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Bologna TT Showdown: TT Bike vs. Road Bike Post-Upgrades

Bologna TT Showdown: TT Bike vs. Road Bike Post-Upgrades

First introduced in May 2019, the Bologna Time Trial Lap course is short but brutal. It’s split into:

  • 6.0 km of flat terrain through the historic streets
  • 2.0 km climb averaging 9.7%, up to the Sanctuary of San Luca

This makes it close to a 50/50 split of flat and climbing for many Zwifters.

Why Retest?

Since its debut, Bologna TT has been well-studied. But with recent Zwift bike upgrades, earlier conclusions are up for debate. A discussion on the Kaboom Discord prompted this investigation after discrepancies appeared in the ZwifterBikes.web.app.

One Kaboom rider, Eric Brown, found that the app showed a 40-second advantage for the road bikes over TT bikes, which seemed suspicious. Oddly the same rider stats resulted in a different outcome on ZwifterBikes.web.app for myself, with the best TT bike being 10 seconds faster than the best road bike. I’d already established that the TT bike with disk wheels was the fastest setup for my A cat team in previous years’ testing, with a bike swap being a marginal gain with high risk. But I had to know – had the bike upgrade changes shaken things up? This required a test in Zwift to verify.

Organizing the Test

For those that don’t know, Bologna is an event-only world, making testing a little more tricky for those who live in the Eastern states of Australia like myself. It seems that every time I check zwifthacks.com/app/events for events on this course, they are on at “stupid O’clock” in the early morning hours. Luckily, Zwift has a “feature” that accommodates us: I could sign up for an event and then leave my avatar sitting on the side of the road whilst I go to bed and dream about riding away from Pogacar on the queen stage of the 2025 TDF (or the draft gauge being displayed natively in Zwift) and Zwift will automatically place the rider in the event.

I grabbed my morning coffee and greeted my Zwift avatar over a bowl of cold milk and Weetbix drizzled with honey. Hitting the “leave event” icon, I then logged into Zwift on my phone to trigger my original signed-in account in Bologna to be signed out and in a pseudo “offline” mode to ensure I didn’t contaminate my Zwift stats like XP, drops, bike upgrades etc.

WARNING: Despite the notice bar at the top stating stats won’t be counted, your fitness signature is still affected in this mode, so be careful with power durations if you don’t want to impact category rankings.

Test Setup

5 scenarios were tested using different rider profiles:

  • 75 kg @ 173 cm @ 350 watts and then a split power 330w on flat, 370w on climb
  • 50 kg @ 165 cm @ 5 W/kg and 3 W/kg- 90 kg @ 173 cm @ 250 watts (2.8 W/kg)

Bikes Used

  • Road: Level 4 S-Works Tarmac SL8 + Enve SES 7.8 wheels
  • TT: Level 5 Cadex + Enve SES 7.8 (Zipp 858/Super9 tested as well in first round in video). Zwift’s Ghost feature was used to compare previous runs and give a good visual guide.

Watch the Video

Results Snapshot

Rider Profile  TT Bike TimeRoad Bike TimeDifference  
75kg @ 350W16:04.3216:12.17TT faster by 7.85 seconds
50kg @ 5W/kg15:50.9616:00.09TT faster by 9.94 seconds
50kg @ 3W/kg23:00.6122:56.60Road faster by 4.01 seconds
90kg @ 250W22:46.0522:44.01Road faster by 2.04 seconds

“The slower you go, the more time you spend climbing. That makes the road bike more advantageous.” – from the video

Interpretation

  • At high power outputs, the TT bike wins thanks to its flat-section dominance.
  • At low power outputs, the road bike can outperform due to increasing the ratio of time spent on the climb compared to the flat.
  • The differences are small (~9 seconds), and pacing is still a very important factor. As Shane Miller says, “Go hardest when you’re going slowest.”

While TT bikes still hold an edge for strong riders, the Bologna TT course becomes road bike-friendly for less powerful riders. I would estimate that 3.2 W/kg is probably the tipping point where the TT bike starts to see an advantage for most rider sizes. Whilst I did get largely different finish times compared to zwifterbikes.web.app, the predicted time difference between the bikes were within a few seconds. Therefore, I feel that the bike recommendations may well be accurate enough to trust. They seem to line up well with the equipment tests published on Zwift Insider and my previous testing.

