But it’s also April 1st, and Zwift traditionally does something zany for April Fool’s Day. 2017 we had big heads, 2016 gave us the old-timey effect, and 2015 we rode big wheels on Jarvis. What about today?
Today we’re playing Paperboy… or at least, a very simplified Zwifty version of Atari’s 1985 classic. We’ve got lo-res bikes and targets to toss newspaper towards. Hit F2 to throw the paper. If you hit the target, you get 50XP. Here’s a video of me missing the target…
The Zwift Coaching Podcast features training tips from Matt Rowe, Greg Henderson (Coach Hendy) and Kev Poulton (Powerhouse Cycling). Listen to Episode #4 of The Zwift Coaching Podcast to find out how often you should measure your FTP and how Zwifters with sensitive stomachs can avoid the dreaded “disaster pants.”
Discussion points for this episode are:
Methods of testing, when to test and how often.
As a new user, how can the Zwift FTP test assist you with finding your FTP?
How should you approach your first FTP test and what should your pace be?
Learn about how setting your FTP will assist with your training in Zwift and how it can be used to benefit your rides and racing indoors.
Is there a difference between testing indoors and outdoors and are you likely to get the same results?
What are power zones – what do they mean in Zwift?
Week 15 – Planes, trains, and automobiles… ruin my week
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.
Like I said in the preview of this week, I had some work travel this week. It was only a short trip, though, three days and back home. I have figured out that I don’t like short trips. I much prefer trips that take me out of the office all week. When I got back to work, I found that all problems that could be delayed for a day or two until my return were. Of course, had I been out until Monday, the problems would have been resolved without me. Such is life. Being back in the office also gave plenty of opportunity for other things to go wrong.
I Thought the Travel Portion was Bad
After a good long run on Sunday, the 5:30 AM pickup to head to the airport came early. Being a bit of a pro at this travel leg, I am well aware what my food options would be, so I got up early to eat a good breakfast. I wanted to grab a light lunch at the airport in Miami before arriving in Key West, where I would get in a nice 60-minute run. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Well, the light lunch turned into a heavier lunch, and the quick flight to Key West turned into a flight there with a return to Miami, followed by an hour wait and a return flight to Key West. We weren’t able to land the first time due to weather. Nobody’s fault, but it screwed with my day. By the time we landed, I had just enough time to drop my bags and head to a meeting, followed by dinner with the group. We had a good time, and everybody agreed to call it an early night because most people were going to join me at the track the next morning. Not sure why they thought it was a good idea, but no complaints from me!
The next morning, we met in the hotel lobby at 5:20 AM and headed to the high school track for some 400 repeats. It’d been a while since I had the opportunity to hit a good track, and it was awesome. I ripped off 12 x 400 all in the mid-to-low 70-second area. The others did 8 x 400, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did. After meetings that day, we hopped back on an evening flight to Miami to grab a few hours of sleep. The next morning it was back at the travels, as we headed back home. I was a bit dehydrated and tired, as I had been kept up late Tuesday night and was obligated to have a few adult beverages, so my pre-SkillZ and DrillZ Ride workout was a flop. The ride turned out well, though, as the usual crew lifted my mood, which helped lift the legs. By the end of the ride, I was pumped for Thursday’s swim.
Here’s the thing: you guys should have picked up by now that I am rarely pumped for a swim. That should have served as a bit of foreshadowing. Thursday morning came, and I was ready to go, early even. Yeah, the car decided it wouldn’t start. Grrr! Dead battery. Had to jump on my bike to get to work; thus, my swim did not happen. The rest of the day was a disaster, resolving all of the problems that arose during my absence, so the entire day was a wash. Friday was a little bit better, although I had to endure three Zwift crashes while trying to complete my workout. Alas, the weekend arrived, and I was able to salvage a little bit of self-respect with a 200+ TSS Saturday ride day, a mix of indoor and outdoor, and a 17-mile run on Sunday, again a mix of indoor and outdoor.
