How did you get into cycling? My partner introduced me to cycling and got me my first road bike in 2019, but I didn’t really start cycling regularly until the Covid pandemic, when my gym was closed and my partner set up Zwift for me instead. Then I started enjoying races and going all out, which was a new experience for me.
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I started racing on Zwift in 2021, so almost four years now. In April 2021 I did my first round of ZRL in a women’s B team.
Are you part of a Virtual team? I am a member of Team Coalition and my elite racing team is Coalition Alpha.
What do you love most about racing? I like the varying intensity and adapting to the different efforts. Especially if it’s a hilly or rolling terrain.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I find points races the most interesting.
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? When I did my first Iceni Race series in 2022, it was spring and during that time I already started riding outside again. So I could enjoy some nice weather outside and race on Zwift at the same time.
What is your favourite food to eat post-race? I don’t have a favourite food to eat after a race, because most of the time I don’t really feel hungry, so I usually have my regular dinner, but nothing that has a special connection to racing or working out.
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Focus on the first few minutes and don’t give up too early, it will get easier later (most likely…)
Don’t expect to win races from the very beginning, it takes practice to understand the Zwift mechanics. Also, if you come from road racing, you have to get used to the totally different efforts on Zwift. It’s more comparable to cyclocross in terms of the physical stress.
Where can people follow your racing adventures? I am active on Strava and Instagram.
For most, breaking the one-hour barrier up Alpe du Zwift is quite the feat. But what does it take to break the 40-minute barrier? Find out in this week’s top video.
Also included in this week’s picks are videos featuring solo breakaways, sprint finish tactics, a first ride on a DIY smart frame, and a guide to powerups.
Can I Finally Climb Alpe Du Zwift in Under 40 Minutes?
After months of training, Tom Bowers puts his fitness to the test with an all-out effort up Alpe du Zwift. Can he break the 40-minute barrier?
This Zwift race went from zero to crazy! | Cat C breakaway attempt
As Ryan Condon completes one of his last rides as a category C rider, he decides to finish it off strong with a solo breakaway. Can he hold off the pack and take the win?
Tactics for Long Sprints on Zwift
Watch as Tilly on a Bike talks Zwift tactics and dealing with longer spring finishes.
Budget Smart Bike Test Ride! Zwift Setup Put to the Ultimate Test | Full 20-Minute Interval Workout
Caribbean Cyclist recently built a budget-friendly DIY “smart bike” for Zwift. In this video, he uses the setup and shares his thoughts.
Stop Wasting Power-Ups! Here’s How to Best Use Them!
Often the difference between winning and losing a Zwift race in a tight finish is the strategic use of powerups. Learn how to best use each powerup in this video from Road to A.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
This weekend we’re featuring two very different group rides which are both hosted on France’s newish Knights of the Roundabout route. We’ve also got two chase races on our list, and we round it out with a charity event.
Nothing builds stamina like long rides, and the long-running Hot Hundo from DIRT is a long ride indeed! This weekly 100-miler is built “for those who thrive on long efforts, pushing limits, and embracing the burn together.”
Here’s something you don’t see often on our notable events list – a private event (not on the public Zwift calendar)! Organizer Ben Rizzo wrote in to tell us about the race, which has over 150 riders signed up as of Thursday afternoon.
Tips: the race is set up like a chase race, with all categories visible and higher categories leaving after the lower ones. It also uses ZwiftRacing.app‘s VeloRanking for categorization, so you’ll need to be signed up for that site before you can choose the right category.
Riders are racing across 2 laps of Watopia’s Volcano Flat Reverse for a total length of 24.9km with 100m of climbing.
This women-only event already has a solid number of signups. Held on two laps of the Outer Scotland route (22.5km, 209m), it’s a chase race where you need to work together to catch the group ahead and stay away from those chasing behind!
This is a fun charity event that’s different from most we see. A leader and a “wildcard bike” will be riding in Zwift, and a sponsor is donating 2 euros for each kilometer ridden by those two people during the event. They’re asking other Zwifters to hop in and lend a draft to keep speeds high!
The event is a fundraiser for the new bikepark in the town of Coswig, Germany, and there are prizes! See event description for details.
We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:
Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
Is it for a good cause?
Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?
In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!
We’re coming up on 2 years since Zwift launched the popular Climb Portal feature at the end of June 2023. Since that time, the library of climbs has grown to 45, with 1-2 typically being added each month.
