Tiny Race Series – March 1 Routes and Last Week’s Results
See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.
Shimano Super Cycling Sunday Series Announced
Shimano Super Cycling Sunday Series Announced
Give yourself that Monday smile that only comes from Sunday miles! Shimano’s Super Cycling Sunday campaign has come to Zwift with a series of weekly rides scheduled from March 2 through the end of the year.
These open-paced group rides feature newer Zwift routes, a #SuperCyclingSunday kit unlock, special guest riders, and more! Read on for details…
Kit Unlock
Complete any of the rides to unlock the exclusive Shimano Super Cycling Sunday kit in game!
March + April Route Schedule
Routes will be decided two months in advance. These are full routes so riders earn route badges for completing the event.
Events take place every Sunday at 3pm UTC/10am ET/7am PT or 4pm UTC/11am ET/8am PT.
| Date | Route |
|---|---|
| 03/02/2025 | Danger Noodle |
| 03/09/2025 | Sugar Cookie |
| 03/16/2025 | Libby Hill After Party |
| 03/23/2025 | Yorkshire Double Loops |
| 03/30/2025 | The Magnificent 8 |
| 04/06/2025 | Tair Dringfa Fechan |
| 04/13/2025 | Wandering Flats |
| 04/20/2025 | Douce France |
| 04/27/2025 | Greater London 8 |
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/shimanosupercyclingsunday
Ambassadors
The first #SuperCyclingSunday ride of each month will be hosted by a special guest rider who will be announced a few days before each ride. The March 2 kickoff event features Khory, a Shimano ambassador who knows what the brand and Super Cycling Sunday are all about:
I’m content creator with a long running passion for photography and videography, a recently turned 40 year old dad of two and a self confessed cycling geek! If I’m not on the bike, I’m creating content around bikes or at very least in the pub talking about them. Zwift has been a game changer when it comes to year round riding being based in the UK with our long winters and short days putting the comfort and convenience back into winter miles for the summer smiles!
Find Khory on Insta @khoryzfmedia
Questions, Comments… Free Socks?
Learn more on Shimano’s Super Cycling Sunday homepage, including IRL events and a chance to get some free socks if you’re an EU resident!
Got questions or comments? Share below!
Introducing Pedal Games: Custom Info Panels and Mini Games for Indoor Cycling
Introducing Pedal Games: Custom Info Panels and Mini Games for Indoor Cycling
A few months back, Jesper from ZwiftHacks and Jonathon from ZwiftHype announced the release of Pedal Games, “a collection of mini games and info panels to users of all kinds of virtual cycling platforms.”
In some ways, you can think of Pedal Games as similar to Sauce for Zwift, in that it provides game overlays that let you customize your indoor cycling experience. But Pedal Games also offers lots of fun stuff that Sauce does not, and it’s a free app!
So today, I want to run through a quick intro to what Jesper and Jonathon have built, because it really is quite an amazing Zwift community project. Let’s go!
Getting Set Up
Prerequisites
Pedal Games is a Windows application that requires Windows 10 or 11 to run.
You’ll also need indoor cycling software (such as Zwift), since Pedal Games is just an add-on to whatever cycling software you use. Pedal Games works particularly well with Zwift and TrainingPeaks Virtual, but supports getting data via ANT+, MQTT, WebSocket, HTTP, and UDP, which means in theory it can be combined with just about any platform.
Signup
To get started, head to pedalgames.online and click to Sign Up. You’ll need to create an account, download the app, then sign into it to get started.
Setup
Once you’ve signed in, you’ll need to set up your basic user info (FTP, Max HR, and weight) on the homescreen. You can then set the power source to Zwift and start up Zwift.
When you see “You’re ready” at the bottom, you’re ready to go! Start up your Zwift session…
Mini Games
Let’s begin by looking at some of the mini games, since these are what’s most new and different about Pedal Games vs Sauce for Zwift.
The app includes a pile of mini games, which you access by clicking “Games” from the main home screen.
See full list of games on the Pedal Games website >
The games are created to encourage you to hold a particular target power, cadence, or heart rate – and various combinations of those. Each game includes a HUD element you can drag and drop to wherever you’d like on your screen.
Let’s start with a simple example, great for recovery days:
Underwatter
So at its simplest, a game will have you try to stay above or below a particular target. As you hit the target, time accumulates. Your goal is to accumulate as much as possible in the target zone.
