Looking to put together the ultimate Zwift setup for the long winter months ahead? One way many Zwifters have upgraded the feel and aesthetics of their pain cave is through vibrant LED lighting setups. In this week’s top video, watch as one Zwifter walks through his installation of hexagon LED lighting in his pain cave.
We’re also featuring videos about home gym upgrades, climbing Alpe du Zwift in under 50 minutes, beginner indoor cycling setups, and Zwift racing for IRONMAN training.
Zwift Shed Upgrades | Hexagon Light Install
In an attempt to improve the lighting and aesthetics of his cycling shed, Max from The Watt Life shares how he installed hexagon lighting in his shed.
Planning My New Home Gym
Watch as Ryan Condon shares his plans to fully convert his garage into a home gym.
If You Want to Climb Alpe du Zwift in Under 50 Minutes, Do This!
After lots of hard and consistent training, Adam from Road to A recently completed Alpe du Zwift in under 50 minutes. In this video, he shares tips and tricks that helped him achieve this goal.
Is Indoor Cycling Beginner Friendly? We Gave A Smart Trainer To A Beginner To Find Out
If you’re interested in getting started with indoor cycling, but don’t want to worry about all the technical bits, fear not! In this video, watch as Cycling Weekly sets up the Elite Rivo with an indoor cycling beginner.
Using A Zwift Race as Part of My IRONMAN Training | Live Stats + Zwift Bike
Watch as Parker Kerth tackles a Zwift race as part of his prep for an upcoming IRONMAN. Can he take the win?
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
How the Race Was Lost: Pairing Malfunctions and Burrito Surprises on Country to Coastal
This week my team (Coalition Delusion, racing in the ZRL B1 Development Lime division), took on 8 others in the only scratch race of Round 1. Having raced the course before, I knew it would push me to the limit with its three climbs.
Could I hang on to the front group so I could contest the finish? Only one way to find out…
Planning, Warmup, and Man Flu
As usual, my team was on Discord chatting about the race in the days leading up to the big throwdown. This one was pretty straightforward: a scratch race with three climby bits and a short uphill finish. Each rider’s goal was simply to survive the climbs in the front group, and regardless of whether that happened or not, to finish as high as possible from whatever group we were in at the end.
I got on the bike with plenty of time before the 10am PT race, giving me a full half hour to wake up the ol’ ticker and spin up the legs so I could be ready for what was sure to be a hard start. I was already one dirty chai and a few pieces of Neuro caffeine gum into my warmup by the time I got on the bike, so I was nicely caffeinated. I had also rubbed PR Lotion into my legs to keep the burning at bay.
My Warmup “Stack”
There was just one hitch in my raceday plans: I was getting sick. The night before, I’d noticed a sore throat, then the morning of the race I woke up with that flu feeling. You know the one, where your arm hair is sore to the touch? I felt a bit feverish and generally sore, but I could tell it hadn’t hit me fully, and I didn’t want to make my team scramble for a sub at the last minute. So I soldiered on, hoping t wouldn’t affect me too much.
A Sketchy Start
I almost lost the race before it even began.
I was running an odd trainer/power meter setup, because I’m still testing the Wahoo KICKR Core 2. I had noticed it was reading extra low recently (3% or so below my Assioma pedals), so I decided I would pair the Assiomas as my power source, but also pair the Core 2 as resistance and cadence so I could use virtual shifting.
That would have worked fine – except I decided to dual record it by booting up a Zwift session on another PC and connecting my test account to it, pairing the Core 2 as power source so I could record the Core 2’s data.
I could have sworn this had worked fine the week before. And it seemed to work fine during my warmup (although looking at my video below, it actually wasn’t working there either. I just hadn’t noticed.)
I didn’t notice the problem until 2 minutes before the race started. Here’s the full play-by-play, pieced together by watching my race video.
-2:00: Re-pair trainer as Resistance and Cadence. Virtual gearing shows again on HUD.
-1:28: Virtual gearing disappears. But I don’t even notice, because I’m faffing around changing my virtual socks. Seriously.
-0:16: I finally notice virtual gearing is gone, and bring up the pairing screen again to re-pair. (I also grab my other keyboard and close the Zwift session I have going with my test account, assuming this is causing the issue. No dual recording today!)
0:00: The race begins, and I’m thinking I’ve fixed things just in time.
0:05: I quickly realize the game has me in gear 15, but I can’t change gears using either my Zwift Play or Click v2 controllers, both of which show up as paired.
