Some big names in long-distance triathlon come to Zwift this weekend for “17 Hours of Kona,” a one-day series of group rides and runs.
The Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, was supposed to take place Oct. 10 but has been canceled this year. Instead, some of the pros will be leading events on Zwift around our very own Volcano, in celebration of one of the biggest days on the triathlon calendar!
About the Events
The “17 Hours of Kona” events will begin at 7 a.m. Hawaiian time (1 p.m. EDT) on Saturday, Oct. 10, when the start cannon would have gone off on race day in Kona. They’ll continue throughout the day, until midnight Hawaiian time (6 a.m. EDT on Sunday), with a cycling event every hour and a running event every other hour.
These events will continue for 17 hours – the time cutoff given to all athletes competing in Kona. In that time, the Ironman triathletes must complete a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run. From those that can complete the distance in 9 hours to those that race to make the 17 hour cut-off, these events celebrate everyone who enters these grueling challenges.
There don’t appear to be any jersey or gear unlocks for the 17 Hours of Kona events. The main perk is the ability to ride, run, and chat with stars of the sport, including:
When I first saw the Axxion Rocker Plate, I was intrigued because its design was unlike any rocker I’ve tried. Created by Max McAllister (a keen cyclist/Zwifter and owner of Traxxion Dynamics), the Axxion is a much simpler design than the typical rocker plate.
Most rocker plates (including the popular SBR ROCKR and CoPlate, both which I’ve put thousands of virtual miles into) use inflatable balls or bladders to allow riders to dial in the balance and “tightness” of the plate. Some (like the Saris MP1) use big metal leaf springs. But the Axxion is made of machined T60601 aluminum – nothing bends. There’s nothing to inflate or adjust. It’s really just a platform mounted to two metal “ribs” with curved bottoms that allow the platform to rock back and forth on the floor.
A super-simple design. But does it work? That’s what I wanted to learn!
Assembly/Setup
All the doo-dads, ready to be opened
Rib set
Counter balances (and rib chocks in case you don’t want to rock for a particular session)
Assembling the ribs
Attaching the platform to the ribs
Platform built!
Assembly is actually quite simple, but since written instructions weren’t included I was a bit baffled as I looked at the various parts. Turns out, watching this intro video from Max is a great way to understand how the plate is built:
A simple allen wrench was enough get the ribs assembled and mounted to the plate – this can be done in 5 minutes. The more involved step is mounting your trainer to the plate.
You’ll want to purchase the correct mounting kit for your trainer, as this allows your trainer to be mounted perfectly to the platform. I was using my Wahoo KICKR Gen 4 at the time of this review, so Max sent over the aluminum plate and mounting kit that would work with my KICKR.
The solidity of Max’s mounting design for the Wahoo KICKR is something to behold. His system makes the metal straps or velcro used by other rocker plates look wimpy in comparison!
Essentially, mounting the KICKR to to the Axxion requires removing the KICKR’s feet (and legs, temporarily) so it can be directly bolted onto the Axxion’s top plate. Max’s TD Rocker Mounting Kit includes new feet, bolts, and washers. He explains how it all works in this video:
The Wahoo KICKR is not evenly weighted left to right, so a counterbalance is needed on the right side in order to give your plate an even feel. Max sells a counterbalance weight kit which allows you to dial in the amount of counter-balance you need in your setup.
Total build time was about 45 minutes.
Removing the KICKR’s back foot, for mounting onto the Axxion
My poor legless KICKR!
Checking the level of the Axxion before bolting on the counterweights
All set and ready to rock!
Let’s Get Rocking
I thoroughly tested the Axxion plate over the course of approximately 75 Zwift sessions, covering over 1800 virtual miles. This included plenty of out of the saddle work in weekly races and Sprintapalooza rides! During the early rides I learned a few simple things that improved my experience with the Axxion, so I’ll share those here.
Flooring Fixes
When I first began using the Axxion, it felt as though the rocking motion was more limited and stiff in comparison to the SBR ROCKR plate I’d been using. (Mind you, I had my ROCKR set up very loose, so this wasn’t surprising!) But as I chatted with Max about this issue, he asked a simple question: what kind of floor was the Axxion sitting on?