Underwatter has you stay under a particular power target. “The Band” has you try to keep your power in a particular range:
The Band
“Spin” is a similar idea, but the target is cadence-based, not power-based. With spin, you’re trying to keep your cadence at or above the target:
Spin
Things get more interesting when you mix and match power, target, and/or cadence targets. “Under The Radar”, for example, has you work on your efficiency by requiring you to stay above a certain power threshold while keeping your heart rate below a certain target.
Unstructured Training
The big idea with these mini games is “unstructured training.” Instead of a structured ERG workout that requires you to hold particular power numbers for precise time intervals, these games push you to accumulate time at target power in a more flexible way.
What’s the value of unstructured vs structured training? Jonathon Levie explains it very well:
I’m pretty good at 1 minute power. I had a series of coached training sessions to improve that. The workout was 20s on (700w?), 40s off, for about 10 minutes. Rest, then another set.
First week’s session was impossible. I get it, it’s the coach’s guess and he’s going off what I should be able to do based on my 1 minute power. We dropped the power for next week. The intervals felt okay, but the rest felt like it ended sooner and sooner. I completed the first set, but had nothing for the second set and didn’t even try.
We lowered the power for the next week. I felt slightly better during the first set, and attempted to start the second set, and quit. Was I improving? I was making it farther each week, as we lowered the power. Was I motivated? Nope, I wanted to quit cycling. If I can’t complete a session to improve the one thing I’m great at after 3 weeks, then feels hopeless.
When I first livestreamed Pedal Games a few years back, I had set the game’s target power to 700w. To score, just ride higher than that. I expected short efforts with long recoveries. I found that as soon as my HR was ready I was sprinting again. Recoveries felt perfect, I was in control. It was all self selected intervals and recoveries.
Looking at the power data after, I was sprinting for about 20s at 700w, then took around 40s to recover before going again, all while laughing and riding the keyboard.
That was the workout I couldn’t do coached. Why?
Because the coached workouts are written backward. You are going to do #w for #s and recover for #s. But that recipe may not be what you’re capable of, or capable of that day. Riding to score over #w means the workout is being written to fit the rider’s legs that day. Slightly shorter attack, or slightly longer recovery, and suddenly the athlete is capable of doing much more than their coach thought was possible. Rather than feeling like a failure, I rode this feeling like I was winning a race the whole time and in control!
Later, a coach showed me their own impossible workout through PG and was in disbelief…
These mini games are, in many ways, similar to XERT’s XSS Buckets idea. Instead of super structured intervals, just work to accumulate time at a particular power level. Fill the buckets.
I think the world of cycling training is only beginning to dip its toe into this “unstructured training” idea, and I really hope Zwift jumps into that fray in some way soon.
Custom HUD Panels
Pedal Games also includes a pile of “info panels” that you can use to customize your Zwift HUD, sort of like what Sauce for Zwift offers. There are lots of panels available, including:
- Standard Zwift HUD data like power, cadence, HR, speed, gradient, etc
- Various Lap Data Trackers (a much-requested Zwift feature)
- ETA for Zwift Routes (how long until I finish this route? Handy in races…)
- Draft Info (some really interesting stuff here…)
- Efficiency Score (Weighted Average Power, divided by the Average Heart Rate)
- Calories/min
- Ride On Counter
- And many, many more
See full list of info panels on Pedal Games website >
Here’s a quick video showing how you can start using these info panels in Zwift:
Right-clicking any of the panels gives you access to a pile of customization options like transparency, size, etc.
Here’s another video showing how to use the draft-related panels in Pedal Games:
Wrapping It Up
There’s a lot more to Pedal Games than what I’ve summarized above, but I hope this post gave you a good idea of what the app offers and how to start using it. Jesper and Jonathon have been working on this app for years, so it’s been fun to finally start using it and seeing what two of the greatest minds in the Zwiftiverse have come up with. Well done, guys!
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
Announcing Team Velos Monument Races: The Classics Competition
Announcing Team Velos Monument Races: The Classics Competition
Intro To Team Velos
Team Velos is a long-established Zwift club with an active racing team encompassing all levels of riders and a women’s team. Velos prides itself on helping riders improve and holds nine group rides weekly including beginner-friendly events, sprint and climb training rides, monthly route badge challenges, and our flagship Poursuite de la Lanterne Rouge with its three challenges, including a chase of the red beacon.
