Today I stumbled upon a post from one Will Carey in Zwift Riders which simply said “I’m planning this ride IRL in the summer” … and included this video:
My first thought was: hurray! Zwift has finally created another challenge! This is something veteran Zwifters have requested for years, since we’ve knocked out the three existing challenges (Tour Italy , Ride California. and Climb Mt. Everest) a long time ago. These longer challenges provide wonderful carrots to encourage longer, harder, and more frequent efforts.
And this challenge made sense: Zwift already has the London course, with a rumored Yorkshire UCI Worlds course possibly coming this year. A LEJOG challenge (riding the length of Great Britain) seems smart!
But then reality set in. I noticed the challenge progress meter read “100% complete.” Plus Will’s Facebook profile said he was a graphic designer–a creative guy! And there were no Zwift updates to download. But the video was so polished!?
So I reached out to Will and he confirmed the truth: an elaborate hoax! Here’s what he told me:
I was putting together a video for an upcoming ride this summer and I thought, why not do it in the style of Zwift?
Having said that, it’s quite frustrating to have not seen any new challenges in years, despite the fact that you can knock out the graphics for one in an afternoon!
They should add an around the world one; that would keep people quiet for a while.
I thoroughly agree, Will. Hey Zwift: give us more challenges!
He also shared a bit of detail on what it took to create this video:
It was difficult to match the art style of the previous challenges because the style is different on all three. This is a sort of hybrid.
It took about six hours to do but that included a couple of hours recreating assets that already exist in Zwift.
Track World Championships (Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast #23)
Greg Henderson and Dani Rowe (maiden name: King) have an impressive collection of Olympic, World, and Commonwealth gold medals between them on the track. In Episode 23, Greg and Dani review the recent World Track Champs and chat all things track cycling!
If you’ve been on Zwift since early days or visited any Zwifty forums you’ve no doubt come across something from Shane Miller, aka GPLama. His posts cover all things bike tech, but trend heavily towards indoor training. And while he is passionate and serious about what he does, he also maintains a sense of humor, responding to comments with a quick joke or perhaps a prancing lama gif.
From a casual cyclist to making a business out of cycling tech news and info and being one of the most followed Zwifters on the ZC app, Shane is an singular character to be sure. While spending this week in Long Beach at Zwift’s corporate “Zwift Week”, I sat down with him for a quick interview. Let’s dive in GPLama and learn about who his is, where he came from, and where he’s going.
Me and Shane, hanging in Zwift’s lunch room
Where’d you come from?
My cycling history started later than most. Took up competitive cycling at 25, and like most people getting into cycling got addicted very quickly to cycling, riding in the hills, etc… which led to healthier eating, learning about training, etc. Quickly went from 85 kg to 69 kg in about 6 months, then took up competitive cycling not long after that.
I enjoyed a good 10 years of competitive cycling, from club races to national elite, but focused primarily on masters racing and the TT discipline where the combination of tech, power meters, training, and being in full control really matched my passion of using technology to push the limits.
After ticking all the boxes there and while I was thinking of retiring from competition, Zwift came along and reignited my love for bikes and tech. The motivation and inspiration you gather from the connected peloton of people all of the world really got me hooked on Zwift. When Zwift launched open beta in Melbourne in April 2014, it was with a 1 lap TT event of Watopia.
Given Shane’s familiarity with TT, he posted the fastest time and won the event in front of Zwift’s CEO Eric Min. This was when Zwift had 15 employees… very early days.
Racing in Melbourne, 2015
His obsession with tech and speed meant Shane always had a good collection of trainers and bike tech. As Zwift’s user base grew, Shane found himself answering questions on his blog and social media, helping people get going on Zwift. He really found his footing in video on YouTube due to its global reach.
Commonly referred to as Australia’s DC Rainmaker, Shane has found a good niche in user experience videos rather than commercial reviews. His regular videos involve things like the “Lama Lab Test” and his sheep patrol rides.
Just what is the Lama Lab Test?
It’s a protocol that has been developed over a couple years that tests the user experience of an indoor trainer. Important things like response time, feel, accuracy. It can be useful for weeding out trainers, older and newer ones, as well as power meters.
What are you up to now?