0:25: As the pack hits the opening climb hard, I’m pedaling about as fast as I can (although RPM shows 67-68 on the HUD, oddly, while showing 0 rpm from the Core 2 on the pairing screen). I pull up the pairing screen again to confirm everything looks right. It does.
0:33: Everyone gets a surprise burrito powerup… the first of several on the day (more on that below). The burritos begin flying within seconds. This is an unwelcome addition to my race.
0:45: My virtual gear disappears from the HUD. I trigger my burrito from my Play controller, (which apparently can trigger powerups but not gear changes).
0:50: Pull up the pairing screen again. Core 2 is not paired. Pair it again. Back to gear 15.
1:07: I pull up the pairing screen again and unpair all the Play and Click controllers, re-pairing them. That’ll fix it, right?
1:20: It didn’t fix it. In fact, my virtual gearing has disappeared again. I hit “A” on my keyboard once more to enter the pairing screen, which shows the Core 2 not paired once again. I pair it again.
1:27: No dice. Still no virtual shifting showing. I’m in 39th place, sitting in the back of the front pack. Pedaling like mad. Keeping silent on Discord, though, because there’s nothing my teammates can do to help. Gotta get this sorted.
1:39: Bring up the pairing screen again to double-check what I have connected. It’s all correct. But I disconnect and re-pair the Core 2 as resistance yet again, for good measure.
2:04: I decide to use my bike’s mechanical shifting to drop a couple of gears (I’m currently using a cassette, not the Zwift Cog). This should work until I’m on an easier section where I can maybe get virtual shifting working again.
2:49: In a stroke of genius, I decide to power cycle the Core 2. Then quickly realize I may have made a terrible mistake, as all trainer resistance goes away, and I’m forced to pedal at max cadence. I also get a warning popup on my screen: “Heads up! You currently don’t have a smart trainer paired. Pair a Zwift Ready trainer to enable virtual shifting.” Thanks, Zwift.
3:05: I mechanically shift to my hardest gear, to give myself a bit more resistance to push against until the trainer comes back online. I naively hope that the trainer will automatically re-pair, and virtual shifting will be restored. (This doesn’t happen.)
3:12: Bring up the pairing screen once more. Pair the trainer as resistance.
3:21: My virtual gearing pops up: and I’m in gear 24. The hardest. Possible. Gear. It’s like an instant spiral of death, and I stand up and hammer as I quickly shift down using my Play controllers.
3:35: I get down to gear 14 and a comfortable cadence. So far I’ve averaged 383 watts in the race.
3:55: The Core 2/Zwift recalibrates my gear ratio and resistance drops noticeably. My cadence jumps up to compensate, and I shift to a harder gear. I’m still in the front group. We’re ready to race!
Once my trainer/gearing were straightened out, we were essentially on the long descent/flat to Urukazi. So I sat in and conserved as much as possible, knowing there was hard work up the road.
Surprise Burritos
I’m 100% sure the burrito is the most hated powerup on Zwift. And I’m also sure the only thing worse than getting burritoed when you expect it is getting burritoed by surprise.
Due to some sort of configuration error, our race (and I assume many others’) awarded everyone burritos at unexpected locations. We got one just before riding through the virtual start/finish arch for the first time. Then again just before passing the Mech Isle start pens (near the location of virtual start/finish arches for other routes, I believe). One of our riders said they got a second one not long after (I can’t confirm since I hadn’t used the one I had). And watching my video replay, I discovered there was another awarded 80 meters from the finish line, just after the planned one at the lap arch!
All of these extra burritos had the effect of making the race harder. And in fact, they may have been what ultimately dropped me from the front pack.
After our long descent and flat, we hit the next key climb on the route: the corkscrew climb up to the Shisa Sprint.
I fought back to a decent position near the back of the front group with just a few hundred meters left, despite a dangling burrito taking away the group draft that would have otherwise sucked me into the front group.
But just as I got in touch with that group, two more burritos were activated. That front group began to pull away, and a gap opened up.
In the heat of the race, close to my limit at the top of the climb, I didn’t notice this was happening. I saw the pack stretching, but figured it would come back together on the flat and descent that would follow. So as we finished the climb and picked up speed heading into the Shisa Sprint, I sat in my pack of ~8 riders that was dangling off the end of a messy line.
