Today No Breakaways released the second of our Road to Worlds videos, this time with Jordan Cheyne of Team Canada (Elevate-Webiplex on the Road, Finesse-Wahoo on Zwift). Jordan has been riding Zwift since the Jarvis days, but really started taking racing seriously when COVID hit.
Jordan takes us through some really interesting stuff:
Canada Cycling’s selection process
How he got into cycling and became a professional
Team Canada team setup and roles for each of the riders
Team Canada prep events and footage of a private prep event with Jordan and current Canadian National Champion Warren Muir racing up the Worlds course finish
How Jordan thinks the race will play out and how Canada can win the World Title
Watch Jordan’s Interview:
We will also be hosting a Live Interview with Jordan, Ryan, and hopefully a couple other world championship qualifiers on Monday, December 7th at 6 pm central time. Here you’ll have a chance to ask them questions about their training, the race, and anything else you want to know! Head on over to the No Breakaways YouTube page to set a reminder for the stream or follow us on Instagram (@nobreakaways) or Facebook!
Heading into the first-ever UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, the Zwift Powerup Cycling Podcast has produced a series of episodes with interviews from past and present world champions.
About this Episode
Mark Cavendish sits down with Matt Rowe to discuss everything from fatherhood to the World Championships. Mark recounts the early days of his career as a teenager working in a bank and dreaming of being a world champion. Matt tells us how he managed to make that dream a reality.
He also explains why everyone apologizes to him every year for his brother’s performance at the Tour de France. Tune in to find out why!
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular guest hosts Greg Henderson, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
Zwift has just pushed the latest version of its Companion app to the Apple App and Google Play stores. This isn’t a major update, but it does bring a welcome upgrade for Boost Mode events and a couple of messaging updates as well.
Before this update, you could activate your boost or charging by clicking a small button in the Companion app or on screen. But the buttons were small and close together, making it easy to accidentally activate your boost when you actually wanted to charge, or vice versa. The new screen automatically presents us with a much simpler interface.
The screen when your race begins
Charging
Boost activated
Boost activated… plus powerup!
Additionally, you can now use keyboard shortcuts to Boost and Charge in Boost Mode events. We love keyboard shortcuts! “B” boosts, “C” charges.
First, the newest messages now show in the club chat window, making it easy to see what folks in your club are saying.
Secondly, underage Zwifters are now prevented from viewing or participating in Club Chat.
These are good changes, but realistically, the Club Chat feature is very barebones. If Zwift wants it to be embraced, it will need to be upgraded to at least allow member tagging (with corresponding notifications). This should include the ability for club admins and moderators to tag @everyone, in order to easily notify the team of important news.
Bug Fixes
This update included the following fixes:
Fixed a crash in the notifications area.
(iOS Only) Fixed an issue with the date picker for Meetups.
(Android Only) Fixed a bug that would cause the progression bar to appear when the user has completed Zwift Academy.
(Android Only) Numerous BLE bridge improvements.
Three Companion Wishes
It’s always nice to see the Zwift Game and Companion app being updated. That said, there are a few niggles with Companion that have been around a long time. Here are my three Companion improvement wishes:
Save Notification Settings: my notification settings get reset every time the app is updated, so my phone starts popping up “Post-activity Ride Ons” and other notifications I don’t want to see, until I go in and turn them off.
Easy Ride Ons in Events: I want to be able to tap my arrow on the map during a group ride and give Ride Ons to the 5 closest riders, just like in free ride mode.
Advanced Event Filters: give me an advanced search screen where I can filter events by keyword, number of signups, and other fun parameters.
Questions or Comments
Got your own Companion wishes? Questions or comments about the latest update? Share below!
Zwift’s November update included a new frame in the Drop Shop: the Izalco Max 2020 from Focus Bikes. Rolled out in style with the three-day “Colours of PARI” event series, thousands of Zwifters now have this frame in their garage. (If you didn’t unlock the frame in the Colours of PARI series, it is available at level 8+, for 426,000 Drops.)
So how does it perform? And if you haven’t already unlocked the Izalco Max, should you drop some Drops and pick it up?