See upcoming Team Velos rides at zwift.com/events/tag/velos
The Classics Competition
Team Velos also hosts three weekly races: an individual time trial (Race of Truth), a “handicap” chase race, and our Monument Races on Fridays. Beginning 28 February, Velos will host a series of special events under our Monument series: The Classics Competition.
Spring is Classics season, and our goal with The Classics Competition is to present something instantly recognizable every week to cycling fans, who, for many, follow the one-day classics with as much enthusiasm as three-week grand tours.
Team member and Classics country resident Vincent Van Gestel devised our Classics Competition, which comprises 12 weeks of races on Fridays (including the five cycling Monuments), with our events corresponding to the weekends each pro event is held (liberty taken with Il Lombardia, which is held in autumn).
In addition to the 5 Monuments, seven other famous one-day classics have been selected to complete the 12-week Classics Competition. Each week, a Zwift course has been chosen to be most representative of the pro races, but every route has also been chosen to be enjoyable and competitive for D Cat to reflect the team’s ethos of helping riders at every level achieve their goals.
Schedule and Route Details
Classics Competition races happen each Friday at 7:15pm UTC/2:15pm ET/11:15am PT.
The five events marked with * count toward the Monuments Series general classification.
- Feb 28: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- Innsbruckring (Innsbruck) – 4 laps
- 35.4km, 309m
- Mar 7: Strade Bianche
- Kappa Quest (Makuri Islands) – 3 laps
- 31.3km, 541m
- Mar 14: Canadian Classics
- Downtown Dolphin (5 laps) + Castle Crit (4 laps)
- 10km, 85m + 15.5km, 223m
- *Mar 21: Milano-Sanremo
- Navig8 (Watopia) – custom finish at Sasquatch Sprint
- 38.7km, 281m
- Mar 28: Gent-Wevelgem
- Greatest London Flat (London) – 1 lap
- 31.3km, 223m
- *Apr 4: Tour of Flanders
- Richmond UCI Worlds (Richmond) – 3 laps
- 49.1km, 383m
- *Apr 11: Paris-Roubaix
- Petit Boucle (France) – custom finish at Ballon Sprint
- 54km, 365m
- Apr 18: Amstel Gold Race
- Royal Pump Room 8 (Yorkshire) – 1 lap
- 27.5km, 490m
- *Apr 25: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- The Muckle Yin (Scotland) – 2 laps
- 47km, 564m
- May 2: La Flèche Walonne
- Peak Performance (Watopia) – custom finish atop The Grade
- 27km, 542m
- May 9: Giro dell’Emilia
- Time Trial Lap (Bologna) – 2 laps (1 full lap + 1 climb)
- 24km, 708m
- *May 16: Il Lombardia
- Rising Empire (NYC) – 2 laps
- 41.4km, 750m
See upcoming Classics Competition events at zwift.com/events/tag/velosmonument
Race Results
Results for all races (including cumulative scoring for the 5-race Monuments series) will be published on a dedicated race page. For details and updates, go to: velosmonuments.co.uk
Questions or Comments?
To learn more about Team Velos, go to: teamvelos.co.uk. Got questions? Share below!
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Zwift Academy Finals, Live Zwift Events, and Rocker Plates
The annual Zwift Academy Finals broadcast is back! Zwift has partnered with GCN to produce a four-episode series covering all the action, so this week’s top video is the first episode of the series.
We’ve also selected a video about a live Zwift event, a rocker plate review, a review of the TrainerRoad + Zwift integration, and a review of the CaveWorks Rivet Indoor Cycling Frame.
The Competition To Find Cycling’s Next Superstar | Zwift Academy 2025 Ep. 1
JOIN ME AT THE WAHOO x CRANK IT UP – EPIC ZWIFT EVENT IN LONDON
Three months on a ROCKER PLATE | Are they worth the money?
TrainerRoad & Zwift Integration – Brilliant or Pointless?
CaveWorks Rivet Indoor Bike Review
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
The Zwift Big Spin 2025: Ride, Spin, Win!
The Zwift Big Spin 2025: Ride, Spin, Win!
Today Zwift announced the second edition of their popular Zwift Big Spin, a prize-filled group ride series kicking off March 3!
This year’s theme is “Ride! Spin! Win! Through the Decades”, with each week’s ride and prize spinner themed after a different decade. Read on for details…
Prize Spinner
The prize spinner we usually only see atop Alpe du Zwift will make an appearance at the end of each Big Spin route:
Each time you complete a Zwift Big Spin route (in an event or on demand), the spinner will pop up to give you a prize. If it lands on a prize you’ve already won, you’ll get a healthy Drops bonus (landing on the BMX Bandit twice gives you a 40,000 Drops bonus, for example)!
