked and one that didn’t, with the key difference being the time gap the rider was able to get on the bunch chasing behind. From commentating on, racing in, and watching a ton of zwift races, I believe the magic number is 15 seconds. As long as you maintain watts that are just higher than the pack, and you have 15 seconds, you should be able to stay away. The probability of this is a lot higher the smaller the chase pack is behind you.
Share Your Thoughts
If your team has pulled off something amazing in a race, or you’ve seen something tactically great, shoot me a message or comment below and I’ll do some analysis on why and how it worked.
Traditionally, Zwifter complaints about riderless bikes, low framerates, and other goofy behavior have been chalked up to underpowered hardware. But that all changed in the past few weeks…
A Double-Edged Sword
Since early days, Zwift has been compatible with a wide range of devices including budget laptops, Android phones, 4th gen AppleTVs, and some older iOS devices.
That compatibility makes it easier (and more affordable) for people to begin Zwifting, since many people will already own a compatible device.
But it’s a double-edged sword.
Maintaining compatibility with a wide range of devices requires an investment of developer and artist time to optimize the experience across various platforms. When done right, this optimization delivers a lower-quality (but functional) experience on low-end devices and a high-quality experience on high-end hardware.
That optimization has never been perfect – there’s just no way to dial it in perfectly across the universe of devices Zwift supports. So there are times when hardware slips through the cracks, and an underpowered device struggles on Zwift, or a high-powered device delivers a “basic” experience because the game doesn’t know it can run at higher quality settings.
New Peaks, New Problems
While a smattering of complaints from low-powered “potato” users has become a daily expectation in Zwift forums, complaints of system crashes, riderless bikes, framerate drops, and slow ride clocks began to surface in much higher numbers last week. This major uptick coincided with the start of Tour de Zwift 2021 and its unprecedentedly huge events.
Riderless bikes from a recent Tour de Zwift event (taken on a high-end gaming PC)
And some of these reports were different from the usual “my potato has a low framerate in a 2,000-person event” complaints. Zwifters on high-powered PC’s were describing problems typically only seen on low-powered hardware. And some of the issues were different than typical large-event issues: many users complained that, after riding for 20 minutes, their elapsed time clock in Zwift only showed 5-10 minutes!
Something else was wrong… but nobody knew what. And we all hoped Zwift could figure it out, because it’s no fun celebrating Peak Zwift if it means more people are having Zwift problems.
This was great news! After poking around a bit, we discovered two posts from co-founder Jon Mayfield over on this Zwift Runners Facebook thread which shine a little light on the problem:
Interesting! Jon’s description of the bug certainly explains the recent uptick in complaints, and it also explains why even high-powered hardware users are experiencing problems.
It also explains why we saw the problem after participating in a large TdZ event recently, and it persisted in free rides afterward. Only a reboot returned our Windows gaming PC to typical performance.
Get the Update
Our sources in Zwift tell us the patch release should happen today or tomorrow, so be sure to check for Zwift updates when you boot up. Not sure how to check if your Zwift version is current? See this post.
If you like races, this weeks’ Top 5 Zwift Videos includes two examples of teamwork in a finishing attack and a guide to Zwift racing. It’s also the time of year where a lot of people are using FTP tests to assess their fitness, and another video compares different types of FTP tests after taking each one. Finally, watch a Zwifter complete the entire Rapha Festive 500 in one ride!
Dominant 1/2 punch attack by Saris+TPC (WattsUP ep.0)
In this expertly-analyzed video, Anna Russell breaks down the end of a women’s race from the first season of the Zwift Racing League (a series that she’s helping to commentate for Zwift Community Live). As a group of 9 riders approaches the finish, Team Saris + The Pro’s Closet made use of a “one-two punch” that got them the win!
*Zwift Race Breakdown* AN ATTACK THAT WORKED! Aggressive Zwift Racing.