Well duh. It was on a softish foam floor. And that was the problem. Unlike the SBR ROCKR (which has a big plywood base), the Axxion only contacts the floor with its ribs. If the floor is soft, those ribs sink into it, which effectively changes the curve/design of the ribs.
I removed the foam floor square from underneath the Axxion, and viola! A much free and more natural feel.
But now I had a different problem. When I would sprint hard, the aluminum ribs would wiggle back and forth a bit (maybe 1/2″) on the hard laminate flooring! I asked Max about this, and he informed me that this is precisely why he includes a roll of gaffer’s tape when he shipped my plate. (I was wondering what that was for. That man has thought of everything!) Strips of tape on the bottom of the ribs reduced the movement by probably 90%, so it was barely noticeable. Nice!
The ideal flooring for a plate like the Axxion would be a hard rubber surface, something like this roll available on Amazon. This would be grippy enough to keep the Axxion in place, but hard enough that the ribs wouldn’t sink into it.
Rock Solid
Once I had the flooring issue resolved, my experience with the Axxion was a very positive one. The rocking feel is natural, which is the most important thing for me. But what really makes the Axxion stand out from the rocker plates I’ve tested is the simple solidity of it all. The KICKR’s direct-bolt mounting to the Axxion plate was rock-solid, and the plate itself is made of aluminum with no moving parts. Simply a bulletproof design, obviously developed by a dude who is very experience in both indoor training and aluminum parts CNC machining!
Here’s a video I shot of the Axxion plate in action (this was done before I tested it with a hard rubber floor, so you may see it moving a bit on my laminate flooring):
Options
I was used the Axxion “Rear-Only, 2-Piece 1/4″ Anodized Aluminum Deck” kit which currently costs $525. Max also offers full-length plate designs (handy if you’re using the Wahoo KICKR Climb), and you can choose a more affordable plywood deck instead of aluminum if you’d like. (But the aluminum is super cool and solid. It’s like the Apple Mac Pro of rocker plates!)
You can also purchase just portions of the kit for a much lower price. For example, if you simply purchase the ribs ($225) and the mounting kit ($50), you can make your own platform from plywood using their mounting template ($10).
Reach out to Max over at Traxxion Dynamics if you’re interested in purchasing an Axxion Rocker Plate. Feedback I’ve heard from other Axxion users is that Max has always been responsive to questions and happy to help them order just what they need.
The inaugural Zwift Racing League season begins next week, and the Zwift racing community is buzzing! Over 800 teams are signed up at last count, with perhaps 200 more coming on before the first race.
Here are some key final details that may be helpful as we head into the start of Zwift Racing League Season 1…
Still Looking for a Team?
WTRL organizers have told me that riders looking for a team should post a little bit about themselves on this Facebook thread. Teams have been responding quickly to grab unaffiliated riders, but time is running out!
Race 1 (Heat 1?)
We’ve just spoken with Martin Carew at WTRL, and he explained that due to the high number of teams signed up, the first two races of this season will be more like qualifying heats than league races. Why? Because some of the timezones have 100+ teams signed up! (The WTRL Teams List shows 145 EMEA B teams currently registered, for example.)
WTRL and Zwift both agree that limiting each division to 20-30 teams is important for racer enjoyment. So for the first two races, divisions with 30+ teams registered will be divided up randomly into smaller groups who will race each other. These groups will race the Week 1 race as well as the Week 2 TTT, then be broken up into season 1 divisions of 20-30 teams based on their results.
Example: the EMEA W league has 145 B teams registered. These teams will be randomly grouped into ~5 subdivisions for the first two weeks, then sorted into permanent subdivisions (EMEA W B1, EMEA W B2, EMEA W B3, etc). When season 2 begins, relegation will happen within these subdivisions. So top B2 teams may move up to B1, while lower B3 teams may get relegated to B4.
It’s quite possible that points will not be allocated for these initial races, either, as it wouldn’t make sense to give points to teams then let those teams take those points to their newly-assigned division.