Sauce was still showing all of us together as a front group of 21. But the situation on screen was very different. As we went through the Shisa Sprint, the riders ahead coalesced into two groups. I was in the third with teammate Fabian, and we were 5 seconds behind the middle group which was pushing to rejoin the front.
This is where we should have pushed to rejoin. But we didn’t. I didn’t. And that middle group soon joined the front group, which quickly rode away from us along with any hope of a top finish.
The Finish
We had only Chris F in the front group of 15, which didn’t bode well for us. Fabian and I were in the chase group, and the rest of the team was behind. Based purely on these numbers, I knew that a team win wasn’t probable today. But all we could do was finish as high as possible.
The rest of the race was rather unremarkable from my vantage point, apart from the final sprint. Fabian and I came into the finish in a group of 7, with feather powerups. I decided I would use the feather as I went through the lap banner, then use the burrito if it seemed like it might help.
I ramped up the power and activated the feather as we went through the arch with ~450 meters to go, and quickly found myself on the front of the group with Wegert (a strong rider from VGG) chasing. I thought I had timed it perfectly, activating my burrito as soon as the feather ran out so Wegert would lose any drafting advantage. I even eased a bit, figuring I wanted to keep Wegert under the power of my burrito.
But I didn’t see LM from the ART team flying up behind me in a perfectly-timed feather-powered effort. And with 50 meters to go, he flew past. I finished 16th on the day.
When the dust settled, my team came in 2nd on the day behind Atom Racing Team (ART). Well done, ART!
Teammate Chris Fockenberg was our top finisher, coming in 8th. Our team’s newest member, Fabian Streit, finished in 20th (3rd best on the team) – nicely done.
We lost to ART by only 4 points. Such a narrow margin! If two of our riders had just finished 2-3 places higher, we could have taken the win. But hindsight is 20/20.
The good news is, we still sit squarely in 1st for Round 1, with just one race left:
Watching my video and thinking through the race, there were definitely mistakes made on my part. With the benefit of hindsight, here’s what I would do differently:
Avoid all the trainer malfunction silliness by paying attention during my warmup. This would have taken some early stress out of the race.
Push harder to be near the front on the climb to the Shisa Sprint, to avoid some of those draft-stealing burritos.
Push to close the gap to the next group on the descent that followed. (I think I could have managed it, although it would have been tough.)
That said, there was a tiny silver lining to the trainer issues I had at the start. Teammate Chris, our strongest rider on the day, told me this after he learned how the first few minutes of my race went:
“What a first few minutes you had! Those trainer issues and the massive gear 24 resistance you faced đź«Ł. In a way you helped me out, because I was hurting like hell going up there and noticed that you were behind me towards the top of the climb and over the climb. As you’re one of our stronger riders, in my head I thought, “Ah well if Eric is ok to sit near the back of the pack then maybe I shouldn’t worry too much,” and thus stopped panicking and didn’t destroy myself to get near the front. So, thanks I guess to your trainer? 🤣 Great job working through all that though whilst trying to re-pair everything!”
To be clear, I wouldn’t call what happened a malfunction of the Core 2, or even Zwift. I’m sure it was caused by my having the Core 2 paired to two simultaneous Zwift sessions, which is not exactly an approved use case.
Coalition Delusion finished our race with the traditional Discord team pic:
Your Thoughts
How did race #3 go for you? Did you receive some surprise burritos, and did they impact your race? Share below!
This course presents particular challenges as a points race, which we’ll unpack below. As always, there’s much to discuss, so let’s dive in!
Looking at the Route
Each lap of Watopia’s Jarvis Seaside Sprint route is 12.5km long with 95m of elevation gain, and we begin with a 2.8km lead-in with 36m of climbing. So for this, the final race of Round 1, the A and B categories will race 40.3km (3 laps), while the C and D categories will race 27.8km (2 laps).
Here are the key sections of the route from a points race perspective:
Aero Boost (helmet) at Downtown Watopia Start/Finish 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.) Use your first aero to nab sprint points on the JWB Sprint Reverse.
Lead-In (0-2.6km): the start will always be a bit spicy, but this lead-in, in particular, will tax the legs with its short climb up from downtown Watopia, then the undulating road of The Esses, and finally the kicker climb taking you into the descent that launches the JWB Sprint Reverse.
JWB Sprint Reverse @2.6km (200 meters, 0%) (FAL+FTS): our first points segment of the day may also prove to be the fastest, since the pack will be at its largest and aero powerups will be burning holes in our jersey pockets. The JWB Sprint is fast and rather technical. If you need pointers on maximizing your performance on this segment, read this post.