It wasn’t the week I wanted, but it was the week I got. Zero swim time was not exactly helpful, but it happens. There’s always next week. Planned TSS – 871; Completed TSS – 667
Recentering Myself – Focusing on the Nutrition
Being that we’re only a few short months away from the race, it’s time to dial in the nutrition. Right now is the perfect time, in fact. Volume is high, and the race-pace efforts are coming fast and furious. Thus, it’s time to get at figuring out what will work with my stomach and what will help my legs keep moving quickly. This is the last big week before a recovery week, so I’ll have to work through a little down time and keep myself sane. Planned TSS – 911
Time continues to run. I am looking forward to the next few cycles of building my swim volume and ramping up some intensity. It’s going to be a busy next two months, so the focus will be on staying healthy and resting as much as possible. As the heat builds here in Santo Domingo, I’ll transition back into full indoor riding and running. In that vein, I hope to see you out on course during my training!
Zwift’s release of the massive Alpe du Zwift climb has been accompanied by two different climb-related challenges. Here are the details…
Spring Climbing Mission
Zwift’s latest update includes the Spring Climbing Mission. The mission is simply this: climb 10,000 feet by April 30th. No prizes, just increased fitness!
To join the mission, just click “Let’s do this” from the Join Rider screen in game.
Alpe Du Zwift Challenge
This Strava challenge runs from April 5-19. Climb 1036m (indoors or out!) within that time and be entered to win a Wahoo KICKR Climb.
Zwift released a major update last night which most notably includes the new Alpe du Zwift climb.
Other notable changes include:
Route list sorting: routes can now be sorted by name, distance, or elevation
Spring Climbing mission added
User feedback screen: this will “very occasionally” pop up at the end of a Zwift session. Zwift wants to use this feedback to help improve out in-game experience.
Chinese and Spanish language support added
Workout Distortion toggle: Hurray! You can now turn off the workout darkening/blur effect that appears during hard intervals.
We love new roads, even when they’re virtual. So today let’s celebrate the release of Zwift’s virtual Alp d’Huez, dubbed “Alpe du Zwift.”
Zwift created this route using GPS data to perfectly match the incline and distance of the storied climb with its 21 hairpin turns. The climb to Alp d’Huez actually has two different finish points: the “tourist version” and the Tour de France version. Alpe du Zwift matches the tourist version, which is ~2km shorter with 40 meters less climbing than the TdF. Here is our verified Strava segment for the timed KOM section of the new route.
Looking Good
Zwift took their time making this climb visually interesting in terms of both natural and man-made features. The landscape and flora change as you ascend, beginning at the bottom of the Jungle Circuit with lush grass and shrubs which change to pine trees which are eventually covered in snow. Soon enough you pass the treeline and are surrounded by only rocks and snow, but the visuals still dazzle with the northern lights visible at night and a cloud layer below so you really get the sense of being at altitude.
Man-made features include an alpine village, stone tower outposts, snow camping, timber harvesting, a satellite array and some sort of scientific outpost with a sign calling it “Macready Point Watopia”. Signs on each bend count down to the top, and most of the bends include encouraging messages just like the outdoor climb (“Thin air don’t care”, “Earn that downhill”, “Don’t give up!”, “So close”, etc). See if you can spot the names of some pro cyclist Zwifters as you make your way around the bends!
When you reach the top you are greeted by a giant statue reminiscent of the statues which still grace the original Watopia Hilly route.
Beginning in the jungle
Timber operation
Above the clouds!
At the top
New Routes
The update includes three new routes which take you up Alpe du Zwift:
Road to Sky: 19.9km, 1144m “The shortest route to the longest climb.”
Tour of Fire and Ice: 25.1km, 1166m “Winter is coming, but only after you ride out of the fiery pits of the Volcano.”
Level 12 and Up
You must be level 12 or above to ride Alpe du Zwift, unless you join a group event which is riding on an Alpe route.
