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Pondering the Possibilities: On-Demand Zwift Time Trialing

Eric Schlange
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67
Pondering the Possibilities: On-Demand Zwift Time Trialing

Pondering the Possibilities: On-Demand Zwift Time Trialing

Update July 8, 2025: the community has developed an on-demand TT solution! Read all about it here.

Credit where credit is due: this article began with someone else’s great idea. Back in December, reader “Gordon” posted this comment on my Zwift Announces Race Calendar Cleanup post:

It would be a shame if TT events were culled heavily as they are very much a solo effort. As much as I hate them myself I know others like them.

What I’d like to see with TT is having something a bit different. Some way to choose a course/route of the week yourself, signup and ride it at any time then have a global/team leaderboard.

This is where Zwift is missing out, constrained by Zwift events and ZwiftPower scoring formats.

(His comment, by the way, received 32 likes as of the writing of this article on January 14. That’s a lot of likes for a comment.)

Gordon’s idea got me thinking. Could Zwift create a sort of “on demand time trial” competition? And would it be compelling?

Déjà Vu?

As I began to ruminate on this idea, a feeling of familiarity hit me. Why did this on-demand TT idea seem so obvious? And then I remembered: I had created a small local competition here in Lake County, California around 10 years ago. I even made a logo:

The big idea was this: each week for a month, local road riders were invited to turn in their best possible time on a chosen Strava segment. The rules were simple: it had to be a solo effort.

Whoever turned in the best time each week won a prize. We had gift certificates from local restaurants, and of course prizes from the LBS. It was all a lot of fun, and riders were watching wind forecasts and putting in multiple attempts to get their best possible time.

This on-demand TT idea is, in many ways, a Zwifty version of my Solo Strava Smackdown Series.

On-Demand Time Trials: The Basics

The basic idea for on-demand time trialing in Zwift would be this: Zwift would designate a course of the week (or month), and if you complete that course within the designated time window (say, Monday through Sunday) on a TT bike you are automatically added to a global leaderboard.

Thinking Through the Details

Let’s unpack the basics above and dig further into this idea.

Course Selection

One fun aspect of this approach to time trials would be the opportunity to mix up routes so they cater to different rider strengths. One week may feature Tempus Fugit, the flattest route on Zwift, tailor-made for riders with big watts. The next week might feature Bologna’s rarely-used Time Trial Lap, which ends in a punishing climb for the w/kg workhorses.

We could also mix up distances. One week’s TT could be on a single lap of the Volcano Circuit for a total of 7.7km, while another week might see riders taking on something like the Mountain Route which could be completed in around an hour at 3 w/kg.

Qualifying Activities

This is a solo race against the clock, so drafting would need to be disabled for an activity to count. Rather than having people “accidentally” enter if they complete the chosen route on a TT bike, it may make the most sense for Zwift to add a card to the homescreen for the on-demand TT. If you want to participate, you have to click the card.

This would pop up details of the featured route, a simple explanation of the competition, and a button you can click to proceed to the start pen.

Clicking to ride would drop you into the start pen, where you could configure your TT bike for maximum speed. And as soon as you start pedaling the timer begins. Go go go!

Rider Visibility

What about seeing other riders on course? Sure, you aren’t able to draft, but still, seeing other riders has a psychological effect. I see a few options here:

  1. Show all riders: show every rider on the road, whether they’re taking part in the on-demand TT or not.
  2. Show competing riders: only show other riders who are currently putting in the on-demand TT effort. These would be carrots to chase.
  3. Show only myself: hide all other riders. It’s just me and the clock.

Of these three options, I like #2 the most. I don’t want to ride through a sea of non-competing riders, but I like the idea of having a few riders up the road, and some riders chasing behind. I think that would be motivating.

Global Leaderboard

A leaderboard would be essential if Zwift wants to inspire participation in these on-demand TTs. A simple leaderboard would be sufficient for the initial launch of a minimum viable product. Zwifters could see the leaderboard via the Companion app or log in to see leaderboards at zwift.com. The result page would show their name and rank at the top, with a scrollable list of all results below, along with simple power and other metrics and a link to view the rider’s activity.

Of course, the leaderboards could become much more interesting. Let us filter results by age, gender, country, or weight class. Let me view only riders who are in the same Club as me. And of course, let me view past weeks’ results as well as the current week.

Making the leaderboard available in the Companion app would also be nice.

