Editors’ note: find the original version of this post along ZwiftMap, ZwiftPref, and other tools and hacks for Zwifters at ZwiftHacks.com.
Your Zwift user ID is something you need for two important purposes: logging in to ZwiftGPS and signing up at ZwiftPower.
In this post – the first of a series – I show you how to find it in a secure manner.
Part One: The log file holds the truth…
… or at least it contains your Zwift user ID hidden among the many log lines. This makes it very easy to find your user ID. Here are a couple of way to do it without you having to read through the log file yourself.
#1 – on Windows
Copy this line, press Windows+R, paste the line into the Run dialogue, and press Enter:
Copy this line, paste it into a Terminal window, and press Enter:
grep -i 'player id'~/Documents/Zwift/Logs/log.txt
The result is like this:
#3 – with help from a web app
The app at https://zwifthacks.com/app/ip/ does essentially the same as the searches above, just in a browser. You can drag a log file into the dropzone (look for log.txt in your Documents/Zwift/Logs folder or send it to yourself from the iOS version of Zwift).
In a moment your user ID will be shown:
Coming up: Part Two: Finding your ID on my.zwift.com
Episode 54 of Zwiftcast has been released, and it marks the Zwiftcasters’ return to their winter schedule of regular episodes packed with Zwiftiness.
The Zwiftcasters are back on their winter schedule… with more regular episodes packed with Zwiftiness. Simon, Shane and Nathan discuss when we might see New York, what we might see in it and speculate on whether it may be the best course ever.
The podcasters discuss the potential implications of Zwift’s acquisition of an interest in technology owned Virtu Pro who make a highly rated smart bike–could we see a Zwift-branded Smart Bike any time soon?
The Academies are roaring ahead with record levels of completion. Zwift commits to their future and Simon, Shane and Nathan discuss their participation and we hear from a husband and wife enrolled on the programmes.
After a newsy roundup covering Zwift’s TV advertising; recent game updates; an attempt to deal with gender doping in Zwift racing and the relaunch of a Zwift forum, Simon interviews Julie Haugh, one of the most dedicated ride leaders who has perfected the art of riding slow.
Editor’s note: Jordan Cheyne’s “The Open Pro” series details his experiences with high-level Zwift training as a rider in the pro Continental ranks. You can read his past posts here.
The Arc
“Remember the arc. Remember what these guys expect from Elevate-KHS”. My teammates and I have heard this metaphor more than a few time this season in our pre-race meetings. As the team has rolled through races and collected breakthrough results this year, our Director Paul Abrahams has made a point to remind us where we stand in the peloton and of our new responsibilities as legitimate contenders. We can’t skulk in the shadows of the field and surprise the big teams in key moments anymore. We come to races to win. Going into the highly ranked Tour of Utah and Colorado Classic, we had traveled up the arc using our collective strength and an element of surprise. To maintain our success and perhaps climb higher towards a stage win or a General Classification however we would face a steeper incline.
Preparation and Expectation
The team certainly acted as if in our final preparation for the races. Starting two weeks out from the start of the Tour of Utah we traveled and previewed 80-90% of the course starting in St. George and finishing in Park City. We made efforts on key climbs and made note of the unique challenges of each stage. Nothing would be a surprise on race day. We worked hard together, cooked and ate together and helped each other manage the expectations and anticipation that naturally came with our biggest event of the year.
Personally, I was working hard to manage what has been my biggest Achilles Heel and frustration in racing: altitude. Ever since my first Tour of Utah as a green 18 year old in 2010, I have suffered mightily in thin air. I have a lot of genetic good fortune as an endurance athlete but physiologically, I seem to lose more power at altitude than the norm and my acclimation is unpredictable. I remember racing in Park City at 7500′ that first year and feeling like I had only two gears: glass-crank easy spin or red zone explosion.
Dying a thousand deaths in Utah 2010
With a lot of effort I have closed a lot of that gap in my preparation over the years and as I prepared in Park City this time around I had some fantastic workouts that convinced me I could leave my altitude struggles behind. Still, there were seemingly inexplicable bad days that clicked my apprehension back into sharp focus. The team was under pressure for results and I fought to keep my mind clear of my own worries.
