Home Blog Page 462

This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

Thomas Eichentopf
-
0
This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Top 10 reasons why Zwift isn´t perfect (yet)

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCWJ-Z-w9OQ” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/XCWJ-Z-w9OQ/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

We’ve had a lot of fun on Zwift this season. There are some issues with the software nonetheless. Ronald Kuba takes a look at the ones he sees. Do you agree?

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Rocker Plate Technique

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3mUVntgQyg” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/y3mUVntgQyg/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Rocker plates were one of the big stories of the 2018 Zwift season. However, some folks ride them incorrectly! Follow this walk-through and rocking Zwift should be more much natural for you.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Zwift Workout Creator

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFJEMrKB87k” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/ZFJEMrKB87k/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

SickBiker has shot a very easy-to-follow tutorial video on how to use Zwift’s inbuilt workout creater. If you’re not served well with the existing workouts, just use your creativity or your training notes from other sources.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

How to Connect Your Computrainer to Zwift

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX6RxWoWJZg” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/dX6RxWoWJZg/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Computrainer and Zwift combined? It works. Todd Malcolm guides you step by step through the process.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

JetBlack WhisperDrive Smart Trainer Review

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ucVFY4BmUQ” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/9ucVFY4BmUQ/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

It’s a bid odd that a new trainer’s release date is the end of the indoor training season in the Northern hemisphere. Still, JetBlack’s trainer was highly anticipated by many. Shane Miller had a look at it.

Week 14 – This is How it Should Feel?

Ian Murray
-
0
Week 14 – This is How it Should Feel?

Week 14 – This is How it Should Feel?

Editor’s note: Ian Murray is using Zwift to train for the International Triathlon Union Long Course World Championships held in Odense/Fyn, Denmark July 2018. His weekly Zwift Insider series discusses the previous week’s training and the plan for the upcoming week.

Coming off of the recovery week, I was anxious to get back to work.  Sure, I had hit the run on Saturday pretty hard, but the rest of the week had been pretty easy.  Getting back to increasing the volume would have to wait one more week, though, as the first week of the build cycle was still relatively easy from that perspective. With a little over three months left to prepare, it’s time to get the body ready for what it will face.

Why Won’t They Just Respond!

Here’s the thing.  My body doesn’t take well to recovery weeks.  Yes, I know my body needs it.  Yes, I know that recovery is important.  Vegetables are important, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them.  Heck, I know that beets are a great source of nutrients.  But, I hate beets and won’t eat them or drink the juice. 

Unfortunately, unlike the vegetable scourge that beets are, I have to deal with the recovery weeks to prevent overtraining.  The reason I don’t like recovery weeks is actually pretty simple.  It makes my legs feel weird.  What I mean by that is it confuses my body.  It gets so used to pushing that the down time sometimes throws it off, and it gets hard to get it back into hard training mode.  I often lack what I call “snap.”  Lacking snap means that I may not be able to get into that top-end gear, or I lack acceleration, or something along those lines.  Sometimes, the recovery week leads to a lack of mental snap, too, meaning I just can’t mentally get through a grinding interval.  At various points throughout the week I experienced different versions of these feelings intermixed with some snap.  That inconsistency is what I dislike about the recovery weeks. 

Now that I’ve laid out how I feel about this type of week, let’s get into it.

Week 14 Summary

Things started out pretty good.  The legs felt ok, a little dull, but normal for the day after a recovery day.  The follow-on swim that afternoon was awesome, as I negative split my 2K continuous swim, coming in at just about 34 minutes.  The swim the next morning was also pretty good, and then I hit the gym for a strength session.  It was only 30 minutes or so.  Pretty simple.  Three sets of a five-exercise circuit.  I thought I felt pretty good going into it.  No, I did feel pretty good.  That was the problem.  I let my brain take a break when choosing the weights for the shoulder press exercise.  For fifteen reps, I think I was ok.  The problem ahead was that I still had two more set to go.  I was not ready for that, and the interest payment on that charge would last for days!

