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The Magnificent 8 Ride Again – Tips for WTRL TTT #84 – Watopia Magnificent 8

Sherpa Dave
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3
The Magnificent 8 Ride Again – Tips for WTRL TTT #84 – Watopia Magnificent 8

About This Series

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). 

For those outside the good ole US of A it’s just another Thursday… for those inside it is the biggest holiday that isn’t in July… it’s Thanksgiving! I have been here 20 years and I still don’t understand it… but hey… treat it like practice for Christmas dinner, and what can go wrong? The question is how many of the riders on this side of the pond will be weighed down by Turkey, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato (with marshmallow topping)?  

But…. it’s not just Thanksgiving… this is the Nopinz World TTT Tournament event. All the work you’ve put in on TTTs this year is for nothing except training because THIS IS THE EVENT THAT COUNTS!

Review of TTT #83 Watopia Hilly

Watopia Hilly might be the oldest ride in Zwift, but it isn’t a big hitter on the WTRL TTT calender. Its last showing was in December, and there were less than 100 teams… so nothing really to work with in terms of time. Luckily Hilly Reverse was ridden a few weeks back so at least I could work from that. Sill… here are the times and the results from WTRL #83

CategoryMy prediction#83 PLPosition
Vienna42:3041:2816th
Espresso36:5736:3219th
Frappe38:4538:3915th
Latte42:0041:5513th
Mocha48:3048:3611th

So how did I do on the day? Well, unfortunately last Saturday disaster struck and I had a catastrophic failure with my Turbo/Ergo/Smart Trainer. Despite desperate messages to various outlets, friends, and other contacts in the area I couldn’t get a loaner for Thursday. 

What that did mean is that I got to be DS from the “team car” twice this week – once on Greatest London Flat for the ZRL, and then on the WTRL TTT on Hilly. 

My experience this week as DS was something of a revelation to be honest. The team only had six – me down with a dead trainer, another rider in hospital with a raging infection… but our time through the course was faster than targeted and the watts were higher than usual. Did the Magnificent Six just have a good day, or was there a tangible benefit from having someone who knew them and knew the course calling the plays? 

I know I really enjoyed being the eye in the sky and would definitely do so again if I could. It’s an experience I’d recommend to everyone. 

That said, the UPS man has just arrived with a reconditioned 2018 Wahoo Kickr, and my trusty old Kestrel Talon is all ready to be set up. This weekend I intend to have a crack at the 1 hour Alpe. Ride on, and see you on Magnificent 8!

Magnificent 8 Course

Next Tuesday we have a 28.8km ride in a rough figure-8 route around Watopia. The Watopia Magnificent 8 course is one of those “mostly flat, but…” courses. Here the “but” comes in the form of Hilly KOM Reverse which has the potential to rip the team apart if you aren’t careful. Luckily the KOM comes close to the start of the ride so your legs will be fresh. Here’s the always great VeloViewer view of the course:

We start in the downtown Watopia pens and head through the start/finish gate… from there it’s across the bridge, around the Volcano and head towards the Italian Villas over the land bridge. The tricky segment starts here – the surface turns to dirt and then you head up the hill past the waterfall. Brief respite from tricky terrain for a short while (a km of downhill and mostly flat), before hitting the KOM. 

Up and over the KOM, hang a right and head into the desert, and it’s 11km of flat. Up the Col du Saddle Springs, down the other side, and into the tunnels. After that, it’s back to downtown Watopia and through the start/finish and, as the saying goes, Bob’s your uncle.

Curiously, if not totally relevant, I do actually have an Uncle Bob.  

Ahead of ZRL #4, a Team Time Trial, the guys over at No Breakaways have created a fantastic route profile on YouTube (I have a good face for text which is why i’m writing this not presenting it…). The only difference in the ZRL and the WTRL Thursday TTT is the format of the teams/classes so this is well worth the 8-minute investment to watch!

What to ride?

Bike recommendation on this route is pretty straightforward. Despite the bump over Reverse Hilly KOM Reverse, aero rules the day. At the top-end of equipment the question is does Tron’s performance on the hill outweigh S-Works Venge with the pretty Super-9 disc wheels. Not for me… I will be on S-Works Venge with the 858/Super9s.

Here are some recommendations on equipment at various levels:

  • Level 6 Zwift Aero frame and DT Swiss ARC 62 wheels
  • Level 13 Canyon Aeroad 2021 and Zipp 808s
  • Level 18 Specialized Venge with Zipp 808s
  • Level 25 Cervelo S5 with Zipp 808s
  • Level 33 S-Works Venge with ENVE SES 8.9
  • Level 35 S-Works Venge with Zipp 808/Super 9
  • 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 are a variety of rides on this course over the weekend. Check for yourself on the event listing on zwifthacks.com. 

