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Strava Sneak Preview of Zwift’s New York City Course

Eric Schlange
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Strava Sneak Preview of Zwift’s New York City Course

Strava Sneak Preview of Zwift’s New York City Course

Zwift CEO Eric Min and Game Master Jon Mayfield each shared Strava activities on the coming-soon New York City course early this morning.

See Eric’s ride >

See Jon’s run >

While it’s been hinted that there is more to this course than Zwift is revealing pre-launch, we can analyze the Strava data and get some ideas as to what NYC may hold for Zwifters.

First, the Ride

Surely Mr. Min is excited to be riding in virtual NYC, since he grew up riding and racing in Central Park. Zwift execs Mike McCarthy (Head of Partnerships) and Charlie Issendorf (Head of Events) were there as well.

Eric’s ride was on the Outer Park Drive Loop, which is 9.7km (6.03 miles) in length. We don’t see any long climbs, but with 225m (741 feet) of climbing in his ~30 minute effort, this is certainly not a flat route. It looks to include a lot of rolling terrain, which should be fun for racers.

The route includes a sprint section, as evidenced by Eric’s green jersey pic uploaded to Strava.

Next, the Run

Jon’s run was around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, known to locals as the Central Park Reservoir or simply “The Reservoir.” It covers the Shuman Running Track, which is 2.4km (1.5 miles) long. Zwift has said there are 13 running routes on the new course and 10 riding routes, which means there are 3 “run only” routes. Certainly this Shuman Track loop is one of them?

Whenever HQ posts rides of new routes on Strava, the release of these routes is just around the corner. My guess is we’ll see NYC before the weekend hits, but early next week at the latest.

Looking forward to seeing what Zwift has up their sleeve!

Innsbruck Special (Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast #17)

Eric Schlange
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Innsbruck Special (Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast #17)

Innsbruck Special (Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast #17)

Insider info from this year’s battle at Innsbruck! Matt, Kev, and Greg review the races and catch up with pro riders after the finish line.

About the Podcast:

The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson (Coach Hendy) and Kev Poulton (Powerhouse Cycling).

Announcing the Ronde van Flahute p/b Team DRAFT Race Series

Eric Schlange
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Announcing the Ronde van Flahute p/b Team DRAFT Race Series

Announcing the Ronde van Flahute p/b Team DRAFT Race Series

Team DRAFT is presenting a new weekday morning race series beginning next week. Held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 8:45 EST/5:45 PST Pacific. Called the “Ronde van Flahute” (which roughly translates to “Round of the Hard Men”), these races are meant to be hilly and hard, sort of a virtual version of the Ardennes classics.

Here’s the official race description:

A weekday morning race presented by Team DRAFT. These will be fast races from the start, be sure you have plenty of fluids and a fan ready. We encourage riders to bring teammates or work together with others around in these races. Our main goal is for riders to better themselves and help others get better at Zwifting. Go fast and most importantly have fun out there!

I spoke with Team [DRAFT] member Matt Brandt to get more details about the race. Here’s what he had to say:

There are currently not many races out there doing the courses that we are selecting, when is the last time you saw a race go up Keith Hill? Triple loops? The courses may change with the Zwift schedule changes, but generally the races will be hilly and hard…

Our goal from this is hopefully to attract the best racers on Zwift. When the fields on Zwift have the best it makes everyone better. If you are chasing Scottie Weiss or Leandro Messineo up a hill you are going to push yourself more than you normally would.

Getting the Points

These new races are also designed to help riders boost their ZwiftPower Skills points rankings. The ZP “skills” rankings have 3 points categories which accumulate for your overall ranking. For most people, the power portion is pretty hard to improve significantly by much unless you’ve just started racing. The racing portion many regular racers have already maxed out on. That leaves the “segments” portion, which for many experienced racers is the biggest area for people to gain points and move up the ZP rankings.

You can view your current skills points breakdown by clicking “Skills” under your ZwiftPower profile.

Read ZwiftPower’s skills points FAQ >

Of course, you’ll want to be sure to sign up and opt-in on Zwiftpower.com to keep track of your race results and PR’s!

Race Schedule

Here are direct links to next week’s races:

About Team DRAFT

Team DRAFT was founded on the simple idea that together we can make each other stronger than we would be alone. Set your fans to high, bring plenty of energy and a positive outlook on hills. Together we can help each other achieve flahuteness.

Cloud Sync for Zwift Workouts Now Available

Eric Schlange
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Cloud Sync for Zwift Workouts Now Available

Cloud Sync for Zwift Workouts Now Available

Thanks to yesterday’s update (version 1.0.30589) Zwifters now have their custom workouts syncing between all their Zwift devices.

This means you can create a custom workout in Zwift on one machine (say, your office PC) then go home and have that workout available on another device (perhaps your AppleTV Zwift setup). Workouts are automagically synced across all your devices.