Partner Prizes

Many riders are motivated by prizes, which is why I lined up local restaurants for my Solo Strava Smackdown Series. Zwift could easily line up prize giveaways with partners to inspire more participation in the on-demand TTs.

I wouldn’t recommend giving prizes based on overall rankings, but rather, giving them to random finishers. A pair of Oakleys, a new pair of shoes, a sweet new speed suit, a set of Ceramic Speed jockey wheels. The possibilities are endless!

Leader’s Jersey

The icing on the cake: if you finish in the top 1% by gender for the week, you get access to the leader’s jersey which you can wear if you so choose for the following week. It doesn’t last long, but it’s fun while it lasts!

Why It Would Work

Why do I love this idea so much? Let me count the ways…

  1. I love it when Zwift builds on IRL ideas but takes them next-level in ways that are only possible in virtual cycling. This is just such an idea.
  2. The ability to mix up routes means the competition would attract different types of riders each week.
  3. It’s completely flexible in terms of schedule, so anyone can compete at any time.
  4. It’s a new way to inspire people to give their all, which in turn helps build fitness.
  5. It’s an even less intimidating way to race than standard Zwift scratch racing.

Required Game Changes

An MVP version of this idea could be created with very little work on Zwift’s part. Here’s what would need to happen:

  • Select the route of the week: someone at Zwift would need to set up a schedule of routes for the weekly (monthly?) competition.
  • Detect and log qualifying efforts: at its very simplest, Zwift could simply log any effort on a route that was completed on a TT bike. This could include all types of rides (free rides, events, workouts), as long as drafting was not involved.
  • Display a leaderboard: a simple leaderboard would need to be available on zwift.com and/or in the Companion app.
  • Announce the competition: riders would need to know what the featured route is each week. This could be announced in the “This Week on Zwift” email, on Zwift’s racing homepage, on the game homescreen, or in other places.

That would be a very basic implementation, though. To really do it as I’ve described above, Zwift would need to do some additional work:

  • On-Demand Event Flow: it would take some UI changes to let riders click to start their effort, which places them in a start pen where your ride timer doesn’t begin until you start pedaling. That’s not how Zwift events currently start.
  • Rider Visibility: making it so you could see other on-demand TT riders on course may also require a few tweaks.
  • Leader’s Jersey: automatically calculating who gets the jersey, then temporarily placing it in their garage and notifying them of their win would take some setting up and design work. But once the system is in place, it’s a zero-maintenance affair.
  • Partner Prizes: Zwift would need to interact with partners to line up prizes if they decide to add this fun facet.
  • Fancy Leaderboards: as explained above, the leaderboards could be given lots of fun features to make the competition even more compelling.

Your Thoughts

What do you think – does the on-demand TT competition model appeal to you? Are there any great ideas you would add to it? Share your thoughts below!

Nowhere Fast Episode 54 – The Average Joe’s 30 for 30

Kevin Bouchard-Hall
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0
Nowhere Fast Episode 54 – The Average Joe’s 30 for 30

Nowhere Fast Episode 54 – The Average Joe’s 30 for 30

Can a very mid bike racer complete the famed 30 for 30 workout plan? Our very average host and editor shares his experiences surviving 30 straight days of Zwift races and hard Peloton rides. Mike also reports on concerning news about the future of the Gong Show, and Kevin shares the many accomplishments now on his Zwift Power profile. 

About the Podcast

Nowhere Fast is a member of the Wide Angle Podium network. To support this podcast and help pay for Kevin’s gold-plated ankle weights, head to wideanglepodium.com and contribute to our advanced virtual racing research.

To keep up to date on all our real coverage of fake bike racing, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

What’s happening with Pack Dynamics 5 on Zwift?

Eric Schlange
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62
What’s happening with Pack Dynamics 5 on Zwift?

What’s happening with Pack Dynamics 5 on Zwift?

In the past few months, riders have been observing some changes in Zwift’s pack dynamics (PD), particularly in Watopia during free rides. The current game-wide version of PD is referred to as 4.1, and the new PD is being referred to as version 5.

In this post, I look at what changes Zwift is looking to implement with PD5, and what some riders are observing in PD5, including a few observations by myself.

Let’s begin with a long forum reply from Jon Mayfield himself, Zwift’s co-founder. This was posted just last week as a reply in a long thread regarding the 1.80 game release.

Quite a few comments about pack dynamics in here! I can share a bit of information about it.