Riders enjoy the Climb Portal for various reasons: it’s fun to ride GPS-accurate versions of famous climbs, it’s a great way to earn extra XP, and the built-in percentile ranking gives us endless carrots to chase.
But what else could Zwift do with the Climb Portal? How could they make it more compelling? I have some ideas…
Climb Portal Choice
I’ll be the first to admit that some of the suggestions below are minor niggles – small improvements that may not move the needle on Climb Portal engagement.
But there’s one common request from Zwifters that would certainly increase engagement, and that is Climb Portal choice. Just as Zwifters have asked for years for an easy way to access “off-schedule” maps/routes, they’ve been asking for ways to access off-schedule climbs.
It’s good that Zwift features just two climbs, because you always know you’ll have company on those climbs. But climbing is a more solitary event than flattish group rides, and many riders are more interested in completing particular climbs than they are looking for a social experience. We should be able to choose any climb we’d like, from the entire growing library.
Events on Climb Portals
This is related to the suggestion above, and possibly even the easiest way for Zwift to give us Climb Portal choice. Let us create Club events or Meetups for any climb in the library!
Just as we can create Meetups and events for off-schedule maps today, I believe we should be able to create Meetups or events for any Climb Portal.
Gamified Strava Clarification
If you ride a 50% or 75% scaled version of a Portal climb, your entire activity will be tagged as “gamified” on Strava, and all Strava segment matching will be excluded. That means all Strava segments for your entire activity, not just the Climb Portal portion.
It’s good that the scaled-down efforts aren’t being added to the main Strava leaderboards for each climb, but gamifying the whole activity is rather unintuitive. While this is a Strava limitation and not something Zwift can fix, perhaps the popup text could be changed to something like “If you enter the Portal at the selected difficulty, your entire activity will be hidden from Strava Leaderboards.”
So if you want your activity to match with Strava segments, don’t mix in a scaled climb portal effort!
More Accurate Time Estimates
The details that pop up when you select a climb on the homescreen include a time estimate that says it’s the “duration for most riders”:
I see two issues with this estimate:
It’s the same for everyone, whether you’re a 5 W/kg powerhouse or a 1 W/kg beginner. (For the record, Zwift’s calculation seems to be based on a holding around 2.5 W/kg.)
It doesn’t change based on the scaling you choose (50%, 75%, 100%, or 125%).
With Zwift now computing personalized route time estimates, applying the same algorithms to this screen seems like a quick and easy upgrade.
Zwift unveiled the Power to the Portal route in December 2024, but it seems like every event held on this route has been confusing and buggy.
The idea is a good one: an actual event route that can include whatever Climb Portal you’d like, opening up the possibility to host races on any of the Portal climbs. But in its current state you can’t see which climb is set up for the route for a given event, so you don’t really know what to expect. It’s also unclear where the finish line will be (atop the climb, or at the end of Power to the Portal, which ends in downtown Watopia?) Lastly, Zwifters report being routed to the wrong climb in some events.
Optional Pacerbots
Yes, Holoreplay works in the Climb Portal. But that only gives me a ghost of my previous efforts or the current leaderboard leader.
It would be handy if I could click a button to enable a Robopacer who rides at a steady W/kg for the duration of the climb, giving me a carrot to chase. Bonus points to Zwift if they could make the bot post motivating messages like a coach riding with me during a workout:
“You’re holding good steady power in the sweet spot zone.”
“Only 500 meters left. Empty the tank!”
“Your heart rate is near your max. Are you sure you can keep this pace to the finish?”
“You’re only 3 seconds behind your PR of 8:45. Want to push it and set a new record?”
2 Kilometer Fix
This one bit Zwift in the butt when they recently featured the Cauberg climb, which at only 800 meters long is the shortest Portal in the game. Riders were spawning in Watopia, which means you’ll reach the top of the climb in under 2km. And as any Zwift nerd knows, the minimum activity length in Zwift is 2km. If you save your ride there at less than 2km, it disappears into the ether!
I think there’s an easy fix for this: just disable the “Save” button and show a warning when you try to save an activity that is less than 2km long. Something like: “Warning: your ride is less than 2km long, and cannot be saved. Please go a bit further if you want to save your activity.”
(It’s a bit baffling, actually, that we’re 10+ years into Zwift’s existence and still able to hit “Save” on a ride that is under 2km and won’t be saved.)
More Useful Maps
The climb profile and overhead views only show nearby portions of the climb – basically about as much road as you can see on the main screen:
This really isn’t terribly useful. In fact, if you look closely, you’ll see that half of what is shown is the portion of the climb I’ve already ridden!
