How did you get into cycling? As an unfit 20-year-old, I started running and orienteering at university and got into cycling through MTB orienteering. In my thirties, my body stopped coping with competitive running, and, as my 6-year-old was bike-mad, I started cycling more and got into MTB and CX racing.
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I’ve been on Zwift since 2016 – I used to find 30 mins before work a great way to set up the day. Racing on Zwift took a little longer but I’ve been loving it since 2020.
Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes. I joined Aeonian RT in 2021 after riding Catrina Weiss’ women’s events on Saturdays and Sundays for a long time – best thing I ever did.
What do you love most about racing? There are so many things I love, from, the growth of women on the start line, the feeling of working hard and achieving a goal, to the friendships made – my closest friends have come through cycling and racing.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love a points race and a TTT. The first because I enjoy the punchy style of racing, and the second because it’s all about working together.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Ohhhh tough question. I love being part of the ZRL each year but I also have loved being on the commentary this year for Boudicca and the Iceni Race Series, as watching the performance and calling the action has been fabulous. I also have loved leading the WOW (Women’s only Wednesday Chaingang) for the last 3 winters. It’s not a race, but normally turns into one!
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Outside: topping the podium in the women’s category in Mountain Mayhem (24-hr MTB race) with my teamies was right up there along with finally getting a podium in the National MTB XCO Veterans category after finishing 4th for too many races! Racing the World Masters Cyclocross Championships too, but ultimately it has been the love, support and friendships made from the women racing that has always made racing memorable. Sounds soppy but so true! Inside: my most memorable racing experience is returning to racing in Cat D this ZRL season after being off the bike for 18 months due to cardiac issues post Covid. The support from AEO during this time and the ability to DS whilst not on the bike was a life saver.
What is your favourite food to eat post race? I like a strong cup of tea post bike race, but when commentating, a large tub of ice cream!
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Just do it – start with a women’s only race, or a short one, and you won’t look back.
Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? I am looking forward to getting stronger again on the bike this summer and racing more regularly.
In the Drops Episode 63: Zwift Updates | ZRL Review Race 2 Recon | Podcaster Charity Race | Quiz + more
This week, the hosts celebrate hitting 1,000 subscribers and tally up their monetary gains ($0.03). Having both received the update, they’re still underwhelmed by the new HUD and Zwifty reveals what little he knows about Zwift Racing Score.
Tactics for Zwift Racing League Stage 2 are discussed, but the main event is the star guest: legendary pugilist, cyclist, and photographer Jeremy Dirom, aka JD.
Lastly: Zwifty sets a quiz with the hope that Nathan will win, but he forgets about his own wife…
Later this year, Zwift will be celebrating its 10th anniversary! To celebrate the community and the impressive platform that Zwift has built, Zwift has announced the latest set of features/updates coming to the game in the fall/winter of 2024.
This week, we’ve selected several videos about these upcoming features and events…
ZWIFT New Heads-Up Display (HUD) Details & Full Walk-Thru
Zwift recently launched their long-anticipated updated Heads up Display. Shane Miller, GPLama, gives a full walkthrough of the refreshed HUD.
Zwift Fall 2024 Update: Zwift Ride Smart Frame, New Roads, and Halo Bikes
Tariq from Smart Bike Trainers updates Zwifters on everything new that Zwift announced for the fall/winter of 2024.
This Season on Zwift // More New Roads // New HUD // Drop Shop Updates
Watch as I, Oli Chi from ZRace Central, share everything you need to know about Zwift’s recent “This Season on Zwift” press release including details about the new roads, new heads-up display, and drop shop updates.
Zwift HUD Update – a Quick Walkthrough
Eric from Zwift Insider gives a quick walkthrough of the updated heads-up display.
Is This The Ultimate Upgrade For Zwift? | Zwift Ride First Look
GCN takes a look at the Zwift RIDE Smart Frame, which is now shipping as a standalone frame and allows the frame to be paired with Zwift Ready trainers.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Indoor season has begun, so we’re featuring ZRL recon rides this weekend! Also making the list: a new progressive series working toward an Alpe du Zwift summit, a popular women’s race series, and two group rides conquering the new Makuri Pretzel.
✅ New Series ✅ Progressive Training ✅ Beginner-Friendly
The concept of this ride series is pretty cool: a series of weekly rides that builds over 16 weeks to eventually finish the challenging Alpe du Zwift climb via the Tour of Fire and Ice route.
Ride pace is kept between 1.5-2.2 W/kg, and there’s a sweeper team in place to help if you fall off the back. This week the series kicks off on France’s R.G.V. route.