Some massive climbing prep
Setbacks and Persistence
Pressure and expectation are funny things. They can linger and build and seem absolutely immovable in the face of a big objective. But in an instant they can deflate and become afterthoughts as circumstances change. That is exactly what happened on the first stage of the Tour of Utah. In the space of a couple hours we lost our GC leader James to a fever and asthma complications and sprinter Alfredo who ran into trouble on the highest, hardest climb of the Tour only 40km into the event. Everything changed and suddenly we were racing to get the best out of the race with what we had left.
Suffering in Salt Lake (photo by Cotton Sox Photography)
My own fears were soon realized. I was probably as good as I have ever been at altitude but still well short of what I needed. I was fighting my body every time the race demanded sustained effort and oxygen uptake, which is a fairly common occurrence in a race featuring over 14000m of climbing. Not much feels worse than being sub par at such a high level race. It feels like being dealt a bad hand in poker while sitting across from some of the best card sharks in the world. You know the odds immediately. You desperately eye the dealer hoping that the next day’s card will be a miracle and your legs will come back. There is only one hand to be played and you won’t get a second chance if you fold. There is no choice but to do your job, play the odds and even bluff when appropriate. That is what a pro does and that is what I tried to do through 11 trying days in Utah and Colorado.
Signing on for another tough Utah stage (photo by Cotton Sox Photography)
To the team’s credit, everyone kept playing and we had some high moments amid a trying couple of weeks. We rallied around strongman sprinter Sam Bassetti in Utah and delivered him well to 2 bunch sprints where he placed 7th and 4th, narrowly missing the podium in the circuit race in Salt Lake City. Everyone fought hard for the breakaways and I managed to claw my way into one on the final mountain stage. We got James back for Colorado and he lit up the time trial to take 7th overall and hold it all the way to the end.
TT Warm Up (photo by Gene Piccoli)
Doing the Job and Looking Ahead
In my own race, I tried to play my hand the best way I could each day for the team. I would try for the breakaway. If that failed I would do everything I could for a teammate so they could try to win the race; fetching bottles, offering a helpful draft and riding my guts out to set up a sprint or close critical gaps. Sometimes it was even as glamorous as that.
One of the most satisfying results of the trip for me was Sam’s 5th place finish in our final race in Denver. The top 5 was nice but the process to get there was a gratifying example of how our team operates and what has made up successful in 2018.
Sam was among the five best racers on Stage 4 but a bad day on the previous day’s mountainous Queen Stage had him in the bottom three on the road. The other two were myself and teammate Kevin Girkins and with 80km to go in the stage we were willing Sam on as cramps forced him out of the grupetto for the final time. The time cut on the stage was a meager 7% or about 15 minutes and we lost ground quickly trying to pace Sam up the climbs. We crested the final climb over 10 minutes back and I knew the final 60 gently descending, headwind kilometers didn’t look good for us. But just as we have all year, we went to work.
Fighting the time cut (photo by Elevate-KHS)
We rotated as hard as we could for well over an hour while receiving nothing but encouragement and cans of coke from the team car. We couldn’t see anybody from the race and the fans we passed gave us awkward, surprised cheers thinking that they had seen the last of the riders. Inside 20km to go, the race marshal loomed and informed us that we were right on the cusp of the time cut, virtually needing to ride the same speed as the screaming peloton to survive and race another day. We never lost sight of the fact that Sam could win the next day and we never missed a turn. Somehow, as we caught sight of the mostly deserted finish line the clock read: 14:42 and we were recorded as finishers–the final three.
Sam made good the next day of course with his top 5 but the dull satisfaction was already there for me along with the fatigue and vague disappointment. I was happy to walk away from this block of racing knowing that I offered something to the team and was a professional as much as I could be. It is a bit tougher to walk away from the season that way though. Even with all of our wins and the breakthroughs I have had this year I want more. I know there is an answer to my altitude woes and there are also answers to the near miss race results I have had this season. Whether it is in late season racing in 2018 or in a fresh 2019 calendar, I can’t wait to play my next hand.
PowerUps in Zwift give you either immediate XP or a very short “boost.” In Zwift’s early days powerups were outlawed by most race organizers, but over time Zwifters have come to embrace the use of powerups as a virtual substitute for the mechanicals, shifting winds, and other variables common to outdoor riding. They truly add a necessary element of randomness and strategy to Zwift racing.