I more or less made it through Wednesday unscathed, even turning out some good 20-minute intervals during my tempo run, averaging about 6:00/mile (maybe just a hair under).  By SkillZ and DrillZ on Wednesday, though, I could feel it coming on.  Yeah, the DOMS was getting ready to make an appearance.  Thursday was horrible.  I could only manage 2000 of the planned 3000.  My shoulders were absolutely shredded.  The subsequent strength workout was not really any better.  I got through it, but I could barely get my arms up to shower afterward.  Brutal.

Friday went off pretty successfully, and Saturday was filled with a partial workout and the ODZ Coffee Ride, where I served as a domestique for one of our long-time ODZ riders.  I couldn’t help myself, as we had a few knuckleheads on the ride who didn’t really want to follow the ride description and then proceeded to talk a lot of smack.  I spent a bunch of energy launching attack after attack on the climb to make the gentlemen chase.  They ended up blowing up, and I helped my teammate to the third step of the podium.  A quick run off the bike finished the week off.  Not a bad one, but I could have done without the shelled arms on Thursday.  Planned TSS – 752; Completed TSS – 751

Travel Threatens the Training – Planned TSS – 838

Week 15 starts with a three-day whirlwind trip with flights on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Plus, I will be escorting folks, so there will be a bit of mandatory socializing along the way.  We’ll see how it goes, but I am not super hopeful.  I am looking forward to getting back to my old stomping grounds to run on the Key West High School track.  I love that thing.

So far, everything seems to be on track as far as training is concerned.  It’s time to increase the bike volume, and I need to start spending some time on my tri bike.  The trusty Dimond has had a bit of an off-season, as I have been mostly working on the road bike on the trainer.  Time to break out the rollers!  That’s it for now.  More to follow soon.  Until then, Ride On!

Zwift Coaching Podcast Episode 3

Eric Schlange
-
0
Zwift Coaching Podcast Episode 3

Zwift Coaching Podcast Episode 3

The Zwift Coaching Podcast features training tips from Matt Rowe, Greg Henderson (Coach Hendy) and Kev Poulton (Powerhouse Cycling).  Episode 3 addresses the common question of cadence: is higher or lower better?

Echelon Podcast #12: Zwift Nationals

Adam Zimmerman
-
0
Echelon Podcast #12: Zwift Nationals

Echelon Podcast #12: Zwift Nationals

On this episode Chris interviews Adam Zimmerman and Claudia Behring to discuss their recent wins at the first-ever Zwift US Nats.

About The Echelon Podcast:

The Echelon Podcast is co-hosted by Adam Zimmerman and Chris Smith. As they describe it, “We are amateur cyclists who cover everything in the world of cycling.” Find them on Soundcloud or iTunes.

Zwift Running with an Apple Watch

Greg Hilton
-
0
Zwift Running with an Apple Watch

Zwift Running with an Apple Watch

Zwift running is currently free, and if you own an Apple Watch plus an iPhone and treadmill you are good to go! Perfect for use in the gym or when travelling.

Zwift have enabled the Apple watch as a device to pick up running speed and Heart Rate. It’s really simple to do.

Firstly install the Zwift app on your iPhone. For this example we installed this onto the iPhone that is paired to the Apple Watch. If you wanted to run on an iPad or other BLE device you’d need to install the Zwift Companion on the iPhone that is paired to the Apple Watch.

Note if you have a Mac or PC that has an ANT+ adapter you will need some sort of bridge, as detailed in this article.

I set this up for my wife to check it worked for “free” as a brand new user. She chose to be a runner, which took us straight to the run pairing screen.

So we simply chose the Apple Watch as both Run Speed and Heart rate. Sadly at this point they’ve not enabled the Apple watch for cadence.

After setting up some body measurements she was ready to run, interesting to note she unlocked a Rapha running kit without even moving.

After that she simply started running and it worked fine!

Stay tuned for further articles on both the Stryd and Garmin running pods, and then a comparison of accuracy between all three.

