New Watopia Map Poster v2.3 Available for Pre-Order
The original version of Zwift Insider’s Watopia map poster was published March 2016. Since then it has been updated and enhanced with each Watopia update.
Today we’re releasing the latest version of the poster, version 2.3, which adds the Jarvis Island expansion and new routes (13 ridable routes, 4 run-only routes), plus several KOM segments and minor changes including a slightly enlarged jungle sloth. 😊
As of today, we are making available for free download (as always) a PDF of the new version 2.3 map. If you’d like to support this site (and get a beautiful poster at a good price) you can buy a poster print of the map and we’ll ship it to you, anywhere in the world.
We are currently taking pre-orders for the new poster, and these orders should ship approximately Dec 18, meaning customers in the US and UK should receive their order by Christmas, but we can’t guarantee it.
Closeups of the map art:
Note: order fulfillment in Australia and New Zealand will be delayed 1-2 weeks, as our shipper down under is waiting on receiving the new poster stock.
Meet Cat Allen, the First Woman To Ride 300,000km on Zwift
Recently, team 3R’s Rob Keunen reached out to me with an astounding bit of information: one of his teammates, Catherine Allen, was on track to hit 300,000 kilometers in mid-December. He thought she would be the first woman to do so. Would I be interested in telling Cat’s story?
Of course I would! But first, I reached out to Zwift to find out if Cat would indeed be the first to hit that mammoth 300,000km mark. Zwift confirmed that she would.
It takes a special blend of life circumstances, fitness, and tenacity to attain the kind of results Cat has seen, so I knew chatting with her would be really interesting. Read the interview below, and be sure to join her group ride on December 14 when she hits 300,000km on Zwift!
Tell me about yourself. Where are you from, and what do you spend your time doing when you’re not on the bike?
I am from the UK (born and brought up near Brighton) and have lived in West London since 2011. I have also lived in Paris (as a teenager) and also spent 11 years living in Melbourne, Australia from 2000 to 2011. I work full-time as a Pension Director at a multinational consulting and investments firm, and have worked for the same company for 25 years!
When I am not working or Zwifting I love running, yoga, hanging out with my daughter, spending time with my partner Graham (we live apart so only see each other at weekends), having pizza and prosecco evenings with my girlfriends, seeing my sister and niece, doing puzzles and DIY. I also spend time with my mum who is 80 and lives two floors down from us in our small block of flats.
How did you discover cycling/Zwift?
I discovered cycling when I was living in Australia – I moved out there in 2000 and soon became an avid runner due to the great weather and outdoors lifestyle. I cross-trained a bit on the bike and then slowly got into road biking more and more when I had running injuries. Running is my real true passion, but it’s a cruel sport and I soon realised I needed another love to focus on so that I wasn’t so miserable when sidelined from running! I never dreamed of cycling indoors back then. I did a lot of swimming as well and managed to get up to regular 5km swims.
I discovered Zwift in January 2018 after a persistent running injury left me sidelined. By this time, I had become a solo mum, and going out on my bike was not an option. So, I bought a turbo and started on Fulgaz at the end of 2017 and got bored with it quickly. But a work friend was Zwifting and told me to try it! I remember so clearly the evening I tried my first little Zwift pootling around London. I loved it and I never looked back.
Tell me about your Zwift setup. What sort of trainer do you use, what device do you run Zwift on, what are your favourite pain cave accessories, etc?
I currently use a Stages Bike with Assioma Duo power pedals. The Stages Bike is brilliant, but due to my excessive mileage I have to replace the crank power meter batteries every few weeks. So I tend to just use the power pedals and the bike for resistance. I also have a Wattbike and a KICKR Core so I always have a backup ready, plus the KICKR Core has gone to Spain and Turkey on holiday with me!