Recommendations

  • High wattage (3.2 W/kg and above) -> Stick with your TT rig.
  • Low power riders -> Consider a lightweight road setup, especially if you spend a long time on the hill.
  • Willing to risk it for a biscuit? Try a bike swap: start on a TT bike for the flat and switch to a roadbike after the right hand turn starting the climb. There is potential to gain a large number of seconds for those in the lower categories who are well versed in fast bike swaps.

Your Thoughts

What’s your go-to Bologna TT race rig? Share your thoughts below!


All About SISU Tour 2025, Beginning July 5

All About SISU Tour 2025, Beginning July 5

The SISU Tour is SISU’s largest annual race event, and it’s returning in July for its fourth edition. This 7-stage race series runs alongside the three weeks of the Men’s Tour de France, covering 2,375 meters of total elevation across 175km of Zwift France.

Individual and Team Classifications

Three prestigious classifications are up for grabs:

  • Mountain Goat: Conquer the climbs and prove your prowess on all KQOM segments to wear the coveted polka dots. The winner will be determined by the cumulative fastest time (FTS) across all mountain segments.
  • Sprinter Classification: Got a need for speed? Dominate the flat roads and be the first across the line on all sprint segments to claim the green jersey, based on the cumulative FTS.
  • General Classification: The ultimate prize. The rider with the lowest cumulative time across all seven stages will be crowned the overall champion of the SISU Tour.

Race for individual glory or team up to take on the Team GC, where the fastest three riders from each team, in each grade, will have their times combined for each stage. Full results and standings will be available at sisu.racing/tour.

Stage Schedule and Routes

Each stage is available in 15 different timeslots, so you can find a race that works with your schedule.

  • Stage 1: Saturday, July 5
  • Stage 2: Tuesday, July 8
  • Stage 3: Saturday, July 12
  • Stage 4: Tuesday, July 15
  • Stage 5: Saturday, July 19
    • Route: Ven-10
    • 1 Lap, 11.4km, 817m 
  • Stage 6: Tuesday, July 22
  • Stage 7: Saturday, July 26

Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/sisutour

Other Information

  • Events are categorized using Zwift’s Racing Score with separate results for Men and Women.
  • Riders who upgrade their category during the first six stages will be reclassified in their higher grade.
  • All events are mass start, with all riders visible on the course.
  • For the Team GC, riders must have their team listed on their ZwiftPower profile before Stage 1.
  • Bike upgrades are enabled – choose your fastest machine!
  • TT bikes are mandatory for the iTT (Stage 2), and the draft will be disabled. The three individual sprint segments of the iTT Stage are not in play for the Sprinter Classification.
  • ZPower riders and those without heart rate data will be excluded from the results.
  • A rider’s best time will count if they race the same stage in multiple time zones.
  • A ZwiftPower profile is required to be included in the GC (learn how to sign up).

Questions or Comments?

Join the conversation on the SISU Racing Discord and connect with fellow riders in the SISU Racing Club in the Companion App.

For more information, FAQs, and full results, visit sisu.racing/tour. Any questions can be sent to the Tour Director at [email protected].

Post below!


Top 5 Zwift Videos: Level 100, FTP Tests, and Heat Training

The race to level 100 began roughly 1.5 years ago, when Zwift announced the expansion of the leveling system. In this week’s featured video, watch as a long-time Zwifter reaches level 100.

Also featured in this post are videos about FTP tests, training in the heat, and winning a Zwift race.

Watch as Shane Miller, GPLama, streams his last ride before hitting level 100.
Every 3 months, Lake District Cyclist does an FTP test to track his progress. Catch his latest FTP test to see how much he has improved with his recent training.
Struggling to train through the summer heat? Everything is Photogenic breaks down how you can train better in the heat.
After lots of training and racing, Adam from Road to A finally won his first Zwift race. Watch as he breaks the race down and shares how he secured the win.