Performance Details
Comparatively speaking, the Izalco is more slippery than lightweight. It ranks in the top 83% in our flat (aero) tests, while only ranking in the top 58% for our climbing tests.
It is currently ranked 11th in our combined percentile chart, which ranks frames based on their combined aero + climb performance:
The Izalco performs almost exactly like the Pinarello Dogma F12, but is available at only level 8 and for less than half the drops of the F12! And it just edges out the Factor One which is available at the same level and price as the Izalco.
Held up against the gold standard of the Tron bike, the Izalco Max with disc wheels would be ~3 seconds slower on a 50-minute flat test. Throw some Lightweight Meilensteins on the Izalco, though, and it will be 3 seconds faster up the Alpe than the Tron bike. Still, the Tron is the better all-around performer by a good margin.
Who Should Use It?
This is a frame for beginners, and/or fans of Focus Bikes. It’s not as fast as some frames available at higher levels, but it’s the second-fastest frame available to Zwifters at level 15 and below, beating other popular beginner frames like the Zwift Aero, Specialized Tarmac SL7, Factor One, and Specialized Allez Sprint.
The Canyon Aeroad 2021 is still a better performer both on flats and climbs, so that’s still our recommend race frame for beginners. But the Focus Izalco Max 2020 would be our #2 recommendation. Use it in flat and mixed races, but go with something lighter in a pure climbing race.
Updated Posts
Given our speed test results, we’ve updated various posts today to include the Focus Izalco Max 2020:
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
No Breakaways has just released its first “Road to Worlds” video where we interview a qualifier for the upcoming UCI eSports World Championships. Our first video features Ryan Larson of Team USA (Saris the Pros Closet) and our next video will feature Jordan Cheyne of Team Canada. Both of these guys compete often on Zwift so we thought it would be fun and informative to catch up and see how they were selected for the team and how their preparation is going!
In this video, Ryan takes us through:
How he qualified for worlds
Worlds training (check out the footage we have of him climbing the Hilly KOM!)
Current race schedule
The setup for Team USA
How the course sets up for him to win a world title
Watch Ryan’s Interview:
Jordan’s video comes out on tomorrow.
We will also be hosting a Live Interview with Jordan, Ryan, and hopefully a couple other world championship qualifiers on Monday, December 7th at 6 pm central time. Here you’ll have a chance to ask them questions about their training, the race, and anything else you want to know! Head on over to the No Breakaways YouTube page to set a reminder for the stream or follow us on Instagram (@nobreakaways) or Facebook!
Welcome to episode seven of World of Zwift, the weekly show bringing you all that is great and good in Zwift Racing.
Host OJ Borg brings us the following:
Highlights and results from the Petit Boucle and week 7 of the Zwift Racing League premier division, with commentary and insight from Matt Stephens and David Towle
A discussion with OJ, Matt, and David about the upcoming UCI ESports Worlds
Anna Russell interviews Team Relentless
A chat with Vitus Pro Cycling boss Cherie Pridham about how her team is adapting to Zwift racing
Since March I have become obsessed with the weekly Team Time Trial… so I asked Eric if I could share my obsession with you all, in weekly doses.
Each week on a Friday I will give you a profile of the upcoming route, guidance on bike choice and some target times if you want to aim for the Premiere League (top-10 in each coffee class get to be in a special race televised on YouTube).
If you can’t ride, or even if you can ride, but want more action! Don’t forget to tune in to the live TV show on Zwift Community Live’s YouTube Channel at 6:15 (UK time).
Review of TTT #84 Magnificent 8
Watopia’s Magnificent 8 is a regular feature on the calendar for TTT – for good reason. It is an excellent TTT route. Enough flat for formation to work – enough hills to make it interesting. There were over 700 teams out there this week. The growth of WTRL TTT knows no bounds!
A pro-tip for anyone who is interested in a PR spot… I discovered this week that there is a checkbox in the team registration each week that is very important. The checkbox tells WTRL you can field a team in the right class, at the PL. Without it, Racecontrol assumes you can’t make the 6:15 PM UK-time time-slot for the PL race!