The latest batch of tuning (which some call pack dynamics 5) has a few goals:

  • make faster riders coming up on slower riders steer around them, vs plowing right through them. In a pack, we still will plow through, but single riders vs single riders should be much nicer now.
  • Increase “draft seeking” behavior. The avatars will more actively steer to get behind somebody, within reason. I’ve not seen any instances of this seeking drafting behind a runner myself, but we’ll look into that. This does also mean you might get a few pacelines of riders as some will seek over to draft the rider who’s popped out (or steered out) to the left or right of the main pack.
  • Increase collision between riders. We’re not trying to eliminate interpenetrations between avatars, but we do want to improve the situation by increasing the collision bounds a little.
  • Similarly, we wanted to make it so you can’t steer through people as easily. This does mean you need to speed up or slow down if you want to get on the other side of somebody. You shouldn’t be able to just steer through avatars as easily as before.
  • Ignore draft seeking behind avatars that have a large speed delta from you. Again if people are seeing your avatar seek runners, it could be you didn’t have the new code on in that case, it could be the runner and the cyclist were going similar speeds, or it could be simply a bug.
  • For people who have steering inputs, make auto-steering gradually blend back on over time. For users who are actively steering they retain full control, but for those who stop using steering we’ll try to keep them in a draft after some amount of time has passed (say, half a minute)

As for how we’ve been testing it:

  • All employees have been riding with it for 4-5 months
  • We started turning this on for the public on October 15, sometimes only for a few hours, to see how it worked at larger scale with non-synthetic riders…real humans! We made 3 or 4 changes during late October.
  • It finally got turned on and stayed on about 50 days ago for Watopia, excluding all events
  • We turned it on in Makuri 40 days ago, again excluding all events
  • We turned it on for group rides, and accidentally turned it on for TTT events Dec 12.
  • Just after new years we turned it off for scheduled non-race group rides and TTT, because as it turns out TTT’s were considered group rides in the code we use for our switch. This will be fixed later in Jan, at which time we’ll re-enable it for scheduled non-race group rides.

So this is where we’re at today. We didn’t announce these changes as we’ve found with pack dynamics we often get lots of false positives when we announce we’ve changed anything, and we were actively changing and improving (and often disabling) the code throughout the fall. The plan was to announce and get more specific feedback once it comes time to start trying it in public races, which is where we’re getting to soon.

Next changes coming later in January:

  • Fix the toggle so we can re-enable for group rides but leave it disabled in TTT.
  • We’ve reduced the amount other people plowing through packs can push you around. Right now if somebody rams you from behind both avatars end up moving. We think the aggressor should be doing the moving left/right so the people minding their own business don’t have to move as much.

Beyond:

  • Widen the draft seeking angle so that a steering user can’t just hug the center line and have a non-steering user not go seek their draft. This was demonstrated in the great video a Zwifter posted above that. Right now auto-steering is looking at maybe 70% of the road width.
  • Turn on for all worlds, in scheduled non-race events
  • Start limited testing in specific racing and time trial type events with those events labelled as PD5 enabled races.
  • Change supertuck criteria as it feels annoying right now as soon as somebody gets in front of you

The tuning of our pack dynamics is a much more continuous thing than I think people realize…and I’m sure will continue for years to come. Sometimes we specifically test with a smaller group of Zwifters, sometimes we just want to start with robopacer groups and general riders in the world, and sometimes we’ll reach out to a race organizer to see if they’re up for testing something with us. Apologies for having it enabled in the TTT’s before we’d announced it – that was definitely not intentional.

This very thorough reply from Jon does a good job of outlining Zwift’s goals for PD5, clarifying how Zwift has been testing PD5 (and their reasons for approaching testing the way they did), and looking ahead to what changes will be coming to PD in the future.

Where To Find Pack Dynamics 5

PD5 is currently enabled for all non-event riding in Watopia and Makuri Islands. So free rides, individual workouts, Meetups, and RoboPacer rides in both Watopia and Makuri Islands will display PD5 behavior.

Observations

While a few community voices have been quite loud on the forums regarding their dislike of PD5, I think it’s safe to say the vast majority of Zwifts haven’t noticed the change, are ambivalent about changes they observed, or actually prefer PD5 over PD4.1.

I’m a part of the latter group. Overall, I think PD5 in its current state is better than PD4.1. The positives I’m seeing are:

  • Less riding through other riders
  • Smoother draft seeking with and without steering paired
  • More natural-looking packs of riders

That’s not to say PD5 is perfect, though.