Week 1 Route Details
The first race of the series takes place on Watopia’s Big Foot Hills route, but racers won’t be completing the full 67.5 km (41.9 miles) route. Instead, race 1 will use two custom, shortened versions of the route which have racers finishing at the top of a KOM!
In terms of overall elevation, week 1’s race routes are the most difficult of the series. They’re also tied for the longest in terms of distance, meaning this week’s races will take more time to complete than any other race of the series.
Start Pen
Big Foot Hills begins at the Fuego Flats start pens with a lead-in of approximately 2.4 km (1.5 miles) to the actual route start line. Therefore, that lead-in distance should be added to the Strava segments below to calculate your overall race distance.
Intermediates
Intermediate points are available (5,4,3,2,1) for the first five across the line at the following locations:
Titan’s Grove Q/KOM
Hilly Q/KOM
Volcano Q/KOM (Premier/A/B only, since this is the finish line for C/D teams)
Premier, A, and B Teams: Big Foot Hills 50km Custom Route
The custom route used by the Premier, A, and B division teams ends with a climb up the Titans Grove KOM Reverse. Total elevation gain is 515m (1689′).
Make no mistake: week 1’s races will be won on the climbs. And not just the finishing climbs – the intermediate efforts will certainly drop the majority of riders, leaving a small selection to battle it out up the final KOM.
So do you go with the lightest possible setup, in order to have every advantage on those climbs? Strangely enough – no!
None of the climbs are long or steep enough for a lightweight setup to make a significant difference in the climb time. Here are some timings from tests we ran this week (75k rider at 300 watts steady, no drafting):
Canyon Aeroad with Lightweight Meilensteinwheels (the lightest setup available in game):
Volcano KOM: 8:17
Hilly KOM: 2:37
Titans KOM: 4:57
Titans KOM Rev: 2:12
Total Lap Time (full Big Foot Hills route): 1:45:03
Specialized Venge S-Works with Zipp 858/Super9 wheels (the most aero setup available in game):
Volcano KOM: 8:17
Hilly KOM: 2:38
Titans KOM: 4:56
Titans KOM Rev: 2:12
Total Lap Time (full Big Foot Hills route): 1:43:52
Tron bike:
Volcano KOM: 8:16
Hilly KOM: 2:38
Titans KOM: 4:56
Titans KOM Rev: 2:12
Total Lap Time (full Big Foot Hills route): 1:43:54
Canyon Aeroad with DT Swiss ARC wheels (a solid ‘all arounder’ setup):
Volcano KOM: 8:16
Hilly KOM: 2:37
Titans KOM: 4:57
Titans KOM Rev: 2:12
Total Lap Time (full Big Foot Hills route): 1:44:25
With the climbs on these routes being short and/or flat enough that overall speeds will stay high, your most efficient setup will be whatever is most aero. Go with the most aero frame you can get, and the most aero wheelset. The new Canyon Aeroad 2021 is a great choice to give you a slight edge on the climbs without taking a hit on the flats. And the Tron bike is an excellent choice here as well.
This week our coaches help us get to grips with workouts 1 and 2, we chat with Zwift Academy 2017 winner Tanja Erath, and Leah is back with answers to all your questions including setting your FTP and hooking up Today’s Plan. Also, the first Fan of the Week is featured!
The stage race was the Giant Crit Crushers series on Zwift. The data analyst was Fran Bambust. The pro-team was the sublime Roxsolt Attaquer pb Liv & SRAM, a UCI Women’s Continental Team with the likes of Peta Mullens (10th in the GC of the /Tour Down Under 2020) and Justine Barrow (2nd in the Australian National Championship 2020, selected for the UCI World Championship e-sports for Australia). The race of course had some other fabulous female racers as well, like Jenny Pettenon, Illi Gardner, Carlee Taylor, Courtney Sherwell, Bree Wilson, new talents Neve Bradbury, Sophie Sutton, Stephanie Corset and so on…
Fran has never raced outdoors. She has no titles, no pedigree, no UCI team and, with her 55 years of age, could be the mom of most of the other girls out on the track. What she did have though, was data and the data performance consultants from the company where she works.