Speaking of teamwork, Jonathan Crain breaks down a couple of attacks he coordinated with a real-life teammate during a Zwift race. See examples of a mid-race breakaway and a finish line attack, where Jonathan stays with the group as his teammate makes a break for it.
Which FTP Test Is Best? Zwift Ramp Test Comparison With 20 Min & 1 Hour Tests
Phillip Lovett (“Bike Racing Without Mercy”) performs a ramp test on Zwift, after having done a 20-minute FTP test and a 1-hour FTP test, and compares all three.
THE ENTIRE FESTIVE 500 IN ONE GO… ON ZWIFT.
Martijn (“Fernwee”) and his friend Mike didn’t just want to ride the whole Rapha Festive 500 on Zwift. They set out to do all 500 kilometers in one ride!
How to Win on Zwift – 5 Tips in 7 Minutes
On an episode of “This Cycling Life,” host Jamie Anderson talks to Zwift and outdoor racing cyclist Dione Wang to get some tips about how to win races on Zwift. It’s especially helpful to beginners and those just starting to race.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Last week saw our first new Peak Zwift(s) in several months – but we knew higher numbers were coming as we rode further into 2021. And guess what? It’s Tuesday: traditional Peak Zwift day. And today at 10:00 Pacific we hit a new record.
Today’s peak jumped to 46,375, up 7.2% from last week’s peak of 43,233.
The new record occurred as the 10am Tour de Zwift events got underway while piles of racers logged in for the first events of Zwift Racing League Season 2. (With over 10,000 racers signed up, this is Zwift’s biggest race series ever!)
Reminder: Zwift hasn’t been confirming precise peak numbers, so it’s up to us to spot new records. That means we don’t know the precise Peak Zwift number, but we can certainly get close. Thanks to all who sent in Peak Zwift screenshots – astute observer Remon Lam wins the prize today, sending in the highest number we’ve seen (although it’s possible someone will comment with an even higher one, as often happens).
If you think you’ve spotted a new Peak Zwift, snap a screenshot and send it over to me at [email protected]!
Last weekend saw the second running of the Tour de Boudicca, a women’s only all-category event presented by The Warrior Games.
There are many women’s-only events on Zwift but this one was a bit special.
Every single part of the event, from those racing, to event organisation, to commentary, to video production was done by women. This is something that is unique to eRacing. It is hard enough for women’s racing to get parity at a professional level IRL, let alone have the whole event structure run by women!
Let’s find out a bit more about these ladies behind-the-scenes.
The Event Team
From top-left to bottom-right: Karla Williams, Tina Grobler, Jamie-Lee Wright, Sil Calderale, Kate Bates, and Anna Russell
This year’s Tour de Boudicca was organized by 4-strong group of women from a variety of backgrounds with a common thread: their love for Zwift and women’s eRacing.
We don’t often hear much about the event team: those that put in the tireless (often volunteered) hours to make event graphics, ensure fair racing, put together results, and answer all the race queries from the 700+ entrants. The Warrior Games crew was made up of Karla Williams, Tina Grobler, Jamie-Lee Wright, and Sil Calderale.
Karla started Zwifting after the birth of her now 6yr old daughter, used it as a recovery tool, and now is the Race Director for the Aeonian Race Team (AEO).
Tina is a mum of 2 living in the UK and is all about celebrating and developing ladies kicking some butt on bikes!
Jamie-Lee comes from a background of ultra-running but after a car accident in 2018 is building her way back to peak fitness and health. She is part of the management team for Aeonian Race Team.
Sil is a mum to 3 kids and is hoping to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
The Production Team
Kate Bates was on the mic for the Tour de Boudicca, and being a true professional you would never hear her talk about her own impressive history with cycling. But what a result sheet she has had! Multiple World Cup and World Championship victories on the track, gold medals at Commonwealth Games, and representing Australia at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
Kate now runs a women’s cycling community called Chicks Who Ride Bikes, empowering women to live active, social, adventurous lives through bike riding. A truly humble champion, she brings to the commentary a wealth of cycling knowledge from the perspective of a female who has been there and been at the top.