In the last 12-18 months, GPLama, my username, has become my business. I tell people now that I run a sports tech company. My product is videos, reviews, technical feedback to companies based on pre-production products. The public-facing stuff that people see is based on the final production units, but behind the scenes is the rest of the iceberg… product development feedback to companies, pre-release testing of units, and sports tech consulting.
The ethos of my channel is to share my passion and experience to use technology in new and better ways. Workout modes in Zwift, using trainers in certain ways, configuration options, etc. For me it’s really easy to share my experience on the bike, what I’m doing in the Lama Lab. I’m sharing what I’m doing on Zwift.
I hope what I’m doing is helping the industry move forward. At a basic level, what’s being sold and what’s written on the box isn’t always the experience people have when they’re at home and on the bike. The industry still has a long way to go in regards to providing polished, finished products in mass production and on time. That’s where I hope to move things forward, bring them to a better place. To boost consumer confidence that what you buy is what you’re gonna get.
Tell me some big goals for the next year
100k subscribers on YouTube. It’s a significant one and should happen in the next 12 months.
Being more integrated with the development of some products, knowing I’ve been a part of the development of those, is exciting.
I’m also looking to diversify my reliance on one single source (YouTube). Sharing content across other social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and podcasts (Zwiftcast, and recently returned DC Rainmaker Podcast featuring GPLama). And hopefully centralizing that into one location on the web over at gplama.com. Also looking forward to collaboration with other content creators with the same goals and motivations: to help others have a better experience on the bike.
But like everyone I’m interested in the next trainer that’s coming out, the new iPhone, new integrations. The thousands of hours of data we’ve submitted to all these services, if we could use big data to deliver a bit of AI-powered training, a better experience on a bike, to find better routes to ride.
There’s always something new. So there’s no lack of content.
Tell me about your daily Zwift setup
I’m lucky enough to have a library of trainers, but for general riding or racing it’s a Wahoo Kickr 18 with the Climb on the front. I ride my thru-axle carbon Giant TCR 2019 on Zwift, which is also my outdoor bike.
Favorite route: Watopia Hilly. 9.2 ks, I could do it with my eyes closed.
Favorite bit of Watopian scenery: the secret loot boxes at the top of Alpe du Zwift. Are they really loot boxes?
Favorite bike: Buffalo with 808/disc combo
Virtual hair style choice: the wild man yeti look, because I finally get to feel the wind in my hair on a bike.
Favorite kit: Aussie Hump Day Ride, no question
Longest ride on Zwift: 416km
Favorite workout: The Lama Lab Test
One Zwift feature you’d like to have: steering. It would open up a whole new world of experience.
Most inspirational Zwifter: Nathan Guerra, the amount of k’s Nathan was putting in and streaming in the early days, for his professional MTB training.
Most memorable race on Zwift: CVR in Vegas in 2017, which I believe is still one of the best esports events in terms of production value to date.
Closing Comments?
There’s no secrete sauce to what I do. You can walk into any shop and buy the cameras and software I use. I’m a self-taught video guy who has learned by example from others in this space to create content, raise my standards, and reach out to other content creators to get questions answered.
To be able to do that from anywhere in the world is pretty great. It just shows me that we are truly a digital, globally-connected peloton.
Eating Disorders in Endurance Sports (Zwift PowerUp Tri Podcast #2)
In this episode, 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Champion Holly Lawrence joins Matt and Jordan to talk training, racing, life, injury, dietary habits, doping accusations, and everything in between. Episode 2’s key topic dives into nutrition, from carbo-loading with sweets to whether leaner is better in the world of tri.
About the Podcast:
The Zwift PowerUp Tri Podcast is hosted by former pro triathletes Matt Lieto and Jordan Rapp, lending their in-depth knowledge of the multisport to the Zwift Tri audience.
What event or ride did you train for and feel that you conquered specifically because of the training done on Zwift?
For me… it was 2 weeks ago. I started riding zwift consistently last July in 2018. I had been a dedicated mountain biker for a long time, but only casually rode on zwift in the winter. My MTB team does an annual bike trip in the mountains of Arkansas. It’s 4 days of riding and over 100 miles of singletrack in the Ouachita mountains. Awesome stuff.