Gauging the potential
First thing that data team did, of course, was looking at the potential and weaknesses of their Zwifting employee. They measured as minutely as possible of course, using not only the data of the trainer(a Tacx Smart Neo and a Kickr for comparison), Ultegra power cranks and Assioma Duo pedals. She was weighed and height measured and during this period checked by ZADA.
They gathered her data from Zwiftpower, Today’s Plan and TrainingPeaks, two data crunching applications for athletes, and analysed it using the insights of Andrew Coggan and Stephen McGregor*.
Fran’s dashboard on Trainingpeaks
The analysts worked with these numbers and tried to build her up, not by doing workouts, but by racing the specific powers she lacked. Since her sprints seemed to be worst, they trained that most, which – although still low according to the Coggan insights – seemed to become her best power quite fast on Zwiftpower where she could compare to other Zwift Racers, being in the top 94% on w/kg and 98% in pure watts. Her 20 minutes power only put her in the 72% on wkg and 81% in watts.
Choosing the race
With that data the number crunchers could start looking for races that might suit her to exploit that power, without being hindered by her lower long range power. So we looked for short races, less than 20 minutes, that would probably end in a sprint. To heighten the probability of her ending near the podium they also figured they needed a series. More races would even out fabulous days and lesser days, hopefully getting her closer to the percentiles predicted on Zwiftpower.
Fran’s data on Zwiftpower
They also wanted to focus on the watts rather than the watts per kg – Fran being heavy compared to those young girls – and would thus look for a race series on a predominantly flatter terrain.
Understanding e-sports physics
Knowing those rules of physics of Zwift helps you racing in those online worlds. Quite often Zwift racers beat pro racers on Zwift because the latter have less experience with these rules. This would not be the case here. The RXS girls are extremely well versed in the laws of Zwift physics.
However, it was the data team’s hope that those ladies, like most women on Zwift, would overestimate the importance of watts per kg, and would try to put the hurt in the competition by putting out enormous w/kg.
Zwiftpower data of one of the competing ladies
On the flats however the pure watts would be more important than the watts per kg. So they would mainly be hurting themselves, since Fran’s heavier body allowed her to go for a higher wattage.
Fran would have to try and save as much energy as possible on the flats to be able to follow the light girls uphill on the few slopes the terrains would undoubtedly present. So Fran had to draft, staying in the slipstream of the others and conserving up to 30% of energy. On the occasional slope Fran would try to discourage attacks by semi-sprinting up herself, keeping the pace too high for others to fly away.
Knowing the competition and the courses
At the start of each race the data nerds would also analyse the powers of the competition. Who would have potentially attack where exactly? How should they use their team and personal potential on this course to their advantage? Figuring that out gave the data group an idea how to respond to that. They knew from the data that it would never be in Fran’s favour to make the race as hard as possible, since Fran would possibly be one of the first to perish from it. Anticipating to the stronger girls and sucking wheels till the finish would be the way to go.
That does sound simple, but it means you need to be sucking the right wheels. If the person you are drafting from drops a gap, you are gapped as well. So Fran would have to be sure to understand where those gaps would probably appear, and who would be the ones who would open a gap, or get dropped.
Analysis in terms of tips of the 5th stage
Of course you have to know as well when you need to start sprinting and from what position. To divine that again you have to know your data. How long can Fran hold her sprint and how many meters does that mean on this course: where should she start, and how long should she wait? And what does it mean if others sprint in front of you?
The data showed that you can use other racers to get slingshot around them if you time it right, and that you can sprint longer if you are on a lower gear/higher cadence before the sprint, and surf other sprinters using the draft during the sprint. The analysts also knew that waiting for the optical cue of other sprinters to start sprinting was wrong, because that optical cue has a delay: the racer has started sprinting even earlier than that. Fran had to stick to the plan and go where the team calculated she should.
Know the scoring systems, count the points
Last but not least the data group had to understand how the points were allocated. 20 points for the first one over the line, counting down from there. Ending up as high as possible in the first races was the first objective and from then on, we would start watching the competition. And: if you had no heart rate meter… you would not get any points at all. Which meant that, looking at the life data of the other racers, they could discard those without heart rate data, because those were only existing in terms of draft, but not as true competition. Fran would not have to chase those ladies.