Race breakdown 

I break this route into four sections:

  • Flat to the land bridge
  • Over the KOM
  • Desert flats
  • From Saddle Springs to the end of the line

Part 1 – Flat

Come out of the pens and through the start / finish gate. It’s not flat to start with but it is a steady rise – work on your formation and you have nothing to worry about. At the top of the rise turn right, head across the bridge, around the volcano and across the land-bridge towards the Italian Villas.

Part 2 – Through the Italian Villas and over the KOM

This is definitely the trickiest section of the ride. Once you are across the landbridge the road surface changes to dirt, then it starts to rise. Once you get to the Villas the surface turns to cobbles then tarmac, and rises up past the waterfall. There is a brief respite (down/flat) before hitting the KOM itself. 

The challenge with the dirt section is the drag dirt has – it will slow your team down, and will also reduce visibility. Discord is your friend here. The road hits 3% which on the dirt will feel like 5%. It doesn’t take long though, and soon enough you’ll be at the Italian Villas. 

At around 7.4km you hit the reverse KOM. This one is your real danger area for holding the team together. 

By the numbers this hill barely exists… it’s 1.8% for 2.5k. A false-flat, right? Well, the truth is we have four ramps separated by easier segments and even some downhill. Why is this a problem? In a large group race you have a big group to hide in, and as the groups split up you still have plenty of protection. In a TTT you have only have (up to) to 6 team members to hold together – when the hill bites each team member will be impacted differently. 

What to look out for here?

  • Stronger members leaving the team behind. This is not a time for a solo break.
  • Weaker team members getting dropped or left behind. Particularly after the first ramp – at over 10% someone will crack if you go at race-pace, or they will burn matches getting over the ramp then back off and get left.

If you come over the top together you’re in luck – gather momentum on the descent and there is an opportunity to supertuck to get a micro-rest… just look out for the flatter section around the bend where your supertuck might break. Stay together here and power down. 

Part 3 – Across the desert

There is a slight rise into the desert itself, but mostly this is a flat, fast 11km. Get your heads down, stay in formation and ride like the wind. 

Part 4 – Col du Saddle Springs and home

You exit the township of Saddle Springs at around 24km. The col is a small rise that comes right after the futuristic building you pass on your left (it’s a copy of the LAX Control Tower). After the long flat this is 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 averages just 2% for 900m before you head back down and into the undersea tunnels.

After that it’s pretty plain sailing – exiting the tunnel system has a short bump up – but by this time you can make your own decisions on whether to jettison slower riders based on how many of you are left. Just a short sprint back to Downtown!

Target times

This route was last run at peak-Zwift – 25th June (#62), and before that, on 21st May (#57)… and then on 6th February (#42). It’s a very popular route – and of course it featured as a ZRL Team Time Trial as well.

The results show an interesting progression. The ladies Coffee Class, Vienna gets faster and faster – as does the C/D mixed class, Mocha. However the Espresso, Frappe, and Latte teams peaked in May and got a little slower in June. 

So what do I think will happen this week? Well… I think times will be faster than June, but much faster than February… somewhere around May’s times. Here we go:

Category#42#57#62My prediction
Vienna56:24 (9th)43:2743:1243:05
Espresso42:4737:4037:5537:30
Frappe41:1639:5240:1339:50
Latte44:0843:1643:3043:20
Mocha53:18 (9th)49:3549:0649:00

#46 was my first ride out with the R&K Hyenas – we did 46:52 and ended in a sprint finish. For me it was a grudge ride… I was still smarting from being dropped by my CICC brethren on Reverse Hilly a few weeks prior – in my defense, I was in the Frappe team that week, but it always hurts. If we go out with a full team for #84 I am aiming for a sub-46 minute ride. We have a nice mix of climbers and… those more suited to the flats. I think we can pull out something special. Besides, I’ve been sitting around for a week without a trainer and I have something to prove!

Wrap up

This ride features frequently in the WTRL schedule – and for good reason. It’s a perfect TTT route. It is mostly flat with enough technical bits to keep you on your toes. 

The Reverse Hilly KOM is the defining feature for the route. Because it figures very early in the ride, it’s not so much how fast you get over, but whether you can get all your bigger riders over together. Immediately following the KOM are 11 kilometers of flat desert where you will want every watt and horsepower a team of eight can deliver. 

Review: Nopinz Subzero Indoor Cycling Kit

Eric Schlange
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8
Review: Nopinz Subzero Indoor Cycling Kit

UK-based cycle racewear brand Nopinz announced their SubZero Turbo range back on October 1st. I’ve had both the bibshort and suit versions of their kit since a few weeks prior to that rollout, and I’ve been putting the kit through its paces in Zwift races each week. Here’s my review…

The Big Idea

While some may scoff at the thought of “indoor-specific cycling kit”, there is no denying that indoor riding does put demands on your kit which aren’t seen outdoors. Namely, sweat is a much bigger issue inside due to reduced airflow, and saddle discomfort is common due to reduced bike movement on a static trainer setup.