Beeblebrox returns to the Tiny Races after a 16-month hiatus, and experiences all the joy and pain over this tough 4-race set.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

Racing WTRL TTT or Zwift Racing League? It’s Time To Upgrade Your Bikes…

Racing WTRL TTT or Zwift Racing League? It’s Time To Upgrade Your Bikes…

Back in March, Zwift launched their “bike upgrades” feature, allowing Zwifters to improve the performance of their in-game bike frames in 5 stages by logging time/distance/elevation on the frame before purchasing an upgrade.

To date, bike upgrades have been enabled in most community race events (including Zwift Insider’s Tiny Races) as well as Zwift’s major races (the ZRacing series). However, upgrades are disabled in the popular Thursday TTT events, as well as the Zwift Racing League Showdown wrapping up next week.

That’s going to change soon, though. We’ve received word from WTRL (organizers of the Thursday TTTs) that upgrades will be enabled starting in July (target date: July 3). Additionally, WTRL and Zwift have confirmed that, when Zwift Racing League (ZRL) spins up its first round in September, bike upgrades will be enabled for all events.

So today, I’m publishing this post as a public service announcement: if you’re racing on Zwift but haven’t started upgrading your bike(s), it’s time to get to work.

Why Upgrade?

Simply put, riding a fully-upgraded version of a fast bike will give you a significant advantage over anyone riding a non-upgraded version of the same frame. This is especially true when it comes to time trials, where results are based purely on finishing time and there’s no hiding in the competition’s draft.

A fully upgraded TT bike will be approximately 50 seconds faster across an hour of flat riding vs the non-upgraded version, and anyone who has raced a TTT knows that’s a huge margin. If you look at that time savings through the lens of power savings, it works out to ~11 watts saved.

This time savings is so significant that I believe we’ll see team leaders choosing to exclude riders who don’t have access to a fully-upgraded TT frame once upgrades are enabled for Thursday TTTs and ZRL.

Further reading: Digging Into Zwift Bike Upgrades: Performance Improvements and Power Savings at Each Stage

A fully upgraded all-around road frame will save you approximately 30 seconds across an hour of flat racing vs the non-upgraded version. It will also save you ~37 seconds across an hour of climbing. This works out to ~6 watts saved in flat races and ~3 watts on climbs. While these savings may not be noticeable when you’re riding tempo in the pack draft, racers know that saving power during the easier parts of a race allows you to have more in the tank when it’s time to go full gas.

Lastly, we have climbing frames, which improve by ~60 seconds across an hour of climbing when they’re fully upgraded. This works out to a ~5-watt savings, which will prove helpful for many riders who struggle on longer climbs in ZRL events.

Which Bikes To Upgrade?

So, which bike frames should you be riding and upgrading? If you want to dig into the data yourself and draw your own conclusions, see our detailed road bike frame performance charts and time trial frame performance charts.

Want to keep it simple? Here are my recommendations:

  • All Around Road Frame: Choose from the S-Works Tarmac SL8, Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71, Pinarello Dogma 2024, or Canyon Aeroad 2024. These are the four fastest all-arounder frames in Zwift (in that order), and are in a performance class all their own – see our Tron vs Top Performers chart for details.
    • You will need to put in 1600km and spend 1.9 million Drops to fully upgrade one of these bikes.
  • Time Trial Frame: Choose the Cadex Tri, which is far and away the most aero TT bike available on Zwift (see TT frame performance charts).
    • You will need to log 40 hours and spend 1.9 million Drops to fully upgrade this bike.
  • (Optional) Climbing Frame: While a fully-upgraded S-Works Tarmac SL8 climbs very well, you may want a fully-upgraded Specialized S-Works Aethos in your garage for any race that involves a crucial longer/steeper climb, especially if it’s a mountaintop finish (see road frame performance charts).
    • You will need to climb 15,000 meters and spend 1.9 million Drops to fully upgrade this bike.
  • (Optional) Halo Bike: Once you’ve upgraded your three key frames above, why not work toward a fully-upgraded Halo Bike? They aren’t great climbers, but they sure are aero! The Specialized Project ’74, in particular, is the fastest non-TT bike on Zwift, putting around 6 seconds into the Tron on flat ground (see All About Halo Bikes).
Specialized Project ’74

Upgrading Strategy

While some teams/riders are using, shall we say, less than admirable methods for achieving bike upgrades, there are definitely ways to ethically maximize your efforts as you work to upgrade your frames. Before you begin each Zwift session, give a bit of thought to which bike frame you should use for the session, as you’ll accumulate upgrade progress on which frame(s) you select.

