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.
UPDATE (Oct 23, 2020): Zwift added a bit of weight to the Aeroad 2021, so it’s no longer the top climber in game. Still a great all-arounder, but the data below isn’t quite accurate anymore. Best to look at the updated top performer scatter plots for current numbers.
We’ve already talked about how Zwift’s newly-released Canyon Aeroad 2021 frame is exceptionally fast. But how exactly does it line up against the top setups in game?
Test results from the new Aeroad have been added to our frame performance charts, and the results show just what a standout frame this is. Here’s a selection of those charts, so you can see just how this new frame stacks up.
Top Performers Scatter Plot
In this chart, we endeavored to compare the much-loved Tron bike to the fastest frames+wheelsets.
Plot points are colored based on bike frame:
Yellow = Zwift Concept Z1 (Tron)
Red = Specialized Venge S-Works: the most aero frame in game (798,800 Drops, level 33)
Green = Specialized Tarmac SL7: a balanced all-arounder (674,500 Drops, level 5)
Blue = Specialized Tarmac Pro: formerly the best climber in game (408,300 Drops, level 11)
Black = Canyon Aeroad 2021: the new best climber and all-arounder (532,500 Drops, level 23)
Impressive, right? What this chart clearly shows is that the new Aeroad’s mix of light weight and super aero performance allows it to meet or beat the best in-game setups at almost every point of the performance curve.
Frame Performance Scatter Plot
This chart shows all the frames in game, except the very slowest. You can see the Aeroad 2021 (the orange dot at the bottom-left) is a definite outlier.
Frame Percentile Rankings, Stacked
This is one of our favorite charts, as it helps us see clearly how frames stack up in terms of overall performance. Look at how the Canyon Aeroad 2021 blows away the field! No other aero bike comes close to the Aeroad’s top-notch climbing performance, and other climbing bikes aren’t nearly as slippery as the Aeroad.
Conclusions
We predict we’ll be seeing a lot of Aeroad 2021 frames in Zwift races soon. It’s a cool-looking frame with color changing abilities, it’s available at just level 23, and it doesn’t cost much (532,500 Drops). But most of all, its performance is unmatched, since it turns in ~50 minute flat within just 2 seconds of the very best frames in game while outclimbing everyone.
Many Zwifters find they struggle most when the road tilts up in a race. Riding the Aeroad 2021 means you’ll have a very lightweight bike while climbing, giving you a bit of an advantage at the most challenging spots in your race. And you’ll get this without sacrificing much of anything on high-speed descents and flats.
To be honest, we were surprised when the recently-released Specialized Tarmac SL7 turned in such lackluster times in our tests. The Canyon Aeroad 2021 performs the way we thought the Tarmac SL7 would. Why did Zwift set things up this way? You would need to ask them!
Page Updates
The new Aeroad is so fast, we had to update several of our “top performer” pages! Here’s a list of posts which now include the Canyon Aeroad 2021:
UPDATE 10/23/2020: Zwift made the Canyon Aeroad 2021 a bit heavier, which means the Tarmac Pro returns to its spot as the top climber on Zwift (although it shares that spot with the Cannondale EVO thanks to the changes described below.)
We’ve been looking at a lot of speed test data this week, thanks to the release of the new Canyon Aeroad 2021 frame on Zwift. And things got even busier when one astute Zwifter (“anderfo”) commented that certain test results seemed a bit off on one chart. This made us go back and look at the data and re-run some tests to confirm timings.
And we’ve discovered something strange.
The Specialized Tarmac Pro, which tested as the fastest climber up Alpe du Zwift back in March 2019, seems to have somehow put on a little weight between then and August of 2020. 140 grams, to be precise.
We blame 2020. It’s been a hard year for everyone. Even virtual bike frames.
Thanks to the friendly community hackers at Zwift Hype, we have access to in-game frame weights. And that’s how we know that the Tarmac Pro used to be set at 3.85kg, and is now 3.99kg. (We’re just not sure when or why that change happened… and Zwift HQ isn’t telling us.)