Clothing companies have recognized these demands, beginning with Castelli’s Insider line then followed by Rapha and Le Col + Wahoo (read my review of these three kits). So Nopinz isn’t the first to come out with indoor-specific kit, but they are one of only a few offering it, and their line has something the others don’t: swappable frozen gel packs to help you stay cool.

One gel pack goes just below the nape of your neck
Another on your lower back
And optional wristband packs

Features

The key feature of the Subzero range is the inclusion of sewn-in pockets to hold frozen gel packs. But after spending some time chatting with Nopinz CEO and founder Blake Pond (a keen Zwift racer himself), it’s clear he put much more thought into this kit than just the freezer pocket idea! Indeed, the kit without the pockets is probably the best indoor kit I’ve worn, combining the strengths of the competition’s indoor kits while avoiding the weaknesses.

Here are some of the additional indoor-specific features:

  • Chamois pad optimized for indoor riding for improved moisture management. The pad isn’t overly-thick, and has thousands of tiny perforations, allowing for increased air flow, evaporation, coolness, and dryness. In talking with Blake, he explained how Nopinz tested many different pads for this line, using both male and female testers, before finally arriving at their pad of choice.
  • Men’s and women’s versions: some of my favorite indoor kits (looking at you, Castelli!) only come in a men’s version. It’s nice to see some gender parity from Nopinz.
  • Mesh material used everywhere except around the groin, allowing for maximal cooling. The material is similar to what Le Col + Wahoo uses, but even lighter weight. It feels like it stays drier, too. Nopinz clearly wanted to maximize cooling here, opting to use the mesh material at the bottom of the legs where other indoor lines put traditional wide elastic bands.
  • Wristbands: Nopinz is the only line that includes wristbands (with freezer pockets), giving you a handy sweat-wiping surface and additional cooling.
  • Extra freezer packs: the bibshorts, suit, and wristbands all optionally ship with two sets of freezer packs, because one set lasts around 20 minutes in the heat of a race. The shorts and suit include a freezer bag to store your gel packs as well, which is super handy for keeping the packs in one place, and keeping them cool when you’re in a race and plan to swap to a new set partway through.

Is It Cool?

This is the question everyone is asking, of course. Do the freezer packs work? How do they feel?

I racked my brain trying to come up with some sort of test to show the efficacy of the freezer packs – but without a real lab that’s pretty hard to do. So all I have to go on is my own anecdotal evidence, gathered from over 20 races in the Subzero bibshorts or suit.

Here’s what I can say: I keep picking the Subzero bibshorts from my closet when it’s time to race. I definitely feel cooler when I have a fresh pack in, and when I swap to a new set in the final 15-20 minutes of a race, it feels great.

It’s worth mentioning that I’m a guy who gets hot easily, and I sweat quite a bit. When I race, I typically have my Wahoo Headwind going full-bore, and sometimes I’ll also have the air conditioning on. Some riders don’t seem to need the same level of cooling that I do – but if you’re like me, I think you’ll appreciate the added coolness of the Subzero kit.

Me putting the kit through its paces in a recent ZRL race. Note the nicely-branded insulated freezer bag on my desk, for holding the frozen gel packs!

Fit

A few notes on kit fit, since that is always a question:

  • The bib shorts and suit fit similarly to other kits I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot). I wear large shorts in all of the big brands (Le Col, Assos, Castelli, Zwift/Giordana) and the large Nopinz shorts fit great. I will note that the legs are quite long on these shorts – perhaps the longest of any shorts I own. This is one place where Nopinz could perhaps go a bit shorter to provide for even more cooling.
  • The sweatbands fit quite tightly – they’re a bit of a chore to pull on, and swapping the freezer pack out of them is more work than swapping it out of your bib shorts. Because of this, I find myself skipping the sweatbands altogether in some races.
  • The jersey fits very snugly. I typically wear a medium in most major brands, and I like my jerseys to fit like a snug “race fit”. I got a large from Nopinz, and it fits more snugly than most of the medium jerseys I have.
  • The Subzero line’s Turbo Training Towel is an affordable addition to the line, but at 39×20″ I found it’s a bit large for my taste. On the plus side, with two options cool sayings on the towels (“Champions Train/Losers Complain” or “Turn Pain Into Power”) you could hang them on your wall for a nice decoration!
Shorts fit true to standard sizing, with plenty of leg length
My large sweatbands fit quite snugly
Jersey is super snug – check the sizing chart!

Durability

One reason I’ve delayed this review for several weeks is so I could wear the kits quite a bit and put them through a lot of wash cycles.