Here is everything you need to know about powerups in Zwift.
What Does Each PowerUp Do?
Large Bonus: +250 experience points, or the equivalent of riding 12.5 kilometers.
Small bonus: +10 experience points, or the equivalent of riding .5 kilometers.
Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most.
Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.)
Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.)
Burrito: turns off the draft effect for riders in a cone-shaped window behind you for 20 seconds. Event-only. Use when attacking off the front so opponents have to work harder to follow you, or in the peloton to make others work harder.
Cloaking (ghost): makes you invisible to other riders for 15 seconds. Event-only. Disabled within 400m of the finish line. Use when you want to get away from one or more riders. Deploy then hammer, in hopes that you will create enough of a gap that your opponents can’t grab your wheel.
Steamroller: reduces Crr for 30 seconds so you roll as fast as a road tire on pavement regardless of wheels or road surface. Event-only. This is most effective when used on dirt, but it also provides an advantage on cobbles, bricks, gravel, wood, and ice/snow, etc.
Anvil: makes you heavier for up to 15 seconds, so you can descend faster. The amount of weight added is based on a percentage of your body weight, and that percentage increases as riders get lighter. It won’t hurt you, as it only adds weight when the road is at a -1.5% decline or greater. Event-only. Use this on downhills. Pair it with a supertuck to go extra fast with zero effort!
Activating a Power Up
Use the spacebar on your keyboard, the play button on your AppleTV remote, or Zwift Companion also provides a button. You can also simply click the powerup circle from your computer, or touch it on a touchscreen device.
With the exception of the Small Bonus and Large Bonus which activate immediately, powerups show a white timer bar when activated, so you know how much time you have left.
Obtaining PowerUps
PowerUps are randomly given when you go through an arch (start/finish, end of KOM, end of sprint). If you have an unused powerup as you pass through an arch, you won’t receive a new one. In official events, powerups can be disabled entirely, or set to be distributed in a customized way (for example, a 50/50 split between the aero boost and burrito).
How To Bring Back Companion App Favorite Notifications
I have a confession to make: I’m a bit of a Ride On addict. Not that I have to receive them, but I love giving ’em out! I know how it feels when that blue thumb pops up and makes its way into your virtual jersey pocket, so I love giving them out to fellow Zwifters any chance I can get.
You can do this in game, of course, but I also like to do it via the mobile app when I’m not Zwifting. This requires use of the Zwift Companion app, and unless you want to be checking the app continually, it requires Companion notifying you when a favorited Zwifter begins riding.
I noticed several months back that I was no longer receiving notifications when people I had favorited began to ride. (I also stopped receiving notifications of people following me or giving me a Ride On after a Zwift session.) Just recently I decided to get to the bottom of this issue so I could start letting the Ride Ons fly again as we head into our winter season.
Here’s what I found: many Zwifters have had this same problem. A quick question posted in the Zwift Riders Facebook group showed I was far from the only person not receiving mobile notifications, and several Zwifters explained how they fixed the problem.
First: Confirm You’ve Enabled Notifications
First of all, make sure you’ve enabled notifications in the app. This is located under More>Settings>Notifications in iOS. Make sure “Favorite Starts Zwifting” is enabled. You also need to allow the Companion app’s notifications to display, which can be modified under your main phone settings menu at Settings>Notifications>Companion.
I already had these settings correct: but I still wasn’t receiving notifications. So I tried the first solution…
Solution #1: Reinstall
Simply delete the Companion app, then reinstall it. You will need to log into the app again. Once you do you will be greeted with a Push Notification notice from the app, followed by a permissions popup from your phone (see below).
This fixed my issue immediately. Within a few minutes I received my first notification in months, and guess who it was from? That’s right, the Big Kahuna himself!
Solution #2: Log Into a Different Account
I haven’t tried this solution, but Glen Knight of KISS/ZwiftPower fame says it works, so I trust him. Glen said you can simply log out of your account on Companion and sign into a different account. Then log out again and sign back into your account.
Both of these solutions point to some sort of problem with the app’s cached account data, which would get cleared with a reinstall or account change. Hopefully the developers at HQ can tackle this problem and help people get their notifications working without needing to use either of the solutions above… but until then, these solutions are fairly painless.