And myself, Anna Russell, under the guidance of Nathan Guerra (Zwift Community Live), spent most of the Christmas holidays upskilling in the art of eGames production – bringing to life the racing by pulling through multiple games of Zwift into a single production studio. Capturing all those attacks, blow-ups, and finish sprints that otherwise would just be seen by those in the race, in their suffer room, at home.
Impact for All
We have known for a while the positive impact Zwift has had on women’s cycling. It provides parity in a sport that struggles IRL to have some major events broadcast at all, let alone anything close to equality in pay. As the Tour de Boudicca has shown, not only is Zwift providing great opportunity to women who want to race, but also to those who work behind the scenes.
Cycling is addictive. It’s also social! And my guess is we all have a good friend (or five) who isn’t the least bit interested in riding, despite our many advances.
Boone (left) and I, circa 1982
My cousin Boone is one of those folks. We’ve been best friends all our lives, growing up playing sports, building tree forts, and getting into trouble together. And while we still share a lot of hobbies and family time, Boone never got into cycling, despite my heavy-handed hints.
So when he approached me in late December looking for a 6-week Zwift training program, I jumped at the chance. What’s not to love? Zwift. Bikes. Fitness. Boone. Let’s do this!
The Big Idea
Boone, like many 40 year old dudes, is looking to drop weight and build fitness. He’s not convinced that he wants to be a cyclist, but he knows it’s a time-efficient way to get fitter.
On top of that, we’re always looking for an excuse to hang out, and this was perfect: he would do his training at my house, on my Zwift setup. It would be a fun experiment with bodily repercussions, not unlike the time we climbed into barrels and rolled ourselves down a hill at the age of 10.
Our goal: to transform this 265-pound rookie rider into a cat C Zwift racer in 6 weeks.
The Plan
After chatting with Boone, checking out various Zwift workouts/training plans, and talking to some coach friends, we settled on the following basic plan:
Week 1: Benchmark testing + Endurance FTP test, attempt first Zwift race, and get some time on the bike
Weeks 2-4: Endurance + Cadence Work Lots of work from low zone 2 to mid zone 3, with some high-cadence drills to train the legs for efficient pedaling
Weeks 5-6: Endurance + Intensity Similar rides as weeks 2-4, with some VO2 and threshold efforts included in short durations
Week 6: Benchmark Testing FTP test and another Zwift race
Ride 1: Startup
Boone was thrilled with his bib tights
Zwift was the perfect place for Boone to experience his first “real” bike ride in over 20 years. With a lot of new stuff to think about in terms of training, bike handling, clipping in, etc, the last things he wanted to worry about were dressing for cold weather, distracted drivers, and dodging potholes.
As mentioned, I wanted to make it easy for him – so he was going to use my Zwift setup, right here in the Zwift Insider Pain Lab. I had already marked my seat height, assuming I would need to adjust it for him. We wear the same shoe size, so he would be wearing my old (but just repaired) road shoes. And though he chafed at the idea of wearing bike shorts, I pointed him to TheBlackBibs.com for a cheap but decent pair of bib shorts, assuring him he’d thank me later.
Our first day was mostly taken up with getting Boone signed up and familiar with Zwift, the Companion app, ZwiftPower, and Strava. Once everything was in place, it was time to ride! Our goal for the first ride was pretty simple: just get familiar with the setup, with clipping in, and riding in Zwift overall.
Boone climbed on the bike, and we were both surprised to find that the seat height was actually just right. He’s taller than me, but apparently his legs are not. Easy peasy!
It had been quite a while since I signed up a new account to Zwift – it was interesting to see how Zwift strips away the UI for beginners, using on-screen prompts to orient as you ride. You don’t even get to pick a route the first time! No rider list, no map.