I always wash my bib shorts on the washer’s “delicate” setting, then hang them to air dry. The Nopinz kit has held up well so far, with no issues to report. It seems to be a bit sturdier than Castelli’s Insider shorts, which I love but which I’ve popped the seams on while pulling them on or off.

Price/Performance

At £109.99, the bibshorts are quite affordable. They’re the same price as Castelli’s Insider bibshort, and much cheaper than Le Col’s £150 price point. Keep in mind, though, that adding the freezer packs (and cool bag) to your bibshorts will increase the price by £30.

The jersey is also well-priced at £79.99 compared to Le Col’s £120, even though Castelli’s is a bit more affordable at £75.

Wrapping It Up

The Subzero kit from Nopinz is the most well thought-out indoor kit I’ve used to date, and that attention to detail clearly shines through in the bibshorts and suit. Blake is a strong A racer on Zwift, and Nopinz sponsors some of the top community racing in Zwift. This intimate involvement with our rapidly-evolving discipline shows in their products.

I have no reservations highly recommending the Subzero line to any Zwifter looking to stay a bit cooler during hard rides. I would recommend the bibshorts first, although the full suit is a nice option if you’re looking for a bit more modesty. The jersey isn’t really necessary unless you like to wear jerseys indoors and/or you’re live streaming and want to look pro but stay cool. The towel is just a cool inspirational add-on, and the sweatbands may be great for some folks, although I haven’t found them particularly useful.

Shop the Nopinz Subzero Range >

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

Zwift Bans Two Riders for Manipulating Race Power Data

Eric Schlange
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57
Zwift Bans Two Riders for Manipulating Race Power Data

Zwift has just announced sanctions against two riders, giving each a six month ban from Zwift Cycling Esports events after it was determined they fabricated or modified their racing data, “bringing the sport into disrepute.”

The notice of sanctions can be found here, which links to detailed PDFs explaining the Zwift Performance Verification Board’s (ZPVB) decision in both cases:

Violation Details

Section 2.5.1 of the Zwift Cycling Esports rules state that:

  • “The smart trainer or smart bike must be the primary power data source…” and
  • “Riders must record a second source of power data“

So two sources of power data are required, the power numbers sent to Zwift have to come from the riders’ smart trainer/smart bike, and not their second power source (typically a pedal or crank-based power meter). But in both cases, the ZPVB determined that riders supplied intentionally-modified power data and/or log files.

According to the detailed document for Berger, her supplied secondary power fit file showed a variance of “approx. 0%” when compared to her primary power file. This isn’t what you typically see when you record power from two different sources – but it is what you’d see if you record power from the same source, but in two places. So ZPVB judged that Berger likely connected both Zwift and her bike computer to the same power source.

And that could have been an honest mistake. But the document details how, over the course of the next days, Berger supplied a Zwift log.txt file from Berger’s Zwift device which didn’t match the corresponding file saved on Zwift’s cloud. Namely, the device list on Berger’s supplied log file had been modified to indicate that she had paired a smart trainer as her power source, instead of her Stages power meter as indicated in Zwift’s cloud version.

The document details other reasons for ZPVB’s findings in Berger’s case, but to summarize they judged that she:

  • Paired her Stages power meter instead of her smart trainer as the power source in Zwift
  • Recorded only the power from this power meter as both her primary and secondary power file
  • Attempted to modify the log.txt file to show that she had paired her smart trainer as the power source in Zwift

According to the detailed sanction document for Duncombe, she originally provided a backup power file which did not include her race, but only the first 90 seconds of her warmup. Again – this could be a perfectly honest mistake. But she later uploaded a different secondary power file to ZwiftPower, and this file showed values approximately 1% lower than the values from her trainer sent to Zwift.

An acceptable margin, except that this new secondary power file appeared to have been manipulated to look like it came from her Garmin, when in fact it appears to have come from Zwift itself.

The document details other reasons for ZPVB’s findings in Berger’s case, but to summarize they judged that she:

  • Did not properly record a secondary source of power from her power meter for the race
  • Attempted to supply a modified Zwift power file in the place of this secondary power file

What Are They Banned From?

Both riders will still be able to use Zwift whenever they’d like, and even race in “unofficial” Zwift races. They are banned (for 6 months) from taking part in official Zwift Cycling Esports events, which are typically invitation-only events for top-tier teams/riders.

Berger’s suspension has been back-dated to the point when the edited file was submitted to Zwift, and therefore runs from 18 August 2020 to 17 February 2021.

Duncombe’s suspension has been back-dated to the point when her edited file was submitted to Zwift, and therefore runs from 20 September 2020 to 19 March 2021.

