“Cauberg” Climb Portal Details
See zwiftinsider.com/portal/cauberg/
Coming Up: Matthew Lefthand’s 24-Hour Virtual World Record Attempt on April 19th
Coming Up: Matthew Lefthand’s 24-Hour Virtual World Record Attempt on April 19th
First, a Bit of Background…
Matthew Lefthand began cycling in July of 2022 after marathon training left him plagued with constant knee and foot troubles. Finding that pedaling did not inflame the pain, Matthew went on to complete several century rides in a 60-day ramp to complete his first road bike race ever: LOTOJA, a 208mi/334km point-to-point ride/race crossing three states and multiple mountain ranges. From that moment on, Matthew was hooked on cycling and was especially drawn to ultra distances.
After building fitness, gaining road skills, and essentially living on the bike (1200 hours/31,000 miles of riding each year) during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Matthew did his first “real” ultracycling race, Hoodoo 500. After a bumpy start, nutritional disaster, and persevering through 20mph constant winds with gusts up to 40mph, he completed the 520mi/836km and 30,000ft/9,000m of elevation in 29h06m, besting the course record by 5 hours!
With this achievement, Matthew knew he had found his place and set out to specialize his training for ultracycling in 2025. With a winter of intense work under his belt, Matthew asked his good Zwift-friend, Chris “Hoppo” Hopkinson, which early 2025 race would be best to test the waters. Matthew added Bike Sebring to the calendar and put everything into preparation, including learning to ride on a liquid-only diet, attaching TT bars to his indoor bike to practice position, getting a professional TT bike fit, and learning everything he could about the stressors and tactics of a 24-hour race.
His result was very impressive, completing 576 miles in 24 hours at Sebring, surpassing any other American over that time and also any other cyclist during a non-drafting 24-hour race.
World Record Plans for 2025
Feeling on top of the world and gaining more supporters, Matthew set his 2025 schedule to pursue the WUCA World Cup and attempt a few World Records. Matthew told me he’s “not much of a racer.” However, he is attracted to the idea of pulling the most he can out of himself – studying the craft of ultracycling relentlessly to go as far as he can, as fast as he can.
Up Next: 24-Hour Virtual World Record Attempt
Matthew’s next challenge is a 24-hour Virtual World Record attempt on April 19th, hosted by ENVE and supported by Wahoo, Zwift, Rotor, and BrainStoke.
The attempt will begin at 8am ET on Tempus Fugit with a special robopacer named “24hr-Record”. While it has a different name, the metrics of this bot are identical to Constance. Matthew aims to push his limits, break the record, and do it in a fair and equitable way for all who cycle virtually.
In addition to the physical feat, Matthew is dedicating his ride to his mom, who is battling Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Incentives to give to the National Breast Care Foundation as well as directly to his mom’s treatment will be shared throughout the event.
Join Matthew!
Matthew invites the public to join him virtually (on Zwift) or physically. He will be riding beginning at 8am ET on April 19th.
ENVE HQ will be open to the public during the entirety of the event. If you are local to Ogden, Utah and want to join in person, Matthew’s team will have several indoor bikes set up, including a Zwift Ride and KICKR Core. You’re also welcome to bring your own bike and trainer.
You can join via Zwift by searching for the “24hr-Record” bot on Tempus Fugit. The event will also be streamed live on YouTube and feature interviews with Tyler Pearce (VC Adventures), Hoppo, Marko Baloh, Hayden “Farmwatts” Pucker, Magnus Kulset, Vidmar Mehl, and others.
Details of the event can be found here. Be sure to follow Matthew for updated information: @matthew.lefthand on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Strava, and Zwift.
(Matthew is additionally supported by Formula 369, Cycling Upgrades, MYB Supplements, Ventum, Peak State Fit, Infinity Seat, and Impermanence Counseling Services.)
SISU Reissu: France Race Series Begins Today
SISU Reissu: France Race Series Begins Today
Why ride the new roads in Zwift’s France when you can race them? The team at SISU Racing is holding the next edition of their popular SISU Reissu series. It’s the France Reissu, and it happens April 14-20!
The Finnish word Reissu roughly translates as a journey or trip, embodying the concept of travel, adventure, or excursion. The Reissu is a 3 or 5-stage GC series. The rider, and team, in each grade who complete the series with the lowest cumulative time will be crowned with the Johtaja Jersey (symbolically at this stage). Stages 1, 3, and 4 comprise a 3-Stage GC, or race all 5 for the full journey.