Haven’t created your first custom Zwift workout? Here’s how to do it >

Looking to expand your library of Zwift workouts? Check out the workout library at whatsonzwift.com >

Creating Custom Workouts in Zwift

Eric Schlange
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Creating Custom Workouts in Zwift

Creating Custom Workouts in Zwift

Zwift’s workout mode is a powerful, flexible training tool. The ability to create custom workouts makes it so you or your coach can lock in precise workouts tailored specifically to your needs.

Custom workouts are typically created from within the Zwift game, since doing so is quite simple. In fact, with just a little practice, you can lay out a custom workout in less than a minute! (If you need to create a workout but aren’t on a computer running Zwift, check out ZWOFactory.)

Here are the simple steps to creating a custom workout from within Zwift.

Step 1: Press the “Training” button to access workouts

Step 2: Under “Custom Workouts” click “Create a new workout”

Step 3: Drag and drop elements from the right-hand bar, creating your workout

The quickest way to figure this out is to just do it. The interface is intuitive and simple. Give it a try!

Step 4: Save your workout

Make sure to give your workout a sensible title (at the top of the screen) then click “Save”. You can always edit the workout later.

Step 5: Click “Workout” and start sweating!

That’s it. Now the real work begins… time to complete that workout!

Want a video walkthrough? Check out Shane Miller’s intro to the workout editor as he lays out a TT Intervals workout below:

The Endurance Lab Coaches’ Corner 46

The Endurance Lab
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The Endurance Lab Coaches’ Corner 46

The Endurance Lab Coaches’ Corner 46

Welcome to Coaches’ Corner episode 46, topics include:

  • 2018 Kona podium predictions from our coaches
  • Cyclocross – should you try it? How is CX different than gravel races, road races, crits? How should you train for CX?
  • What’s in your shopping cart? A quick walk through coaches’ food shopping tips.

Related videos:

Watch the YouTube video for this episode:

Listen here:

Zwift Academy 2018 Semi-Finalists Announced

Eric Schlange
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Zwift Academy 2018 Semi-Finalists Announced

Zwift Academy 2018 Semi-Finalists Announced

Zwift has announced the 20 semi-finalists (10 under-23 men and 10 women) for Zwift Academy 2018.

To qualify, riders had to complete a  structured program of group rides, races, and workouts in Zwift over a eight week period. Starting October 15 these athletes will continue to the next round of cycling tests to determine who will advance to the finals at their potential team camps.

Drumroll Please…

The 10 ​CANYON//SRAM Racing | Zwift Academy Semi-Finalists are:

  • Helen McKay – London, England
  • Ella Harris – Dunedin, New Zealand
  • Eva Buchholz – Wiesbaden, Germany
  • Harriet Dodd – Brighton, England
  • Elne Owen – East London, South Africa
  • Ione Johnson -Wellington, New Zealand
  • Laura Van Regenmortel -Zoetermeer, Netherlands
  • Catherine Colyn -Paarl, South Africa
  • Mary Wilkinson – North Yorkshire, England
  • Nathalie Eklund – Hagersten, Sweden

The 10 Team Dimension Data​ | Zwift Academy ​Semi-Finalists are:

  • Oliver Young – Auckland, New Zealand
  • Max Jones – Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Byron Munton – Cape Town, South Africa
  • Alex West – Palmerston North, New Zealand
  • Oliver Peckover – Nottingham, England
  • Martin Lavrič – Ljubjana, Slovenia
  • Bradley Gouveris – Port Elizabeth, South Africa
  • Hernan Silvera – San Carlos, Uruguay
  • Patrick Christopher – High Wycombe, England
  • Mathieu Vansteenkiste – Oostende, Belgium

CANYON//SRAM Racing | Zwift Academy riders will receive Wahoo KICKR trainers and Rapha kit while the Team Dimension Data | Zwift Academy Semi-Finalists will each receive Elite Direto trainers. In addition all twenty semi-finalists will receive SoleStar KONTROL cycling insoles.

A Look at the Numbers

This year has seen 5,000 women take part in the CANYON//SRAM Racing | Zwift Academy, over double the number of participants from 2018.

On the men’s side the 10 semi-finalists from the Team Dimension Data​ | Zwift Academy emerged from a staggering crop of 30,000 cyclists from across the globe.

What’s Next?

Following the end of the semi-finals, twenty will become six. These six finalists (three from each program) will travel to their respective week-long team camps in Cape Town, South Africa and Malaga, Spain to ride and complete structured drills with their prospective teams, after which two professional contracts will be awarded.

More information on the 10 Men’s Semi-Finalists >

More information on the 10 Women’s Semi-Finalists >

The Endurance Lab Coaches’ Corner 45

The Endurance Lab
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The Endurance Lab Coaches’ Corner 45

The Endurance Lab Coaches’ Corner 45

Welcome to Coaches’ Corner episode 45. Topics include:

  • Which color lens are the best for cycling and triathlon? 
  • What to consider when buying cycling glasses
  • Pain cave (indoor cycling) setup tips
  • Taking a break from training
  • and more!