New Top Rankings
Regardless of the reason or timing of the change, what we do know is the Tarmac Pro frame is no longer the best climber – although it’s still a strong contender. This has meant a lot of changes in our speed test charts and rankings. Here are pages which have been revised:
We’ll follow up soon with a post detailing the exceptional performance of the new Canyon Aeroad 2021 frame, which is now the fastest climber while being slippery enough to rank #4 on our list of most aero frames in Zwift.
Here’s the first episode of a brand-new weekly show to keep you up to date with all things Zwift Academy Road. Rebecca Charlton is our hostess, and she begins by chatting with ZHQ’s Kate Veronneau about the history and goals of Zwift Academy Road.
Then we get to meet this year’s coaches, followed by a chat with Matt Stephens and Leah Thorvilson about what it takes to win that pro contract!
This is our first weekend with Zwift Academy 2020, so lots of Zwifters will be taking part in those group workouts and social rides. We’ve got a few other special events as well, so read below for details!
Special thanks to Jesper at ZwiftHacks with his Events app which provides powerful event filtering tools that help us create this list each week.
Zwift Academy Workout #1
Ready to take on the first workout of Zwift Academy 2020? This one’s a doozy, with several intervals totalling 15 minutes above your FTP, followed by an 8-minute all out effort. Pacing is crucial. Good luck!
Looking for a short, easy-paced social ride? Why not try one of the volunteer-led Zwift Academy group rides? This weekend we’re riding on France’s R.G.V. route… rides are only 45 minutes long, with two categories so you can pick your pace.
JDRF, Team Type 1, and Zwift have once again arranged a virtual replacement to one of the big IRL Riding for a Cure charity rides. It happens this Saturday over multiple distances (20-100 miles) on Watopia’s Waistband and YOU are invited!
Whether you ride Saturday to support JDRF and Team Type 1, or you’re riding AND fundraising for this amazing cause; whether you’re in it for the fun, or you’re a T1D trying out cycling for the first time, they would love to see you at this event! Read all about Team Type 1 and JDRF in this Zwift Insider post >
Now that the bug preventing Zwifters from getting the Four Horseman route badge is fixed, why not take on a group ride and earn the badge? The FIETS Weekend Warriors series takes on big routes. Double draft. And special guest riders, but you have to show up to find out who!
The popular Matando c Corpo Race series is back, and stronger than ever, powered by Spanish Team PETA-Z! Take on Watopia’s Medio Fondo route this Saturday.
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 WTRL TTT 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).
Volcano Flat Reverse (#76) Recap
Before we look at next week let’s review this week’s performance on Volcano Flat Reverse. My goal is to predict the time a team needs to make PL next week. The trick for me is to get as close to 11th spot (top 11 teams per coffee class get an automatic invite to next week’s Platinum League) without going over. This week was doubly challenging since the route had never been ridden in a TTT before.
Here’s how I did… it’s a mixed bag!
Class
11th position this week
My prediction
My team’s position
Vienna
55:54
55:20
9th
Espresso
48:58
48:00
4th
Frappe
51:48
51:00
5th
Latte
55:26
54:30
3rd
Mocha
1:03:03
1:00:30
4th
Well… I can feel good about all my virtual teams making it to PL… but I was pretty aggressive. Perhaps you guys are slowing down… where are those watts?
How did I do today in Latte? It was an epic battle – my club has 2 Latte teams, and our arch-enemy the Cheetahs started 30 seconds behind us. They are typically stronger (but not as well disciplined I have to say) so it was a game of keep-away we were always going to struggle with. My valiant Hyenas were amazing… yes we were caught on the final lap – but our enemies over-cooked and after a couple of kilometers the Hyenas jettisoned the dead weight (me) and retook the lead position finishing 12 seconds ahead (net loss 18 seconds). I finished in 1:00:23, a couple of minutes behind.