Category
#42
#57
#62
Prediction
#84
My Place
Vienna
56:24 (9th)
43:27
43:12
43:05
42:18
18th
Espresso
42:47
37:40
37:55
37:30
38:10
1st / 15th
Frappe
41:16
39:52
40:13
39:50
39:21
27th
Latte
44:08
43:16
43:30
43:20
42:18
29th
Mocha
53:18 (9th)
49:35
49:06
49:00
48:00
19th
This week’s results are a little confusing so let me explain. The WTRL guys got around to (apparently they have been busy) separating Vienna into multiple classes, and creating a new highly caffeinated Doppio class filled with mostly A+. That played havoc with my nice orderly table! As you can see though – regardless of coffee class breakdown the times were stellar. Magnificent 8 course records were completely smashed in every class. My own team, the Hyenas, pulled a time 1-minute faster than earlier in the summer but still ended up further down the table. Is all this a sign of summer returnees coming back to Zwift and having a lower race class, or is it a result of increased competition and a growth in the number of teams? We shall see.
A shout out to Mocha PL riders in CICC C. I believe this is the first time a CICC team have made PL. That said, while they managed a great time last week (fastest Mocha team with 4 riders), they really need to work on the creativity of the team name.
How did I do this week? Regular readers will know I have had exploding turbo/ergo/trainer issues and had to take a break. In addition, I have been recovering from an infection. All in all that has had a serious impact on my ability to help out the team – in particular my self-appointed role as cheerleader, since I have no breath left to talk after 20 minutes! Here’s an edited version of my ride report:
Hyena Heckle – Full team of eight. With an 18:30 delay we debated between popping to Tesco’s or swapping stories. Stories won. Towards the end of the wait nerves were tested as Hyenas kept disappearing from the screen. Three Hyenas started solo rides but soon popped up in the pack. The strategy of spooling up a few seconds early worked and the whole team crossed the line at pace on 0-seconds. Pace line formed easily and we were off. Everyone pulled hard, took turns. We got into a mess on the way up to the KOM being passed by one team while passing another but everyone got through cleanly. Cat and Lewy led the charge up the KOM and we passed through the gate 30 seconds ahead of our split time. From there we had a nice sprint across the desert – losing Dan to a dodgy turbo connection. POD showed his mettle, taking strong turns at the front and taking on the role of cheerleader… Our two riders up from the Sloths recently were stellar, pulling turns without complaint. Seven riders crossed the line within seconds of each other in record time for this course.
Harrogate Circuit Reverse
Next Thursday we have a 27km ride around the Yorkshire countryside. The course is a reverse of the Harrogate UCI course we did back in TTT #73. While the UCI course has been a regular fixture, the Reverse has not been seen in 2020. Those that rode the UCI course a couple of months ago will remember… this is a technical course with nowhere to hide. It is a sequence of hills and descents with few stretches of flat to regroup. Each lap is 13.8km with 240 gruelling meters of climbing. Simon Schofield, who comes from Harrogate has a nice race recon of the forward route. (I dunno… read it backwards or something.)
I described the UCI course as lumpy… and this is the same thing. It’s not a mountain, but goes up and down throughout the ride. If your practiced maybe you can balance the relative masses of your riders so the lighter ones lead you up the hills and the heavier ones lead you back down. But there’s no getting away from the fact that heavier riders will have their sufferfaces on.
The ride starts with a nice easy 2% decline… don’t let that fool you into a false sense of security, but do use it (and the slight incline that follows) to get into formation and sort yourselves out. After that it’s a sequence of hills; the first is the sprint hill (because the sprint is on it) at just 2.5% to test the legs, then the Reverse KOM is 1.1km at 4.5% to sap your strength, a little bump up Penny Pot Lane (1km at 4%). Next comes the aptly named Pot Bank Wall which is 750M at 8% and then a bump up Otley Rd (500M at 5%) before descending down to finish the lap back in the center of Harrogate.
What to ride?