See upcoming SISU events at zwift.com/events/tag/sisu >
Schedule (5 Stage Series)
- Stage 1: Monday 14 April – Bon Voyage, France x 1 lap
- Stage 2: Tuesday, 15 April – Three Musketeers, France x 1 lap
- Stage 3: Wednesday, 16 April – Croissant, France x 1 lap [iTT]
- Stage 4: Saturday, 19 April – Gentil 8, France x 1 lap
- Stage 5: Sunday, 20 April – Ven-10, France x 1 lap
For easy sign-on, join the SISU Racing Club in the Companion App and join the conversation by joining the SISU Racing Discord.
More Info
- All events are mass starts with all riders visible.
- Riders enter according to their Zwift’s Racing Score.
- A ZwiftPower profile is mandatory to be included in the GC.
- Your best time will count if you race a stage in multiple zones.
- The team GC is based on a team’s best three finishers in each stage.
- ZPower and riders without heart rate data will be removed from the results.
- Riders who upgrade during the first four stages will be classified in their higher grade.
- iTT will be a mass start using TT bikes with no draft.
For results and much more visit .sisu.racing/reissu.
Woman Racer Spotlight: Vinnette Powell
Woman Racer Spotlight: Vinnette Powell
Name: Vinnette Powell
Hometown: Leicester and now Kent, United Kingdom
How did you get into cycling? I am a runner so I use cycling to cross-train. I did indoor cycling at gym first, then heard about Zwift from Strava athletes and it sounded interesting. I really invested in it when Covid hit and wanted to keep up my fitness. I worked throughout Covid as a health care worker, so any spare time I had had to be in isolation, and that’s where Zwifting came into play!
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? 2 years now
Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes, was headhunted by eSRT to join their D category women’s team. I thought it was a joke at first! Then thought what the heck let’s just do it! It could be fun! They are really supportive and when I joined it opened up a whole new world of women’s racing!
What do you love most about racing? The fact you race against other women around the world without leaving your home!
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love TTT – working and communicating with the team about tactics over Discord is always a thrill and also can be very entertaining! The Sunday Minis are also a great HIIT workout to improve endurance and sprint training.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Oh I absolutely love them all! My fave has to be the ICENI and Zwift Women’s Racing Series – competing against ladies with similar abilities to you, in different styles of racing formats, with both individual and Team GC competitions really keeps you coming back for more! I also did my first Tour de Boudicca with 3 races over 3 days. I thought I couldn’t last all 3 but I did – I surprised even myself!
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Most memorable was Zwift Womens Racing Series 2 on Mountain Mash – I sprinted out the gate wanting to get a lead on the rest of field (as I am a horrible climber) and got a third of the way up the climb before getting caught by the pack! I didn’t win, of course, but still managed to come 11th out of 28!
What is your favourite food to eat post race? I’m never hungry post race, but I do drink a large glass of chocolate milk!
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Give it a go! We’ve all been where you are, you are never alone in women’s racing, they are all very supportive!
Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? ZRL and ICENI!
Where can people follow your racing adventures? On Zwift Companion App!
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Indoors vs Outdoors, First Races, and Zwift Ride
As we enter the outdoor season, some of you may have noticed big performance differences between riding indoors and out. This week’s top video explains why you feel this way and shares solutions.
We’re also highlighting videos about a rider’s first race on Zwift, a review of the Zwift Ride, a review of the Caveworks Rivet, and an analysis of an elite Zwift race.
Your FTP is Wrong – Here’s Why!
My First Zwift Race was Brutal!
£1199! Is The Zwift Ride Really Worth That? – Long Term Review
Caveworks Rivet In-Depth Review // Get This or The Zwift Ride?
Getting Destroyed by a National Champion
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Tiny Race Series – April 12 Routes and Last Week’s Results
Tiny Race Series – April 12 Routes and Last Week’s Results
See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.