I use a MacBook Pro for Zwifting. I have my spare room set up for Zwift – with a lovely view out my pain cave window across to Bushy Park in London – the perks of a penthouse flat. My favourite Pain Cave accessory is a close call between my constant supply of Jelly babies and my litter picker (very useful if you are prone to dropping things). I also love my Vacmaster fan – I have yet to try it on level 3 as level 1 almost blows me off my bike!
I hear you’re also an avid runner. Which came first, riding or running? How do you think the two complement each other?
I love running and it came first! I have loved it since I started running in 2001 in Australia. I have completed 11 marathons, and I even won a marathon in 2007! I still would love to do more. Unfortunately, I am prone to doing too much, and running doesn’t let you do that and plagues you with injuries BUT I seem to be able to do Zwift crazy miles and not get injured. So, I love that I can “sweat out my crazy” on Zwift.
Running makes me a better Zwifter because my cardio system can cope with sustained efforts at a high heart rate – I find my strength lies in long hard efforts like the Alpe and less so in punchy efforts. I am a rubbish sprinter. Zwifting makes me a better runner because my legs aren’t battered by just constantly running, as high-impact sports like running really take it out of you. What I have learned in the last 7 years of trying to combine Zwifting and running is that you have to be really careful building up running mileage because the cardio system is so good from Zwift, but the “running body” takes much longer to adapt, so you feel like you could go out and run a half marathon but you aren’t biomechanically adapted enough so you can get injured so much quicker.
300,000km is a huge achievement. I just checked my Zwift profile, and I’ve been Zwifting since November 2015 – 2+ years longer than you – and I’m just over 88,000km. That’s wild. Explain how you fit that much riding into your life. What does your weekly riding schedule look like?
Monday to Friday I get up at 4am and I am on the bike before 4:30 and I will stay on until 8ish, unless I have to be in the office or need to travel for work or have an appointment. I am a home-based worker, so it allows me to use commute time to Zwift. On Saturdays, I tend to try and do my longest time on the bike (4+ hours) and Sundays I do my shortest ride of 100km. I lead every Wednesday morning 3R Volt or 3R Octane interval training in the hills, and I lead the 100km every other Saturday morning. I have been leading for 3R for over 6 years!
I run 3 to 4 times a week at lunchtime, and if not running, I do yoga. I try to make my Zwift as varied as possible, doing group rides across D, C, and B cats, RoboPacers (bot ramps and pyramids are fun), solo badge hunts, tours, intervals, and chilled rides with friends. I focus very much on heart rate training and know that to sustain the high mileage, I need to do a lot of zone 1 riding or I will burn out. Overtraining syndrome is real, and I suffered it many years ago training for a marathon. I don’t want to experience it again. It’s far less about the volume you do but more about managing the intensity of that volume.
Everyone knows that time on the bike can be like medicine. But it can also feel like a chore some days. Do you ever deal with a lack of motivation to ride, and if so, how do you overcome it?
It is quite rare that I am not motivated. I don’t even debate getting on the bike each day. Alarm goes off and I get up. On days where I am tired or not that motivated, I just tell myself “start pedaling and see how you feel,” and I inevitably get into a rhythm. Knowing so many people on Zwift lifts your spirits as well. It’s not long before someone you know says hi after you start riding!
You’re a solo parent to a neurodivergent child, plus you’ve got a full-time job. Would you say your hours on the bike or running help keep you sane in the midst of life challenges, or do they add to the challenge?
“Mummy would be scary if she didn’t Zwift or run.” This is what I told my daughter years ago when she asked why I Zwift and run so much! I adopted my daughter in 2014 as a single parent. As someone who had had the freedom to run and ride as much as I wanted outside, my life changed overnight becoming a solo mum. I knew I needed to keep running for mental well-being, so I ran in my work lunch breaks and bought a treadmill. It helped me cope with adapting to motherhood. That obviously progressed to buying a turbo and finding Zwift.