New Game Features
In the past, Zwift has been clear that they will only include a long climb in the game if they can gamify it enough to keep it interesting. We can see the beginnings of that with this release, although there are more features still to come.
When you begin the climb, the map section expands vertically so you can better see what’s coming up. Each bend is numbered and starred off when completed. Additionally, when you reach the top of the climb a prize wheel pops up and spins, landing on items like gloves, helmets, etc. (This happens every time you complete the climb–if the wheel lands on a prize you’ve already won, you get 250XP instead.) A welcome added incentive to make it up the biggest climb in Zwift’s virtual universe!
A prize wheel
All that climbing for a virtual helmet? Totally worth it!
Zwift has also added a new badge you can earn (under Menu>Badges): the “Masochist” badge. How do you get it? Climb Alpe du Zwift 25 times! There is also an “Avid Climber” badge given for riding Alpe du Zwift 5 times.
Overall, I consider this a wonderful addition to Watopia because it’s something completely different from what we already have. It also helps keep Zwift well ahead of its competition, many of whom are based around replicating iconic climbs.
Watopia’s “Tour of Fire and Ice” begins in the lava and ends in freezing snow above the treeline. It’s a tour of Watopian extremes!
The route begins at the Volcano banner, then takes you to where the Road to Sky route begins. Therefore, this route is basically Road to Sky with ~7 miles and a few hundred feet of climbing added.
Events on this route begin at the downtown Watopia start pier, while free-ride efforts begin at the Volcano Circuit banner. After passing through the Volcano banner you head directly across the land bridge, up the twisty dirt climb to the Italian Villas, then turn right onto Ocean Boulevard to ride through the fishing village and head up the short climb that marks the beginning of the Epic KOM reverse.
But instead of completing the Epic KOM reverse, we hang a right toward the Jungle, climbing a bit then descending to the dirt road of the Jungle Loop. Then it’s a right turn to take us to the bottom of Zwift’s longest climb: Alpe du Zwift. Hope you brought your climbing legs (and climbing bike)!
When it was released in March 2018, the “Four Horsemen” covered all of Watopia’s timed climbs: the original Hilly KOM, Volcano KOM, Epic KOM, and Alpe du Zwift. Along the way it also covered (nearly) every bit of Watopian road.
The Fuego Flats and Titans Grove extensions were released after this route launched, so Four Horsemen is no longer a nearly complete tour of Watopia.
This is no leisure tour: be ready to work as you climb over 2000 meters in just under 90 kilometers! And be warned: hitting the Alpe after working your way over the previous climbs proves to be both a mental and physical challenge. Prepare yourself!
Zwift CEO Eric Min has traditionally posted a Strava “teaser” ride just prior to the launch of new routes, and this morning it happened again. This teaser, though, was Eric’s most challenging yet: a 56 minute climb up Alpe du Zwift!
Based on Eric’s Strava GPS data we can now confirm that Alpe du Zwift is a full replication of the iconic Alp d’Huez. (Zwift’s climb does not include the traditional Tour d’France finish up through town, but ends at the “tourist finish” in Veil Alpe.) Here is a comparison:
Alpe du Zwift (red) overlayed on the real-world Alp d’Huez (blue).
Climb Details
The climb gains 1036 meters (3400′) over 12km (7.5 miles) with an average gradient of 9%.
Surprisingly, the climb does not begin in the “construction zone” on the way to the Jungle Circuit. Instead, it begins with a right-turn near the flat section at the bottom of the forward Jungle Circuit.
Min’s ride combined with a Jungle Circuit map to show location in Watopia.
New Features
Min’s screenshot from the ride shows some major changes to the map layout at the top-right. This map is much taller, and each bend in the climb is numbered, with some sort of segment tracking happening between bends so you receive a star for each bend completed.
Additionally, you can see from Eric’s screenshot that Chinese language support has arrived.
When Will It Release?