The prize spinner has 6 slots, with different probabilities assigned to each. One slot, the lowest probability, is reserved for the coveted BMX Bandit Bike. Three more slots are for the Big Spin Headphones, Sticker Skater Helmet, and Groovy TT wheels.
The other two slots’ prizes will change for each stage, giving us a total of 12 possible prizes throughout the series. And Zwift tells us these prizes won’t be available in the Drop Shop any time soon (possibly never), so this is your only known chance to unlock them.
Prize List:
- 1970’s Kit
- 1970’s Bucket Hat
- 1980’s Kit
- 1980’s Paper Hat
- 1990’s Kit
- 1990’s Headphones
- 2000’s Kit
- 2000’s Sunglasses
Schedule and Route Details
Stage events will be held hourly at the half-hour mark, with each stage’s first event kicking off at 5:30pm UTC on the start dates below, and the final event happening at 3:30pm UTC on the end date below.
- Stage 1 (The Seventies): March 3-10
- Route: Greater London 8 (24.3km, 280m)
- Stage 2 (The Eighties): March 10-17
- Route: Jurassic Coast (19.7km, 212m)
- Stage 3 (The Nineties): March 17-24
- Route: Douce France (24.2km, 133m)
- Stage 4 (The New Millenium): March 24-31
- Route: Watopia’s Waistband (27.7km, 112m)
- Make-Up Week: March 31-April 6, ending 12:30pm UTC April 7
See upcoming events at zwift.com/the-zwift-big-spin >
On-Demand Stages
Pining for that sweet BMX bike? Get more spins! This year, riders can choose to complete Zwift Big Spin stages on-demand, meaning you ride the route on your own schedule, not in the official Zwift events.
(You can also organize Meetups, Club Rides, or do the route during a workout. Just make sure you finish the route in order to get credit and a spin.)
Completing a stage on demand will still get you a prize spin, but keep in mind you must wait until that stage begins before riding its route. Once the stage has begun (4pm UTC on the start dates listed above), Zwift tells us any method of completing the route will earn credit for completion plus a prize spin at the end.
On-demand stages open on the dates listed above, but do not close until the very end of the Big Spin on April 7.
Are these races?
Officially, no. Zwift Big Spin events are group rides without a stated pace. That means some riders will treat them as races, and the front of these rides will certainly be “spicy.”
Others will just spin their legs for a prize-laden recovery effort. You do you… just have fun!
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
Get Ready to Leapfrog: The Women’s Ladder League Has Arrived!
Get Ready to Leapfrog: The Women’s Ladder League Has Arrived!
Last May, we were wondering if and how a women’s ladder league could launch — and now it’s finally here and thriving! We’re excited to see how this new league integrates with the mixed ladder while offering something unique to women racers. Here’s a quick rundown of what makes it stand out…
The ladder league is a unique team-based one in a ladder tournament format. Instead of using ZwiftPower categories or the newer Zwift Racing Score for categorization, teams are ranked according to the Zwiftracing.app vELO rankings. Each team can have up to 15 riders, with the requirement that no more than three vELO ranks can be represented on the roster (for example, copper, bronze, and silver).
This format adds an interesting strategic layer to the competition: teams can challenge other teams no more than 7 places above them on the team ladder. Races are structured as 5v5 events, with the challenging team selecting both the route and the powerups. Race points are awarded based on finishing positions, ranging from 10 points for 1st place down to 1 point for 10th. The team with the most points wins the race and takes over the loser’s position, causing everyone else to drop a place. Essentially, this creates a dynamic “leapfrogging” effect as teams climb the ladder.
For a more detailed breakdown of the rules and the amendments for the women’s ladder, head over to the official rulebook.
Currently, several women’s teams are participating, with a lot more set to join in the current transfer window. Stay tuned for updates!
Top 5 Cool Things About the Women’s Ladder:
- Race with Teammates Across 3 vELO Categories: This is a fantastic opportunity to race with riders you wouldn’t normally get to team up with, making it even more exciting.
- Short and Sweet Races: Races are shorter than ZRL events, which can sometimes be intimidating for new racers. With flexible race times that fit around training schedules, it’s a great option for beginners looking to dive into competitive racing and learn from more experienced teammates.