Here are three simple tips:

  1. Time trial frames upgrade based on time spent, so these are best used when riding longer workouts, solo free ride efforts up big climbs, etc.
  2. Sitting in with pace partners, or participating in a social ride or race? You’ll want to use your road frame, since you’ll be racking up lots of kilometers in the draft.
  3. Once you’ve upgraded your TT frame, start using your climbing frame for any ride involving significant climbing, so you can make progress toward a fully upgraded Specialized S-Works Aethos.

Questions or Comments?

Where are you in your bike upgrade efforts, and what’s your overall strategy for upgrading? Share your thoughts below!


Down Under Crit Series p/b MAAP Begins This Thursday

Down Under Crit Series p/b MAAP Begins This Thursday

This Thursday, MAAP+Zwift launch the Down Under Crit Series, an 8-week series of unique “neutral start” crit races aimed at bringing fun to the Aussie winter.

These events are structured differently from any major series we’ve seen on Zwift. Every race is three laps long, with the first two laps fenced so the group stays together, and the final lap being an unfenced, all-out race!

Unique Event Structure

These races are mass-start events modelled after the iconic Donny Chaingang format. It’s unclear just how fast these two fenced laps will be, and ultimately that will be up to the rider leader (beacon). Based on the event description, the first two laps will be fast, but not race pace. (Think tempo, not full gas. Of course, “full gas” is different from one rider to another.) Ride leaders will control the pace using the fence, which will “zap” riders (remove them from the event) if they ride ahead of the fence for too long:

The final lap of each event is where the race happens. The ride leader will turn off the fence, and it’s an all-out effort to the end.

(Note: these rides are technically classified as group rides, which means they won’t modify your Zwift Racing Score or count toward race rankings on ZwiftPower.)

Event + Route Schedule

Events are scheduled in two time slots each Thursday for 8 weeks:

  • 6pm AEST (8am UTC/4am ET/1am PT)
  • 7:30pm AEST (9:30am UTC/5:30am ET/2:30am PT)

Each week features three laps on a fresh route, rotating between several Zwift maps:

Banner with abstract, white geometric shapes on a pink-to-yellow gradient background. Text reads: ZWIFT DOWN UNDER CRIT SERIES Presented By MAAP.

See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/ducritseries


Woman Racer Spotlight: Deb Hodson

Woman Racer Spotlight: Deb Hodson

Name: Deb Hodson

Hometown: Alamo, CA

How did you get into cycling?  About 25 years I met my partner who raced track. She taught me how to ride track and not kill myself! I learned how to paceline and do leadouts for her as she was a pure sprinter. We also did a lot of road cycling when we were not close to a track. I fell in love with the track bike. Felt like I was one with the bike!

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I started Zwifting right before the pandemic because my partner was injured. Instead of riding outside alone, I felt safer riding indoors. To be honest, I was running more at the time, and used cycling as my rest days. It’s quite the opposite now. 

Are you part of a Virtual team? OTR (On the Rivet racing) 

What do you love most about racing? I started racing about 2 years ago because my friend signed up and I wanted to ride with her. We joined OTR as a Cat D. I swore I was not going to get addicted to racing, but that soon changed and I love pushing myself. I soon found myself in women’s Cat C. Racing has given me way more confidence in myself. I am now trying to sprint even though climbing for me is much easier. Having a team like OTR has challenged me to be a better cyclist and a better teammate. The other cyclists believing in me encourages me to push myself when I don’t think I can. The support from the team has allowed me to become a faster, smarter racer. It’s truly all about teamwork and an encouraging environment to go like crazy on the bike!