Ride the routes of Innsbruck across 5 stages to unlock the coveted Tour of Innsbruck Jersey. This event starts with Stage 1 1:00 am EDT September 4 2018 and will run through September 19 11:00 pm EDT. (Zwift may offer a make-up day like the Tour of Oz, but no confirmation yet.) You will fill your Strava segments for Innsbruck in this special lead-up to the World Championship week. You can ride any of the stages, but you must complete all five stages to unlock the Zwift Tour of Innsbruck jersey. ZwiftPower.com will keep a total time for those who want to race all five stages. Learn more >
The Tour de Tohoku
Saturday September 15, 2018 2:00 am EDT
This is a special event that held in real life since 2013 as a charitable event due to the devastation of the Earthquake and tsunami that struck the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. It is held to preserve the memories of that event and those who were lost and dearly loved. Zwift is collaborating to hold a parallel event on Zwift. It is a single event and a special jersey for the Tour of Tohoku will be in ride and will unlock after completing this special stage. Learn nore >
Rapha Women’s 100 Km Ride
The Women’s 100 Km is a special group ride held every September 15th as an international event to show unity among women riders. Rapha has a beautiful special commemorative jersey in real life. You can wear it and unlock the virtual version of the Rapha jersey upon completing the 100 kilometers (62 miles) Zwift event. If you don’t have the white metric century jersey, you can earn that as well.
Riding with a large group will help you reach your goal. And, yes, you can stop and rest a while as needed. But you will have to ride the full 100 km as a single ride. There will be four start times for this ride, Friday September 14 at 7:00 am EDT, Saturday September 15 at 3:00 am EDT, 7:00 am EDT, and 12:00 pm EDT. This is a women’s only event. It will count also as a Zwift Women’s Academy ride if you are still short of your 4 group rides. Learn more >
Goseong Granfondo
The real life ride will take place in South Korea as a 100 km event. Zwift is hosting an event prior to the real life ride. Those who can ride the real ride can win a ticket to the event held October 13 and 14, 2018. Read the rules for prizes >
The Zwift ride is not 100 km , but the Big Loop. Those who finish this event will unlock a special commemorative jersey. The start times for this event is Sunday September 9, 6:00 pm EDT, Monday September 10 6:00 am EDT, and 8:00 am EDT. Learn more >
Zwift released a minor update last night, with one especially interesting change which I think is worth discussing. Game Master Jon Mayfield said this:
Zwift now sends the riders weight to ANT+ FE-C smart trainers. This may enhance how the trainer feels.
Let’s give this a little thought: according to bikecalculator.com, if you weigh 50kg and want to hold 15kph up an 8% grade, you will need to sustain ~235 watts of power. But if you throw on a 25kg backpack and hit that same grade, you’ll need to hold ~325 watts to maintain 15kph.
So (obviously) resistance increases on climbs as you get heavier.
But here’s a little-known fact about Zwift prior to this week’s update: rider weight wasn’t being passed via ANT+, but it was being passed if you used Bluetooth for your smart trainer connection. So two riders of vastly different weights felt the same resistance when they hit the same climb (if they were using ANT+ trainer connections) while the same two riders would feel very different levels of resistance if they were using Bluetooth.
I talked to Jon Mayfield about this, and he said his FE-C testing a few years ago showed that passing weight didn’t seem to effect the resistance at all, and sometimes even caused some data errors–so Zwift left it out until things could get straightened out. Makes sense.
Does it really matter? Probably not a lot, but I do think this will increase the feeling of realism between indoors and out, provided your run your trainer difficulty at 100% and have a trainer that can replicate the full gradients found in Zwift.
Here’s Shane Miller talking about gradient simulation more, in case all this has just confused you:
Other changes in this version include:
Gave the event paddock chat messages a fresh coat of paint to be more legible
If you receive a Ride On from somebody nearby, a Ride On button will appear next to their name in the Riders Nearby list so you can easily give them one in return
Fixed missing Zwift Academy glasses on some platforms
More polished art on the Innsbruck course
3 Run 13.1 training plan enhanced with more messages and fine tuning of training
I have a confession to make: I’m a bit of a Ride On addict. Not that I have to receive them, but I love giving ’em out! I know how it feels when that blue thumb pops up and makes its way into your virtual jersey pocket, so I love giving them out to fellow Zwifters any chance I can get.