Zwifters in Mallorca, Day 3: Sa Calobra (The Uber Pretzel)
Zwifters in Mallorca, Day 3: Sa Calobra (The Uber Pretzel)
With days 1 and 2 of Zwift Community Live 2025 ridden and uploaded, I was feeling the fatigue in the legs. But the weather was beautiful in Mallorca, the vibe at ZCL was perfect, and nothing was going to stop me from taking on the toughest ride of the week up Sa Calobra! Here’s how the final day of ZCL unfolded for me…
Ride Plan
Today I was again taking on the “Uber Pretzel” version of the three ride options. If ZCL had a “Queen Stage”, this was it: as much distance as the day before, but twice as much elevation! We would ride from sea level up to the top of the famous Sa Calobra climb, then descend it all the way down to sea level before turning around to climb our way out:
I really wasn’t sure how well my tired legs would handle all the elevation, so I resolved to take it easy and enjoy the ride so I could finish ZCL on a high note.
Ride Summary
Getting Started
Once again, the dining room was buzzing for breakfast as all the Uber riders chatted about their day. Sa Calobra is a bucket list climb for many, so there were lots of excited – if not a little nervous – riders in the room. I was one of them.
After a quick breakfast full of clean carbs (whole grains, fruit, and yogurt) I kitted up and headed out to the starting area.
Since I wanted to make sure I saved my legs for the climbs without holding up my group too much, I resolved to join a more medium-paced group instead of one of the first, faster groups. I was also looking to ride with some Zwifters I hadn’t ridden with yet, so I joined the group led by Zwift’s Director of Women’s Strategy, Kate Veronneau. (I knew from prior experience that Kate is both a very strong rider and an experienced ride leader. She wouldn’t steer us wrong!)
Let the Fun Begin: Coll de sa Batalla
The first 10km of the ride were quite flat, and the group got into a rhythm. Then the ground sloped up so we were climbing – but this was just the easy stuff. 25km in, the switchbacks began as we made our way up the Coll de sa Batalla (7.9km at 6%):
This is where most of the group pulled away from me, and I just rode my own ride, enjoying the switchback climb and valley views as I lugged my “overmuscled” physique toward Sa Calobra.
I caught up to the group where they’d stopped at the Repsol gas station, and I thought we were close to the start of the Sa Calobra descent.
We were not.
Thinking we didn’t have much climbing left, and with legs that felt decently fresh, I followed the front two guys (one wearing an Everesting jersey, which should have tipped me off) who quickly got away from the rest of the group as we put in a solid climbing effort to finish off Coll de sa Batalla.
A Surprising Climb
A fun rollercoaster descent followed, lulling me into a sense of security. Then the road pitched upward – surprisingly so – and I realized I had made a bit of a mistake. We still had another 3.1km at 6% to climb to the top of Coll dels Reis before we could descend the other side (which is Sa Calobra). I was soon caught and (once again) passed by most of the group. Ha!
We regrouped at the top of Coll dels Reis on the Sa Calobra side, and Kate explained that we could hang out there, at the top of Sa Calobra. Or we could descend it, then turn around and climb back up. Everyone in our group was there to ride Sa Calobra, so down we went.
Descending Sa Calobra
It’s hard to adequately describe my experience descending Sa Calobra for the first time. It’s such an otherworldly and unique road. The smooth, serpentine turns seem to undulate endlessly, contrasting with the rocky mountainside as you look down and try to wrap your head around how it’s all laid out.
The road was smooth and dry, the temperature was cool but not cold, and there were no cars getting in the way. I took advantage of it and enjoyed the descent, staying off the brakes when it felt safe (because fast is fun), but not taking any unnecessary risks, either.
It was perhaps halfway down that I began passing Zwifters who were in the first, fast group and on their way up the climb. Nick Nellis from TFC, Nick Kalkounis from ZwiftHQ, Jeff Linder from NorCal Cycling, Nathan Guerra, Jason Stern from DIRT… I yelled “Allez allez!” at everyone I recognized, flashing a smile as they suffered their way up the climb. I knew I’d be there soon enough.
Soon enough I was down at the bottom with a whole lot of cyclists, and it was time to turn around and pay the piper.
Climbing Sa Calobra
I told the two riders with me that I was going to treat this like a Zwift TTT race: holding what seemed like too easy of a pace at the start so I still had something to give at the end. So I chugged along around 220W, somewhere between 2.5 and 3 W/kg, and just enjoyed this infamous climb.
(At least, I think that’s where my power was. I’m not convinced my Garmin pedals were reading accurately, since my L/R balance was way off, indicating at least one misreading pedal.)