(The JWB Sprint Reverse arch is the start/finish banner for the Jarvis Seaside Sprint course, so A and B riders will contest this segment a total of four times: once at the end of your lead-in, then three more times at the end of each lap.)
Draft Boost (van) at JWB Sprint arch: increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.) Use this to boost your speed when contesting the Jarvis Sprint Reverse.
Jarvis Sprint Reverse @5.7km (200 meters, 0.2%) (FAL+FTS): our next points segment of the day is the same length as the JWB Sprint, but it will feel much longer since we aren’t entering it off of a descent! On top of that, the pack may be cagey, since every has to decide just how hard they’re willing to go, given that the Jarvis KOM Reverse starts just a few hundred meters up the road. (Is it worth grabbing big sprint points if you get dropped from the front group?)
Lightweight (feather) at Jarvis Sprint arch: reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. Ideally you’d use it on the second, steeper section of the KOM so you’re as light as possible when weight matters most.
Jarvis KOM Reverse @7.5km (1.3km, 3.1%) (FAL+FTS): the only true climb of the race, the Jarvis KOM Reverse is really two steep, short punches, separated by flat bits at the start and in the middle. This will be the key inflection point of the race, as strong puncheurs will be pushing hard because 1) intermediate points and 2) this is their best chance of dropping other riders. Save your feather for this section!
Burrito at the Jarvis KOM arch: turns off the draft effect for riders in a cone-shaped window behind you for 20 seconds. Use when attacking off the front so opponents have to work harder to follow you, or in the peloton to make others work harder. Use this wherever you’d like, but try not to burrito your teammates.
Aero Boost (helmet) at Jarvis 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.) Save this for use on the JWB Sprint up the road. You simply won’t be able to finish near the front without it, unless you manage to stick a breakaway off the front!
Climb into the Volcano @11.1km: riders always push hard up this short climb (200-300 meters long), so don’t get caught out. The aero boost you just picked up can be helpful for chasing back onto the wheels here as you near the Volcano Lap arch, but you’ll really want to save it for the sprint up the road.
Cloaking (ghost) at Volcano Lap arch: makes you invisible to other riders for 15 seconds. Use when you want to get away from one or more riders. Deploy then hammer, in hopes that you will create enough of a gap that your opponents can’t grab your wheel. Important: the ghost is disabled within 400m of the finish line, so don’t plan to hold this until the final sprint! Many riders will just throw this powerup away or not even get it because they’re still holding an aero powerup. But you can use it to help you get away off the front if you’re going for a long breakaway.
Finish: after completing the lead-in plus 3 full laps (2 laps for C & D categories), it will be time for the final sprint to the line. Again, the JWB Sprint is fast and rather technical. If you need pointers on maximizing your performance on this segment, read this post.
This route features two flat sprint segments (including the finish), and one short KOM segment that is more like two short uphill sprints.
So do you optimize for climbing (lightweight) or speed (aero)? With so many points up for grabs on the sprints, you’ll want to be careful about sacrificing aero for weight. But with the KOM being the key selection point in the race, you don’t want your heavier aero setup to send you out the back of the pack when the going gets steep.
We ran tests up the Jarvis KOM Reverse at 5 w/kg using the S-Works Tarmac SL8 and a variety of top-performing wheels: the DT Swiss 85 Disc, the DT Swiss 65, ENVE 4.5 Pro, and ENVE 8.9. We ran the same test using the Tron bike. In the end, the DT Swiss 65s turned in the best time (2:25.17), but every setup was within a half-second of that time.
So if you’re confident in your ability to hang onto the pack over the KOM with disc wheels, use ’em. Because they’ll give you an advantage in the sprints. If you want to hedge your bets a bit, go with the lighter DT Swiss 65s, which will be just a bit slower on the sprints but may be the difference between hanging with the front and getting dropped.
Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 with DT Swiss 65 wheels
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.
John Rice
Nathan Krake
The Syco-list
J Dirom
Strategic Options
Points Distributions, Jarvis Seaside Sprint
3 Laps (A/B)
2 Laps (C/D)
These charts show the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants. In the charts above, we’ve added the FAL points for the final JWB Sprint Reverse to the FIN points, since that’s effectively how they will operate. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.