Ahead of UCI Harrogate TTT Eric and I had a bit of a discussion on the right bike to use… then he did the science part by testing S-Works Venge versus Tron. It was a tie. That time I rode the Venge, but this time I will ride Tron. Hopefully its lighter weight will help me get up those hills.
Here are some recommendations on equipment at various levels:
Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge
I know I say it every week but it is doubly important this week. Get the Tron! There is no better ride this week.
Route Recon Rides
There aren’t many rides or races on this course – check out the event listing on zwifthacks.com to see for yourselves. Your best bet is to set up your own recce ride using a meet up.
Race breakdown
Race breakdown here is tricky. This ride isn’t about knowing the route for me – it’s about knowing your team and managing the effort. For each hill there is a descent, so there is a corresponding recovery – but only if your fellow teammates can manage their effort in sync with you.
Every one of these climbs and descents can cause splits in the team – make sure you stay together.
Target times
This route hasn’t been ridden in 2020 and the times from a year ago are definitely not useful for predicting times this Thursday. For my predictions below, I have broken out Doppio, but not broken out the different Vienna classes… I will work out how to do that in the next week or so.
Category
My prediction
Vienna
45:00
Doppio
38:15
Espresso
38:45
Frappe
40:50
Latte
44:30
Mocha
53:30
R&K Hyenas have a good mixed team this week – only 1 B in our full complement, but a good mix of light riders to get us up the hills and strong heavier riders to keep the momentum. I rode the forward course in May (with CICC Vuelta, back when CICC were creative with team names) and we delivered a 48:33 time… so Hyenas have to beat that on the reverse version!
Wrap up
This is a technical, lumpy course. There is no defining feature of this course, rather, it is a sequence of hills that will sap the energy of the whole team. If you know your fellow-riders, and modulate effort to stay together you will deliver a great result.
For the past few months I have been putting together recce’s for the weekly Thursday Team Time Trial from WTRL. I race in a hungry mid-pack Latte (usually) team for Rowe and King – the Hyenas, and now I captain the R&K Ewoks on Tuesdays as well. Eric asked me to put together a similar recce for the Zwift Racing League TTTs every-other Tuesday.
One lap of Watopia’s Waistband
We are staying in Watopia this week. This time we have one single lap of Watopia’s Waistband – and I believe it is the flattest 30km route in Watopia. The route was originally one of the community-created rebel routes but was adopted as an event only route by Zwift shortly after.
The route itself is 25.5km – with the long desert lead-in of 2.5km on top, making this 28km all-in. You start in the desert pens, head through Fuego Flats to Saddle Spring. Up the Col du Saddle Springs – the most arduous climb of the circuit (which tells you how flat this is) then down the other side and through the undersea tunnels. Turn left at the T-junction and carry on towards the fisherman’s village. From the upramp out of the tunnels to the land bridge to the volcano is probably the most challenging segment for the teams – it’s a mix of gravel, false flat, and downhill – nothing to break you… but the changing terrain will throw off momentum. Round the volcano across to downtown and back to the desert. Phew, I’m out of breath!
And here’s a course preview from Rick at No Breakaways:
What to ride?
Bike recommendations on this route are straightforward. It’s flat and aero rules the day. For me it will be my trusty S-Works Venge and Super-9 wheels.
The recent changes to the performance of the Canyon Aeroad don’t change much – it’s still fast on the flat, just not as lightweight for the hills… and we don’t have hills here! Here are my recommendations.
Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge
I know I say it every week but I cannot stress highly enough that if you are racing you need to be working on Tron. It’ll take a while, but just set the Everest Challenge and forget about it for nine months… like having a baby. On this course the only thing that beats Tron is the level 45 setup.
Route Recon Rides
Being so flat there are quite a few rides coming up on the Waistband route! As always, Zwifthacks has the up to date events listing – all you need to do is click here.
If you want to be adventurous though, you can go old skool and ride it like the original rebels had to.
Here are the turns you’ll make to complete this route. Only turns labeled (manual turn) require a change from the default turn selection, so this route only requires 4 manual turns:
You know this route well… straight across the desert practicing your formation and gathering speed the whole way. It’s almost exactly 10km from the pens to the base of the “climb”.