In the early part of the climb, I met one of the Zwifters with me: Vlad. He’s from the Ukraine, and lives in Kyiv. He’s only ridden indoors, on Zwift, since the war began. ZCL was his first opportunity to ride outside in over three years. Wow.
Zwifters from later groups began zipping past us, descending as we climbed, and we started yelling “Ride On!” to everyone we recognized. You could hear the Ride Ons all over the mountain as Zwifters shared the love. Super fun!
The end of the climb actually came a bit earlier that I’d expected, but that’s not to say it felt short. The Zwift support van was parked perhaps 100 meters before the finish line of the Strava segment, so as I neared the van I heard yells of “push all the way to the sign!” Everyone had to go hard to the line.
I clocked a blazing 50:28 on the official segment, earning me 81,823rd place out of 165,549 riders. Top 50%!
All Downhill from Here
We regrouped at the support van, then made our way together to the coffee shop for a welcome shot of caffeine and cake. Our 2000 meters of climbing were essentially done, we just had a mostly-downhill 40km left to knock out.
Cyclists know that’s a great way to end a ride. Top-knotch route design right there.
It was probably bad form for me to enjoy a cheeky supertuck off the front of the group on a long, straight section of downhill. But it felt like such a fun and Zwifty thing to do. (Take that, UCI!)
And it’s also possible that a few others and myself enjoyed ourselves a bit too much, relishing the speed of the rolling descent. Kate eventually rolled up to the front to get things slowed down and grouped together, and we began making our way toward home as a unit once again… slowly.
Mercifully, when a faster group of Zwifters rolled by, Kate said we could join them if we wanted to roll faster, so a few of us did just that. That’s how I ended up riding next to Ayesha McGowan (@ayesuppose) and Carolyn Carter (@la_triathlete) in a zippy group of influencers (Zwinfluencers?) who towed me the rest of the way into Mallorca.
A fun end to a big ride.
Finishing the Day: Fireside Chat with Two Sirs
The day was far from over, though. After a shower and some hangout time with Monica to hear how her ride went, we headed for dinner (fajitas!) followed by the final fireside chat hosted by Matt Stephens.
This third chat was by far my favorite of the three nights. Matt’s two guests were Sirs Chris Hoy and Mark Cavendish, and those three men held everyone’s attention for over an hour. The conversation was expertly guided by Matt and included serious notes (Sir Chris talking about his stage 4 cancer diagnosis) but also lots of stories and laughs.
Eric Min came up next, thanking everyone for coming, inviting the Zwift staffers and ride leaders up for a round of applause, and promising a ZCL for 2026. (Everyone cheered, because everyone wants to do it again!)
We ended the night with a ZCL highlights video that really captured the week’s positive energy and epic rides. It felt like the perfect ending to an incredible few days! (The full video can’t be shown on YouTube due to music rights issues, but Zwift created a short version of it:)
That’s a Wrap
I may write one more post with additional thoughts on all things ZCL, because there was so much I haven’t shared in these daily summaries. But since it’s past midnight here in St. Andrews, Scotland, where Monica and I have extended our European stay, for now I’ll leave you with a #humblebrag shot of the sweet aero socks Zwift gave everyone at ZCL:
How the Race Was Lost: Tiny Races as VO2 Workouts
How the Race Was Lost: Tiny Races as VO2 Workouts
The Tiny Races concept came to me while I was riding outdoors one day, trying to figure out a way to make workouts on Zwift more enjoyable. Like many Zwifters, I’d done a lot of structured workouts on Zwift, and I’ll readily admit that they provide very efficient and targeted training stimulus.
There’s just one problem: I find structured workouts to be lonely, painful, and boring.
So the Tiny Races were created, with the goal of pushing riders hard in 4 back-to-back events lasting 5-10 minutes each. The hope was that you’d get a lot of VO2-level work in on each race, effectively turning your hour of racing into an hour-long VO2 workout.
But Tiny Races aren’t a perfectly structured VO2 workout. Yes, you’ll get a lot of VO2-level work in. But it may vary greatly depending on your strengths as a rider, and the course chosen for the day.
So on this Saturday, I decided to try something I’d never done before. I would simply treat the first 4 minutes of each race as a VO2 interval, shooting to average 350W during that time. Then I would ease and recover as I finished the race.