CVR World Cup Los Angeles this Weekend

Eric Schlange
-
0
CVR World Cup Los Angeles this Weekend

CVR World Cup Los Angeles this Weekend

This weekend is CVR’s “The Major: Winter 2018” World Cup finals at StubHub Velo Sports Center in Los Angeles. Past CVR World Cups were held in Paris, London, and Las Vegas, but this weekend’s event promises to be the biggest yet, with over $100,000 in cash and prizes on the line.

Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s racing:

How They Got Here

40 racers will be in attendance: 20 women and 20 men. 10 racers of each gender punched their ticket to LA in the Elite Bracket by either:

  1. Being one of the eight racers who placed 1st in category A for their time zone in CVR’s winter league series
  2. Being one of two racers to receive a special invite to the finals

8 additional racers of each gender will be in LA as the Performance Bracket, and they were chosen based on their participation in the CVR training program. 2 additional Performance racers were chosen based on special invite.

The Real Deal

Riders will be weighed-in and racing on equal equipment. All riders will be on CycleOps Hammer trainers calibrated by Saris engineers and double-authenticated via PowerTap power meter comparison to trainer.

Watching the Races

You may watch the racing via livestream online, or attend the event (tickets are free).

Race Schedule and Routes

There will be two days of racing, with heats on Saturday (March 24) and a final Sunday (March 25) in the form of a mini-stage race.

Saturday

Saturday’s races are heats to determine who will race in the “Elite” and “Performance” Brackets for Sunday. All races on Saturday will be three laps of the Watopia Hilly Forward route.

  • 10:25AM PDT: Heat 1 Women’s Race Starts
  • 12:25PM PDT: Heat 2 Men’s Race Starts
  • 2:20PM PDT: Heat 3 Men’s Race Starts
  • 4:15PM PDT: Heat 4 Women’s Race Starts

Sunday

Sunday’s racing takes the form of a “mini stage race” with riders competing on the following courses:

  • Hill Climb: from the start pen to the castle on Watopia Mountain. 8.9km, 224m elevation gain.
  • Hilly Road: two laps of Watopia Hilly reverse. 18.4km, 202m elevation gain.
  • Flat Crit: three laps of the volcano circuit (clockwise). 14.8km, 69m elevation gain.

Racers will be given points based on their finishing position in each stage, and the racer with the most points after three stages wins.

Race schedule:

  • 8:10AM PDT: Men’s Performance
  • 10:59AM PDT: Women’s Performance
  • 1:58PM PDT: Men’s Elite
  • 4:37PM PDT: Women’s Elite

Prize Purse

A growing prize purse of over $100,000 will be split among the participants.

Learn More

More more information, visit cvrworldcup.com or download this weekend’s race bible.

The Open Pro: From the Pain Cave to the Team Camp Paceline

Jordan Cheyne
-
0
The Open Pro: From the Pain Cave to the Team Camp Paceline

The Open Pro: From the Pain Cave to the Team Camp Paceline

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.

Living a Dream

Sometimes my life as a professional cyclist can feel a bit surreal in depths of winter. Not surreal in a “pinch-me” sort of way but more in the “this could all be a very boring Groundhog Day dream” sort of way. I wake up, eat, stretch, pull on my bibs, log on to Zwift, crank out the day’s requisite pedal strokes, eat, do a bit of coaching work, eat and sleep. That’s not the condensed trailer of my day, that is the whole movie. Many days I venture out into Big White’s snow-covered expanses on snowshoes for some extra aerobic training, but just as many I don’t feel the brisk outdoor air at all. I exist in my domestic bubble in a cycle of stimulus and recovery on top of a mountain with only my wife and a well used PS3 for company.

For the most part, that’s how I want it. It is insulated, productive and actually a welcome dose of stability in the tumultuous schedule of a professional cyclist. When we made our trip to Tucson for a big block of outdoor training, I kept much the same schedule. I perform well and have loads of fun in the team environment during race season but I think that is only possible because I bank some serious introvert time in my off-season.