Conclusion

Both of these cases give us a look into the sort of analysis Zwift’s Performance Verification Board does for its top-tier races. It’s no small job! But based on the evidence presented in the documents, it appears the sanctions are warranted.

As news of the sanctions has filtered into the Zwift racing community, one common response has been (as one Zwifter put it), “That’s all good, but I wish Zwift would put this kind of effort into policing community races.” And that’s a fair response, given how rampant sandbagging is in the category D, C, and B races happening every day.

While we should never expect Zwift to put manpower into manually checking power files for everyday community races, they could get rid of many of the sandbagging problems by implementing just a few controls in-game, such as forcing riders to join a particular category based on their historic power numbers. Perhaps opening up the (still beta) anti-sandbagging controls so race organizers can use them in events would also be a good step. Hopefully we’ll see progress here soon!

About Zwift’s Performance Verification Board

You can find the details of Zwift’s Cycling Esports Rules here, which explains that the Zwift Performance Verification Board is “responsible for ensuring the integrity of results of Zwift Cycling Esports events and series.” As such, it has “the power to update the results of events, and apply further sanctions to riders.”

The board is made up of a chair appointed by the head of Zwift Cycling Esports, a legal representative from Zwift, and a technical representative from Zwift. Zwift doesn’t disclose everyone who occupies these positions, but the sanction detail documents are signed by the chair, Dr. George Gilbert.

Your Comments

Any thoughts or comments? Share below!

Better Late than Never: Finding My 2020 Season on Zwift

Jordan Cheyne
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2
Better Late than Never: Finding My 2020 Season on Zwift

I raced exactly one day on the road in 2020. I was about six weeks out of the hospital following a career threatening training crash and rehab and I pinned on a number for the Tour of Murrieta crit in Southern California. It was exactly what I was looking for: uneventful. I felt capable and comfortable in the pack again and that was enough.

Maybe I would have raced harder knowing it was also the last race of the season as well as the first.

Finding Myself in an Empty Year

After my wife Emily, my dog Knox and I settled back in at home in Canada a couple weeks later I spent most of my time searching for something that wasn’t there. I needed to find something to work on and apply myself to. I thought about trying to get back into some of the menial but satisfying construction work I had done in past off seasons. I thought about going full time with my coaching business and engaging some of my post-retirement plans ahead of time. But I knew I couldn’t go down those roads.

The combination of my accident and the pandemic served to scrape away a layer of uncertainty about my identity and my career as an athlete. After my crash, I was in and out of the hospital three times over six weeks inDecember and January. Each time I got on the trainer as soon as they would let me and started pedalling. We were in mandatory isolation with six feet of snow piled up on the ground and no racing in sight and I was back in the garage putting in the work on Zwift the second day. I knew that I couldn’t lock my cycling career down for the year. I had to find competition and ambition somewhere.

Racing Nowhere Fast

In April our Elevate-KHS team was invited to race a Zwift series of stage races hosted by the Project Echelon team. The races would loosely replicate national racing calendar mainstays like Tour of the Gila and Joe Martin Stage Race. It was a process, but we rallied the troops and learned the basics of team time trialing, Zwift draft dynamics, and strategy. Even for me, a Zwifter since Jarvis Island, it was a steep learning curve since I hadn’t raced on the platform since 2017.

Against steep odds, we rose to the challenge and I ended up second on the Gila queen stage and the team backed me to overall victory in the Joe Martin event. It took everything I had to compete with top-level Zwift teams like Saris-TPC and Vitus and that was exactly what I needed.  

Read my story of the Virtual Tour of the Gila
Read my story of the Virtual Joe Martin Stage Race

On the limit defending my lead at Joe Martin
Everesting (photo credit Deon Nel Photography)

Where Do You Go From Here?

That run didn’t last very long. The Echelon series petered out as outdoor riding weather bloomed in the early summer and the finality of our scrubbed 2020 pro calendar set in. So, I asked around with some of the top e-racing teams: “How can I progress into the top Zwift Invitational events and series?” There was no good answer, the top teams were full and the e-racing season doesn’t often make stops to let new riders aboard.

I struggled against that but eventually relented and moved on to different challenges. I did some epic rides with my riding buddy Deon, doing my first 300k and riding in stunning new places. I Everested and broke the Canadian Record in a delightful low-key sufferfest. I paced a couple of talented young local riders to take some ridiculous KOMs. It all kept me going until summer faded into fall and all the big rides and searing climbs had been ridden. 

Better Late than Never

I almost came to terms with begrudgingly stepping away from the bike for the year. Usually by late September my mind is so exhausted from the pressure cooker of the season I look forward to that step. Not this year, I still felt like something was missing and I kept looking for those puzzle pieces so I could call it a year well ridden.