While Zwift never promises release dates, Eric’s Strava post means the release is just around the corner. We also know it must be released by April 9th, when an event is scheduled on the new roads. My guess is the release will happen Wednesday or Thursday night (March 28-29), but as always game master Jon Mayfield will make that call.
Saturday morning, March 24, 2018: Monica and I arrive at the Stubhub VELO Sports Center in Los Angeles excited about what the day will bring. This is day 1 of the CVR World Cup event, and we’re stoked about the opportunity to finally meet some of the riders and community leaders who we’ve only interacted with virtually.
The venue is perfect: we’re set up on a velodrome infield, with plenty of space for our event and the added excitement of track racers constantly orbiting us. Ten of CVR’s Zwift race stations are set up end to end, with one line of five facing the other set of five like some sort of head to head virtual paceline battle.
The CVR team is ready to go in the tech area which swarms with computers managing event data and video streams, the news booth is ready for the weekend’s broadcasts, and it’s time to start the first qualifying heat.
There are a total of 40 riders here this weekend: 20 men and 20 women. Today’s heats will decide who is qualified to race in tomorrow’s Elite finals. The Elite bracket is the top set of racers, and they will receive the largest prizes, so everyone is gunning to make the cut. Those who do not make the cut will race in the Performance bracket.
There will be 4 heats raced today: every racer gets only 1 race to qualify. If you finish in the top 4 of your heat, you’re in the Elite finals. Once those 8 riders are chosen, the remaining 2 riders with the fastest times will also advance, for a total of 10 in the Elite finals for each gender. The other 10 will race in the Performance finals.
The weekend’s first race includes Alison Kubota, an online buddy of ours who we’re happy to finally meet and support here in the real world.
Here are the riders from heat 1:
Carey Conabeare
Laura Conway
Catherine Fortier
Inge Jansen
Alison Kubota
Esther Meisels
Athena Padouvas
Katie Pothier
Ingelin Rod
Jessica York
The first climb breaks the group up quickly, with a lead group of 6 forming which includes Conabeare, Fortier, Jansen, Kubota, Meisels and Pothier. After the second lap KOM that lead group is down to 4 when Pothier and Fortier are dropped. The lead group knows they only needed to work together and stay away from the other riders in order to advance to the finals, but the remaining 6 riders know their qualification is on the line, so they push hard!
On the last climb into the Esses Kubota attacks and only Meisels follows. The two team Vixen ladies (Conabeare and Jansen) wisely take it easy and finish together, knowing they have qualified. Meisels goes on to win the finishing sprint.
Behind the lead 4, Pothier is all by herself, with Fortier and Padouvas working together over a minute behind. In the third lap Pothier continues her strong TT effort to finish 5th, while Padouvas drops Fortier and solos to finish 6th.
Women’s Heat 1 Finishing Order:
Esther Meisels
Alison Kubota
Carey Conabeare
Inge Jansen
Katie Pothier
Athena Padouvas
Catherine Fortier
Ingelin Rod
Laura Conway
Jessica York
Katie Pothier gave a huge effort, and in fact had to be attended to by the medical staff on location due to what may have been low blood sugar or dehydration. She and Padouvas would have to wait to find out if they made the time cut for the next day’s Elite finals.
Pothier attended to by the medical staff.
Watch the entire race broadcast:
Athena Padouvas
Jessica York
Ingelin Rod
Laura Conway
Inge Jansen
Carey Conabeare
Kubota after the sprint finish
Katie Pothier
Alison sprinting up the Esses climb
Alison brought her stuffed duck Maura along for moral support
The pack breaks up on the first climb with Schumm, Bay, Drujon, Netzer, Arber, and Sorenson staying together on the front. This group of 6 stays away together for the entire race, with Eric Sorenson pulling off a long final attack to win by 4 seconds.