Taking the lead in consistency
There were two stages a day and the data team soon noticed that Fran was weaker in the 2nd, that 2nd one counting over the 20 minute range. So they decided to try to gain points on the most important competition in the 1st stage, and try to hang on and control the gap on the 2nd stage. The competition noticed that as well after the 4th stage but by then Fran had a small advantage. Her results on the first 8 stages were: 2nd, 5th, 1st, 3rd, 2nd, 4th. At that point she had the lead in the race by ten points to Justine Barrow.
GC before stage 7
The finale
With two races to go, there were 40 points left to win, meaning Bree Wilson could still come up to Fran’s position if Fran got absolutely nothing… which could have actually happened since Fran managed to fall during exercise breaking both her trainer and her bike. Fortunately she managed to replace both in time for the race.
More realistically, the RXS ladies would play Justine’s card and not only use her as a decoy for Courtney or Neve. That would have been too great a risk. The data team figured RXS would send in as many team members as possible and try to get them between Justine and Fran. The main objective was to let Justine and Jenny, nrs 2 and 3 in the GC, take as little points as possible on Fran while saving enough energy for race 2.
Stage 7.Penultimate stage. The RXS girls put the hamer down from the start of stage 7, but Fran got the perfect assistance of AHDR/The Purple Armada team members Katherine Mackay, Sam Smagas, Marylou Fitz, Julia Broom and Justine Clark to keep the group together in the first laps.
Watching data during stage 7. Fran’s heart rate looks quite ‘relaxed’, not in overdrive. Something wrong with Carlee’s heart or meter though. Annabel will not get points. The 5 second gap at that point was nothing to worry about, as Fran still had Justine C and Kath M nearby and Justine B by her side.
Fran was too far back in the group at the time of the sprint and started sprinting too late, but still managed to finish behind Justine who finished 2nd. Justine had closed in with one point.
The sprint: Illi wins with lengths ahead of orange-red Justine and grey haired Fran.
Stage 8. Final stage.A 9 points gap when there are only 20 points available may seem like a comfortable gap but nothing was further from the truth. The last stage offering a very hilly course the odds were very much against Fran. The finish was at the top of a 900 meter climb which meant the race would be decided with w/kg instead of pure watts. More than ever Fran had to be vigilant, because RXS would try to force a breakaway hoping to get a group of more than 9 people in, preferably without Fran.
That breakaway did form… But with the help of her teammate Justine C, Fran managed to bridge to that breakaway. Still not safe though, because that breakaway had 12 people in them and Justine B would quite probably be the strongest of that group in the uphill finish. Fran had to make sure not to end up off the back or on the tail. So whenever she dropped a bit on the climbs, she had to go deep to get back in there. And she did. She was at the rear end of that breakaway group at the start of last climb, but started overtaking ladies one by one going for that finish, dropping the sprint at 300 meter to go…
Fran still far right on the screen on the last 300 m… How many ladies seperate her from Barrow?
Justine Barrow did win, ahead of her team mate Courtney Sherwell, who must have hoped 7 more random ladies would be behind her. But Fran was there. Taking third, taking the overall win.
300 meter later: Fran taking third and the overall victory in stage 8.
Data for the win?
Did Fran only win because of the data? Of course not. She had to train as well. But the data did help them pick the right arena for her to win. Data can help you to pick your battles, point out the tipping points, gauge your opponents and take the most effective decision towards your goal, given your strengths and weaknesses and that of your opponents. And yes, you can defeat the bigger party.
*Allen, H. Coggan A(2010) Training and racing with a power meter. Chicago
Solid answers to real questions from real Zwifters. That’s what the “Ask Eric” series is all about. My hope is that the next Zwifter with the same question can find an answer quickly and easily.
Got a question? Send it to [email protected], and perhaps it’ll show up in an upcoming post. Let’s begin!
How do I learn about Zwift race routes (distance, elevation, etc) before an event?