Then do it again, and again. And again. Four VO2 intervals. Because on this particular day, I was more interested in getting a quality workout in than I was in finishing high in the race rankings.
Here’s how the races (workouts?) unfolded…
Race 1
The first race was 6km of The Muckle Yin, ending at the Breakaway Brae Reverse banner. I chatted a bit with the other racers, even telling them what my plan was:
Soon enough, we were off! I found myself in the wind as we climbed The Cliffs section, and as a racer, this just felt wrong. I was wasting watts! But not today. Today, I needed to hold 350W for the first 4 minutes.
I stayed on or near the front for most of that climb, then the clock hit 4 minutes and I eased up.
4 minutes at 352W, HR 173bpm
We were so close to the top of the climb and the descent that followed that I put in a little extra work to hold onto the pack so I could stay in the draft until the Corkscrew Castle climb. When we hit that climb the pack flew away, and I finished the last 1.5km easy, clicking to watch the front riders finish before I crossed the line in 36th.
My racing score dropped from 549 to 529 in this single race.
Race 2
The second race was on 6.2km of Loch Loop, ending at the entrance to Corkscrew Castle. This race begins with a long, slack descent down The Cliffs section that we climbed in the previous race. Again, I had to hold 350W for the first 4 minutes, so against my racing instincts I went hard out of the gate onto the descent where I would normally be recovering.
I got an aero powerup at the start, and decided to use it as I went off the front, to make the race more interesting. One rider, A. Sherman, saw my attack and followed. Let’s go!
I was using my steering to shorten the course a bit, but Sherman didn’t have steering, so eventually I gave up and let the game autosteer so we could work together. (Although “work together” really isn’t accurate, because all I was doing was holding 350W. Sherman would have to decide if he wanted to sit on my wheel or push hard and be in the wind.)
I’d say he chose poorly, sitting in the wind just ahead of me for most of my 4-minute effort instead of taking some time to recover. But maybe he was doing a VO2 interval too!
When I sat up at the 4-minute mark, I messaged, “Good luck!” and let Sherman ride away. We had a 6-second gap on the peloton.
4 minutes at 352W, HR 176bpm
I clicked to watch how Sherman got along. He ended up getting caught on Breakaway Brae with 1.2km to go. Nice try, sir!
I rolled in at 34th place out of 36. My racing score dropped from 529 to 509. Woah!
Race 3
For our third race, we were taking on 2 laps of Glasgow Crit Circuit. The VO2 intervals weren’t killing me yet, so I knew I had the power to do it again. But how hard would it be to hit that 350W average on Glasgow’s undulating roads?
Only one way to find out.
Once again I was off the front early. Then we hit the Clyde Kicker, and I almost got dropped as everyone revved up the power big-time and I tried to keep it fairly steady! I used my aero powerup to chase back onto the group, finding myself off the front again before the lap was finished.
4 minutes at 350W, HR 178bpm
I finished 31 out of 39, dropping my racing score to 503. One race/interval left!
Race 4
The final race was on City and the Sgurr, a route I rather despise since it quickly takes you up the gravel side of the Sgurr climb, where I always get dropped.
No pressure today, though. I just needed to hold 350W for 4 minutes, which would put me somewhere in the middle of that climb.
Again, I found myself on the front for most of the lead-in to the climb. And I stayed there for the initial bit of the climb before the pack swamped me when things got steep:
I finished my last 4-minute interval just a few meters off the back of the peloton. Job done!
4 minutes at 354W, HR 177bpm
I finished the dirt climb, descended the other side, then climbed the paved side to complete the race at the top of the Sgurr 30th out of 35., dropping my racing score to 490.
Watch my race video:
Takeaways
My “Tiny Racing as VO2 Workout” experience left me with two key takeaways to discuss.
A VO2 Workout that Doesn’t Suck?
I must say that doing a VO2 workout this way was much more enjoyable than doing a typical structured VO2 workout. And I’ve done a lot of structured VO2 workouts! I found it easier than anticipated to hit the target average wattage, and in fact impressed myself with how close I got.
I think it’s a combination of the rush of being off the front of a race (which pushes you to keep pushing) as well as the rush of just being in a pack of riders who are all pushing hard. It took my mind off of the suffering of the VO2 effort somewhat, and the intervals didn’t feel as long.