But then, after a few dedicated months of solitude and hard work, that surreal feeling creeps in. I start to wonder what the heck I am doing. With intense internal focus, the bigger picture of the race season can become a little blurry and goals feel farther away than they are in reality. It can throw off preparation as motivation dulls when workouts should be getting sharper. I started to feel this coming on in the first weeks of February even as I began to hit my stride fitness-wise on Zwift’s new Surrey Hills courses. But then just as the mental screws began to loosen, everything tightened up into sharp focus and the 2018 season suddenly came into clear view. It was time for Elevate-KHS team camp in the sunbathed hills outside San Diego.

Photo credit: Danny Munson

Team Camp

Although I am a bit used to it by now, professional cycling team camps are always a pleasant sensory overload: new teammates, shiny new equipment, stacks of fresh team kit and finally, a good excuse to ride fast. Looking at some power files it is easy to see the difference between my steady, solo training on Zwift and the variable, drill-based riding that we did at camp.

 

The type of training we did throughout our week at camp was thoroughly planned and may surprise the average rider. It wasn’t constant pedal to the metal slugfests, nor was it hours of sedated base miles. Rather, there was a big focus on cohesive work as a group, well-calibrated sprint lead-outs and race simulation both uphill and on flatter terrain. It was about specific, fitness-sharpening efforts but also about perfecting the fundamentals as a team so that no opportunity is wasted in a race due to technical miscues. Our team is brimming with sprint talent and proven GC threats, so practicing a dominant sprint train or a smooth breakaway chase isn’t a pipedream, it is a dress rehearsal.

This kind of positive, process-oriented thinking and planning is a big theme at Elevate-KHS and it was reinforced at camp daily. The season began to feel real in a hurry as we broke down race footage in nightly meetings. What might have been vague expectations and abstract pressure on other teams was laid out in concrete goals and clear game plans. While Zwift racing has its tactical nuances, it requires a small fraction of the team coordination and buy–in needed to win as a team on the road. Those details can make or break a race finale regardless of watts/kg and there are no aero power ups to fall back on when your sprinter comes unhitched from the train around the final bends. With all the riders together in a low-pressure environment, team camp is the perfect time to put a big emphasis on this kind of preparation. We certainly did that and the team is already proving its cohesion, winning small races in Socal and Texas ahead of bigger goals this month.

Ready to Race

After all the sponsor talks, photo shoots, equipment tweaks, training rides, massages, team meals and strategy meetings team camp had me back firmly grounded in the reality of the 2018 season. My racing schedule kicks off in a matter of weeks with a couple of California staples, the Chico and San Dimas stage races. From there it is onto the bigger stage of the Pro Road Tour for the Joe Martin Stage Race, Tour of the Gila and Redlands Bicycle classic in April and May. I am capping off my preparation with a couple warm weeks in Tucson before a brief detour home and likely back on to Zwift before it all kicks off.  Now, I can almost reach out and touch what I’ve been working so hard and it is time to go get it.

 

Photo credit: Danny Munson

Zwiftcast Episode 46

Simon Schofield
-
0
Zwiftcast Episode 46

Zwiftcast Episode 46

Episode 46 of Zwiftcast has been released. Here’s the full episode description:

In a special epsiode in celebration of Women’s Week on Zwift, Simon spends time in Girona with Academy Winners and pro racers with Canyon-SRAM, Leah Thorvilson and Tanja Erith. The women are now based in the Catalonian city, which is a magnet for cyclists and home to dozens of pro riders.

The Zwiftcast sets up camp in La Fabrica, a cycling themed cafe in the heart of the Old Town, and a familiar pre-ride coffee destination for the pros. There’s also a tour of the apartment Leah and Tanja share with team-mate Alexis Ryan, which ends up mostly being a tour of the fridge! Just why do the three women need 5kg of Parmesan cheese? And whose is the can of 12% beer?