Thursday 8th October – Sand and Sequoias
We are staying in Watopia again this week with two laps of Sand and Sequoias. This route is a regular on TTT – I have ridden it twice (once with CICC, once with R&K). In fact this was the route of my first TTT. Prior to that it has been raced four times – #51, 39, 26, and 19.
Two laps at 20km plus a lead in make this a 43km ride – add in a KOM and what we have here is one of the longest TTTs. Even top-flight teams will be in the saddle for an hour, and the rest of us should expect well over an hour.
Essentially the route is out from the pens on the Fuego Flats desert then back via the Titans Grove sequoia forest. The last few weeks have lulled you all into a false sense of security… steady climbs, flat routes… all just a good time to practice team formation. This is where that practice will pay off. We do have an extended flat, sure – but we have rolling bumps, a challenging KOM, and more rolling bumps… the sequoias part of this course is definitely tricky for a team trial.
From the desert pens we head straight for the sprint then through the start/finish gate. Through the desert for 10km (including the lead-in) before heading up the hill and into Titans Grove. From here it’s a sequence of rollers before heading up the KOM – 2.6km at a pretty steady 3%, then more rollers. It flattens out as you hit the desert again for the remaining 3.5km to the start/finish banner – then do it again.
What to ride?
Bike recommendation on this route is tricky… for the Fuego Flats aero is king… but for Titans Grove the rollers give an edge to something more balanced. I will be on my Tron bike this week, leaving the Venge in the garage.
But – there’s a new game in own – at level 23 you can now get yourself a beautiful new Aeroad, shipped directly from Canyon in Germany to your Drop Shop. Eric has a full article with testing and such – but the breaking news is the Aeroad is significantly better than the Tarmac SL7 on all roads, and on a mixed/hilly route it’s pretty darned close to the S-Works Venge. So for this route, with its mix of flat and hills, my recommendation is to get the Aeroad if you’re at level 23+… I’m just not sure which wheels to use.
The new Canyon Aeroad 2021
Level 5 Specialized SL7 with Roval CLX64 or ENVE SES3.4
Level 6 Ditch the Roval/ENVE and get the DT Swiss ARC 1100
Level 23 – Ditch the SL7 and get the Canyon Aeroad… keep the DTSwiss hoops
Level 33 S-Works Venge… keep the DTSwiss
Level 40 S-Works Venge with Zipp 858
Level 45 get those 858/Super 9 wheels and pair them with the S-Works Venge
In this case though, if you have a Tron, use it… it beats every other bike on this route hands down. 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.
I’d love to hear from you about what you ride and why. Share it in the comments below?
Route Recon Rides
The last couple of weeks I have struggled to find good recce rides – but Sand and Sequoias is everywhere! – check for yourself on the event listing on zwifthacks.com.
Saturday
For those in the antipodes, Europe and the UK there’s a great 3R race
Or for a really gentle ride around there is this sub-2.0
Race Breakdown
As you can see from the route map courtesy of VeloViewer, the route is divided into two parts – flat in the desert, hilly in Titans Grove. There is an official Zwift race recon – but i didn’t think this one translated well to a TTT.
Start through the end of the Flats
It’s 10k from the pens to the start of the rise into the sequoias. There are a couple of tiny rises but you won’t notice them as you speed through.
Col du Saddle Springs
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 first little hill is just 2% for 900m up to the turn into Titans Grove.
More up than down – the approach to the KOM
Rounding the bend from the Col you head into Titans Grove – a very pretty section, although you won’t have the energy for sightseeing. Before the KOM itself are a jagged series of bumps heading upwards before the descent that marks the approach to the KOM itself. This segment feels just like The Esses to me – plenty of opportunity to gain momentum and increase the team’s speed, but also a risk of splitting up.