Time Zwifting, running, and doing yoga massively help me stay sane and face life’s challenges – there have been many and there have been times in the last 10 years of juggling a challenging job and motherhood of an AuDHD child that I have been at a breaking point! If I ever felt they added to my burden I would cut back. I never want to feel like exercise is a burden – it’s been my passion for 25 years. It helps my mental health and my self-esteem and has brought me so many new and special friendships.
Do you ride outside at all?
Since I became a mum, I can count on both hands the number of outdoor rides I have done. Partly because I can’t (can’t leave my daughter alone) and partly because I won’t. She only has me, and she has suffered so much painful loss in her young life I don’t want to put myself at risk on the roads where I live.
I get my fresh air running outside! Zwifting is perfect. Lots of riding but my daughter can chat to me at anytime and my only worry is tripping over a cat in our house with post-Zwift jelly legs!
You’ve ridden every route in game at least once, which is no small achievement. Did this happen through a lot of purposeful, focused effort, or was it more of an “organic” achievement as you put in your weekly miles?
This has been purposeful. I love route badge hunting. As soon as new routes come out I do them all as soon as I can. Then I try and do most of them again to get faster and faster times! Drives me mad when Zwift puts out a new event-only route badge and there are no events! New roads are always exciting days!
Speaking of completing all the routes… you’re the top-ranked female rider on the Zwift Insider Veloviewer Route Hunter Leaderboards. To do this, you have to ride every route in Zwift… and at a good pace. Is that something you specifically targeted? How did you approach it?
I started off by finding out about all the Rebel Routes and the manual navigation, which I loved! So, I was doing those when the Leaderboard came to life, and I saw that I was at the top for females so have been focussing on trying to keep there. It’s pretty close with one other female who is super powerful so she may pip my position one day!
Your ZwiftPower profile says you’ve completed over 2300 races on Zwift. Give me your three top tips for anyone wanting to improve their Zwift race results.
I used to race a lot in the early days of Zwifting but now I mainly do group rides and don’t race much at all. Well, I do like to race in the Tours – which are “not a race” (but we all know they are…) So my Zwift power is a mixture of all types of events! As a lighter rider my preference is to race hilly routes. I can hang on on flat routes but at 52kg I get destroyed in a finish sprint. My three top tips are:
Find your weakness and train it
Remember they are hurting too, so hold on
Your brain will try to convince you can’t, but your legs and lungs have much more to give
You’ve got a special ride coming up on December 14 where you’ll be hitting the 300,000km mark. Can you tell our readers more about that event?
The celebration of me ticking over to 300,000km will be on Saturday 14 December 7am (GMT) in the 3R Endurance Steady Ride. It’s a 100km C ride that I lead every other Saturday, and I would love people to join to celebrate with me even if it’s just for 20 minutes. The pace is around 2.5wkg. Hope to see lots of friends and future friends there!
Our picks for the weekend feature a couple of long group rides, including one on Zwift’s longest route, the dreaded PRL Full! In addition, we’re highlighting some of the most popular races and rides happening this weekend. See our picks below…
Off the MAAP 2024 began this week, making this weekend your last chance to complete the first stage of the three-stage series.
These are officially group rides, not races, but like any big Zwift series, the front of the ride will always feel like a race. Ride at whatever effort level you’d like!
Zwift isn’t doing a fondo series this year, but there are still plenty of long rides available on the weekends. Castelli is holding a fondo on Saturday that unlocks the Castelli Pinkwave kit, and offers three different route length options: A (Zwift Gran Fondo 2022, 92.8km), B (Zwift Medio Fondo 2022, 79.3km), and C (Zwift Bambino Fondo 2022, 53.3km).
Our popular Tiny Races happen each Saturday: 4 back-to-back races within an hour that will push your fitness to the max! Signup numbers look stronger than ever this week, and it’s going to be extra interesting since Zwift reshuffled the deck on Wednesday with a new Zwift Racing Score algorithm.
This week, we’re in a new world every race, and we’re also alternating between courses that end with a short climb (all about the W/kg) and races that end in a flat sprint (all about the pure watts). Who will win on the day? Jump in and see what the competition is like!