Here are some predictions of strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:
Sprint, Rest, Sprint, Survive, Rest, Repeat: this will be the most common strategy. With ~75% of points tied up in sprints and the finish, strong sprinters will try to contest as many sprints as possible and survive the KOM in the front pack with as little effort as possible, so they can fight hard on the finishing sprint.
Burrito KOM Breakaway: clearly, the powerups in this race are structured to encourage riders to break away over the top of the KOM. Watch for strong climbers to go hard up the KOM, then push on the descent with a burrito powerup.
Ghost Breakaway: we get a ghost powerup at the Volcano Circuit lap arch, and this will prove tantalizing to riders who want to go long on the final lap (there’s always someone). The 200IQ play may be using your aero powerup to attack as you ride through the Volcano lap arch, then using the ghost to disappear for a bit longer. The question for everyone else is, do you chase those wheels, or gamble and hope the pack drags them back?
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
All About the Zwift Unlocked Tour (Double XP + New Routes!)
Today, Zwift released details for their upcoming Zwift Unlocked tour which kicks off October 6.
Featuring double XP, XP bonuses, extra-long powerups, and a sweet urban kit, the 5-stage series comprises long and short group rides, races, and runs all held on brand-new routes. Read on for details…
Double Up
This season, Zwift Unlocked is effectively replacing the popular Tour of Watopia with its double XP. But never fear: we’re getting double XP for all Zwift Unlocked events!
Additionally, powerups are doubled in length.
New Routes
All Zwift Unlocked rides and runs are held on brand-new routes in Watopia, Makuri Islands, Scotland, and New York. (That’s 10 new routes to ride, and 5 new run-only routes. See details below.)
The most exciting new routes will be used for stages 4 and 5, when Zwift reveals their New York expansion, including the new power segments feature. Read more about the expansion >
Custom Zwift Ride Frame Giveaway
All Zwift Unlocked ride/race graduates (riders who finish all 5 stages) will be automatically entered to win one of two custom-painted Zwift Ride Smart Frames hand-painted by Fat Creations!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Starts 9:00 p.m. PT on 10/06/25 and ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 11/16/25. The Zwift 2025 Zwift Unlocked Promotion is open to individuals who are 18 years of age or older and the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence as of date of entry and are located in the 50 United States/District of Columbia, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Japan, or The United Kingdom (the “Eligibility Area”). Void outside the Eligibility Area and where prohibited. Sponsor: Zwift, Inc. For Rules, visit https://support.zwift.com/en_us/2025-zwift-unlocked-promotion-terms-and-conditions-S16D194hlg
Stage Details and Schedule
Each stage lasts for a week and includes long rides, short rides, races, and run events.
Long rides will take approximately 90 minutes to complete at 2.5 W/kg, while short rides and races will be closer to 45 minutes.
Rides and runs are scheduled hourly on the hour, and races are scheduled hourly at ten minutes past the hour. Rides can be completed on-demand whenever you’d like, but races and runs are available as scheduled events only.
Category groups for Zwift Unlocked races are structured like ZRacing events in recent months. That is, Zwift has set up three different Zwift Racing Score-based categorization schemes that rotate, so you can join events where you’re near the top of your category, or closer to the bottom:
There’s also an overall GC (general categorization) competition where riders are ranked by their best time on each stage. See results at zwift.com/zwift-unlocked/races.
Unlocked, Unlocked
Completing Zwift Unlocked stages earns you various in-game rewards. Riders will unlock the following:
1 Stage: Zwift Unlocked Beanie
3 Stages: 1,000 XP (in addition to all the double XP you’ll get!)
All 5 Stages: Zwift Unlocked Kit
Runners will unlock the Zwift Unlocked running kit after completing just 1 stage.
Questions or Comments?
You can also find more details, as well as event signup links, at zwift.com/zwift-unlocked. Still have questions or comments? Share below!
If you’re new to indoor bike training, ERG mode can be confusing. What exactly is it, anyway? And when should you use it? Here’s a full explanation…
What Is ERG Mode?
Smart trainers run in different modes which determine how much resistance they apply while you ride. The two most common modes are ERG and Sim.
Sim mode is simulator mode. This is the mode used in all Zwift activities except for structured workouts. In Sim mode, the controlling software (Zwift) sends parameters such as rider weight, air density, Crr, and gradient to your trainer. The smart trainer then tries to replicate the “feel” of that virtual ride environment through its resistance on your drivetrain.