“Titanium Ben” Pitt has been publishing some top-notch Zwift nerd videos lately, and just posted one displaying some of the notable behavior he’s noticed with PD5. I won’t detail everything he observes, but there are definitely a few oddities Zwift will want to tune up:

One notable oddity is the “sluggish steering” behavior Ben notes here:

Another thing I want to call out is the tendency for steering-enabled riders to get pushed to the outside of the lane in large groups, even after purposely steering to the center line. This is a complaint I’ve seen from other steering riders, and I’ve seen it myself.

I made a quick video showing this behavior in the Coco group, and at the end, I show how it could negatively impact race performance when riders are moved to a position with decreased draft:

And while this isn’t a PD5-specific issue – rather, it’s a UI issue that has existed for years – can I just observe once more that the number of rider name plates needs to be reduced in large groups? In my video above, you can see how the name tags along the bottom are stacked several names deep, and the names of riders ahead are obscuring my view of the pack.

I’m not sure how Zwift’s logic works for displaying name tags, but I think it lacks a hard limit, something like “Display no more than 3 rider names at a time from behind, and 2 names up ahead.” Seems like a simple UI improvement Zwift could make, so I’m tagging it onto this post.

And with that, I’ll wrap this up. Ride on, everyone!

Your Thoughts

What do you think of PD5? Share your likes and/or dislikes below…

“Queen’s Highway After Party” Route Details

Eric Schlange
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0
“Queen’s Highway After Party” Route Details

“Queen’s Highway After Party” Route Details

See zwiftinsider.com/route/queens-highway-after-party/

Ride Report: Thursday Pizza Burner Metric Century

Eric Schlange
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19
Ride Report: Thursday Pizza Burner Metric Century

Ride Report: Thursday Pizza Burner Metric Century

Last week Zwift HQ’s James Bailey and I hosted the first-ever Thursday Pizza Burner, a new weekly 100-kilometer ride. Lots of riders showed up and put in solid endurance efforts, so I wanted to write up a ride review to share the experience in case you missed it but want to hop in on future weeks. Read on!

Ride Intro

“The Thursday Pizza Burner 🔥🍕 with James and Eric” is a 100-kilometer multi-paced ride happening each Thursday at 1:05pm UTC/8:05am ET/5:05am PT.

I say “multi-paced” because James and I both have yellow leader beacons, but he targets a pace of 1.8 w/kg while I target 2.5 w/kg. You are free to ride with either of us. You can even be somewhere in between, off the back, or (worst of all) a Zinner off the front winning the group ride. ☺️

Sign up for the next Pizza Burner ride (Jan 16) >

Watch My Video

Want to see how the first Pizza Burner unfolded from my perspective? Here’s my recording, complete with Discord chatter:

Play By Play

We left the pens with 164 riders grouped up. Thanks to late joiners (you can join any group ride up to 30 minutes into the event) a total of 180 riders would eventually participate. Our goal? 25 Volcano Circuit laps for a total of 105.3km.

We stayed together for the first Volcano Circuit lap, getting our legs warmed up, inviting folks to join the Discord voice chat, and generally getting everyone on the same page. Once we began the second lap, I ramped up my pace to the target 2.5 w/kg, and my group split off from James’.

Soon enough the name-calling began. Well, the positive name-calling, that is. James started it when he messaged, “The ‘best group’ is currently around position 124” 38 minutes into the ride.

I couldn’t let that go unanswered, so I explained that the “more best” group was at 24.6km. James quickly countered by “calling besterest x infinity.” This, I sense, may turn into a repeated ride theme…

The Coffee Stop is a controversial feature in Zwift, but James set the tone early on by explaining that he would be taking any and all coffee stops available. He was true to his word, announcing “COFFEE SHOP OPEN” just past the 30-minute mark. Soon enough, the cups were flying:

This, too, will surely turn into a theme on the Pizza Burner ride. Perhaps we should have named the ride something like “James’ Coffee Stop Metric”.

Discord filled up nicely (we used Zwift Insider’s server, available at discord.gg/zwiftinsider) and you can hear that chatter in my video above. It was great to have Justin “Wagz” Wagner join us, because he was, in many ways, the inspiration behind this ride! I rode in Justin’s 3-hour “Wagner’s Wagon” Thursday morning rides which he hosted weekly for years, and always appreciated how his witty banter on Discord made the time pass.