There aren’t many group rides held on London’s PRL Full route, since it’s the longest route in Zwift (173.8km, 2628m). If you’ve never completed this one before – or are just looking for a big day out – riding it with a group is much more fun than riding it solo.
Join the EVO CC squad in London this weekend. The event description says they’ll be shooting to pace the climbs (so, Box Hill) at 3.5-3.8 W/kg.
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!
So you’ve made that decision that you want to buy a treadmill to improve your fitness (by running on Zwift, obviously) but don’t know what the best option is.
Read this guide to learn the dos and don’ts of purchasing a treadmill and how you can get the best out of your treadmill for years to come.
A Word About Price
For many, the main purchasing consideration will be around budget. A treadmill isn’t cheap, and a quality one is even less so. But consider it an investment in your health. You can’t put a price on that.
Look for interest free options, this helps spread the cost over a few years so instead of having to find a not so insignificant sum up front you can make it into more bite sized monthly payments.
Key Considerations Before You Buy
Motor: Look for a treadmill with a good high-powered motor. Be careful of manufacturers who mispresent the figures, though. There are two ratings, HP and CHP, with HP being horsepower and CHP being continuous horsepower. Often manufacturers will quote their peak HP as this is the biggest number.
Here’s how to compare peak HP to CHP.
You own two cars. One is your little family car and the other is a sports car. Both are capable of driving at 90mph. However, 90mph is the top speed of your family car whilst the sports car can go to 150mph.
So if you drive both at 90mph all the time, which one is likely to fail first? The family car that is being driven at its maximum all the time or the sports car which is working well below its maximum?
So always look for a treadmill motor that’s the best-rated in CHP. The higher the CHP then the less strain on the motor and the better it will be at maintaining the belt speed more smoothly.
3.0 CHP is a must for a motor, any less and you risk the belt having a jerky feel with every foot strike and it will be less likely that the belt speed will be close to what the treadmill is displaying.
Decks: Without a doubt, the most common point of failure on a treadmill is the running deck. You are basically bouncing away at up to 180 steps per minute in the same spot. This generates a lot of heat, and the culminative effect is a broken deck. It’s common that you don’t know your deck is broken. They tend to split and bow and become spongy underfoot. If you are running regularly you don’t tend to notice this. I once broke a deck after 6 minutes of running and have gone through 4 in 2 years with a non-NoblePro treadmill.
Most manufacturers don’t publish the specifications of their treadmill decks. For those who don’t know, I run a minimum of 10k every day on my NoblePro, and the deck is neither bowed nor split after over 18 months of use. So that should offer you some reassurance.
Customer Service: Before you buy, look at reviews for the manufacturers. This will give you an idea of what support is like should you run into an issue. There’s nothing worse than suffering a breakdown in the middle of training for that important event and then finding out it will take weeks to arrange a repair. This is common with many manufacturers outsourcing repairs to a 3rd party repair company. On top of that, often parts are not kept in stock, resulting in further delays.
Connectivity: One of the most common considerations when purchasing a treadmill is whether it connects to Zwift.
The good news is that the range of smart treadmills is on the increase, and these can be directly connected to Zwift. No messing about with footpods or other devices, and no need to keep batteries charged or do a calibration. Just connect the treadmill as a speed and cadence source, and away you go. You can also connect the built-in heart rate monitor, but it may be best to use your own so you have a constant reading without holding onto the handrails.
Ongoing Maintenance Tips
Lubrication: I’ve spoken above about decks and their failure. This can be minimized by regular lubrication. The constant heat along with the pounding up and down on the same spot is a killer for decks. By using a 100% silicone oil lubricant, you can significantly reduce this friction and subsequent risk of damage. You can never really over-lubricate, and each manufacturer will have their own guide, but I personally oil the deck every 150KM. A 1-litre bottle of silicone oil is far cheaper and less hassle than replacing a deck. Lift the deck edges with your hands and squirt the oil into the centre of the deck. Set the treadmill on a low speed and walk around the belt to distribute the oil for 5 minutes.