Titan’s Grove KOM
On the face of it, this is a 2.5km drag at 2%, winding up and around the mountain with three beautiful switchbacks. But the top and bottom are kinda flat… so the middle is steeper. Think of this as a 1km at 4%. That’s enough height and distance to create a split – particularly on the second time around.
I have raced this on two TTTs and in both we lost someone on this segment. Depending on your race strategy that might be fine on the second time through of course.
More down than up… after the KOM and back to the desert
Once you go through the KOM the grade heads downwards. There’s a 4% downhill for a 1.4 km where you will pick up speed, then a series of rollers. With tired legs after the KOM (particularly on lap 2) this will put strain on the team. Keep an eye out for splits in the group.
After the rollers it flattens out as you speed back into the desert, through the sprint and on to the Start/Finish banner.
Target times
There splits here are at 10, 20 and 30 kilometers.
Split 1 (10km) – Just before the Col du Saddle Springs
Split 2 (20km) – As you reconnect to the Desert from Titans Grove
Split 3 (22km) – Passing the futuristic building in Saddle Springs (it’s the LAX control tower)
How have you done in the last few attempts on this course?
Class
Split 2 (14km)
9th April / #51
9th July / #64
Vienna
1:19:42 (9 teams)
1:11:12
1:04:14
Espresso
1:05:33 (10 teams)
57:04
55:38
Frappe
1:01:15
59:42
58:55
Latte
1:05:54
1:04:51
1:04:03
Mocha
1:17:08 (9 teams)
1:22:45
1:11:06
Ok… so here’s how I see it. Autumn is coming and the number of teams is picking up. I think you’re all going to do a little better than in July:
Class
Split 1 (10km)
Split 2 (20km)
Split 3 (30km)
Finish
Vienna
15:00
30:10
45:30
1:04:00
Espresso
13:00
26:00
39:00
55:00
Frappe
13:30
27:30
41:00
58:30
Latte
14:20
30:15
44:30
1:03:50
Mocha
16:00
33:30
49:30
1:11:00
Wrapup
This race is all about decision-making. You will be flat out on the flat, and the hills will strain the team… people will get dropped. The question is do you wait for them, or do you drop them?
Zwift Academy Road for men and women launched today, October 1st. Here are the details on what it takes to graduate from this year’s academy, plus more information on the workouts, group rides, and races involved.
Graduation Requirements
The following requirements must be met by November 25th in order to complete Zwift Academy Road:
Complete all eight Workouts (individually or with a group)
Complete four other events, which can be any combination of Zwift Academy group Rides, Segment Group Rides, or Races
Competing for the pro contract? You must complete two Segment Group Rides and both races for your four additional events.
Workouts
Structured workouts form the heart of Zwift Academy, with each workout accomplishing very specific training/testing goals and lasting approximately 1 hour.
You must complete all 8 Zwift Academy 2020 workouts in order to complete the program.
These workouts can be completed individually by selecting the workout within Zwift. They can also be completed by participating in a group workout event. Lastly, if you want to do the workout with a few choice friends, you can organize a Meetup and have everyone select the same workout (more on that here).
Zwift and the Academy coaches have created helpful homepages for each of the 8 workouts. Each page includes a written description, video intro from the coach, and a place to sign up for a group workout:
Group rides are the most social events on the Zwift Academy calendar. There are two categories to choose from: men’s group rides are at (A) 2.2-2.7 w/kg and (B) 1.7-2.2 w/kg, while women’s group rides are at (A) 1.7-2.2 w/kg and (B) 1.2-1.7 w/kg. Choose the pace that suits you best, then enjoy riding with others.
The rides are led by volunteers from the Zwift community, and last 45 minutes. Groups are separated by gender, and everyone wears the Zwift Academy kit for the duration of the ride. The ride fence is used to keep riders together, and late join is allowed.
Group rides will be scheduled on the following routes and dates:
Segment group rides are a new event type debuting at Zwift Academy 2020. They aren’t available to ride just yet, though: it appears these will be on the calendar from Oct 22-Nov 25.