(Justin didn’t finish this ride, but we were all able to tease him enough so he held on past his initial 60km target and went to 64+ instead. He’ll be back…)

One rider, “10 96 Cycling”, made things hilarious and confusing by listening in on Discord but only replying to voice chat via in-game messages. (He said his mic wasn’t working, but I think he just enjoyed being an agent of chaos.)

At the top of the hour we held an impromptu dad joke competition: tell your joke, and everyone else replies with a 1-10 rating. I started it off:

10 meant the joke was good, but as Wagz pointed out near the end of the competition, these were dad jokes, which meant, perhaps, that the lowest-rated jokes were actually the real winners.

Ross Irwin gets an honorable mention for his repeated requests to hear top-secret Zwifty info from James and I. (We shared a few tidbits, but nothing that would get James fired.) Keep digging, Ross. Hopefully in future weeks we’ll have more to share!

As the kilometers ticked over, my front group of ~70 shrunk to 60, then 50, then 40. Pretty standard for long rides on Zwift. Some folks sign on knowing they have to pull the plug at two hours. Others just want to see how far they can ride. Other had to ease up and finish at a slower pace. It’s all good. These rides can turn into a mental battle, but that’s one of the beautiful things about longer bike rides – they train your mental muscle!

Heading into the penultimate lap, I asked my group if they were up for a challenge. Could we work together, using powerups wisely, to make our 25th and final lap our fastest on the day? We decided we’d shoot for a sub-6-minute pace, since all of our laps had been over 6 minutes. There was some groaning, but eventually it felt like everyone got on board, especially after I agreed to do an extra slow 24th lap!

We all saved our aero powerups:

Then went for it as the final lap began. We were supposed to target 300 watts on the front, but I think things got a bit spicier than that. At some point, a group of riders broke away from my pack. I and others in my group put in a couple of digs, but we weren’t quite able to pull them back. No matter, though – my final lap time was 5 minutes, 50.8 seconds, and I was happy with that.

Final Numbers

According to the event results, 66 riders went on to complete the full 25-lap ride (105.3km). I finished my ride in 2h43 with an average wattage of 207 (so 2.46 w/kg), while James and his group finished in 3h08. James averaged 162 watts (bang on 1.8 w/kg)… and used 5 coffee stops.

Unlocks! Pizza Socks!

This is the Pizza Burner, after all, so finishers unlock the coveted Pizza Socks, which have only been unlocked through a handful of Zwift events in the past. Congrats to all the new Pizza Sock owners.

Next week’s Pizza Burner (January 16) will feature the following unlocks:

  • Big Spin Headphones
  • Pizza Socks
  • Zwift Insider kit
Big Spin headphones
Pizza Socks
ZI kit

Join Us!

You may not want to ride a long Thursday Pizza Burner, but don’t let that stop you. (James doesn’t want to do it, either, and he’s leading it!) Misery loves company:

This week’s ride is 100km long, on Watopia’s Waistband. No big head avatars this week, but we will be riding Big Wheels!

Sign up for the next Pizza Burner ride (Jan 16) >

Zwift Training Redefined: How to Build Workouts Based on Your Power Duration

Jakub Novak
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7
Zwift Training Redefined: How to Build Workouts Based on Your Power Duration

Zwift Training Redefined: How to Build Workouts Based on Your Power Duration

Many Zwift users rely on pre-built workouts that use percentages of Functional Threshold Power (FTP) to structure intervals. While this approach works to some extent, it often falls short, especially when training in anaerobic zones (above threshold). The problem? FTP-based intervals don’t account for individual differences in short-duration power output, which can lead to suboptimal training.

For example, when doing a 1-minute interval, one rider might max out at 120% of FTP, while another could hold 140%. If both follow a workout that prescribes 130% of FTP, the first rider might struggle to complete the interval, while the second isn’t pushing hard enough to get the desired benefit. This one-size-fits-all approach limits your potential to build real cycling strength in short, intense efforts.

A More Effective Zwift Training Method

At ProCyclingCoaching, we take a personalized, data-driven approach that you can apply to your own Zwift workouts. Instead of sticking to generic workouts from the Zwift library, try this method: focus on your maximum power for specific durations you want to improve, rather than a fixed FTP percentage.