Do not use spray oils such as WD40 or GT85 as these are more water displacers rather than lubricants.
Sweat: Our sweat contains salt, which can be quite corrosive to treadmills, especially the metal parts. Get into the habit of wiping down the treadmill using an anti-bacterial spray and cloth after use. Not only is it hygienic but it’ll prevent rust and corrosion. If you spill an energy drink on the treadmill during use, 100% clean it up, as these are lethal for treadmills owing to their contents which tend to be high in electrolytes.
Rollers: Each treadmill will have a front and rear roller. At each end is a set of bearings. These can be open for sweat to penetrate, which will lead to a squeaking noise before failure. The rear roller can be accessed by removing the plastic housing at the end of each side. The front roller is accessed by removing the hood at the front of the treadmill. Use a little silicone oil around the bearings. Careful of the bearing close to the motor belt, though, as if you drip silicone oil on the motor belt it will cause it to slip and the treadmill belt may not turn.
Under The Hood: Get into the habit of taking the hood off and cleaning around the circuit board and motor. This area can gather a lot of dust, which can cause failure of electrical components. The motor belt will also shed pieces of rubber and excess lubrication can be flung into the area, so it’s well worth a periodic wipe-down.
Wrapping It Up
Follow the tips above, and you should be able to find the perfect treadmill for your purposes… one that will last for many, many indoor miles.
Got other treadmill shopping or maintenance tips? Share below!
The fifth race of Zwift Racing League 2024/25 Round 2 happens Tuesday, December 10, and we’ll be in London for our first-ever ZRL event on Keith Hill After Party. This is a course that’s quite flat… until it isn’t. So there’s much to discuss, including the challenging route, climbing bikes, and strategic options. Let’s go!
Looking at the Route: Keith Hill After Party
London’s Keith Hill After Party route has never been raced in ZRL, and with its big finishing climb, it’s definitely the Queen Stage of this round! All riders will be racing a single lap of the route for a total of 36.8km with 435m of climbing.
Let’s discuss the key parts of this route, beginning just after we blast out of the start pen:
Aero powerup at lap arch @0.6km, then rolling roads along the Thames.
Northumberland Avenue @3.6km (400 meters, 4-5% grade): when you turn a hard right away from the Thames, you’ll hit the first little climb of the race. Be ready to go hard for 30 seconds!
You’ll encounter rolling roads but no significant climbs or descents between Northumberland and The Mall Sprint Reverse. Just mind your pack position and ride smart.
The Mall Sprint Reverse @14.9 (FTS+FAL): The first points segment of the race is the flattish Mall Sprint Reverse, which is 200 meters long on a false flat of 1.1%. You’ll get a feather powerup at the arch.
After the sprint, you’ll retrace your path on the rolling roads of outer London and along the Thames, eventually returning to the lap arch, where you can get another aero powerup. Again, mind your pack position and ride smart. The test is just ahead.
Keith Hill KOM @32.5km (FTS+FAL): time for the big finish! Keith Hill is 4.3km long and averages 5%, and there’s around 800m of shallow climbing before the actual KOM segment begins. After the lead-in, Keith Hill breaks into four sections based on gradient:
Remember, FAL and FTS segment points as well as finishing points have changed this season for ZRL racers!
FAL points now go to the first 20 riders over the line (20-19-18…1 points, respectively). FTS points only go to the fastest 5 riders through the segment (10-8-6-4-2 points, respectively).
Riders will receive powerups at each arch: a feather powerup (1x) at The Mall Sprint arch and aero boost powerups at the lap arch (2x):
Aero Boost (helmet) at the lap arch: makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.)Definitely needed if you’re going for points on The Mall Sprint Reverse segment.