That threw me off more than Boone, but it worked out alright. He got the hang of drafting pretty quickly, kept his cadence nice and high (he’s always been an athletic and coordinated fellow – his bike form looked pretty good after a 20-year hiatus). We decided to go for one max heartrate attempt on Watopia’s sprint section, getting his heartrate up to 187.
For much of the ride he was cruising with his heartrate in the low 180’s, but that didn’t last long. After 25 minutes Boone’s legs were done. That’s ride 1, in the books!
Ride 2: FTP Ramp Test
With 4 rides planned per week, Boone would have a day of recovery off the bike between every ride except one. So 48 hours after Ride 1 he was back in my office, ready for Ride 2’s ramp test and pace partner practice.
Our goal for this ride was to get a baseline FTP result, and use any remaining energy Boone had to practice riding in a group with Dan Diesel.
Boone warmed up with Dan for a few minutes, then headed off to the ramp test. I warned him (and so did the test) that it would start out easy, then get really hard really quick. And that’s exactly what happened! The initial intervals below 200W were so easy that Boone said it felt like there was hardly any resistance at all. But as the wattage bumped up by 20W every minute, he started to feel it.
One minute he was holding 260W and feeling good, and the next minute Boone was struggling to survive to the end of the 300W interval. And that’s where he stopped.
FTP test result: 230W. At 120kg that’s 1.92w/kg. Our goal was for him to cut some weight (he figures around 20-30 pounds in 6 weeks) while boosting power, so he’s over 2.5w/kg and a cat C racer after 6 weeks.
Doing the math, if he cuts 20 pounds, he’ll need to boost his FTP to 278W to be at 2.5w/kg. Doable? I think so. But it won’t be easy!
Overall Boone rode for 31 minutes in this ride – a new duration PR!
The 3 Stages of an FTP Test
“This is totally doable”
“Oh this hurts so bad”
“I think I might throw up”
Ride 3: Endurance
Boone’s third ride was just an endurance session. As a new cyclist his legs need to be trained to pedal efficiently, while his crotch also needs to be broken in and his cardio system needs to get used to sustaining all that output. This just takes time on the bike, and that time shouldn’t be at max effort – it should be somewhere between Zone 2-3.
Boone and friends sitting in with Dan Diesel
On today’s ride Boone lasted 51 minutes. including 45 minutes with Diesel Dan (although Boone rode ahead of him for half of it). We also learned how powerups work on this ride, which would be helpful for the next ride: Boone’s first race!
Ride 4: First Race
I wanted Boone to experience a Zwift race early on so he could see what all the fuss was about, and how key strategies like drafting and powerup usage played into things.
We chose a 6-Lap Crit City race for Boone’s first event, for two reasons:
Short length: Boone doesn’t have the endurance to race for 30-50 minutes
Anti-sandbagging enabled: this was important as the D category can get blown apart by sandbaggers
Our buddy Zane showed up to watch this event – Zane is a strong rider who races in the A’s on Zwift and cat 2 outdoors. The three of us have competed in various sports for years, and Zane was thrilled at the prospect of seeing Boone suffer on the bike! He brought over some KFC and a soda to sip loudly while Boone labored away…
For this race Boone and I would be tag-teaming, just like we did as 5th graders playing DOS-based flight simulators: one guy would fly, while the other did the shooting. Boone would do the pedaling – I would handle powerups.
I talked Boone through the race as he warmed up. The key points I hit were:
The start would be hard, to the top of the first brick climb about 75 seconds in. Try to stay with the front group, without putting your nose in the wind, in this crucial section
You’ll be able to recover a bit on the twisty descent
Draft, draft, draft!
If you get dropped, we’ll make a decision about whether to keep pushing or sit and wait to be caught
The race would last about 20 minutes, so try to pace yourself accordingly
It’s all about conserving as much as possible, so you have energy when you need it
Boone started off great – the starting group of 25 quickly split in half, but he hung with the front quite nicely, sitting back out of the wind. But at the top of the brick climb on the third lap, his legs gave up and he got dropped from the front pack.