The idea behind segment rides is to go all-out on particular segments during a live group ride in order to test your power over different lengths of time. The ride descriptions explain how it works and where the segments are on course. Presumably, we’ll see some on-screen prompts as well! Click below for details:
If you’re competing for the pro contract, you must complete two segment group rides as part of your Zwift Academy experience.
Races
Races will run from Oct 22-Nov 25, just like the segment rides. These are non-categorized events, although the Richmond race uses categories to let Zwifters choose between longer and shorter versions.
UK-based cycle racewear brand Nopinz has just announced their latest product: the SubZero Turbo range. And it’s not just a fancy name!
Described as “the world’s first indoor cycling kit designed to actively cool the body’s core temperature”, the SubZero range includes sewn-in pockets for holding replaceable frozen gel packs to help keep your core temperature down.
Temperature management is a big concern for indoor riders, particularly when engaging in high-intensity efforts. In our “How much fan do you need when riding indoors?” article, we explained how every watt of pedal power also creates ~3 watts of heat. Our body’s cooling systems get rid of this extra heat mainly through perspiration (evaporative cooling), but the solution from Nopinz adds conductive cooling to the mix.
In conduction, energy is transferred through physical contact with another object (your couch warms up when you sit on it, or your skin gets cold when you hold an ice cube). The gel packs in the SubZero line are placed in FreezePockets (a patent-pending design) over key temperature regulation points (lower back, upper back, and wrists) where they absorb some of your body’s heat, which should reduce the cooling load on your circulation system.
Outdoor riders will recognize that this is simply a more well-designed and cleaner version of the proven “ice bag down the jersey” hack which racers have been using on hot days for many years.
Many serious Zwift racers are investing in dedicated spaces with powerful fans and even air conditioning or dehumidifiers. Not everyone has this luxury, though, and Nopinz says their new SubZero range “provides a marginal gain and performance advantage that is accessible to all.”
Nopinz founder Blake Pond, getting at it!
Nopinz founder Blake Pond, a former elite-level road and TT racer and now a keen A+ Zwift racer, poured many years of indoor training experience into the SubZero line. He says, “I knew there must be a more effective way than relying purely on cooling fans, so I decided to try putting ice packs into my kit to help me stay cool and boost my performance especially when racing in Zwift. The concept worked so well that it had to be part of our new indoor kit range and SubZero was born.”
We’re testing the SubZero line here in the Zwift Insider Pain Lab, and early results are positive, even though it’s difficult to quantify the marginal gains outside of a true lab setting. Nopinz is working on getting into some labs for tests, but it has been difficult due to COVID restrictions and closures. They do, say, though, that “Initial signs among our own athletes have been very promising! This doesn’t come as a surprise as many studies show that keeping your body temperature down allows you to perform at your best for longer, so we feel we’ve provided an additional solution to an existing problem for many athletes.”
Nopinz has partnered with World Tactical Racing Leagues (WTRL) and one of the leading teams (R3R Nopinz) will wear the SubZero line during the upcoming World Championships held on the Zwift in early November.
Product Line Details
Freeze those gels, then they’re ready by race end!Or use the included gel packsLower back FreezePocketUpper back FreezePocket
The SubZero range includes:
SubZero shorts: indoor-optimized bib shorts with FreezePockets between shoulder blades and on the lower back. Chamois pad is optimized for indoor riding with improved moisture management compared to those in standard bibs.Men’s and women’s versions available. (£139.99, two sets of gel packs included)
SubZero sweatbands: a brilliantly simple dual-purpose accessory. The FreezePocket is located on the inner wrist to help to provide a cooling effect where the skin is thinnest. In addition, the bands have a highly absorbent toweling upper to absorb sweat and keep you fresher and more comfortable during intense sessions. The FreezePockets are designed to fit energy gels, so once your body has defrosted them (usually within 20-30 mins), you can get that all-important boost for the end of the session or race. (£29.99, two reusable gel packs included)
SubZero suit: specifically designed for e-racing where live streaming requires a top to be worn, the SubZero suit has similar qualities as the SubZero shorts, but with an ultra-lightweight, breathable top for modesty. Men’s and women’s versions available. (£189.99, two sets of gel pack included)
Superlight Eco-Jersey: if you like to wear a jersey for indoor sessions, this ultra-light top is perfect. It’s also ideal for extremely hot outdoor rides. Men’s and women’s versions available. (£79.99)
Just 11 days after giving birth to Ted David Rowe, Dani Rowe sits down with Kristin and Kate to talk about all things post pregnancy training in Part 2 of a deep dive into pre and post natal training.