Men’s Heat 1 Finishing Order:
Eric Sorenson
Mathieu Drujon
Casey Schumm
Dan Netzer
Soren Bay
Gavin Arber
Tim Norris
Motti Pikelny
Stefan Stefanov
Frank Levick
Bay and Arber have to wait for the second heat’s results to see if they qualify for the Elite finals. Since they stayed with the front group for the entire race they know they have a good chance of turning in a qualifying time.
Watch the entire race broadcast:
Casey making it look easy (well, the race hadn’t started yet…)
On the first climb 4 riders break off from the pack: Real, Behring, Joyner and York. York nearly gets dropped on the climb, but digs deep and fights back to the pack, knowing staying with this front group means qualifying for the Elite finals tomorrow. On the final lap KOM Behring goes off the front and will stay away for the rest of the lap, easily winning by 27 seconds. Real, Joyner and York finish behind her, qualifying for the Elite race.
From Women’s Heat 1 Pothier and Padouvas are rewarded for their hard solo efforts, qualifying as the final two for the next day’s Elite race based on their times.
Cheryl Muldoon wins the “true grit’ award for this race. She had crashed the weekend before at the outdoor CVR training camp and has massive bruising on her right leg. Her efforts in this race hurt that leg so much Cheryl can’t even walk on her leg afterwards. These racers are keeping the medics busy!
Women’s Heat 2 Finishing Order:
Claudia Behring
Jennifer Real
Beth York
Emily Joyner
Lauren McMurtry
Holly Gabel
Liz Rice
Cheryl Muldoon
Julie McKenzie
Mila Allinson
Watch the entire race broadcast:
Cheryl Muldoon shows true grit
Winner Claudia Behring
Mila Allinson
Beth York
Jennifer Real
Holly Gabel
Claudia stays cool, calm and collected
Emily Joyner
Lauren McMurtry
Emily Joyner
Jennifer Real pushes it
Liz Rice
Emily Joyner gets a cooldown from Vixen teammate Dixie
Mila Allinson working on getting aero before the race begins
The pack breaks up on the first climb with Gardiner, Sanders and Zimmerman going off the front. Little, a strong racer, is surprisingly dropped, and must now TT to stay away from those chasing behind him so he can secure that 4th place finish. Ikebe and Davis are just a few seconds behind him, chasing for that coveted spot.
Lionel Sanders shows his massive TT power, staying in front of the lead pack for much of the race. Gardiner and Zimmerman know their only chance is to stay on his wheel for the sprint finish, so they wisely follow his every attack.
Ikebe eventually catches Little in lap 2, but Little then rides away from him to keep his 4th spot safe. In the finish Matthew Gardiner (“the fastest accountant on Zwift”) jumps on the climb into the Esses (taking a cue from Sorenson in heat 1) to take the win with a long break, with Zimmerman outsprinting Sanders for 2nd place.
Men’s Heat 2 Finishing Order:
Matthew Gardiner
Adam Zimmerman
Lionel Sanders
Kim Little
Sadao Ikebe
Mike Davis
Greg Ambroisine
CJ Tully
Ryan Goldenberg
Bill Gros
Watch the entire race broadcast:
Watch Lionel Sanders’ personal video for the race:
I noticed one annoyance today: non CVR racers could actually join the Zwift event and affect the race! Since these events were set up as official Zwift events, anyone could join them. The event description asked riders NOT to join, but nearly every race this weekend would have non CVR riders participating, and that’s no good at all when so much is on the line. Zwift and CVR need to work together to roll out some sort of “private event” feature so CVR can control who participates.
Fantasy Teams Are Set
I’m happy to see that my cycleFANTASY team picks did decently well, moving on to the races I selected for the next day. We’ll see if my racers finish well and give me a shot at a cash prize.
The Big Race Is Next
The next day’s racing begins early with the Men’s Performance Bracket at 8:10AM. I’m wondering if the two ladies who needed medical attention (Pothier and Muldoon) will even be able to race tomorrow–they both were pretty messed up after their race! Hope they’re able to rest up and put in efforts they can be happy with tomorrow.
Stay tuned for a follow-up post about the big race day…