ERG mode is completely different. In ERG mode, your trainer’s job is to help you maintain a specific wattage. “ERG” comes from Greek “ErgasĂa” which means “work,” becase ERG mode literally forces you to work at a particular level.
Example:
Your Zwift workout interval wants you to hold 200 watts for 10 minutes
If you are spinning at a cadence of 90 and putting out 200 watts, then slow your cadence to 60, your trainer will increase resistanceso you are still holding 200 watts even though you are pedaling slower.
If you are spinning at a cadence of 90 and putting out 200 watts, then increase your cadence to 110, your trainer will decrease resistance so you are still holding 200 watts even though you are pedaling faster.
ERG mode simplifies your workout so your only job is to manage your cadence. You don’t need to worry about shifting (although it is certainly allowed), or whether you are hitting your wattage target. You just need to keep your cadence where you want it, and the trainer will make sure you’re hitting the target power.
When Should I Use ERG Mode?
ERG mode is enabled by default if you begin a workout while using a smart trainer in Zwift. And you should leave it that way, for workouts where you want to maintain specific power levels for designated intervals without needing to focus on holding accurate power.
Some riders (and/or coaches) prefer to do structured training with ERG mode disabled so they can learn to hit and hold steady power targets without help from the trainer. This is a valid point, particularly for time trialists.
I’ve been asked if ERG mode should be used in races. First of all: this would be a little challenging to implement given Zwift’s event functionality. But even if you could do it, why would you? Racing requires constantly adjusting your effort to stay with the pack, attack on punchy climbs, ease off on descents, etc. ERG mode was not made for on-the-fly adjustments.
That said: you could use ERG mode in a race by pairing your smart trainer to your head unit and controlling it in ERG mode there. (You wouldn’t pair anything for “resistance” in Zwift.) This may be interesting in a flat TT race, where you want to hold a target wattage for certain amounts of time.
How to Disable and Enable ERG Mode in Zwift
You can disable and enable Erg mode from the workout browser screen by toggling the “Use ERG Mode” button. But you won’t see this option if you simply choose your workout from the workout collections when Zwift starts up.
You can also turn it on or off during your workout via the action bar, which is reachable by clicking the up arrow, or clicking your mouse near the bottom-middle of your screen, or swiping up from the bottom of the screen. This will bring up the action bar which includes a button for turning Erg on and off (see below).
Additionally, the Companion app has the same button to toggle ERG on and off during your workout.
While ERG mode will work in any gear on your bike with no shifting required, riders sometimes wonder which gearing is best. There is no clear “right answer” for everyone, but here are a few things to consider:
If you want to work on climbing, train in a climbing gear (small ring on the front). This will reduce your trainer’s flywheel speed, mimicking the feel of a low-speed climbing effort where your muscles aren’t able to “coast” as long at the top and bottom of each pedal stroke.
Train what you race. If you’re training for a particular type of outdoor race, use a gear that mimics the pedal inertia you’ll be experiencing during the race. So a flat TT might use the big ring and one of your smaller cogs in back (high inertia), while a hill climb race might use the small ring and a big cog in back (low inertia).
If you ride a lot of ERG workouts, you might consider varying your gearing in order to wear your cassette more evenly. If 90% of your riding is in the same gear, you’ll wear out your cassette prematurely.
Chain line is always a consideration. Although your trainer and bike may allow it, having a bad chain line will increase drivetrain wear and wattage loss. So if you’re in your big ring in front, try to stay out of your easiest gears in back. And if you’re in your little ring in front, stay out of your hardest gears in back. Try to keep that chain line as straight as possible.
The lower your trainer’s inertia, the faster it can change resistance between intervals. If your trainer is slow to respond, and/or you’re doing very short intervals, you might consider shifting to the small ring to help your trainer respond more quickly to resistance changes.
Noise may also be an issue with certain trainer setups. An easier gear (small ring in front) should reduce your overall spinning and thus the overall noise level.
For more info on the muscle recruitment side of things, check out this video from our favorite Aussie Lama:
The Spiral of Death
If you understand how ERG mode works, you’ll understand what we mean by the “Spiral of Death.” This torturous event happens when you are in ERG mode, attempting to hold a particular wattage, then your legs get tired and your cadence slows. To keep hitting the wattage target, your trainer will then increase the resistance (see examples above).
Your cadence will slow even more due to this increased resistance, which means the trainer will pile on more resistance… until you come to a grinding halt.