Col du Saddle Springs then through the tunnels
Some wag on Strava coined this term for a segment and I couldn’t resist using it. After 10km flat this is the first real rise – a perfect opportunity for your lighter, stronger climbers to jump ahead and create a split! Rein in those riders and keep everyone together. This little hill is just 2% for 900m – but as you can see from the VeloViewer profile it starts around 3% before flattening out.
After the hill it’s a nice downhill… but if you’re serious you won’t be resting on the downhill, you’ll be accelerating… then into the tunnels under the ocean.
From the tunnels to the land bridge
The rather convoluted segment is tricky. It starts with the bump out of the ocean then heads into some gravel… from there it’s the false flat up the hill which tightens at the top. The downhill from there to Italian Villas isn’t enough to supertuck, but it’s enough to pick up speed before hitting more gravel. They really need to fix these roads.
As with Col du Saddle Springs, the challenge here isn’t that the riding itself it hard – it’s not… the challenge is the constantly changing terrain can throw off your formation. The descent into the Italian Villas in particular is enough to create a split with heavier riders breaking away faster than the poor lightweights can keep up!
Volcano, downtown, and home
This last segment is pretty straightforward. Nothing that’s going to tax the team. The final sprint marker is a good time to begin a final acceleration and bring it home with a flourish.
Wrap up
This race doesn’t have a defining segment – I believe this is about pain and suffering in the last third – from the Volcano to the finish line. The longer you can keep the team intact the faster your overall time… while that’s always true in a TTT, there’s nothing in this route that should break you apart.
If you’re interested in hearing what the future of Zwift looks like from the lips of CEO Eric Min, check out this brand-new quick interview with Bloomberg Quicktake anchor Tim Stenovec.
Some interesting bits of info from the interview:
Zwift has seen a 263% increase in subscribers since April
More and more people are coming to the platform in order to feel more connected socially. “Think Fortnite for fitness,” Eric says.
A big part of Zwift’s latest $450 million investment round is about making Zwift easier to buy, easier to be onboarded, easier to use. Zwift’s investment into hardware is part of that bigger strategy.
Zwift’s hardware division is focused on developing a smart bike. No ETA given at this time.
Does Zwift have plans to IPO? “We have those ambitions,” Eric says. But for now Zwift is focused on growth and long-term stability.
Eric doesn’t see Peloton as a competitor, but as a complementary service.
Only 25% of Zwift’s customers come from the US, and Europe represents about 50% of their customer base.
Cheating in Zwift races: “There are things today that are very manual that we need to automate.”
Your Thoughts
What do you think about what Eric had to say? Share below!
I’m a big fan of rocker plates–those platforms you place beneath your trainer which allow your bike and trainer to tilt side to side. I’ve used various plates for over four years now, logging over 20,000 Zwift miles atop a rocking platform of some kind.
But there’s one thing that really bugs me about some (or even most) rocker plate setups I see, and it’s time to get it off my chest.
This issue isn’t confined to the DIY rocker plate crowd, although I’ve seen it there. And it’s not just a problem for cycling newbies–I’ve watched many expert cyclists make the same mistake.
So what’s the problem? The rocker plates are too tight, often leading to poor rocking form.
What does that mean, exactly? Well, “tightness” in this context refers to how much force it takes to move your bike from side to side. Next time you ride outside, pay attention to how easy and far your handlebars swing when you’re out of the saddle climbing or sprinting. Chances are they’re moving 4-6 inches side to side, without much effort.
Now watch this CyclingTips video where James is trying out the Saris MP1 rocker plate. (I’ve started the video at 6:24, where James is using the MP1):
Notice how small the range of motion is? That’s because the MP1’s leveling springs are very tight.