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)?  Ladder racing is absolutely my favorite. Bringing different levels of riders to race against another team is like putting together a puzzle. Deciding strategy before and during the race is rewarding. A fantastic way to meet other women cyclists too! Truly a team effort to win a race!

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? ZRL women’s division is my main race I have participated in. Being team captain for the women’s team has been such a gift. Watching the teammates support and cheer each other on is so uplifting! Meeting cyclists from other teams while we compete with each other at the back of the pack is so rewarding. I have met the nicest riders racing with me!

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? My most memorable racing experience is when I raced with my friend, and a few of us dropped back and helped and cheered them up the mountains and across the finish. There is nothing better than helping a friend race.

What is your favourite food to eat post-race? My favorite food is peanut butter. I quit sugar years ago, so peanut butter is a treat!! Ok, I will admit to eating chips occasionally… I cherish those chips!

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? If you are entering your first race, warm up first, go hard out of the pen, and celebrate the finish! Jump up and down! We race for fun!

Where can people follow your racing adventures? I post my races on Strava and my races and banjo videos on YouTube. I do have a YouTube channel under my name.


Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of June 14-15

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Still trying to earn that 60-minute Alpe badge? Our first featured event this week may help you out. See it below, plus four other fun picks!

✅ Unique Event ✅ Achievement Badge

The USMES Torturefest and Giant are collaborating to bring a weekly series of paced Alpe du Zwift rides to the community. The pace changes each week of the month, and this week the two ride paces are 60 minutes and 75 minutes. (We’re just featuring the 60-minute ride here).

If you’ve ever wanted help hitting that fabled 60-minute Alpe target (and the Liftoff! achievement badge that comes with it), here’s a motivating way to make it happen!

Saturday, June 14 @ 1pm UTC/9am EDT/6am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4984971

✅ Beginner Friendly  ✅ Legacy Leaders

Looking for a fun social ride? Join the experienced DBR time for 60 minutes on Watopia’s Big Flat 8 route. The ride leader will keep a pace at 30-35kph, but you aren’t limited to that speed – the ride description says “… it’s ok to ride ahead and join other riders in front – just remember to be social.”

Sunday, June 15 @ 7:55am UTC/3:55am EDT/12:55am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5015548

✅ Mass Start ✅ Popular Series

The twice-a-week SISU Scramble series is now underway, and this weekend’s race is on London’s Triple Loops (41km, 564m).

Read all about the SISU Scramble >

One thing that makes these races extra interesting is that they are mass start, with all riders visible on the course.

Multiple events this weekend
See all upcoming SISU events at zwift.com/events/tag/sisu

✅ Punchy Race  ✅ Unique Event

Women’s Mini Races (3 races in an hour) happen each Sunday, but the ULTIMATE Mini Races are a bigger monthly event organized by Vinnette Powell of Team eSRT. If you’re looking for some punchy women-only racing, check out these events.

This Sunday’s races are city-themed and held on custom-length versions of the 6 Train Reverse, Lutece Express, and Classique Reverse routes. Two time zones are available.

Sunday, June 15 @ 3pm UTC/11am ET/8am PT and @ 6pm UTC/2pm ET/11am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/esrt

✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Pace Options

Here’s a popular long ride with two pace options: B group at 3-3.3 W/kg, or C at 2.5-2.9 W/kg. Both groups will be riding The London Pretzel route for 100km, with optional efforts on some of the intermediate segments if you’d like.

Choose your desired pace, listen to the ride leader, and get that endurance work done! Both categories have a leader (yellow beacon) and sweepers.

Saturday, June 14 at 8:05pm UTC/4:05pm ET/1:05pm PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5014842

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 – June 14 Routes – Loops and Mash

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Tiny Race Series – June 14 Routes – Loops and Mash

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


Introducing ZwiftFit: Personalized Zwift Workouts Powered by AI

Introducing ZwiftFit: Personalized Zwift Workouts Powered by AI

Ever finish a Zwift workout and think, “That was good, but not quite what I needed today?” Or maybe you’ve scrolled endlessly through the workout library, wishing for something perfectly tailored to your current goal or how your legs are really feeling?