I had been in contact with the Finesse-Wahoo e-racing team through the summer trying to find more racing and suddenly there was a big opportunity. The new Zwift Racing League (ZRL) was starting, offering weekly top-level races in a team scoring format and the chance to move up into the coveted Premiere League if the team won its division. Teamwork, competition, and progression – it was all there, the ingredients to my motivation as an athlete. I fired up the Wahoo KICKR and joined the team formally for the season.

Just days after the first event, which Finesse Wahoo dominated in a landslide win, I got an email from Cycling Canada confirming my selection to the inaugural Zwift UCI Cycling ESports World Championships in December. It was another big chance to work and perform at my best level. Finally, the 2020 season was on.

Taking It On

I have to be honest, I wasn’t ready for either of these big challenges to begin with. The Worlds course and most of the ZRL races are full of punchy and anaerobic efforts and that doesn’t suit my natural strength as a climber and TT rider. I have spent the last 5 weeks training myself to be sharper than ever and learning the subtleties of high-level Zwift competition so that I can actually make a difference with my strength in races.

The Finesse-Wahoo team has been tremendously helpful and it as an added bonus we have been winning big. We pulled off the rare breakaway win in last week’s ZRL race in New York and won the last TTT by almost a minute. Commentators are beginning to call Finesse “America’s Team” and I’m proud to be apart of that.  

  • Finesse-Wahoo driving the big move in ZRL week 5
  • Winning Big in the TTT with Finesse-Wahoo

I am going to start writing regularly about my dive into the deep end of Zwift Racing as it unfolds. Everything from my specific training, to Worlds practice events, to our team’s ascension in the Zwift racing ranks is moving quickly. For now, I am happy to be back where I belong in this sport: pushing the limit and building to something bigger.

Questions or Comments?

Got questions for Jordan, or comments to share? Post below!

Eric Min’s Thanksgiving Day 2020 Ride Announced

Eric Schlange
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9
Eric Min’s Thanksgiving Day 2020 Ride Announced

Join Zwift CEO and co-founder Eric Min + special guests next Thursday for the 6th annual Thanksgiving Day Ride!

Eric’s Thanksgiving morning ride has become an annual tradition on Zwift. It’s a fun way to pre-burn some calories before the feasting begins. Here’s more info…

HEAR FROM THE BIG MAN

Typically these rides have been a place where Mr. Min gives us a glimpse of what’s coming up next for Zwift. If you want to hear from the CEO himself on a variety of Zwifty topics, this is a fun way to do it!

RIDE DETAILS

  • Date and Time: 7AM PST / 10AM EST / 3PM GMT Thursday, November 26th
  • Route: France’s R.G.V.
  • Length: 60 minutes
  • Pace: past Thanksgiving Day rides have been loosely-controlled affairs, with Eric Min averaging around ~2.6-2.8w/kg (190-200 watts). This ride will not be using the leader fence, so expect it to be strung out, with some riders going harder on the front. It’s a social ride, so go at your pace and enjoy the massive group!
Justin Williams

SPECIAL GUESTS

Eric will ride along with special guest multiple US National Champion in track, road, and crit—Justin Williams of L39ION of Los Angeles.

Expect many leaders from the Zwift community as well as ZwiftHQ employees to be in attendance as well.

SIGNING UP

Sign up via Zwift Companion, in game, or on the web.

Hope to see you there!

All About IRACELIKEAGIRL Women’s Week 2020

Karissa Minn
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0
All About IRACELIKEAGIRL Women’s Week 2020

Zwift has announced IRACELIKEAGIRL Women’s Week 2020, a series of women-only ride and run events celebrating the women’s endurance community. It kicked off on Monday, Nov. 16 and continues through Sunday, Nov. 22.

Train with top female triathlon pros like Angela Naeth in a series of group rides and runs throughout the week, and then test your skills in a weekend time trial, road race, or run. Race like a girl!

The series includes three cycling group workouts, two running group workouts, a cycling race (your choice of a mass start or time trial), and a running race. Each event is only available for one day, but there are three different times you can choose from.

See a listing of all the events and sign up >

About IRACELIKEAGIRL

IRACELIKEAGIRL is a women’s endurance team and community created and supported by professional triathlete Angela Naeth. They aim to provide opportunities for girls and women of all ages and abilities to support, encourage, and inspire one another in the sport of triathlon, cycling, running and swimming.

Ride Schedule

Monday, Nov. 16 – IRLAG Women’s Week: Workout 1 (Cycling)

  • Route: Sand and Sequoias
  • Length: 60 minutes
  • Description: “This workout is (to) aid athletes’ strength and power in their legs with a solid full out sprint before! It’s a fun step of 6 intervals, with 2 min rest between. Gear up for a solid hour!”

Tuesday, Nov. 17 – IRLAG Women’s Week: Workout 1 (Running)

  • Route: Jon’s Route
  • Distance: 3.5 km (2.2 miles)
  • Description: “A steady interval workout to help build your Aerobic fitness.”