Kristin Armstrong imparts some valuable wisdom on motherhood, getting back on the bike, and dealing with the post-pregnancy pressure. And Zwift’s own Kate Veronneau also joins Dani and Kristin to talk about the two new training plans that she’s been working on with our hosts.
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.
One Easter egg included in Zwift’s most recent update is a new bike frame: the Canyon Aeroad 2021. No mention of the new frame was made in the release notes, but Zwifters quickly noticed the frame’s availability in the Drop Shop:
Canyon’s 2021 Aeroad has been seen IRL at various pro races, including stage 3 of the Tour de France with Team Movistar. It’s not yet listed on Canyon’s website for sale, but our guess is we’ll be seeing it there soon. It probably showed up in-game yesterday because it’s related to the final unlock for 2020 Zwift Academy Road (we’re not sure if you unlock the frame or just a custom paint scheme like years past).
The original Aeroad was rated 3 stars for aero, and 3 for weight. It made our list of fastest Zwift bikes (ranking in the 88th percentile), but its climbing performance was quite weak (31st percentile).
Note: the original Canyon Aeroad is no longer listed for sale in the Drop Shop, although it will still show up in your garage if you purchased it previously.
Let’s get to the big question: how does the new Aeroad perform?
A Slippery Climber
The 2021 Aeroad is rated 3 stars for aero, but 4 for weight, meaning it is lighter than the previous Aeroad. Our initial tests have shown that the new Aeroad maintains the same speedy performance of the original Aeroad on flat/rolling roads, but turns in an amazingly fast climb time. In fact, it’s now the best climbing frame in our tests up Alpe du Zwift!
Yes, you read that right. Canyon’s 2021 Aeroad in Zwift is the new best climber and all-arounder, turning in a flat course performance just 3-4 seconds slower than the fastest rigs over ~50 minutes, while it turns in an Alpe climb performance 13 seconds faster than those zippy aero frames over ~50 minutes. Losing 3-4 seconds on the flats to gain 13 seconds is a trade many riders will happily make.
Since it only requires level 23+ and is priced at 532,500 Drops (same as the old Aeroad), this bike is a steal.
Comparing it to the Tron bike (because that’s what racers love to do), we see that the 2021 Aeroad with the new DT Swiss wheels (a nice all-around choice) is 18 seconds slower over a ~50 minute flat, but 12 seconds faster up a ~50 minute Alpe du Zwift climb.
Conclusion: if you’re looking for a non-Tron frame that will serve you well on climbs while sacrificing very little on the flats, the Canyon Aeroad 2021 is your best choice. It’s not quite the most aero, and not quite the lightest – but it’s very close to the best in both of these categories, making it the best all-arounder currently available.
Route Choice
While pan-flat routes are still better suited to the most aero bikes (S-Works Venge, Felt AR, etc), the new Aeroad is the perfect choice for routes with decisive climbs including:
The frame should also prove useful on courses with punchy decisive climbs such as Yorkshire, Richmond UCI, and Innsbruckring with its Leg Snapper. (In fact, I used the new Aeroad in a race today on Yorkshire’s Royal Pump Room 8 and turned in my best performance yet on that challenging route!)
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.