Hi Eric,
Just wanted to find out if I go on to a ride or a race on the top right hand side off the screen, how do I look at the distance and elevation before I enter the race or ride. Enjoy zwifting like crazy is the best thing that could happen to my family.
Thanks again, C. Hoffmann
Understanding your race course is one of the easiest things you can do that pays off in a big way. This is true with outdoor bike racing, and it’s true on Zwift!
There are lots of ways to learn about a particular event’s route, but it’s not as straightforward as it could be. Here are a few tips:
Don’t just sign up for an event from within the game’s join screen. All you can see there is the event’s title and categories – you have no idea what route it’s on, how long it is, etc! Instead, use the Companion mobile app, which at least tells you the route’s name, distance, and elevation.
Want more details on the route? Zwift Insider has it! We’ve got the web’s most detailed pages for every route on Zwift. If you just Google something like “Watopia Figure 8” our page will probably be the first one that comes up… or you can find the route on our master routes list.
Pro tip: in Companion, if you tap the map of the route, it will change to show you the per-lap distance and climbing (see image at right).
There’s a lot to learn when you first start racing on Zwift – but don’t get overwhelmed. The more you race, the more you’ll learn the routes. You might even consider trying to race just a small number of particular routes, so you can learn them well. Good luck!
How to choose the correct Zwift racing category
Eric,
There is a lack of information as to what it means to be a category X racer. The w/kg rules are easy to read but understanding just how to get that w/kg number is a little under specified. For instance is the weight measured with or without clothing. With or without bike shoes? How about the helmet ? . Is the ftp 95% of my best 20 minute effort in the last 90 days? What if my outdoor ftp is different than my indoor ftp? Is it 95 % of my best 20 minute effort as visible to zwift power? Is it 95 % of my best 20 minute effort in a zwift race, ride, meetup? Is it 100% of my best 1 hour effort?
It seems that if you pass the zwift power sniff test you are good to go.
An article/discussion on best practices in this area would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Paul
This is a great question to ask, Paul, as it’s something that stumps a lot of new Zwift racers. Here are a few key points to understand:
Since categories are mostly based on w/kg, you should start by knowing your body weight in kilograms. Zwift’s official rules state that you should “Use your real height & weight, as measured in socks, shorts and jersey within 24 hours of each event.” These rules don’t actually apply to all of Zwift racing, though – just the highest-level Zwift races. Personally, I weigh myself first thing every morning, pretty close to buck-naked, and that’s the weight I use on Zwift – because there is no clear rule about what “accurate” weight is, I figure this is quite good enough.
Next comes your power number. I would simply base this on what my current FTP is – from my most recent test, or my most recent power personal best. I would base it on indoor tests, not outdoor, since that varies for many people.
Now here’s the rub: you have to make sure your FTP w/kg places you in the same (or higher) category ZwiftPower does, because if you race at a category lower than ZwiftPower assigns to you, you’ll be removed from the final results. ZwiftPower determines your category based on your three best 20-minute power results from race events in the last 90 days. FTP is calculated as 95% of that 20-minute power, so if you had three races which averaged out to 4.1 W/kg, you would qualify as a B since 4.1 * .95 = 3.9 W/kg FTP. Here are the W/kg and pure-wattage cutoffs ZwiftPower uses to determine your category:
The simplest advice is to start in a category estimated by your weight and FTP. Then after that first race, just make sure your weight is accurate in Zwift, and race in the category ZwiftPower assigns to you! This way, you never have to worry about doing the math – ZwiftPower handles that for you.
Is there a way to spectate Zwift races?
Hi Eric,
Is there a way to spectate races? I know you can just click to watch a rider freeriding a route, but what about watching them in a race that isn’t being livestreamed somewhere? Thanks for the help!
Sincerely, E.F.
Sigh. I really wish I had better news for you, but there’s no easy way to watch another Zwifter in a race. Seems a bit silly, right? Especially with Zwift races becoming more high-profile, and top teams wanting to have a team car/DS who can watch the action and provide guidance to racers.