I’d like to see the full climb profile (much like we now have full route profiles) in the minimap, and perhaps a clickable/zoomable overhead map view so I can zoom out if I’d like.
Heroic Unlock
Climb Portal scaling is a cool feature, allowing you to ride the climbs at 50%, 75%, 100%, or 125% of the actual gradient. It’s a handy way to modify the difficulty of a climb to suit your needs or schedule.
The 125% version is locked until you complete the 100% version. There’s one niggle, though, which really only matters on shorter climbs: after completing a Portal climb at 100% difficulty, Zwift won’t let you ride the heroic 125% level unless you quit/save your activity and start a new ride.
As one Zwifter recently told me, “Not a big deal, but a bit annoying if you’re trying to knock out multiple difficulties of a shorter climb in the same ride.”
Different Background Sounds
This one is, admittedly, a bit picky. But I find the ambient background sounds in the Portal too somber, too heavy, for my taste. Listen in below:
That said, I usually ride with Zwift sounds turned off and music or a podcast in my ears, so this isn’t a big deal.
More Portal Achievements
There are three achievement badges for Portal climbs (shown above), but why not give people a badge and even a small XP bonus the first time they complete a particular climb, like we get for completing routes?
(Taking it one step further, I’d love to see smart badges that count how many times I’ve finished each climb. Wouldn’t mind this for routes, too!)
Companion Leaderboards
The Companion app shows your historic times for each leaderboard segment in Zwift. Why not add Portal climb times, so you can see your historic performance on each climb, and your percentile rank?
You can’t fan view or teleport to a rider who is on a Portal climb, which seems a bit silly. I can only assume this was disabled because of how the Portals were designed, but surely there’s a way to make it happen so Portals work like the rest of Zwift, letting riders find each other and ride together.
Better Preview Map/Graphics
The homescreen’s cards for the climb of the day and month are the same image with different colors. Clicking one of the cards brings up the same generic image:
It would be nice if the climbs were graphically represented individually, perhaps with a full climb profile and overhead map like you see for routes:
Got More Ideas?
These are all the good Climb Portal ideas I’ve come up with, or seen from other Zwifters. What about you? Which ideas are your favorite, and do you have other good ideas? Comment below!
XP (experience) points are what get you to higher levels in Zwift, and higher levels mean access to more virtual equipment and roads. Our calculations show that a rider can typically expect to earn 500-700XP per hour.
But are there ways Zwifters can earn XP faster? Of course! Here’s a definitive list of strategies for boosting your XP earnings.
Ride New Routes
The first time you complete an official Zwift route, you’ll earn the badge for that route, which includes an XP bonus equal to the regular XP you earned while riding the route. That means you effectively double your XP earning rate when riding new routes, assuming you actually finish the route.
Assuming you’re riding around 35kph, that’s a bonus of 700XP per hour if you’re just riding new routes. As of May 2025, if you tally up the XP bonuses from riding every route on Zwift, you get 102,217XP. That’s a whole lotta XP – enough to move you from level 30 to 45!
Note: a small number of event-only routes do not include an achievement badge/XP bonus. If you’re unsure, look up the route on our master list and see if it includes an achievement badge with bonus XP.
Ride a TT Bike
If you’re on a time trial frame, you won’t receive speed-boosting powerups when you ride through arches. Instead, you’ll receive the 10XP bonus. Every time!
Combine the TT bike with a short route that includes one or more lap banners and you’ll accumulate XP faster than you would riding a typical route on a road bike in the draft. Here are some suggested routes, sorted in order from frequent banners to least:
Richmond’s Fan Flats (3.1 miles, 1 banner per lap)
Ride Flat Routes
XP is based purely on distance (20XP per kilometer/32XP per mile), so you’ll accumulate it faster if you keep your speed as high as possible. All other things being equal (effort level, drafting status, etc), your average speed will always be faster on flat routes than hilly ones, which means you’ll earn more XP per minute on flat routes.
Join Double XP Events and Challenges
Sometimes, Zwift holds events where riders earn double XP. That is, each kilometer you ride earns you 40XP, and if you’re using imperial measurements you’ll get 64XP for each mile.
Tour of Watopia is a popular annual event that includes double XP. Zwift has also been holding “XP Express” events awarding double XP.
There are also various in-game Challenges that Zwift holds which include XP bonuses. This includes their recent “Route of the Week” rollout, as well as short-term mini challenges like “Hell of a Route Chaser Challenge“. Working these Challenges into your workout plans can quickly add 500-1000XP to your workout.