How to Apply This in Zwift:

  1. Identify Your Goal
    Let’s say you want to improve your 1-minute power for sprints, breakaways, or climbs.
  2. Test Your Limit
    After a proper warm-up, perform two all-out 1-minute efforts, giving yourself full recovery in between. Use the highest power output from those efforts as your benchmark for 1-minute max power. (Pro Tip: if you recently completed the Attacking Test from Zwift Camp: Baseline, use those results!)
  3. Create Personalized Intervals
    Build a workout with 3-6 repetitions of 1-minute intervals at 90-95% of your tested max power, with enough recovery time between intervals to maintain quality.
    Example: If your 1-minute max power is 500W, your target interval range would be 450-475W.
  4. Re-test Regularly
    Repeat the test every 4-6 weeks to track progress and adjust your interval targets accordingly. This ensures you’re always training near your true maximum, which is key for continued improvement.

By using this method, your Zwift workouts become highly personalized and effective, helping you train at the right intensity for your goals. Whether you’re preparing for a race or simply want to crush that next sprint segment, this approach ensures your training adapts to you, not the other way around.

Creating the Workout

To create your custom workout, go to Workouts>Custom from the Zwift homescreen and click “Create Workout”. Change the “display” setting to “Watts” instead of the default (“% of FTP”), and use the “Intervals” block to easily create a set of repeating intervals:

One caveat: while displaying watts lets you set a particular watt target for your custom workout’s intervals, if your profile FTP setting changes, your power targets in the workout will change as well. This is because Zwift saves intervals as a percentage of your FTP, not as a simple wattage number, regardless of what you have the “display” option set to.

Why FTP-Based Training is Still Useful in Some Cases

While this article focuses on the limitations of FTP-based training for anaerobic intervals, it’s important to recognize that FTP still plays a crucial role in cycling training, especially for endurance and threshold work. FTP represents the highest power you can maintain over a long period (usually an hour) without fatigue overwhelming you. As such, FTP-based training is most effective for:

  1. Building Endurance
    Endurance rides, often prescribed at 55–75% of FTP, help improve aerobic capacity and fat metabolism, which are essential for long-distance events and overall cycling fitness.
  2. Threshold Development
    Sustained intervals at 85–95% of FTP improve your ability to hold high power over time, making you stronger in long, steady climbs and time trials.
  3. Base Building
    During the early season or base period, cyclists focus on developing a robust aerobic engine. Training zones based on percentages of FTP are widely used for this purpose.
  4. Consistency Across Rides
    FTP provides a common reference point across workouts. Since it’s relatively stable over weeks or months, it’s a convenient metric for planning structured training.

While personalized power-duration intervals are ideal for improving short-duration efforts and anaerobic capacity, combining them with FTP-based work ensures well-rounded fitness. This balanced approach helps cyclists perform better in all aspects of racing and riding, whether on Zwift or in real-world events.

Woman Racer Spotlight: Astrid Bontzek

Karla Williams
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1
Woman Racer Spotlight: Astrid Bontzek

Woman Racer Spotlight: Astrid Bontzek

Name:  Astrid Bontzek

Hometown: Munich, Bavaria

How did you get into cycling?  I’ve been participating in smaller triathlons for fitness for many years. In 2021, I joined Team Kirchmair Cycling through a partnership centered on indoor racing with the Facebook group “Fräulein Triathlon”, and that’s when my passion for indoor races and road cycling, especially in the Alps and taking part in Gran Fondo events, really took off. Thanks to the friendships I’ve built within the team, and learning from leader and coach Stefan Kirchmair (GF World and European Champion – and winner of many Gran Fondos and Zwift Races), cycling has become a major part of my life.

How many years have you been racing on Zwift?  I have been racing on Zwift for almost 4 years now, and I’m absolutely hooked on it!

Are you part of a Virtual team?  Yes, I’m a proud member of Team Kirchmair e-Cycling. We have a wide range of teams across all performance levels, especially for women, so you’re always well-supported, no matter your skill level. I’ve had the chance to meet and ride with some incredible athletes, and the camaraderie within the team is truly inspiring. In addition to racing, I also love leading group rides for Kirchmair Cycling when I have the time and opportunity. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to connect with other cyclists in the community.

Join the Kirchmair Club to see their upcoming events >

What do you love most about racing?  What I love most is being part of an amazing team. The support and encouragement from my teammates really motivate me to push beyond my limits. I also appreciate learning from Stefan Kirchmair’s expertise and contributing to the team’s improvement as we support each other’s growth. It’s not just about the competition but also about the team spirit and personal development.