Feeling the spiral of death beginning? Ramp up your power a bit while shifting to an easier gear so you can raise your cadence. If you’re out of gears, the only way out of the spiral is to push harder, increasing your cadence so the trainer reduces its resistance.
ERG Mode FAQ
What is ERG mode power smoothing, and should I use it?
This feature is included and enabled by default on some popular smart trainers, including those from Wahoo. It essentially smooths out the power data sent from the trainer to Zwift, so your structured workout graphs look very clean. Some riders like the clean lines of smoothed ERG workouts, while others prefer the more “accurate” and jagged graphs with smoothing turned off. Read more about ERG mode power smoothing >
How is resistance controlled during a “free ride” section in an ERG workout?
Some workouts, including 20-minute FTP tests and certain sprint workouts, include “free ride” sections where you can hold whatever wattage you’d like. In ERG mode, free ride sections feel like you’re on a flat road, with resistance not changing to match in game gradients or have you hit a particular power target. To change resistance in free ride mode, you’ll need to shift gears.
Questions or Comments?
Still confused about ERG mode? Got some insights to share? Comment below!
If you’re on an A or B team, you’ll be racing one lap of the Country to Coastal route. C and D teams will be racing one lap of Turf N Surf.
There’s much to discuss, including crucial course segments, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options. So choose your category below, and let’s go!
A & B Categories – Country to Coastal
Looking at the Route
Makuri Islands’ Country to Coastal route is 33.5km long with 284m of elevation gain. This is the second time we’ve raced it for ZRL, as it featured in race 3 almost exactly 1 year ago.
Let’s discuss the key parts of this route, beginning just after we blast out of the start pen.
Note: riders will receive particular powerups at particular arches in this race. We’ve included those details below, along with notes about where to best use the powerup.
Uphill Start (0-1.4km): we begin with a quick climb from the start pens up to the Village Sprint. While the slope only averages 3.5%, it’ll make the first few minutes especially tough. Make sure you come into the pens warmed up! Once the race begins, mind your pack position, watch for gaps, hold onto those wheels, and know that recovery is just up the road as the next 13.5km are mostly downhill!
Draft Boost powerup at Village Sprint arch @1.7km: increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.) Best used before the next powerup at 7.4, while you’re in the pack, to grab additional recovery.
Anvilat Country Sprint arch @7.4km: makes you heavier for up to 15 seconds, so you can descend faster. It won’t hurt you, as it only adds weight when the road is at a -1.5% decline or greater. Event-only. Use this on downhills. Pair it with a supertuck to go extra fast with zero effort! Best used on the steeper portions of the slot canyon descent ~13-15km into the race.
Climb to Shisa Sprint (18.6-20.1km): the next pinch point begins at 18.6km when you cross a bridge onto the sandy, uphill corkscrew road taking you to the Shisa Sprint. Again, this isn’t a steep climb – it averages 3.3%. But climbers and puncheurs will push the w/kg here in an effort to thin the herd. If you aren’t attacking, you’ll want to hold onto a wheel to save energy in the draft.
Steamroller at Shisa Sprint arch @20.7km: reduces Crr for 30 seconds so you roll as fast as a road tire on pavement regardless of wheels or road surface. This is most effective when used on dirt, but it also provides an advantage on cobbles, bricks, gravel, wood, and ice/snow, etc. Best used on the dirt portion of the Mangrove Maze road at ~24.1km.
Lightweight (feather) at Tidepool Sprint arch @25.8km: reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. Best use? Either on the steeper portion of the Slot Canyon Climb (~26.2-28.5km) if you’re struggling to hold on, or save it for the base of the finishing climb, triggering it just before the lap arch so you get the next powerup!
Slot Canyon climb (26.7-29.2km): our last real climb (apart from the uphill finish) takes us up through the Slot Canyon we descended earlier. At just 2.4%, this is the slackest of our three climbs. But since it comes near the end of the race, you know it’s going to hurt! Pro tips: watch for riders attacking when the road turns right off the pavement and onto sand around 28.2km. This always seems to be a key inflection point.
Burrito at lap arch @33km: turns off the draft effect for riders in a cone-shaped window behind you for 20 seconds. Use when attacking off the front so opponents have to work harder to follow you, or in the peloton to make others work harder. Best used in the final seconds of the race, but watch out – your burrito may hurt nearby teammates!