Boone in no-man’s land
Now sitting in 9th, he didn’t have the legs for a TT effort to the finish. So he took it easy, letting the next riders catch. And catch they did – flying right past because Boone still wasn’t feeling it!
Boone sat in with other riders for a couple laps, then put in a good hard dig in the final lap with Zane, Monica, and I yelling for him to give it everything he had. And he certainly did! In the end he finished 12th, but I let him know… it’s the ZwiftPower results that really matter. And guess what? ZwiftPower showed him winning 3rd place. A podium spot! Bronze for Boone!
(Oddly enough, today ZwiftPower shows him in 4th place. So who knows? But it’s better than 12th!) See his race results here >
Watch the race recording
Week 1 Takeaways
Boone and I talked quite a bit after each of his rides, chatting through his experience, what to do next, where we’re going, etc.
After 4 rides, he’s finding that comfort in the saddle is one big challenge. Most of that is probably just those sit bones needing to be broken in – but part of it could be that he needs a different saddle than mine. Butts vary.
He had a revelation after the second ride – that this sort of training allows one to eat a lot while still getting fitter. That’s exactly right, Boone. Ride to eat. Eat to ride. It’s a glorious virtuous circle.
He’s happy with the progress already made, from 25 minutes to 50 minutes in a week. For the next week it’ll be about doing more of those endurance rides, breaking in the sit bones, and just increasing comfort and efficiency on the bike as he builds cardio fitness and drops weight.
Support Boone!
It always helps when someone encourages you in your training efforts, and the Zwift community is a super-supportive bunch. I’d love it if readers could support Boone with Rides Ons and Strava kudos. If you’re up for it, follow him on Zwift (name “Boone Bridges” and Strava.
Your Thoughts
Got any beginner tips for Boone? Comments on our training plan? Share below!
It’s easy to get started on Zwift. All you need is a bike, smart trainer, and computer/smartphone and you’ll be riding around Watopia in no time at all!
However, go deeper and there is more to training than just riding however you’d like.
Whether you do all your riding on Zwift or combine it with outdoor riding, Zwifters looking to increase fitness should follow these 4 important training principles.
#1: Add Variation to Your Training
It’s important to perform different types of training throughout the week. Focusing on different fitness aspects each day of the week can deliver an ideal training mix. Adding variation to your training yields more gains in performance and will keep you more engaged and motivated!
Sample training week from Zwift Insider’s Eric Schlange
Training variations include intensity, duration, volume, and technical aspects.
As an example, one day you could focus on strength training, another day on intensity with a goal to increase threshold within a race or workout, and another day focus on aerobic endurance by doing sweet spot training within group ride or on your own. This will enable you to perfectly spread your energies throughout the week, enabling you to consistently increase fitness from all aspects.
Sample week:
Monday: Recovery
Tuesday: Strength
Wednesday: Intense Training
Thursday: Sweet Spot
Friday: Recovery
Saturday: Intense Training
Sunday: Endurance
#2: Include Adaptation (Rest) Weeks
Adaptation week is basically an easier week during a training cycle where the primary goal is to recover from your accumulated training load.
Taking a rest week every 3-4 weeks allows you to push harder during tough training weeks, making you fitter in long term. Looking at it another way: placing higher stress on your body for a short period then recovering builds fitness quicker than doing the same workouts week after week.
Recovery weeks are effective because when you recover properly, your body rebuilds to a better position than it had previously. It’s this cycle of breaking down and repairing that allows us to train constantly harder without detrimental effects.
Other benefits of rest weeks include reducing the risk of overtraining and giving you a mental break, increasing your motivation.
Adaptation weeks should contain about half the volume and intensity of your standard week, with an extra recovery day.