Lightweight (feather) at The Mall sprint arch: reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most.This will be very useful on the Keith Hill KOM, but you’ll need to choose whether you want to hold onto the feather or ditch it for an aero (see Strategy notes below…)
Bike Frame + Wheel Choice
There’s really just one consideration you’ll need to make when selecting a bike frame and wheelset for this race: will you be contesting The Mall Sprint Reverse for points?
If so, you’ll probably want to go with an all-arounder like the Pinarello Dogma F 2024 with ENVE 7.8 wheels or the Tron bike, because going with a pure climber will probably cost you a place or two. This will give you most of the aero advantage available, while still giving you decent climbing performance on the Keith Hill finish.
But if you aren’t contesting the sprint, a pure climbing setup is recommended.
(Side note: lots of folks like to use ZwifterBikes.web.app when choosing frame and wheels for a given course. I don’t know exactly how these course time estimates are computed, but here’s my one caution: in scratch and points races, the bike that turns in the fastest overall course time may not be the best bike for the course. This week’s race is a great example.)
The first 31km of the race are quite flat, which means the vast majority of the pack will arrive together at the base of the final climb. And it’s from the bottom of that climb to the end of the race that you’ll want a bike that gives you maximum advantage.
To get some hard numbers, I ran a few bot tests at 4 w/kg up the Keith Hill KOM segment. Here are the results, from worst to best:
Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.
Points Distribution, Keith Hill After Party (1 Lap)
This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants. You don’t see KOM FAL points because we’ve added them to the finishing points since that’s what they effectively are.
While this is technically a points race, awarding FAL at the finishing arch atop Keith Hill KOM means almost 75% of the points are effectively “first across the line” points at the finish, making this almost feel like a scratch race. Almost.
Here are some strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:
All-In For the Sprint: pure sprinters who don’t fancy their chances at a highly-placed finish on Keith Hill may go all-in with aero bike choice and a massive effort to grab points on The Mall Sprint Reverse.
Start Sag: while the pack will already be somewhat strung out by the time it hits the Keith Hill KOM start line, strong climbers may sag near the back so they can push hard during the segment and grab FTS points.
Aero Boosted Finish: strong climbers who are confident in their ability to hang with the front up Keith Hill might burn their feather powerup in order to grab an aero boost at the lap arch to use in the 600m false flat final sprint.
Survival Mode: many riders will just be sitting in the peloton and conserving for the first 31km, then giving their all for the highest placement possible atop Keith Hill.
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
FasCat Coaching Announces CoachCat + Zwift Training API Integration
FasCat Coaching and Zwift recently announced a new level of integration via Zwift’s new Training API, making it easier than ever to execute the workouts found in FasCat’s CoachCat app directly in Zwift, while also automatically sending your Zwift activities back to CoachCat for processing.
For now, CoachCat’s training calendar is not auto-syncing to Zwift. This is a temporary situation, much like when TriDot launched the first iteration of their Training API integration. FasCat tells me they’re shooting for auto-sync to be live by the end of the year.
This is worth mentioning up front since auto-sync is a big part of what makes these Training API integrations so handy. If I can just boot up Zwift and see my workout for the day, right on the homescreen, that’s a win. The fewer steps, the better.
So while your Zwift activities will automatically pop over to CoachCat once saved, allowing CoachCat to adapt your training based on what you just did in Zwift, getting your CoachCat workout into Zwift currently requires a simple button tap. I’ll cover that below, but first…
About FasCat Coaching
Frank Overton founded FasCat Coaching in 2002, and it’s been his full-time gig since 2004. A former pro-level cyclist, Frank was working with Andy Coggan and other sports scientists in 2003, back before Training Peaks or WKO existed. This group was looking for better ways to set optimal training targets and quantify training stress, and it was in this environment, while training for the Colorado State Time Trial, that Frank invented and formalized the concept of sweet spot training.