You can do it, but it’s more hassle than it should be. Basically, you have to pretend to join the same race as your friend… then click to watch them while your avatar sits in the start pens. In fact, I used this technique to watch my buddy Sam do his first-ever Zwift race just yesterday! Here’s how I did it:
Sign up for the same event as your friend (same category, too)
Sign into Zwift and join the event start pens, as if you’re going to be racing
When the race begins, just click through the rider list until you find your friend. Now you’re watching the race from their perspective
You can even open Zwift Companion and send your friend private messages during the race – super handy if you’re trying to help a newbie racer.
And in case you’re wondering – Sam did very well in his first race. He joined the Cs in a mixed-category race, but he didn’t blow himself up trying to hang with the As and Bs at the start. He hung with the main pack of Cs for most of the race, before blowing up in spectacular fashion just like most of us did on first race (or in my case, my first 20 races…) He nearly blacked out before climbing off the bike and texting me, “Laying in my sweat on cool faux wood floor with fan blasting me… haven’t worked that hard since college – feels so good… and bad.”
Got a Good Question?
Send it to [email protected], or comment below. I’ll reply if I can, and maybe, just maybe, a more complete answer will make its way onto this series of posts so it can help Zwifters in the future.
Zwift CEO Eric Min guests on the Zwiftcast on Episode 90 to discuss some of the big changes that 2020 has brought to the platform.
In an interview which is focused on this tumultuous year and on the consequences of the big new fund raise, Eric explains some company thinking.
A flood of new users as the pandemic hit has caused Zwift to accelerate its plans to simplify the platform for new users. Simon grills Eric on what the consequences of this policy may be for existing users.
Eric also discusses the decision to place Rowing on pause and his thinking around pricing. Eric also talks about what new investor Ilkkaa Paanen, the CEO of games company Supercell, will bring to Zwift.
Simon, Shane and Nathan reflect on Eric’s thoughts and speculate on how the new thinking may be implemented.
Elsewhere there’s an interview with Zwift’s Jacob Fraser talking about the new Zwift Racing League.
I first met Eric Min in the autumn of 2014. The company had a handful, literally, of employees and was about to launch in a limited, invite-only beta. Zwift was a little more than a gleam in Eric’s eye, but a long way from the game-changing product it was to become.
I’d arranged to meet Eric for lunch and a background chat for articles I was planning to write as part of my work as a freelance cycling journalist. My train was late and I fetched up, incredibly embarrassingly, almost 45 minutes late.
Eric was understanding and gracious. He was also accessible… a characteristic he has maintained throughout his tenure as CEO. So when Zwift announced its latest $450m fund-raise I put in a request via Zwift’s PR department, for an interview for the Zwiftcast with the specific brief of covering some of the more challenging topics raised by some of the more strident voices in the community.
At first, the answer was a polite “No.” Zwift wanted to move on from the Series C funding – a move that elevated the once hobby project of creator Jon Mayfield to a fully-fledged tech unicorn, a billion-dollar company – and get on with the things that really mattered to customers.
Then, a change of heart. My guess is that when my questions hit Eric’s inbox, he recognised that providing context and perspective to the community in a tumultuous year was important. I think there was also a recognition that this was a landmark moment and a good time to talk directly to the community about what 2020 has done for, and to, Zwift.
You can hear the full interview in Episode 90 of the Zwiftcast, which is available now. But here are some of the headlines.
Around the middle of March, as the world changed, a tidal wave hit Zwift. Eric says: ”We had hundreds of thousands of people coming to the platform and joining in numbers that we’d never seen before. The traffic was insane.” “The priority was about making sure the new customers were having the best experience. Support went through the roof.”
Not only did the flood of new subscribers provide practical challenges, principally in keeping the platform stable, it also, said Eric, caused a change of plans, and a change of focus. The new focus was to be on ease of use of the platform… a theme Eric returns to throughout the interview. “A big theme of this capital raise is about making Zwift easier and more accessible to people – the platform, the game experience, the content, and the hardware that goes with it.”
“The end to end experience has to be much easier for us to attract the broader audience who can’t be fussed with all the different pieces you need to get on Zwift.”
Eric Min
The change of plans saw long-planned new features dropped, with the headline-grabbing announcement in the Zwift Forums that the new User Interface would now no longer launch and was to be comprehensively re-thought. There was further re-thinking after THAT survey… the one that caused so many ructions in the community.