Watch the Video:

Listen here:

Opinion: the Zwift Community Needs More Discord

Eric Schlange
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Opinion: the Zwift Community Needs More Discord

Opinion: the Zwift Community Needs More Discord

Let’s Talk Community

While I believe that Zwift is the world’s top indoor cycling (and running) simulator, I also believe its greatest strength is the Zwift community. Consider that:

  • Community members organize and lead many regular Zwift rides and nearly all Zwift races
  • The community built and maintains key Zwift tools such as ZwiftPower, ZwiftGPS and Zwift Riders on Facebook
  • Zwifters provide the valuable feedback which helps squish bugs and push Zwift features forward
  • Social connections keep many people in cycling, and it’s no different indoors
  • Zwift’s best advertising is done by Zwifters. In my experience, non-Zwifters don’t “get it” until a Zwifter explains it to them. Enthusiastic Zwifters pull in more Zwifters.

There are many things Zwift is already doing to build the social side of the platform:

  • Supporting in-game messaging, favorite riders, etc
  • Allowing volunteer-organized events
  • Supporting community projects like ZwiftPower, Zwiftcast, ZwiftInsider, etc
  • Upgrading their own support forums
  • Engaging people actively in social media

But here’s a key piece that is still missing: voice interaction.

Let’s Talk, Community!

I know Zwift toyed with this idea over a year ago, but ran into difficulties with implementation. And I get that–figuring out how to let Zwifters talk to each other without negatively impacting other Zwifters’ experience is no easy task.

While we wait for Zwift to figure out how to make it work seamlessly in-game, perhaps the community needs to embrace and push a standard to bring voice chat into the realm of the “normal Zwift experience.” That’s why I’m writing this post. Because the Zwift community already has a simple tool at their fingertips to engage Zwifters with voice interaction: Discord.

It’s a relatively simple app. It’s free. And it works great–all you need is a smart phone with some earbuds. But we aren’t using it enough! In fact, I’ve joined several group rides lately which include a Discord channel link in the event description… but no one on the ride is logged into the channel. Bummer.

I love using Discord, especially on longer rides. Wagner’s Wagon is a metric century ride led by Justin Wagner of TeamODZ every Thursday morning at 4:15AM Pacific time. This ride typically has several folks signed into Discord (including Justin), and it’s the voice chat that makes the miles fly by. Zwift is an entirely different experience when you can talk and joke with others. It’s like riding outside, but without the wind in your ears!

So this is my call to all Zwifters: let’s embrace Discord. Ride organizers: set up a channel and share the invite link. Riders: install Discord and use it on group rides. Let’s make this happen!

Want to try Discord? Here’s a quick tutorial covering using Discord on Zwift.

We’ve created a Zwift Insider server for any and all to use. Here’s the invite link: https://discord.gg/zwiftinsider

All About this Week’s Kona 112 Mission

Eric Schlange
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All About this Week’s Kona 112 Mission

All About this Week’s Kona 112 Mission

This week Zwifters celebrate the IRONMAN World Championships happening in Kona, Hawaii with a new mission and a new bike.

About the Bike

The new Specialized S-Works Shiv Disc has been kept tightly under wraps until it was unveiled today in Kona, where it will be used by a handful of Specialized-sponsored top pros. It’s a radical bike, made specifically for winning at Kona and breaking lots of UCI rules in the process.

The new Shiv’s most noticeable features are the seat tube “fuel cell” and the front fork with legs which extend all the way to the top of the head tube. But Specialized made a number of radical changes in this completely revamped bike… watch them discuss it below:

Mission Details

To enter the mission, accept it at the Zwift startup screen and agree to the terms.

Completing the mission requires you to ride 112 miles (180km) by 11:59PM PST, October 14, 2018. This distance can be completed over as many Zwift sessions as it takes.

Additionally, those 112 miles must be completed on the Shiv Disc bike. Miles on other bikes do not count towards mission completion. Zwift will automatically put you on the Shiv Disc once you sign up for the mission. Watch out if you’re participating in a non-TT race while taking part in this mission, as you will be placed on the Shiv before your race starts!

Prizes

One lucky Zwifter will win a high-spec version of the new Shiv, which has an approximate retail value of $14,000US. Wow!

10 Zwifters will get to keep the bike in-game, while everyone else will have to wait for the virtual store rollout, which should be happening in the next 4-8 weeks.

How Fast Is the New Shiv?

According to BikeRadar, the new Shiv “is claimed to be a minute faster around the Kona Ironman course compared to the fastest possible 2011-era Shiv setup.”

What about the new Shiv in Zwift? Unfortunately, it’s not any faster than the Zwift TT bike. In fact, it was a bit slower based on my tests this morning, approximately 10 seconds slower per Watopia Figure 8 lap. My guess is Zwift may adjust this a bit in the future to make the bike more appealing to Zwifters.

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