Problem is, the highlight of the weekend is a ride I had never been able to complete. A 50 mile self-supported out and back.
This year was my 4th attempt to conquer the ride. I decided in July that this was the year I would make it. I committed myself to the Crit Crusher training plan on zwift and woke up daily at 4-4:30am to ride. Months ticked by, I got faster. I met the gang over at DIRT Zwift Team and rode even more. I started racing The Morning Grind Fondo on a weekly basis and got completely addicted.
Meanwhile, every MTB trail in Dallas closed for 3 months with record rains. I continued to ride zwift, daily. I racked up 3000 miles over those next 6 months. I raced harder. I upgraded from C to B. And I enjoyed every bit of it.
Now back to the goal, the team camp was here. Time to put up or shut up. This is what I trained for the last 6 months. Zwift every day was fun but it was for this epic goal. I would not fail.
My back had been strained for a full week since the inaugural DADurday chase race. I could hardly lace my riding shoes that morning when I woke. But I set out, committed to the goal. As long as I pedaled I felt ok. After 10 miles I felt I could do more. At 25 I had reached the halfway point. My lungs and legs felt great. My bike cooperated, I pedaled on.
50 miles of beautiful singletrack later I emerged from the forest with a smile on my face and arms raised in victory. It wasn’t a race, but a personal demon that haunted me year over year. I had conquered it. And it didn’t even seem that difficult, I made it back with the third fastest time and still had more left in the tank.
Zwift changed me. It took sweat and tears and aching muscles on cold mornings, and it turned them into fitness and confidence. It gave me the opportunity to achieve the goals I had set in my life and to enjoy a great trip with friends.
That’s my quick story. Who else can share theirs?
March’s fondo events are this weekend, and riders can choose from one of three custom Watopia fondo routes which were launched in January. Click a route below to learn all about it!
Take in the heart of Watopia with a flat warmup before tackling the original Watopia KOM. Then head over to the Mayan Ruins for a lap of the jungle – look out for the sloth! – before finishing up the Volcano Climb.
The Bambino Fondo is essentially these routes strung together:
Warmup with a trip to Sequoia Circle before climbing the original Watopia KOM in the longer, gentler reverse direction. From there the climbing continues with a trip up the Volcano KOM, and tour of the Mayan Ruins jungle, and then finish off with a long climb up the Epic KOM (arch; not tower).
The Medio Fondo is essentially these routes strung together:
Strava won’t let us create one segment for this route, so we split it into three. We also created a Strava route which covers this full route. The GPS elevation data for the Strava route appears to be corrupt in parts, but the numbers above for distance and elevation are from ZwiftHQ and accurate.
This longest Fondo route takes you on a meandering – and ascending – tour of Watopia. Start out with the original KOM in the reverse direction before climbing the Volcano. From there, you’ll do a lap of the Mayan Ruins jungle and then take on the steeper – but shorter – original KOM in the forward direction. Mix in flat laps around downtown Watopia and the Volcano Circuit before finishing at the Epic KOM summit (arch; not tower).
The Gran Fondo is very similar to the Medio Fondo in terms of key climbs and overall elevation, but ~25km (15.5 miles) longer due to some meandering around Watopia proper between the “Road to Ruins” section and the “Mountain Route” ending. This route is essentially these routes strung together:
Strava won’t let us create one segment for this route, so we split it into three. We also created a Strava route which covers this full route. The GPS elevation data for the Strava route appears to be corrupt in parts, but the numbers above for distance and elevation are from ZwiftHQ and accurate.
All Zwifters who finish a Fondo route will unlock the official Zwift March Fondo kit. Each of the 6 Fondos from November to April has a unique kit to unlock.
Ken Nowell challenged himself to summit Alpe du Zwift in under an hour while eating a large Domino’s pizza and drinking only Mountain Dew. Several riders joined his event, but many more just tuned in to the live stream see what would happen. Here’s the full ride!
Zwift’s new ramp test to measure your FTP has caused quite some debate. On my side, I’ve seen it popping up frequently in my Strava feed now. It differs from the Trainerroad protocol. Does it also lead to different outcomes?