Simon accompanies Leah and Tanja on a training ride, and afterwards in a wide-ranging discussion the trio sit down to discuss life as a pro in Girona, the season ahead, their acceptance in the peloton and their assessment of the state of women’s cycling.

There are also contributions from Zwift brand manager Kate Veronneau on the strength of the women’s community on Zwift, the health of the Acadamy programme and The Trouble With Men.

We also hear from the “Zwift Sisters” – two women who use the platform to work out together and catch up despite living on opposite sides of the world. Plus pro rider and podcaster Abbey Mickey, of Voxwomen, gives her take on Leah and Tanja’s position in the pro peloton.

Zwift Teases with Alp d’Huez Clip

Eric Schlange
-
0
Zwift Teases with Alp d’Huez Clip

Zwift Teases with Alp d’Huez Clip

Just a few hours ago Zwift released a short video clip on Twitter and Facebook:

The road is France’s Alp d’Huez, possibly the most iconic climb in cycling. Specifically, Zwift’s teaser route shows approximately 3km of the Alp d’Huez climb, beginning ~3km into the climb. Here is a map of a portion of the real climb, which Zwift’s route perfectly matches if rotated 90°:

What does Zwift have planned? Will they attempt to perfectly replicate Alp d’Huez, with its 21 hairpin bends who each have been named after past Tour stage winners? The actual climb is 14km in length with an average gradient of 8% for a total elevation gain of 1100+ meters. Ouch! Here’s a video of one cyclist riding the entire climb:

I highly doubt Zwift will go for a perfect replication of Alp d’Huez. In past interviews, Zwift has said their goal is to bring a longer climb into the game, but to make it fun and unique so riders don’t have to slog uphill for 45-90 minutes then coast downhill for a long time. This is the direction Zwift seems to be going (see the entire London course): including real-world elements in the game, but putting their own twist on them.

Where will the new roads tie into existing ones? This is not yet clear, although the new jungle route has included an under construction section of road which you pass just before the fork in the road taking you onto the Jungle Circuit. So it’s possible this junction may be part of the new route.

In the past Zwift has released teaser rides of new routes as Strava activities, so this video clip is a first. Hopefully it means the new route’s release is happening soon. Ride on!

This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

Thomas Eichentopf
-
0
This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

This Week’s Top 5 Zwift Videos

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Zwift Companion App for IOS & Android Devices

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdbaEzEVJcY” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/MdbaEzEVJcY/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Shane Miller profiles the newly updated Zwift Companion app… a remote control for your Zwift session, with new workout features.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Zwift vs Real Life: Leith Hill Challenge

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLVHzvOoj74″ image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/jLVHzvOoj74/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

CyclingPorn recently compared Zwift’s Box Hill to the actual Box Hill. Now they are back with a look at Leigh Hill, Zwift’s major addition to the London route of this winter.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Can a Vegan win a Zwift race?

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xmBVZ1gBBk” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/-xmBVZ1gBBk/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Stephan Leuendorff sounds a bit like Erik Zabel and has been one of the strongest contenders in this season’s CVR World Cup. He was competing against Arvils V, who is competing for the vegan team. Who would win? (Here is Stephan’s followup video).

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Why I Don’t Use Zwift

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYqiFkJ8YhA” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/JYqiFkJ8YhA/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

Arguable one of the most confrontational figures in cycling, the Durianrider never holds back with his opinions. And as often, it might not be fully clear what his opinion really is. But with his reach and knowledge, his thoughts are worth listening to.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

CyclingTips 4DP Power Test

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.0.106″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGW2vskXxLI” image_src=”//i.ytimg.com/vi/yGW2vskXxLI/hqdefault.jpg” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_layout=”light”]

As the indoor season slowly comes to an end, you might be interested in measuring how your power has changed. To that end, maybe you want to try something other than just the usual FTP test? Let CyclingTips guide you through a 4DP power test with Sufferfest. When will we see this on Zwift?

1...461462463...526Page 462 of 526