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)?  My absolute favourites are Team Time Trials (TTTs) and Points Races. Both formats require not only individual strength but also strategic teamwork, which makes them so exciting!

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series?  I really enjoy the Iceni Race Series by Warrior Games. A huge THX to the organizing teams for creating such fantastic women-only race events!

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH?  Indoors, I’ll never forget our victory with the “KIRCHMAIR Team Bees” at the WTRL TTT World Tournament 2022 in the Coffee Class Vienna (Mocha)! Outdoors, my most memorable experience was definitely the 2023 Ötztaler Radmarathon. It was a massive challenge, but crossing that finish line felt amazing and is one of the highlights of my cycling journey.

What is your favourite food to eat post race?  After a short, intense indoor race, I usually go for a protein and carb shake – I don’t feel that hungry right away. But after a long outdoor marathon, I love having pasta or pizza for dinner!

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? 

  1. Have fun!
  2. Use the draft – it makes a huge difference.
  3. Know the course – preparation is key. Use top race recons, like those from Zwift Insider or Si Bradely, to fully understand the course, and make sure you have the best possible setup for your race. 
  4. You’re never too old to race – much respect and lots of Ride Ons to the OWLs (Older Women in Lycra)!
  5. And of course, give your fellow riders Ride Ons – supporting each other is what makes the Zwift community so special.

Any upcoming race you are looking forward to?  I’m really looking forward to the next seasons of the Zwift Racing League, where I’ll be racing with “my girls” again!

Where can people follow your racing adventures? You can follow me directly on Zwift through my rider profile: zwift.com/eu/athlete/3126361

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of January 11-12

Eric Schlange
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0
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of January 11-12

The weather outside is frightful, but the Zwifting is delightful. This weekend we’re featuring the wildly popular Tour de Zwift events, plus the final big race of the Zwift World Series and three additional popular rides/races. So the details of each pick below!

🤝 Tour de Zwift – Stage 1

✅ Popular Event 　✅ Kit Unlock

Tour de Zwift, the biggest ride series on the platform, is underway, and hundreds of riders have been turning out for each event! Stage 1 is available through the end of the weekend, with these route options:

Read all about Tour de Zwift 2025 >

Are these races? Not officially, but the front of each ride will surely be spicey. Ride it at whatever pace you’d like!

Hourly events this weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/tdz2025

🥇Zwift World Series Race 5 – Community

✅ Route Badge 　✅ Popular Race 　✅ Tough Route

The fifth and final race of the Zwift World Series happens this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It’s the community edition of the race, so anyone can join, and it’s on the tough Power to the Tower course (44.7km, 1497m).

Read more about the race >

Multiple timeslots
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/zwscommunity

🥇 RAD RACE Grindhouse Series Race 2

✅ Popular Event 　✅ Kit Unlock

The second race in the monthly series from RAD RACE, this event has so many signups that we simply must feature it for the weekend!

Racers will be tackling 6 laps of London’s Classique for a total race length of 38.4km with 196m of elevation.

Saturday, January 11 @ 9:35am UTC/4:35am EST/1:35am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4610876

🤝 BMTR Flat 100 (Miles)

✅ Popular Event 　✅ Legacy Leaders 　✅ Kit Unlock 　✅ Endurance Challenge

This event is popular every weekend, and thus earns a regular spot on this list! The BMTR Flat 100 consistently gets big turnouts because it offers multiple pace groups on flatter, distance-friendly routes.

This week riders are on the Wandering Flats and Tempus Fugit routes with four different pace options. Be sure to read the event description for details!

Saturday, January 11 @ 1:10pm UTC/8:10am EST/5:10am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4729991

🤝 January Resolution Challenge Ride

✅ Popular Event 　✅ Beginner Friendly 　✅ Kit Unlock

Join the Pas Normal Studios crew for their January Resolution challenge on Strava (riding 1250km in January), then get a jump on your goals by completing this 50-km ride on Watopia’s Triple Flat Loops route. Lots of riders signed up for this event!

The ride is paced steadily at 2-2.2 w/kg.

Sunday, January 12 @ 4pm UTC/11am ET/8am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4686721

How We Make Our Picks

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!

Tiny Race Series – January 11 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – January 11 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Tiny Race Series – January 11 Routes and Last Week’s Results

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

Zwift Needs a High School Racing League

Iaroslav Abramov
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31
Zwift Needs a High School Racing League

Zwift Needs a High School Racing League

You’re already familiar with the thrill of Zwift. Whether it’s grinding up the Alpe, sprinting to open a gap in Crit City, or spinning in a group ride, Zwift has transformed how we train, race, and connect. But what if it could do even more? What if Zwift became the gateway to cycling for high school athletes through a High School Racing League?