#3: Monitor FTP Changes
Perform a Zwift Ramp Test at least every 4 weeks to find your current threshold power. Finding your FTP is important for setting up and adjusting your training zones. It is important to realize that FTP is constantly changing, therefore you need to ensure that you always train relative to your FTP and that your FTP is accurate.
Structured workouts on Zwift and other platforms are based on % of your FTP. When your FTP increases, your workouts and training zones increase as well, so the same workout should always feel relatively the same regardless of your fitness.
Perform these ramp tests either during or soon after an adaptation week. At that point, your body is ready to work hard, and consistently testing in this state provides a systematic and measurable way to track progress towards your goals.
#4: Use a Holistic Approach
Approaching cycling training from all aspects is a crucial step to ensuring long-term fitness growth. The times is gone when long training hours of bike training were enough. Now we know that it’s not just about bike workouts – stretching, yoga, core training, nutrition, and mental toughness all play a role in an athlete’s performance!
Countless benefits come with this holistic approach:
Stretching increases blood flow, decreases stiffness, and reduces muscle soreness, leading to increased performance
Yoga improves flexibility, builds strength, and develops breathing techniques
Proper nutrition improves the recovery process
Core training allows you to transfer more power through the legs while improving your posture and reducing the instance of injury
Incorporating these exercises along with the right diet will give you an incredible edge over your competitors.
Questions or Comments?
Do you incorporate these training principles into your fitness regimen? Share which principles are most important to you, and which ones you need to work on most!
An effective team time trial requires a lot of coordination and focus. A directeur sportif (DS) helps take care of the coordination so a team’s riders can focus on the race!
Is this something you’d like to do? Paul Fitzpatrick fills the role of DS for the Socks4Watts eRacing team in their Zwift team time trials. He’s put together an instructional video to help others fill DS responsibilities for their own teams.
How to DS a Zwift Team Time Trial
What does a DS do?
A directeur sportif helps direct a team before and during a race, giving them information they need to prepare and perform. The DS helps make decisions about team strategy and tactics, and they often offer encouragement. In Zwift races, a DS usually communicates through Discord or another voice chatting service.
A DS may take on responsibilities like:
Knowing the team’s start time and managing the countdown
Telling riders how long they should be on the front and how hard to push
Calling each rider to pull through and drop back
Altering turn power and duration for riders as needed
Encouraging and motivating riders
And more
The job of a DS will depend partly on the rules and format of the race, whether it’s part of WTRL or the ZRL or another event.
Tips for a DS
When directing a team, you’ll want to be able to see and hear them. Make sure you’re in the same world as your racers and you have followed all of the team members. Once the race has started, use “Fan View” in the Companion App to locate one of the team’s riders (read more about watching other Zwift racers here). Also, make sure everyone is logged in to your chosen communication service so they can hear you.
The DS comes up with a plan for how hard racers will work and when, including the turns racers will take and their order. This can range from broad to specific – and Paul gets really specific in this video!
A good DS also will know the day’s race course well and inform the team about it. Paul advises noting flat sections, undulating sections where splits could happen, longer climbs, and recovery opportunities on descents.
During the race
While the race is on, the DS will need to make some quick decisions, like whether the riders’ turns need to change, whether to close a split or keep going, or whether to push harder or back off. These decisions are much easier to make and call out when you’re not on the limit in a race effort!
Finally, to show how this all comes together, Paul shares footage from a TTT race that he DS’ed for the Socks4Watts Aero Unicorns team. For more detailed explanations and instructions, watch the full video above.
Your Comments
Have you ever been a DS for a TTT event? Share your tips below! Got questions? Share those as well!
The majority of cycling injuries are overuse injuries that develop gradually over time due to repeated movement patterns. In fact, a recent study shows that lower back pain was among the most prevalent overuse injuries in professional cyclists, causing the highest rates of functional impairment and medical attention.
And it’s true: one of the most common sources of discomfort for recreational cyclists is pain or stiffness in the lower back. Even with a proper bike fit, hours in the saddle will cause tension in the low back, and this issue is made worse by our lifestyle off the bike.