Once in a while, GCN comes out with great content that actually does answer some interesting question. This video is among them. Many on Zwift are still riding simple turbo trainers. We often call them “dumb”. That doesn’t mean they are useless. GCN tries to show how big the change in your riding experience really is when you upgrade to more advanced gear.
This could set up a discussion: How hard is Zwift racing compared to crit racing in the real world? Chris Pritchard from CyclingHub asked this question to his friend Jon Mould as the latter raced the KISS Super League.
Last week’s big Zwift update included several new “hidden” features which will be tested in private events in the coming weeks. One exciting feature already being tested is called the “Ride Leader Fence”. Here’s what we know about it…
Why a Fence?
One common complaint from social ride leaders and participants is fliers. Those pesky riders who join a group ride which states a specific pace, then proceed to drill it off the front and never ride with the pack.
Nobody knows why fliers do this. Obviously, they don’t care about keeping the ride together. Perhaps they are new cyclists and they don’t even realize it’s a big party foul. Perhaps they’re proud sociopaths who want to show everyone how strong they are.
Regardless of the reason, fliers never improve a group ride, and ride leaders have been asking for features to control them for a long time.
How It Works
When enabled, the beta fence feature puts a semi-opaque “fence” a certain number of seconds ahead of the ride leader (beacon). The number of seconds is configurable.
Clearly, Zwift has put some real thought into this feature even in its early stages. As riders get closer to the “fence” it becomes more visible, meaning if you’re sticking with the ride leader the fence is hard to see or perhaps completely invisible. Start getting too close, though, and it is visible as a warning.
If you ride through the fence then it’s quite visible behind you, and you receive a message stating you need to go back inside the fence or you will be auto-booted from the ride. The message is very clear: “Return to the group to stay in this event, or keep riding to quit this event.”
As a ride leader myself, this all makes great sense. It doesn’t force ride leaders to manually boot fliers, but cleans them off of the ride if they choose to stay off the front. This should also “train” habitual fliers to stop joining group rides when they don’t want to ride at the planned pace.
See It In Action
Watch Martin Björgvik’s recording of yesterday’s test of this feature, led by Zwift staffer Wes Salmon:
When?
Zwift is only testing this feature among other ride leaders at this time, to see if it’s even worth incorporating in the live game. So it’s possible this feature will never see live action. It’s also possible we may see it live in the near future. Who knows?
Your Thoughts
What do you think of this feature? Is it needed? Does it function in the best possible way? Comment below!
Zwift released a major game update late last week, but we’ve been so busy testing new in-game equipment that we haven’t had time to get our standard “Zwift update” post out. So here it is, a little late.
Drops & Drop Shop
The biggest new feature included in this release, the Drop Shop and its accompanying “Drops” currency provide an entirely new set of Zwift carrots and a new model for equipping yourself in-game.
Zwift has added a Ramp Test to its list of FTP tests, and cyclists are rejoicing worldwide! Read more about it here >
Other Notable Updates
PowerUp clearing: if you’re “holding” a powerUp when you start an event, it will now be taken away. This eliminates people grabbing a powerUp and using it at the start of non powerUp events, and levels the playing field for events that do allow powerUps.
I’ve seen some internal notes from HQ on other updates included in this release, and while I can’t share all the details it’s only fair to say that there are lots of changes happening under the hood to improve group rides, racing, and the overall Zwift experience. They’re hard at work over at HQ!
Zwift has rolled out a new mission for the month of March. This one aims to get everyone riding in all five Zwift worlds, which is a great idea!
I’ve already knocked out three of the worlds… what about you?
How to Enter
Click from the startup screen to join the mission. Once you’ve joined you will see progress blocks for all five worlds.
You must ride a minimum of 15 miles on each of the 5 worlds, or run a minimum of 5 miles in each of the 5 worlds. Accomplishing either of these tasks will earn you one entry into the prize drawing.
This mission began on March 1st and ends 11:59 PT March 31st, 2019.
Prize Drawing
The prize drawing will be held on or about April 10, 2019. Five winners will each receive a pair of Jaybird RUN XT headphones (retail value $179.99).
Schedule Not Working For You?
If you’re trying to cross a particular world off your list but it isn’t on the calendar, remember you can always world hack your way in.