*Note – For this vision to come to life, Zwift would need to reintroduce its under-16 program, which was previously discontinued due to the complexities (and costs) of verification and privacy compliance. This program would be essential; without it, students wouldn’t be able to join until age 16, leaving them with little time to grow in the sport. Freshman year would be an essential window when students are most open to new opportunities, making it the perfect time to introduce them to the sport. By starting early, Zwift would set a solid stage for the athletes.

Picture this: high school teams competing in Zwift’s immersive worlds, friendly rivalries driving the competition. Like XC, the league could have varsity and junior varsity divisions to ensure fair competition and inclusive opportunities.

Cycling has a good bit of global popularity, yet it struggles to attract younger athletes. Zwift’s gamified features, virtual worlds, and tech-forward appeal could make cycling a favorite among young athletes. And with its ability to connect riders regardless of location, Zwift has the potential to inspire from all corners of the globe—even in areas without safe or suitable outdoor environments.

How Zwift Can Support the High School Racing League

Zwift’s infrastructure is already well-suited to hosting a High School Racing League. Here’s how it could work:

  • Club-Based Teams: Schools could form virtual cycling clubs using Zwift’s club tools to train & track progress. Teams could compete in state or national championships.
  • Divisions for Fair Play: The league could feature varsity and junior varsity categories, allowing athletes of all experience levels to compete and develop.
  • Diverse Race Formats: Zwift’s versatility supports mass-start events, time trials, and more, catering to a wide range of rider preferences.
  • Accessible Training: Schools in areas with unsafe roads or harsh weather could create shared “pain caves” equipped with smart trainers, bikes, and screens. These setups could be funded through local sponsorships, fundraising, and/or discounts from Zwift and equipment manufacturers.

Additionally, Zwift could provide coaching and training plans to help support the league’s growth and the development of individual riders:

  • Centralized Coaching: Zwift could provide coaching at regional or state levels for schools lacking local expertise, helping teams refine and get better.
  • Tailored Training Plans: Training plans could be designed for high school teams, giving riders a tailored way to grow.

Uncovering Talent 

The High School Racing League wouldn’t just be about competition—it could be another talent pipeline for the sport.

  • Race-Driven Talent Scouting: By tracking performance in league races, such as consistent wins and podium finishes, identifying promising athletes with the potential to excel would be effortless.
  • Pathways to Professional Cycling: The environment could feed directly into national development programs or professional networks, creating a clear trajectory for young athletes.
  • Inclusive Talent Discovery: Virtual racing would remove many barriers, ensuring all talented riders have a chance.

Overcoming Challenges 

Launching the league won’t be without its challenges, but they’re far from insurmountable:

  • Equipment Costs: While smart trainers and bikes may be expensive, athletes (and schools) could set up fundraising events to buy trainers (for a discounted price) from hardware manufacturers.
  • Ensuring Inclusivity: Programs offering loaner equipment or scholarships could ensure every student has the opportunity to participate.

Benefits for Everyone

  • For Students: Consistent training access, a gamified approach to fitness, and valuable life skills like teamwork and goal-setting.
  • For Schools: A new sport that diversifies extracurricular offerings, engages the community, and is easy to implement with Zwift’s intuitive tools.
  • For Zwift: Ensuring growing community, a new talent pipeline, and increased visibility in both the cycling and esports worlds.

Making it a Reality 

To bring the Zwift High School Racing League to life, the following steps are key:

  • Pilot Programs: Test the concept with a small number of schools to refine the format and address challenges.
  • Funding and Sponsorships: Collaborate with schools to secure funding through community events and partnerships with local businesses.
  • Affordable Options: Provide discounted school subscriptions, shared accounts, and equipment bundles to lower the barrier to entry.
  • Comprehensive Support: Offer training plans, coaching resources, and community support to help schools and students get started.

By combining gamification, competition, and accessibility, Zwift has the potential to introduce cycling to a new generation. The Zwift High School Racing League could inspire young athletes, expand the platform’s community, and develop the next wave of cyclists.

Your Thoughts

What do you think? Is there an opportunity here for Zwift to impact the next generation of riders in a big way? Share your thoughts below!

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