(He and this group of scientists would go on to create mainstays of cycling training like TSS, the Performance Management Chart, and normalized power. So if you’re looking for an impressive sports science palmarès, Frank’s got one.)
I sat down with Frank to learn more about his story, and what makes FasCat special. There’s a lot we could talk about here, but in the interest of keeping this post short, I’ll just say that Frank says people want three simple things from their coach:
Tell me what to do
Tell me if I’m improving
Tell me what to do next
Frank and his team have been doing this for over 20 years, but things got really interesting when they built the AI-powered CoachCat app, which launched in March 2024. This app was trained on a proprietary data set made up of over 1 million hand-written power file analyses FasCat has performed over the years, as well as FasCat’s blog posts and YouTube videos. Because of this, Franks says, “CoachCat does what human coaches do, but faster, smarter, cheaper.”
Your CoachCat subscription gets you access to tons of training tools, including a library of training plans and workouts which can be easily customized using the natural-language text chat with CoachCat in the app. If you have questions or want to change an upcoming workout, just chat with CoachCat via the app:
If you are worried that the human touch is being lost with all this AI stuff, FasCat also seems to do a really good job of providing human interaction where needed. You can chat with a coach online via their website, anyone who creates an account also gets a 30-minute consultation with a real coach, and you can sign up for 1:1 coaching plans if you’d like.
Pricing and Signup
You can sign up for a 30-day free trial here, no credit card required. Ongoing subscriptions are $34.99/mo, discounted to $240 if paying annually. Or you can get access to the stripped-down “CoachCat Basic” plan for just $3.99/mo.
Connecting CoachCat + Zwift
All of your interaction with CoachCat is done via the CoachCat app (in Apple or Play stores). Install the app, create your account, then connect it to Zwift via Profile>Connected Devices:
Choosing Your Training Plan/Workout
Once you’re signed up and connected, you just need to get some workouts on your calendar! Tap “Library” to browse CoachCat’s huge list of training plans and workouts. You can have the app suggest a plan based on some minimal input from you. There are also two Zwift-specific plans on the list: “Zwift Training with Outdoor Rides” and “Zwift Racing Plan”.
Sending Workouts to Zwift
Once your calendar has some workouts on it, just tap a workout and tap “Send to Zwift” to send it over to your Zwift account:
Your workout will be available on your homescreen, and also under Workouts>Custom>CoachCat:
(Again, this manual step will be removed soon, so your scheduled workouts will automatically pop into Zwift each day.)
Complete List of Training API Partners
FasCat is just the latest service to be added to the list of Training API partners at Zwift. Here’s the complete list, which will be updated as new partners are added:
Zwift Spinback Unveiled: Celebrating Your Zwift Achievements
Today, Zwift wrapped up their 10th anniversary celebrations by launching Spinback, a personalized email review that showcases Zwifters’ career achievements. Each Zwifter who has opted in to receive emails from Zwift will receive a message highlighting key statistics including:
Kilometers ridden
Meters climbed
Busiest day
Favorite route
Ride Ons received
Workouts/races completed
Number of badges earned
Pizza slices burned.
Every Zwifter is also be matched to one of four Spinback Profiles — Fitness Fiend, Speed Demon, Social Butterfly, or World Explorer — based on your activity history.
Big Zwift Stats
To coincide with Spinback, Zwift revealed some fun stats celebrating what the Zwift community has accomplished over 10 years:
9,074,894,166 total kilometers ridden – equivalent to traveling to the moon and back 11,809 times. UK Zwifters have contributed to over 14% of that total distance alone, racking up 1,313,005,577km over the last decade, which equates to 1,707 return trips to the moon.
84,787,581,568 meters total elevation climbed – enough to summit Mount Everest 9.5 million times. Zwifters from UK have ascended the height of the world’s highest peak no less than 1,376,363 times (climbing 12,180,207,402m in total).
564,406,976 pizza slices burned – enough energy to power the International Space Station for 237 years, with UK Zwifters being able to fuel it for 35 years alone (they have burned through 82,171,749 pizza slices).