Wednesday, Nov. 18 – IRLAG Women’s Week: Workout 2 (Cycling)

  • Route: Watopia’s Waistband
  • Length: 60 minutes
  • Description: “This workout is a solid hour of FTP effort to get you ready for those punchy race efforts! The workout is broken into 3 sets of 3 anaerobic stair step intervals. Pushing above FTP with these intervals will help you make big FTP gains.”

Thursday, Nov. 19 – IRLAG Women’s Week: Workout 2 (Running)

  • Route: 11.1 Ocean Blvd
  • Distance: 3.7 km (2.3 miles)
  • Description: “Interval workout similar to a 6 x (800 meter steady/400 meter recovery).”

Friday, Nov. 20 – IRLAG Women’s Week: Workout 3 (Cycling)

  • Route: R.G.V.
  • Length: 60 minutes
  • Description: “This workout is to help you push your ability to hit high speeds and fast effort. We go from all out sprints to upper threshold and roll that for the entire hour. Be prepared for a solid workout with max efforts and fun.”

Saturday, Nov. 21 – IRLAG Women’s Week: Road Race (Cycling)

  • Route: Tick Tock, 1 lap
  • Distance: 19.2 km (11.9 miles)
  • Categories: A, B, C, D

Saturday, Nov. 21 – IRLAG Women’s Week: TT Race (Cycling)

  • Route: Tempus Fugit, 1 lap
  • Distance: 19.6 km (12.2 miles)
  • Categories: A, B, C, D

Sunday, Nov. 22 – IRLAG Women’s Week: Race (Running)

  • Route: Watopia 5K Loop, 1 lap
  • Distance: 5 km (3.1 miles)
  • Categories: E (everyone)

Jersey Unlock

When you complete any event throughout the week, you’ll unlock the IRACELIKEAGIRL cycling kit to sport in-game.

New Series: Live Coaching with Monilee Keller (No Breakaways)

Rick Wenger
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New Series: Live Coaching with Monilee Keller (No Breakaways)

The main goal of No Breakaways is to provide Zwifters with tips and tricks on how to race, and what better way to do that than to let you see what the top Zwifters in the world would say to an amateur in real-time? 

Last Wednesday we launched a new series that will be running every Wednesday at 7:15 pm CST called Live Coaching with Monilee Keller. Monilee is currently ranked #2 in the world and has been tearing it up in the Premier League of the ZRL for the EVOQ team. Monilee is coaching Katie Enright in the Cycling Canada Wednesday Night Race Series. Here is what Monilee had to say about the chance to coach Katie:

“When you approached me about this opportunity I was so excited!  I am very keen to see more women in sport, and of course, cycling is my favorite! I am super excited to have the opportunity to help someone who is relatively new and I hope I turn her into an addict…My goals for Katie are first and foremost to have fun. To enjoy the process. to celebrate all victories, big and small. and to celebrate the failures too, cause we learn a lot from them. I also hope I can help her reach her goals, whatever they may be.”

Katie, who has run for most of her life but is just now getting into Zwift had this to say about her goals (which echo many of us):

“I would like to learn more about the hidden and not so hidden strategies to racing, how to race smarter, and I would like to gain some racing confidence through the experience.  When I first started on Zwift (not too long ago), I was getting very frustrated because I did not know how to draft in Zwift or that I had to go with the pack and “hang on” in order to get a “rest” later. I felt like I was missing some basic knowledge/skills for racing, and that’s why I reached out to No Breakaways.”

The first episode was on a tough course but there were a lot of good learnings on drafting, descending (watch Katie make up a 17-second gap down the Volcano with Monilee’s advice) and how to position yourself – check it out:

If you want to watch the show in real-time and ask Monilee questions tune in on No Breakaways at 7:15 CST on Wednesday! We would love to have more women join the race – there is a good chance you will get a shout out if you join!

Wahoo Releases ELEMNT RIVAL Multisport Watch

Eric Schlange
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Wahoo Releases ELEMNT RIVAL Multisport Watch

Rumors have been swirling for over a year, but today it finally happened: Wahoo released its first-ever sport watch, named the RIVAL. Over 5 years in development, this watch is notable for its unique “multisport handover” feature, but also because it’s the first watch ever from Wahoo, a fitness company born from indoor training with its category-leading KICKR smart trainer.

Let’s take a look at the watch’s features, and what makes it special.