Finish at Virtual Arch (@33.5km): after a flat lead-in from the Slot Canyon climb, you’ll get to slug it out in an uphill finish that is around 700 meters long, averaging 3.5%. Any powerup will help you here, and you’ll get another one as you pass under the lap arch with 400 meters to go. Time them wisely!
This route’s three key climbs plus an uphill finish may entice you toward a climbing-friendly bike. But it’s important to look at the pitch of the climbs, and not just their length.
As noted above, the climbs only average 2.4-3.5%, which means they are quite draftable, and your bike’s aero performance will be more important than its weight, especially at the speeds A and B riders travel.
So we’re recommending pairing the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc wheels – the most aero wheels in game – with any of the following frames:
S-Works Tarmac SL8
Pinarello Dogma F 2024
Canyon Aeroad 2024
Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71
The Tron bike (Zwift Concept Z1) is also a good choice.
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.
This route as a scratch race has all the makings of a classic attritional Zwift battle. Make no mistake: riders will fall off the back on each of the three key climbs as strong climbers and puncheurs push hard to drop whoever they can!
But does it always make sense to push on the climbs in a team event? Smart teams will look at the makeup of their squad beforehand to determine whether it makes more sense to attack or sit in at key pinch points. Riders will want to communicate well mid-race, too, so teams can make smart, on-the-fly decisions that maximize the team’s overall result.
C & D Categories – Turf N Surf
Looking at the Route
The Makuri Islands Turf N Surf route is essentially one big loop with two key climbs. It was first raced in ZRL in November of 2024, but as a points race.
All C and D teams will be racing a single lap of the route for a total of 24.7km with 198m of climbing.
Let’s discuss the key parts of this route…
Note: riders will receive particular powerups at particular arches in this race. We’ve included those details below, along with notes about where to best use the powerup.
Flat Start (0-14.6km): Don’t expect any major action for the first half of the race, since it’s just a stretch of flat Neokyo roads, the Slot Canyon descent, and more flats. Until the Festival Harbor Climb arrives, any attempted attacks have a very slim chance of sticking.
Draft Boost at Alley Sprint arch @0.7km: increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.) Best used during or just after the Festival Harbor Climb to save you some effort on this key tough section. Just make sure you use it before the Shisa Sprint arch!
Festival Harbor Climb @ 14.6km (2.6% for 2km): This isn’t an official KOM segment, but make no mistake: the first major selection of the race happens here! This is a draggy, draftable climb (remember, it looks like you’re on dirt, but that’s just sand that rolls like tarmac).
Lightweight (feather) at Shisa Sprint arch @16.3km: reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. Best used in the Pain Cavern, when the effort gets highest near the end of the climb.
Recovery (16.6-21.6km): Again, don’t expect any action from the top of the Festival Harbor Climb to the start of the Pain Cavern (21.6km). This section is a twisty descent followed by flat or slightly rolling roads.
Pain Cavern @ 21.6km (3% for 2.1km): This isn’t an official KOM segment either, but it’s the longest climb of the route, and it’s where the second major selection of the race will happen! This is a draggy, draftable climb, and the big moves tend to happen as you enter the figure 8 section. Do everything you can to hold the wheels here, as doing so will give you a shot at the podium. If you lose ’em, you’ve lost.
Finish at Virtual arch: once you’re out of Pain Cavern, you’ve got 1km to go, and it’s quite flat. Time your all-in sprint just right, and you may find yourself on the podium.
This route’s two climbs may entice you toward a climbing-friendly bike. But it’s important to look at the pitch of the climbs, and not just their length.
As noted above, the climbs only average 2.6-3%, which means they are quite draftable, and strong aero performance will save more power than having a lightweight frame.
So we’re recommending pairing the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc wheels – the most aero wheels in game – with any of the following frames:
S-Works Tarmac SL8
Pinarello Dogma F 2024
Canyon Aeroad 2024
Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71
The Tron bike (Zwift Concept Z1) is also a good choice.
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.
This route as a scratch race has all the makings of a classic attritional Zwift battle. Make no mistake: riders will fall off the back on each of the two key climbs as strong climbers and puncheurs push hard to drop whoever they can!
But does it always make sense to push on the climbs in a team event? Smart teams will look at the makeup of their squad beforehand to determine whether it makes more sense to attack or sit in at key pinch points. Riders will want to communicate well mid-race, too, so teams can make smart, on-the-fly decisions that maximize the team’s overall result.
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
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