Here’s an Insta post I made to share my Spinback stats:
Sources in Zwift tell me the Spinback idea may be used annually moving forward, to deliver a review of each Zwifter’s past year activities, much like Strava’s popular “Year in sport” summaries.
Questions or Comments
What is the most striking stats in your Spinback? And is the profile Zwift picked for you accurate, in your opinion? Share below!
Zwift version 1.79 begins its phased rollout today. It’s a minor update as far as we can see from the release notes, but there is one interesting change related to FTP detection. Read more below!
“The Grade” FTP Detection Now Gamewide
The most interesting line in Zwift’s release notes is this: Improved FTP calculation that mirrors how FTP is determined when completing The Grade.
Since the early days, Zwift has used a simple algorithm to detect your FTP in the game based on your 20-minute power. That is, Zwift would look at your best 20-minute power average at the end of each activity, and if 95% of that number exceeded your current FTP setting, you would get an FTP increase popup – the most shared screen in all of Zwift!
Then Zwift released The Grade in June 2024, and with it a new way of detecting your FTP based on your average power and time on this particular KOM segment. Here’s more info, taken from my review of The Grade:
…Zwift looks at your average power and time up The Grade, then computes your FTP estimate based on those two figures. Zwift says they can do this with reasonable accuracy because they’ve analyzed the results of over 700,000 FTP tests on the platform and computed a curve which, when combined with an average power number and time value, lets them compute your FTP.
Basically, Zwift has built a lookup curve so any time you set a new power PB in the 8-60 minute range, they can look up that timespan on the curve to get a percentage factor. The game then multiplies your average power from that timespan by the percentage factor, and if it results in a higher FTP than your current setting, you’ll get the FTP increase popup.
Zwift isn’t revealing what this lookup curve looks like, exactly, but it’s not hard to figure it out with some test rides. Here’s our approximation of Zwift’s FTP lookup curve based on today’s tests (the actual curve is surely much smoother – ours is a bit lumpy since FTP increases in our in-game tests were rounded to the nearest whole watt):
Example: if you averaged 250 watts for 15 minutes, Zwift’s system would calculate your FTP as 250*.893=223 watts. If your current FTP setting was less than 223 watts you would get an FTP increase notice when ending your activity.
If this all feels too technical for you, the good news is you don’t need to know how it works. It’s automatic! What’s important for Zwifters is that the new FTP detection algorithm is more flexible than the old one, as it considers efforts from as little as 8 minutes all the way to 60 minutes in length. And this should result in a more accurate automatic FTP setting for more Zwifters, which can only be a good thing.
Note: as before, Zwift’s automated FTP detection will only ever increase your FTP, not decrease it.
Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:
Fixed an issue that could cause Zwifters riding with RoboPacers to have their Drops multipliers unexpectedly reset.
Fixed an issue that could cause the edges of some gravel roads to end abruptly.
Fixed an issue where virtual shifting may not return to the default gear when switching between ERG and SIM modes during a workout.
Improved connection reliability for the Elite Sterzo Smart steering device.
Fixed an issue that could cause your avatar to not be centered in the Garage preview when selecting head gear, glasses, or customizing facial characteristics.
The elevation shown in the home screen is now more accurate for the routes Sleepless City in Makuri Islands and Wandering Flats in Watopia.
Fixed an issue that could cause the Repack Rush progress bar to not reset after restarting the course.
Fixed an issue that could show an incorrect lap count when late-joining an event after the first lap had already been completed.
Fixed a crash that could potentially occur when joining an event via Zwift Companion.
Android
Fixed an issue that could result in missing ground textures at the top of the Temple KOM in Makuri Islands.
Fixed a crash that could occur when browsing the Garage.
iOS, Apple TV
Fixed an issue that could result in missing ground textures at the top of the Temple KOM in Makuri Islands.
Fixed a crash that could occur when browsing the Garage.