- Tactical Races Like No Other: The strategy goes beyond just riding hard. From choosing the route and powerups to discussing tactics with your teammates based on the roster of 5 teammates and 5 opponents, it’s a true test of teamwork and adaptation.
- Every Woman’s Contribution Matters: Even if you fall back during a race, the battle for 9th and 10th place can be decisive. Every point counts, and the race is never really over until the finish line!
- Competitive, Evenly Matched Teams: In the Women’s ladder, teams are more evenly matched regarding their short-term power compared to competing against heavier men. This creates a level playing field, ensuring competitive fun for everyone.
BONUS: Every race feels different and exciting, even if you’re facing the same team again. With changing participants, the dynamics are always fresh and unpredictable.
And if you feel ready for a challenge, you can still compete against mixed teams too!
Are you ready to join us? Learn how to join, and don’t miss out on the ladder race commentary video below for more details and examples of women’s ladder racing:
We can’t wait to see you on the starting line!
Zwift Academy 2024 Finals, Episode 2
Zwift Academy 2024 Finals, Episode 2
The finals for Zwift Academy 2024 have finished, and Zwift partnered with GCN to bring you a series of four episodes documenting the process at pre-season training camps. Who will come out on top and earn a pro contract?
The first episode was released last week, and new episodes will be released for the next two Saturdays.
In episode 2, our finalists take on the ultimate bike-handling test at a karting track to see if their Zwift fitness truly translates to the roads. With Mathieu van der Poel and Zoe Bäckstedt setting benchmark lap times, do our finalists have the bike skills to push their limits without crashing? Will they learn from the pros’ line choices and find the perfect balance between technique and speed?
Watch Episode 2:
(As a reminder, there are 8 finalists this year. To learn a bit about each rider, see this post.)
Up Next
Watch this space for episode 3, premiering March 1 at 5pm UTC/12pm ET/9am PT.
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
Woman Racer Spotlight: Kristin White
Woman Racer Spotlight: Kristin White
Name: Kristin White
Hometown: Manlius, NY, USA
How did you get into cycling? I originally was a marathon runner but had back pain when I was pregnant that prevented me from running so I swam and biked on an “old school” trainer. After I had my two daughters, I was able to run again, so decided to give triathlon a go. The bike became my favorite leg… I loved the speed of it!
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? Four years. During 2020, I had 2 bike crashes on the road within 2 months and the doctor said I couldn’t afford another concussion, so I bought a smart trainer and started Zwifting. The triathlon team I was on IRL had a ZRL team. I was added to the team, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Fun fact… we were 5 women (The Spice Girls was our team name) from all over North America. We had never met IRL but became very close. In 2021, we met up in Maui to celebrate the wedding of one of the girls!
Are you part of a Virtual team? I am a member of Level Esports Racing. It is an amazing team that is always looking to introduce women to racing! In September, I was fortunate enough to meet up with some of the team members in Mallorca for 5 days of cycling led by Richy Howell, the team manager.
What do you love most about racing? The camaraderie. I have made amazing friends from participating on the teams. But what I love even more is taking part in a race series and seeing the same names that you race against. Women you never knew before start cheering for you. I love how the women can be so intensely competitive but so supportive and encouraging at the same time. It really is an amazing community.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? TTT. Hands down. Working together with teammates to be the best we can be is just inspiring.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Honestly, I haven’t done a series I didn’t like. I have done WTRL, ZRL, FRR, Zwift Ladies Series, Tour de Boudicca, et al, and have enjoyed them all!
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH?Outside – Ironman World Championships Kona 2010… my first time qualifying and competing. My parents and my two daughters were there, and I placed 5th in my age group and 11th amateur female overall. The island during Kona week is just magical! Inside – I recently raced the Tour of Brittania FRR stage race. In the final race we had five Level Esports teammates all working together to help me hold my place in the GC and my teammate to win the green jersey!
What is your favourite food to eat post race? Chocolate milk and potato chips!
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? There are categories for every level so never say you aren’t good enough to race. Get in the pen early and have everything ready to go at least 15 minutes before the race starts to decrease any pre-race stress. Start pedaling with 3 seconds to go. The race will start fast but then settle in.
No matter how you do, be proud that you did it! Now you have a starting point and can work to get stronger. Celebrate every little improvement. Finally, feel free to message others and cheer them on. It’s a great way to “meet” fellow cyclists!
Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? I always love ZRL season. I ride for Level Wasps and Level Hornets.
Where can people follow your racing adventures? Kristin White is my Strava cyclist profile, or find me @trimomkw on Insta.