Participate In Group Rides
As I already mentioned, the faster you go, the faster you’ll earn XP. Participate in group rides to enjoy the increased speeds of the group draft, and watch that XP add up!
Hack Your Workout
When you do a structured workout in Zwift, XP is calculated differently than the standard 20XP/km distance-based method. I’ve already written about this thoroughly here, where I share some hacks to maximize XP earnings via workouts, including changing interval length, doing workouts up the Alpe then free-riding down, and using workouts for your easy rides since you’ll likely earn more XP than free-riding.
An additional bonus related to doing workouts up the Alpe: the spinner at the top awards XP if it lands on a prize you’ve already received. You’ll get 1000XP if it lands on the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels and you already have them, or 250XP if it lands on anything else that you already have.
Enjoy the Downhills
Any cyclist worth their chamois knows you don’t end a ride at the top of the hill – you earned that descent, so enjoy it! Your route may end at the top of a hill, but go ahead and take that descent: you’ll earn XP for the distance with little or no extra work.
Earn Achievement Badges
There are lots of achievement badges in game. Many are visible under Menu>Badges, but there’s a whole list of hidden achievements as well. Every one of those achievements includes an XP bonus, so grab those badges!
So this one’s easy: just make sure you ride at least 2km (1.25 miles) each week. This can take place on Zwift, or outside if you have your Wahoo or Garmin account connected to Zwift (learn how to do that here).
Extend your streak long enough and you can have a Scotty in your pocket!
“Banded” rides in Zwift keep all riders together, regardless of effort level. As long as you keep pedaling, you’ll stay with the pack!
If you’re a rider who tends to rides at lower power (say, 1.5 W/kg or less), joining banded rides should significantly increase your average speed, which in turn will increase your XP earning rate.
For the ultimate in high-XP riding, combine two or more of the strategies above. (Simple example: choose a group ride on a route you haven’t completed.)
The achievement badges for multiple Volcano Circuit laps earn a big XP boost – you get bonuses for 5, 10, and 25 laps. The 25 lap bonus is 1000XP! Why not do a ride that gets all three, along with the 100km badge. Then keep going and get the 100-mile badge while you’re at it! Do it on a TT bike and you’ll be racking up XP points each time you ride through the lap banner.
Your choice of virtual wheelset influences your Zwift speed significantly. And Zwift’s Drop Shop gives us access to lots of wheelsets: almost 50 if you include the Gravel and MTB wheels.
At Zwift Insider, we’ve tested every Zwift frame and wheelset using an accurate, repeatable procedure to determine how it performs in game.
Based on those speed tests, we’ve chosen the 10 best overall wheelsets in Zwift today. This isn’t just a stack rank of the most aero wheels in the game – we took into account how each set performs across a variety of routes.
Without further ado, let’s get to the list! Drumroll please…
This wheelset is the best on Zwift if you rank all the wheels in terms of combined time saved – that is, how much time is saved over a baseline wheelset across an hour of flat riding and an hour of climbing. This new DICUT 65 basically match the ENVE 8.9 as the most aero non-disc wheels, while handily outclimbing them.
Why they’re winners: best aero-focused all-arounders in Zwift.
The only wheelset in Zwift rated 4 stars both for aero performance and weight, these climb-focused all-arounders are based on the wheels Tadej Pogačar and the UAE Team Emirates XRG team race. They basically “trade seconds” with the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65, losing by 4.5 seconds on the flats but winning by 6.7 seconds on the climbs (across 1 hour of riding). A worthy trade if your Zwift race includes key climbs!
Why they’re winners: best climb-focused all-arounders in Zwift.
This wheelset is the best on Zwift if you rank all the wheels in terms of combined percentile rank – that is, percentile rank for flat performance combined with percentile rank for climb performance. The 454s are climb-focused all-arounders, and very strong ones at that.
Why they’re winners: second-best climb-focused all-arounders in Zwift.
On the other side of the all-arounder spectrum, the popular ENVE 7.8 wheels are more aero than the Zipp 454, but also heavier. They gain around 11s on the flat, but lose around 9s on the climbs. Where do you want your advantage? How much climbing does your race entail?
Another top-ranked wheelset in our stacked ranking, the 353 NSW wheels from Zipp are tied with the Lightweight Meilensteins as the best climbing wheels on Zwift, but hugely outperform them on the flats. These are best seen as pure climbing wheels with solid aero performance.