More time spent in a seated position increases the risk of tightness in the hip flexors. This in turn causes the pelvis to rotate forward on the saddle, and when combined with tight hamstrings, and weak glutes/core, creates constant tension on the muscles of the low back.
This constant stress upon the lumbar muscles can cause them to fatigue to the point of being unable to provide the necessary stability to the spine. In addition, the more a cyclist’s leg muscles fatigue, the worse their spinal posture deteriorates. This results in a steady increase in pain as cycling duration increases, further emphasizing the fact that cyclists need to be strong in their lower back and core in order to avoid suffering the results of prolonged strain upon spinal and postural musculature.
Lower Back Pain and Basic Bike Fit Recommendations
Optimal bike fit is focused upon decreasing strain upon the lower back musculature. A bike setup that is too long can cause lower back pain by forcing the rider to be too stretched out. This could be caused by a stem that is too long, a saddle that’s too far back, and/or handlebars that are too low.
In addition, a saddle that’s too high will cause your hips to rock side to side when you pedal, leading to lower back pain.
Proper Posture/Position While Riding
Relax your neck by making sure you aren’t looking too far up or down.
Relax your shoulders by bringing them down and away from your ears.
Bend your elbows and keep them tucked to your sides to reduce strain on your shoulders and produce less pressure on your hands.
Avoid bending your wrist by maintaining a straight line from your elbow through your fingers.
Maintain a neutral spine by relaxing your lower back and keeping your shoulders and hips aligned.
Keep your knee over the ball of your foot while pedaling.
Being Relaxed is the Key
It is important to stay as relaxed and stress-free as possible to avoid progressively worsening lower back pain. Many cyclists will slowly tense up over the course of a ride, sacrificing efficiency and speed while increasing spinal muscle fatigue. Letting go of that tension and relaxing into a natural position will allow you to ride longer and stronger without discomfort.
Active Treatment Plan For Lower Back 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 upon the lower back.
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, you’ll have a resource to refer to when symptoms necessitate!
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 lower leg and foot. We will examine active intervention measures to keep you riding, training, and racing at your best!
What Do You Think?
Now that you are aware of the importance of having a strong trunk, would you be inclined to add a core strengthening program to your weekly training routine? If yes, would you like to see this topic addressed through more advanced stabilization exercises in future installments?
Our newest Rebel Route is a pitchy, dirty little loop that is best tackled on a mountain bike. It may be the most scenic loop on Zwift, too, thanks to all the Mayan Jungle’s plants, animals, ruins, and water features.
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
Descending to the start banner
You’ll have a decently long lead-in before you can begin the loops. Select the “Jungle Circuit” route, which starts you near the Jungle start pens. Ride the tarmac down to the dirt road of the Jungle, then continue descending to the bottom of the Jungle valley. You’ll go through a cavern then the Jungle Circuit start/finish banner, which marks the start (and end) of the Mayan Bridge Loop.
From the start/finish banner you’ll begin climbing up the dirt road, then turn left onto the Mayan Bridge road. This new section was added in Zwift’s December 2020 update and is a mixture of dirt, brick, and wood road. Zwift’s artists really outdid themselves, too! They created massive temple architecture, flaming torches, and plenty of ruins for us to ride through.
Crossing the bridge
The Mayan Bridge road begins with a descent down to the bridge, then you’ll have to climb your way back up to the Jungle road. Then it’s a descent back to the cavern and through the start/finish banner. That’s one lap!
In the Temple ruins
Profile
The route’s two short climbs are fairly symmetrical, providing nice structure for an interval session. Hammer the climb, recover on the descent… repeat!
Getting Started + Lead-In
The easiest way to begin this route is by selecting the Jungle Circuit route. This gives you a 5.7km (3.5 mile) lead-in.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete the Mayan Bridges Loop, beginning at the Jungle pens by selecting the Jungle Circuit route.