Feature Summary

  • Touchless Transition: allows users to seamlessly transition from swim to ride to run without touching their watch. Multisport Handover mode allows it to interact with ELEMNT GPS cycling computers to transition race data from the watch to a handlebar-mounted computer during the bike leg of a multi-sport activity such as a triathlon.
  • Uses the same easy-to-set up, easy-to-use platform and mobile app as Wahoo’s ELEMNT GPS cycling computers
  • Tracks all standard run, bike, and swim metrics and can also track advanced running dynamics when paired with the Wahoo TICKRx heart rate monitor.
  • Following workouts, data is available in the Wahoo companion app and can be automatically uploaded to third-party platforms like TrainingPeaks and Strava.
  • Connects with ANT+ and Bluetooth sensors and can control Wahoo KICKR smart trainers
  • Ceramic bezel
  • Ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlight
  • Battery life of 14 days in watch mode or 24 hours in GPS mode
  • Barometric altimeter,
  • Optical heart rate sensor
  • Live GPS tracking

To get a better idea of RIVAL features and capabilities, check out the RIVAL User Guide PDF.

First Impressions

“The real magic of RIVAL is that we were able to take everything we have done with the ELEMNT bike computer and create a perfect parallel, giving triathletes and runners the same ease of use that cyclists have had access to since 2016,” says Chip Hawkins, founder of Wahoo. Indeed, the RIVAL is in many ways a Wahoo ELEMNT (bike computer) you can wear on your wrist, with extra features for runners and triathletes.

The feature set is impressive for its price point, and the watch has a clean look as well. While there are certainly more capable fitness watches on the market (namely from Garmin), the battery life and multisport handover mode combined with a lower-than-typical price point are what set the RIVAL apart.

Target Audience

This is a GPS multi-sport watch targeted at triathletes and runners. But Wahooligans who mostly ride indoors may also find it useful as a general-use watch that comes in handy on the occasional run, walk, or hike!

Price and Availability

The RIVAL is available in two colors: “stealth gray” and “Kona white”. It is available today from Wahoo’s website for $379 USD.

Looking for More?

Check out DC Rainmaker’s in-depth review of the RIVAL here.

What is this script error in Zwift’s login launcher?

Jesper Rosenlund Nielsen
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What is this script error in Zwift’s login launcher?

Recently an annoying script error has started to pop up in the Zwift launcher, at least in the Windows version. It looks like this:

As some have found out, the error is in a script coming from Pinterest. But how can that be, and can it cause Zwift to run poorly?

To answer the last question first: No, this does not cause Zwift to run poorly.

This is because the Zwift launcher (zwiftlauncher.exe) is a separate program from the Zwift game itself (zwiftapp.exe). The launcher handles user authentication and login, then starts the Zwift game, which runs in its own process.

But why is this error appearing?

The Zwift launcher does user authentication by showing regular web pages, coming from Zwift web servers, inside an embedded Internet Explorer control. If you investigate what those pages contain you will see that they include a whole load of different scripts and tracking stuff from many different sources, including Pinterest.

The same web pages for login are also used when you access Zwift web sites such as my.zwift.com. Apparently, Zwift forgot to test that their pages also work properly in their own launcher when they updated something recently!

What can you do about it?

It is possible to change your Internet Explorer settings to block the script from Pinterest entirely, but the easiest is simply to answer ‘Yes’ to continue to run scripts. It will probably be fixed by Zwift zoon.

Note: this post originally ran on ZwiftHacks.com

This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

Karissa Minn
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This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

This week in the best of Zwift videos, see how Box Hill compares to the real-life climb, learn about Zwift Academy segment rides, and dial in your indoor bike position. Then rewind to the Zwift Tour For All races in May, when professional riders battled for glory over five stages!

Cycling Box Hill | Which is Faster Zwift or Real Life? Full Gas On Wilier Zero SLR With Power Data

On his YouTube channel, “Bike Racing Without Mercy,” Phillip Lovett does a max effort up Box Hill in real life and on Zwift and compares the two. He includes power, heart rate, and speed data in both. There’s even some picture-in-picture video, so you can see the similarities and differences in the Zwift London course and the real thing.

Zwift Academy – Segment Group Rides

Sarah LaRocque of “Everything Is Photogenic” tries out a Zwift Academy segment group ride and lets you know what to expect from this new ride format. You’ll also get some tips on what not to do!

My First Races On Zwift!! Tour de RieRie #62

CCC Liv cyclist Riejanne Markus shares her preparations for the Zwift Tour for All and her first two races. What’s it like to go from professional to newbie?

How to Transfer your Bike Position to your Zwift bike

If you Zwift with a different bike than you ride outdoors, your riding position might be different. Francis Cade and bike fitter James Thomas go over the most important measurements to know and how to make sure they’re consistent between bikes.

Great Fan Support: My Ride in The Zwift Tour for All

Alex Dowsett, of team Israel Start-Up Nation, documents his own Zwift Tour for All race with the help of his partner Chanel. At the end, this pro has some good tips for new Zwift racers – including the importance of a good fan or three!

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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

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