Tied with the DT Swiss 65 as the most aero non-disc wheels on Zwift, ENVE’s 8.9 hoops come in 5.8 seconds slower than the fastest disc wheels (DT Swiss 85/Disc) while outperforming them by 10.6 seconds on the climbs. That means these are a better choice than disc wheels if your race includes any sort of climbing.
Why they’re winners: some of the most aero non-disc wheels in Zwift.
Currently the fastest wheels on Zwift, on road bikes this wheelset outperforms the Zipp 858/Disc disc (below) on the flats by ~4 seconds while essentially matching it on the climbs. Disc wheels are slowed on road frames, though, so these wheels are only ~6.3 seconds faster than the most aero non-disc wheels (DT Swiss 65, above).
Note: disc wheels perform more strongly on TT frames than road frames, which means that, if this list was purely for TT racers, we would move these wheels up in the list. But as the vast majority of races on Zwift are road races, these wheels move down the list due to their poor performance on climbs and muted performance on road frames.
Why they’re winners: most aero wheels in Zwift (and extra fast in a time trial).
The second-fastest wheels on Zwift, matching the DT Swiss disc above on the climbs while losing a few seconds on the flats.
Note: disc wheels perform more strongly on TT frames than road frames, which means that, if this list was purely for TT racers, we would move these wheels up in the list. But as the vast majority of races on Zwift are road races, these wheels move down the list due to their poor performance on climbs and muted performance on road frames.
Why they’re winners: second-most aero wheels in Zwift (and extra fast in a time trial).
Zipp’s 858 wheelset essentially trades seconds with the top-ranked 454s, gaining ~6 seconds of aero performance while losing the same ~6 seconds on the climbs. Why rank them so low if they’re just trading seconds? Because those lost climbing seconds are precious!
A strong set of all-arounder hoops, the DICUT 62’s from DTSwiss come in just behind the Zipp 858’s in both aero and climb performance, while beating the Zipp 808’s in both metrics by a handful of seconds. So they slot nicely here into the #7 position.
We hope all you riders/racers found this post useful. Think there’s a wheelset we should have included in the top 10 but didn’t? Got other questions or comments? Share below!
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
Zwift Virtual Shifting Support Announced for All Interactive Direct-Drive Elite Trainers
Today, Elite announced a firmware update unlocking Zwift virtual shifting across their entire range of interactive direct-drive trainers, including older model versions no longer in production. With this update, the list of Elite trainers with virtual shifting support now includes:
If you own one of the trainers above, you can now upgrade its firmware via Elite’s Upgrado app in order to receive virtual shifting capabilities.
For the Justo 2 and Avanti, which have built-in Wi-Fi, the upgrade will happen automatically.
Virtual Shifter Options (Play/Click/Ride)
Play controllersClick controller
To use Zwift’s virtual shifting, you don’t just need a compatible trainer – you also need shifters! While Zwift (unfortunately) doesn’t sell the simple Click shifter as a standalone item, there are three options currently in stock at the Zwift shop:
Elite tells us Zwifters can use code ELITEZCOG2024 for a €20 discount on the Cog & Click Upgrade pack.
To Cog, or Not To Cog?
You don’t need the Zwift Cog installed on your trainer for virtual shifting to work – your current cassette will work just fine. But some riders may prefer to use the Cog so it’s easier to swap between different bikes on the trainer.
To say this is a big move from Elite would be an understatement. With industry leader Wahoo only supporting virtual shifting on their newest trainers (plus the KICKR Core), and Garmin/Tacx not supporting it at all (yet), Elite’s move to support it on all of their trainers (including versions that are several years old and not even in production anymore) should earn them a lot of goodwill with existing customers.
We all love it when new capabilities are added to existing hardware. And we really don’t like being forced to purchase new hardware to access new capabilities, when it appears as if our current hardware could do the job just fine with a quick firmware update.
I don’t have a legacy Elite trainer in-house on which to test virtual shifting, but if it works as well as it’s been working on the Direto XR, then this is a move that will earn Elite plenty of points with current customers. Bravo!
Questions or Comments?
Have you tried virtual shifting on an Elite trainer? Share your experience below! Share below!
Zwift Racing League Showdown Announced: Signups Now Open
The folks at WTRL have announced the second annual “Zwift Racing League Showdown,” a four-week, multi-format team racing competition. Get all the details below.
A Mini ZRL… with Twists
The ZRL Showdown operates like a trimmed-down Zwift Racing League, with a shorter schedule (4 weeks/races) and smaller teams (max of 10 on your roster, with up to 4 racing each week) racing on Tuesdays.