Zwift offers a strong library of workouts and flexible training plans, and many riders find real value in them. But sometimes you want a workout that reflects your current goals, recovery state, and fitness — something that adapts to you in the moment. That’s where ZwiftFit comes in.

Every ZwiftFit workout is dynamically generated based on your profile and inputs, meaning even if you request the same workout type twice, you’ll get a different version each time — always targeting the same goal, but never repeating exactly. It’s about keeping your training fresh and specific, every time you ride.

That’s the idea behind ZwiftFit, a new AI-powered web app that creates truly personalized ZWO-format workouts based on your profile, goals, and how you’re feeling today. As an avid Zwifter and independent developer, I built ZwiftFit to solve a problem I personally felt. Now I’m sharing it with the community.

Why ZwiftFit?

While there’s no shortage of workouts on Zwift, finding the right one to match your immediate goals and energy can feel like guesswork. And let’s be honest, repeating the same old sessions can quickly lead to boredom. We’ve all been there: scrolling through lists, picking a workout that looked good on paper, only to find it didn’t quite hit the mark for that specific day.

ZwiftFit solves this by generating workouts tailored to:

  • Your FTP, gender, age, and training load
  • Your training goals (e.g., improve climbing ability late in long rides, increase flatland power, sharpen race finish)
  • Strengths and weaknesses defined in your user profile
  • Physical limitations or injuries you’ve specified
  • An upcoming race or event
  • Daily readiness, HRV, and resting HR
  • Even how you feel that day — from “Very Tired” to “Excellent”

It’s not about scrolling through a library. It’s about telling ZwiftFit who you are and what you need — and letting it create the session.

A screenshot of an athlete profile setup page showing fields for training phase, weekly training hours, workout duration, intensity, cadence, and terrain preferences, with navigation buttons labeled Previous and Next Section.

Two Ways to Create a Workout

ZwiftFit supports two core paths:

1. Quick Workouts

Choose from 9 workout types including:

  • Endurance Ride
  • HIIT Session
  • Sprint Session
  • Climbing Challenge
  • Threshold Intervals
  • Race Warm-Up
  • Event Cooldown

With one click, you get a workout tailored to your current profile settings and duration preferences.

A cyclist rides up a road in a virtual training app, with stats displayed above and a welcome message on screen: Welcome Paul! Today’s plan reflects your good feeling, higher HRV, and recent 3-day load of 210...

2. Custom Workouts

Need more control? Go custom. Custom Workouts give you a much deeper level of customization than Quick Workouts. There are seven main workout categories — like Recovery & Endurance, High-Intensity Intervals, and Strength & Skill Development — and within those, over two dozen specific workout types to choose from.

Once you’ve selected a type, ZwiftFit adapts it further based on your current profile and the specific workout options shown on the Custom Workout screen. Unlike your profile settings — which tend to remain stable over time — these session-specific options allow you to adjust key variables for the ride you’re about to do. You can specify:

  • Workout duration (fixed or range) – so you can fit in the perfect session whether you have 30 minutes or two hours.
  • Current feeling (Very Tired to Excellent) – ensuring your workout matches your actual recovery state, not just a pre-set plan.
  • Resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV)
  • 3-day and 7-day training load
  • Warm-up and cool-down length (Short, Normal, Long)

You can even add custom instructions — whether you want motivational tips, fun cycling trivia, or a focus on specific aspects of execution like cadence, pacing, or technique. ZwiftFit incorporates this input to further personalize your session in real time.

Event Prep & AI Flexibility

Beyond crafting the core of your session, ZwiftFit offers some useful additions designed to seamlessly integrate with your Zwift life and give you even more control.

One of ZwiftFit’s standout practical features, especially for the racing Zwifter, is its event-specific warm-ups. These are invaluable not only for races (which often start hard right from the gun) but also for a variety of other Zwift activities. To meet these diverse needs, ZwiftFit provides a range of targeted warm-up types, including: Race Warm-Up, Climb Preparation, Group Ride Primer, TT Preparation, Sprint Activation, Long Ride Preparation, and Hard Start Readiness. Each is designed to address the specific physical demands you’ll encounter in those events.