Tight vs Loose
Are tight springs always worse than loose springs? Not necessarily–there are plusses and minuses for each setup. I chatted with rocker plate wizard Chad McNeese about this, and we came up with a list of pros and cons for tight vs loose springs:
Tight Springs
Pro: feels more stable, which is nice for new users
Pro: more comfortable than a typical rigid trainer setup (even a bit of movement makes a big difference)
Pro: reduces frame stress created by typical rigid trainer setup
Con: usually results in incorrect bike lean/pedal timing (more on this below)
Loose Springs
Pro: increased range of motion allows a more realistic feel
Pro: more comfortable than a typical rigid trainer setup
Pro: reduces frame stress even more than a tight spring setup
Con: less stable, requiring more body engagement/rider attention
In summary: new rocker plate users will probably feel more comfortable on a tighter setup, because that little bit of movement takes some getting used to when you’ve been training on a rigid setup. But once you’re used to the motion, chances are you will want to loosen it so you can get full, natural motion out of the saddle.
Bass Ackwards
By far the biggest problem with an overly-tight setup is that it leads riders to adopt terribly incorrect out of the saddle form.
Look at this shot of Peter Sagan winning the 2017 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. Note the out of the saddle sprint form of all these pro riders: specifically, that the bike is leaning away from the leg that has the pedal down.
This is proper, natural pedaling form– pulling on the handlebars and leaning the bike add power to the downstroke, as the lean is effectively pulling the pedal up while your leg is pushing the pedal down. And as you lean the bike one way, your body counteracts that lean with its weight in the other direction so you stay balanced.
In fact, it can’t work any other way outside–if the bike was leaning in the same direction as your body and down leg, you would fall over!
GPLama Shane Miller talks about this very problem is his “Round 2 Rockit Launcher” video (below). Around the 2:50 mark he says, “Every video we’ve seen of people out of the saddle on a rocker plate looks like this.” And he’s not wrong–I’ve seen so many bad videos.
But it is possible to have proper out of the saddle form indoors. Here’s a quick demo video I shot which demonstrates basic, proper form out of the saddle on a rocker plate–both climbing and sprinting:
Now compare my form to what I saw at the Saris booth during Eurobike 2019. (Keep in mind this was an experienced, paid rider–and the other booth rider was exhibiting the same form!)
Saris isn’t the only one who can’t seem to market their own product well. Even SBR, whose rocker plate I really love, displays a demo video on their homepage showing this backward form:
Tight rocker plates lend themselves to this poor form because the rider is forced to use their own body weight to lean the bike over.
Proper technique has the bike swinging side to side quite freely while the body stays upright, counterbalancing the tilting bike. But a tight plate requires the body to lean right in order to tilt the bike right, then lean left to tilt the bike left.
Best of Both Worlds
So what’s the solution to this rocking quandary?
Adjustable tightness, and awareness of proper form. That’s it!
Most rocker plates use some form of adjustable spring: the SBR ROCKR uses inflatable rubber balls (less air for a looser feel), as does the CoPlate. Chad McNeese’s DIY Rockit Launcher uses foam blocks that can be swapped out to vary the tightness.
Some very simple “single platform” rocker plate designs such as the Axxion Rocker Plate aren’t adjustable since they have no “moving parts”. And the most notable exception to the adjustable norm is the Saris MP1, which costs around twice as much as the SBR ROCKR and CoPlate without allowing adjustment. Ouch.
(I don’t want to bag on Saris too much: the MP1’s build quality is rock solid, and it allows significant fore-aft movement, which the other rocker plates do not. But the spring’s tightness combined with a lack of adjustability is a deal killer for me.)
Embrace the Process
Once you have a plate with variable tightness, set it where you’re comfortable, while being careful to maintain proper out of the saddle form.
Note that if you’ve done a lot of riding on a rigid indoor setup, it may take some hours of riding to adjust your form before you feel comfortable on a rocker plate. This isn’t a bad thing – you’re unlearning unnatural indoor habits and returning to more natural motion.
If you can’t lean your bike to one side without also leaning your body to that side, your setup is too tight. Loosen it up, get used to the feeling of having your core more engaged and your bike a little more free-floating… and enjoy it!
Rock on.
Your Thoughts
Are rocker plates inherently flawed? Just a passing fancy? Or perhaps victims of their own poor marketing? Share your thoughts below!