But there are some twists, including a revised scoring system with more ways to earn points! (Learn more about the new scoring system below.)
Like the regular-season ZRL, 40+ race times will be available, and your team must race at the same time each week. Both women-only and open races are available.
(The ZRL Summer Showdown is a standalone event, so results in this series will not affect the regular ZRL season.)
New Points System
The ZRL Showdown uses a revised points system that differs from last year’s Showdown and the most recent ZRL season. Here’s a summary of how this ZRL Showdown’s scoring will work (read the details on WTRL’s site):
TTT: your team’s time is taken from the 3rd rider across the line (not the 4th rider like ZRL).
Individual FAL: first across the line points are given to the first 40 riders (40 points for first place, down to 1 point for 40th place) for each designated FAL segment.
Team FAL: top 3 individual FAL scores per team are added together, then teams are ranked by these totals, with the 5 highest-ranked teams earning league points bonuses: 5 points for 1st place down to 1 point for 5th place. (Team FAL does not exist in ZRL.)
FTS: fastest through segment points are given to the 5 fastest riders through each designated FTS segment, with participants able to score multiple times if they clock more than 1 of the top 5 times. 1st place gets 10 points, 2nd place 8 points, down to 5th place getting 2 points.
FIN: finishing points are awarded based on finishing order and are scaled based on field size. First place receives finish points equal to the number of riders who started the race, 2nd place 1 less, etc.
PBP: podium bonus points are given to the first three riders across the line:
Points Races: 5 rider points for 1st place, 3 points for 2nd place, 1 points for 3rd place.
Scratch Races: 10 rider points for 1st place, 6 points for 2nd place, 3 points for 3rd place.
League Points: once the race ends, the 1st place team earns points equivalent to the total number of teams starting the race. 2nd place earns one less, etc.
Zwift version 1.90 begins its phased rollout today. It includes the much-requested Splits feature, along with some visual tweaks and bug fixes. Read on for details…
New Splits Feature
Zwifters have long requested the ability to trigger laps/splits in game, allowing us to record our own custom interval data while riding in Zwift. Cycling head units have long offered this functionality, so many riders are already familiar with the concept of a “lap button” you can click so the head unit will display data for your current “lap”, including average power, length of time, and speed/distance.
You can trigger a new split in several different ways.
Click the “New Split” button in the Action Bar (which is also in the Companion app)
Click the on-screen lap button in the Splits HUD (on all platforms except AppleTV)
Use the tab key on your keyboard (this will not work in a workout, however, as this is the shortcut for skipping the interval)
If you own the Zwift Ride you can configure the left drop button to trigger a new split:
The new Splits HUD displays the time, distance, average power, and average heart rate of each split. It also shows a color-coded power zone duration bar that functions just like the bar at the top-left below your power number, except it’s only showing power durations for each specific interval.
Once you’ve triggered a split, you’ll have access to another new “Toggle Side Display” button in the Action Bar next to the New Split button. This swaps the side display between the Splits HUD and the Leaderboard.
Splits data is written to your FIT file, so it can be displayed later on in other platforms like Strava, Garmin, Intervals.icu, etc.
Note: structured workouts will trigger a ”lap” for each interval block, as they always have. To view these splits after your workout, press the Toggle Side Display button in the Action Bar.
Here’s a quick video walkthrough of how it works in game:
There are a few minor UI bugs that Zwift still needs to iron out, including the list of splits not scrolling to the top when you click away from that list, and some typesetting being a bit misaligned, especially in non-English languages.
But the functionality is in place and working well, as far as we can see. Let’s do the splits!
Updated Lighting Effects
If you’ve noticed snazzier lighting effects during your recent Zwift sessions, you’re not hallucinating. Here’s a quick video screenshot recorded in Watopia on version 1.90:
Zwift has been experimenting with improved lighting effects lately, and while they haven’t mentioned it in any of the update notes, more and more Zwifters are starting to notice lighting changes. Our guess is that Zwift is rolling out the updated lighting to specific groups of users on certain types of hardware.
More Release Notes
Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:
Improved the appearance of flat routes in the mini-map route profile.
Fixed an issue that could cause the mini-map elevation profile to be stuck at the start of some routes.
Fixed an issue that caused the Leaderboard visibility setting to behave as if it were set to “Auto” when the “Always” setting was selected.
Fixed gaps in the roadway on the Douce France route in France.
Fixed an issue that could cause the roadway to flicker in some sections on the R.G.V. route in France.