To complement the warm-ups, ZwiftFit also offers targeted Zwift Event Cooldowns to enhance recovery immediately following your rides or competitive efforts. These short routines are carefully structured to gradually lower intensity, aiding in the removal of metabolic byproducts and easing muscle tension. Options include Race Recovery, Climbing Recovery, Sprint Recovery, and Endurance Ride Recovery.

You can also choose the duration of these warm-up and cooldown sessions based on your available time and personal preference. For the best experience, generate both the warm-up and cooldown sessions ahead of time. That way, you can smoothly transition from race prep to recovery without needing to leave Zwift or revisit the app. It’s a convenient and practical addition that supports readiness and recovery across a wide range of Zwift activities.

Multiple AI models are available, each offering a distinct style for generating workouts. Some models might emphasize structured intervals, while others introduce more variety or different types of challenges. You’ll also find variations in the verbosity of instructions—some are more concise, others more detailed—and subtle differences in tone. For example, one model might suggest a straightforward “2×20 at threshold,” while another adds pacing cues, motivational prompts, or mental focus tips throughout the session. This variety allows you to select a model that aligns with your personal preference for a particular session or to simply change models periodically to keep your training stimulating and engaging. Whether you want to stick with your favorite or switch it up to explore different approaches, having multiple models gives ZwiftFit a unique adaptability.

A cyclist in a yellow jersey rides on a virtual road in a cycling simulator. On-screen stats and text instruct the rider to focus on their left legs pedal stroke for an isolated leg training drill.

Simple and Affordable

There’s no subscription. Just a credit system:

  • New users get 30 free credits after signing up and verifying email.
  • Earn 30 more credits by generating one Quick Workout, one Custom Workout, and then downloading either of those workout files.
  • A 300-credit package costs just $2.99 — typically enough for 30–40 workouts (that’s less than 10 cents a session!)

For now, credit purchases are limited to the U.S., Australia, Japan and Switzerland due to international tax complexity, but other international users can still use the free credits and the FIT to CSV tool.

Bonus Tool: FIT to CSV Conversion

For data-driven riders who like digging into their workout files, ZwiftFit includes a free utility that converts your FIT files into CSV format. This makes it easy to import your Zwift workout data into spreadsheets or other analysis tools. There’s no cost and no credits required — just upload your FIT file and download the structured data. It’s a small but powerful addition for those who want more control over how they visualize and track performance.

Screenshot of a web page titled FIT to CSV Converter. It shows steps to upload FIT files, convert them to CSV, and download the results. Three FIT files are uploaded, and a blue Convert Files button is visible.

Try It + Promo Video

ZwiftFit is available now at zwiftfit.com. You can also watch a short 30-second promo video below:

Final Thoughts

ZwiftFit is still evolving, but I hope it fills a real need in the Zwift training ecosystem — helping riders at every level get more out of their workouts with less friction.

If you give it a try, I’d love your feedback! Share your experiences or suggestions via my contact form or tag me @ZwiftFit on Instagram. Your feedback will help shape its future!


Top 5 Zwift Videos: FTP Tests, Zwift Racing Tips, and Zwift HQ

One of the best ways to monitor progress in cycling is through FTP Tests. In this week’s top video, one Zwifter tackles an FTP test to see how much he has improved since his first ramp test nearly 2 years ago.

Also featured in this post are videos about tips for winning Zwift races, a tour of Zwift HQ, a brutal Zwift race, and the Zwift Insider Tiny Races.

After almost 2 years of training with Zwift, Adam from Road to A shares how the training has impacted his FTP.
Looking to win your next Zwift race? Ryan Condon shares his top tips and tricks on how you can improve your chances of winning a Zwift race.
In Puck’s latest vlog, she visits Zwift HQ and rides the local roads of SoCal.
Watch as Benji Naesen battles through the Zwift Insider Tiny Race series.
Caryl Granville tackles the Zwift Insider Tiny Races with a few goals in mind, with one of them being finishing in the top ten overall in her category.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!