If structured workouts are lonely, painful, and boring, doing them in a race wasn’t lonely at all, less painful (thanks to some distraction) and much less boring, partly due to the challenge of hitting the target power without Erg mode, and partly due to being in the middle of a race.
What I’d like to do next is work to extend these intervals by increasing the target wattage (increments of 10W) or time (increments of 30s). I’d like to work up to 5 minutes at 360, then see if we can keep pushing!
Tanking My Zwift Racing Score
I’m a fan of Zwift Racing Score, but I must say I was surprised by how precipitously it dropped in these four races.
It was particularly surprising because the three races I’d done leading up to these had been Zwift Games climbing races where I’d lost badly, but my score had only dropped a total of 6 points across those events:
- Stage 3: 550 to 549 when I finished 94th out of 128 (see results)
- Stage 4: 549 to 548 when I finished 39th out of 60 (see results)
- Stage 5: 548 to 544 when I finished 25th out of 33 (see results)
I’m at a bit of a loss to explain how those three events lowered my score by only 6 points, while the four Tiny Races dropped my score by a total of 54 points. All I can figure is that placing very near the bottom of the race impacts your score a lot more than placing, say, in the bottom 1/3 of the group.
(If you’ve got any great insights into how my score dropped so significantly, please share them in the comments below! I’ve reached out to my contacts at ZHQ to see if they can provide any insight…)
Questions or Comments?
Have you ever done a race as a structured workout? Explain your approach, and how it went. Got other questions or comments? Share below!
All About the New Cannondale CAAD13 on Zwift
All About the New Cannondale CAAD13 on Zwift
Zwift’s latest update included the welcome addition of several new bike frames, including two bikes from US-based Cannondale. We’ve already written about the speedy SuperSix Evo LAB71, so today we’ll cover the more budget-friendly CAAD13, which Cannondale calls “the speediest, smoothest, best handling, finest performing aluminum race bike on the planet”:
You’ll need to be updated to game version 1.86+ to see the CAAD13 in Zwift’s Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 14+ with 500,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:
“Experience the Cannondale CAAD13, a bike that embodies Cannondale’s legacy in aluminum frame design. Its lightweight, aerodynamic structure offers exceptional speed and agility, ensuring you conquer every virtual climb and sprint. With a tapered head tube and wider tires for enhanced stability and handling, the CAAD13 is perfect for both spirited rides and competitive races. Elevate your cycling experience with a bike built for performance and comfort, ready to tackle any challenge.
See our master list of all frames in Zwift >
It’s rated 3 stars for aero and 3 stars for weight, so we know it’s not the lightest bike. But a 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, so we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!
Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm Carbon wheelset.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The CAAD13 is surprisingly fast, given its cost and unlock level. It trims 58.4s off our baseline Zwift Carbon frame over an hour of flat riding, putting it less than 5 seconds behind the game’s fastest frame.
Climb Performance
The CAAD13 performs worse climbs than it does on the flats, coming in at the 47th percentile in our rankings.
This bike shaves 28.8 seconds off of our baseline Zwift Carbon’s time on an hourlong climb, which means it’s ~27 seconds slower across an hourlong climb compared to the fastest climbing bike (S-Works Tarmac SL8).
Upgrading Your Cannondale CAAD13
Like all frames in Zwift, the CAAD13 can be upgraded in five stages. As a mid-range race bike, the first four stages result in a performance improvement. The Cannondale CAAD13 upgrade stages are as follows:
- Ride 160km, pay 50,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
- Ride 200km, pay 100,000 Drops for a weight reduction
- Ride 240km, pay 150,000 Drops for a drivetrain efficiency improvement
- Ride 280km, pay 200,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
- Ride 320km, pay 250,000 Drops for a 5% boost in Drops rate
You can expect a fully upgraded CAAD13 to be approximately 28 seconds faster on a flat hour and 36 seconds faster on an hourlong climb vs the “stock” CAAD13.
Conclusions
Cannondale’s CAAD13 is the worst performer of the four new frames added in Zwift’s latest update… but that doesn’t make it a bad bike. If you’re a Cannondale fan looking for a different frame, this may be the ticket.
It doesn’t have a color slider, but it is more affordable and unlocked at a lower level than the other three new frames.
Questions or Comments?
Got questions or comments about this frame? Share below…
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.