“One of the things that came out was the idea that this was not a good time to roll out rowing.” Eric explained that the message from the survey was clear: Rowing was not important enough to the broad mass of Zwifters to justify the resources the company would need to launch it successfully. Rowing is coming to Zwift – and Eric is confident it will be a big success – but it’s not coming yet.
The raising of new funding has also caused some to wonder whether Zwift is now on course to become “fattened up” either for a sale on the public markets or to a wealthy private buyer, and that might mean price rises. Eric is very clear on this… you can hear his full, detailed position in the interview. But Zwifters are not going to be digging any deeper into their wallets, at least in the short term.
There are a number of other nuggets and nuances in the interview that Zwifters will find interesting. Has 2020 changed things at Zwift, like it’s changed so much else? Assuredly, it has.
Every year, a little whiff of excitement goes through the women’s cycling community at the announcement of Zwift Academy. What started in 2016 as an experiment to provide a new channel for identifying pro racers outside the more traditional funnels has become much more than that. Zwift Academy has developed into a true community event that is driving growth and engagement in women’s cycling overall. Today, Zwift Academy is available for men’s and women’s road cycling, triathlon, and running.
What is Zwift Academy?
Zwift Academy is an 8-week training and racing program. The overall winner of the program takes away a slot on the pro women’s team Canyon//SRAM. In order to graduate, participants have to complete a series of eight workouts testing a variety of power numbers and four group rides (social rides, segment rides, or races) during this period of time.
Why do the Academy?
Many women, regardless of their level of competitiveness or skill, take part in the Academy – and return each year. While we may all enjoy riding and training on Zwift, the question arises: Why do they put themselves through challenging – and at times gruesome – intervals?
A Pro Contract on the Horizon
Naturally, one major driver for completing the Zwift Academy is the coveted spot on a UCI World Tour team. For young US racer Charlotte Backus, who is an elite racer both on the road and on Zwift, “getting the gold (Finals) this time round” is the main goal. While this competitive cyclist has her eyes set on the pro contract, she also feels strongly about the community Zwift Academy creates and strengthens each year. “Zwift Academy is so special for getting more people on bikes and creating a great community. I love the social aspect of everyone inspiring each other to push to their limits.”
Fun & Friendly Competition in Times of Adversity
Multisport athlete Sue Lin Holt is a first-time participant in 2020. Zwift has kept her sane and on the bike during the COVID-19 pandemic and when air quality issues made it too dangerous to ride outside. “I am participating to improve fitness, be part of an awesome community of female cyclists, enjoy some friendly competition, and above all, have fun.”
Canadian cyclist Jenna Dutton has always been fairly athletic, playing hockey, weight lifting, and hiking. She found cycling later in life and now rides bikes almost every day for transportation or recreation purposes. Zwift came to her as a way to cycle through the harsh Canadian winters. “2020 will now be my 4th time participating in Zwift Academy. I’ve learned that I’m always stronger than I think and it helps to have the community support to see others pushing themselves also.”
Empowering Community & Challenging Competition
Women often face a lack of competition and community in their IRL environments. Zwift Academy offers a way for women to test their limits, push their boundaries, and race large and global fields based on their skill level. It also offers a peek into structured training for newbies – served with invaluable advice from both the experienced coaches as well as the active community in Zwift and beyond on social media.
If you haven’t signed up for the Academy yet, you can still register. The women’s road Zwift Academy runs through November 25.
Have you ever wished you could see your watts per kilogram more easily as you’re riding?
With the Zwift Companion app and this tip from Shane Miller, you can. It turns out that just a simple action will switch the Companion app’s power display between watts and w/kg. Check out this video to find out how!
Swift Zwift Tip: Display W/KG in the Zwift Companion App
Now you don’t have to strain to see your w/kg below your name in the rider list! It’s easily visible right on your mobile device with Zwift Companion. And once you change the setting, it will stay that way until you change it back.
We can see this being useful when you want to stay on pace in a group ride or hold the same w/kg as someone else on a climb.