The popular Iceni Women’s Series is now underway, and this weekend it’s Challenge 2: a single-lap race on Canopies and Coastlines for a total length of 27.8km. There are four intermediate sprints, so this one’s gonna get spicy!
We feature this popular ride regularly, but this week we’re calling it out because it’s held on the new Makuri Pretzel route (80km total ride length). This is a great chance to earn a challenging route badge (1550XP!) in beginner-friendly group ride. The leader beacon will keep a pace of 1.5-2w/kg, and may use the fence to keep the group together at their discretion. Join the team’s Discord channel during the ride to help pass the time!
Looking to grab the new Makuri Pretzel route badge (1550XP) at a faster pace? The Bagel Rolls crew holds a steady 2.6-2.8 W/kg for the ride, with plenty of chat and banter.
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!
Network-Connected Smart Trainers and Apple TV: Overcoming the 2-Device Bluetooth Limit
Over the years, much has been said about Apple TV’s annoying Bluetooth connection limit. While the world at large doesn’t seem too concerned with Apple’s silly limitation, it has caused no end of headaches for Zwifters, since it lets us connect only two devices via Bluetooth to Apple TV. And we’ve got lots of devices!
The limitation means you can directly connect, say, your smart trainer and heart rate monitor (HRM). This is surely the most common setup for Apple TV users today. But in the old days, before cadence was built into smart trainers, it meant you might only connect your cadence monitor and trainer. A rather limited setup!
Zwift’s Play Controllers are getting more popular, too, including the new controllers that ship with the Zwift Ride smart frame. These controllers use another Bluetooth connection (or two), making the Apple TV connection limit a popular topic of conversation once again.
Let’s look at workarounds for the connection limit, including one I haven’t seen discussed much among Zwifters.
Workarounds
Apple TV is a hugely popular device for running Zwift, so Zwifters have used workarounds to the 2-device limit ever since Zwift first launched on Apple TV in November 2017. Those workarounds include:
Connecting through Zwift Companion: this is a big reason why the Companion app exists. It allows you to connect all the devices you’d like through the Companion app running on your phone, instead of connecting them directly to a connection-limited Apple TV. While many Apple TV users use the Companion app in this way, unfortunately, for various reasons, it doesn’t work reliably for some (read this post for tips on getting a reliable Companion connection).
Pairing HRM to your smart trainer: some trainers (including Zwift Hub, Magene T600, Elite’s Justo 2, Avanti, Suito, Direto XR, TrueKinetix TrueTrainer, and the new JetBlack Victory) can be paired with a HRM. The trainer then rebroadcasts the HRM data as part of the trainer’s data stream, letting you get trainer and HRM data with just one Bluetooth connection.
Using a Bluetooth aggregator: devices like North Pole Engineering‘s CÔRD or WYÛR can aggregate multiple Bluetooth devices into one connection, but challenges include a lack of availability and (last we checked) incompatibility with Zwift’s Play Controllers.
Play and Click Controller Connection Note
It’s important to note that Zwift’s standalone Play Controllers, which can be added to anyone’s drop bars, require one Bluetooth connection apiece, for a total of two connections used. That means they max out the Apple TV’s limit, without connecting anything else!
The Play Controllers that ship with the Zwift Ride smart frame, however, are combined into just one Bluetooth channel, so they use just one Bluetooth connection on Apple TV.
Now we get to the point of this article. One thing I haven’t seen discussed in the Zwift community is how, if you connect your smart trainer to Zwift via a network connection (hardwired or WiFi), it doesn’t count as one of Apple TV’s Bluetooth connections! Here’s a quick video walk-through to prove it works:
This demonstration was done using a Wahoo KICKR v6, but it works the same with any network-connected smart trainer. That list includes (and this may not be an exhaustive list):
Wahoo KICKR v6, Move, Bike 2, Bike Pro, and Core 2
Any Wahoo device compatible with the Direct Connect adapter (including KICKR v5, ROLLR, Bike Shift)
Elite Justo 2
Elite Avanti
Tacx NEO 3M
JetBlack Victory
TrueKinetix TrueTrainer and TrueBike
If you try to connect any of these trainers using their Bluetooth profile, you’ll get this Device Limit popup once you try to connect a third device:
But if you connect using your smart trainer’s network connection, like this:
You’ll be able to connect your Zwift Ride Play controllers, HRM, and smart trainer all directly to Apple TV:
Other connection combinations are possible, of course. For example, if you have a network-connected smart trainer that acts as a bridge for your HRM, you could connect your smart trainer (with HRM signal included) plus Zwift’s standalone Play Controllers directly to Apple TV.
The second race of Zwift Racing League 2024/25 Round 1 happens Tuesday, September 17, and we’ll be in Watopia for our first-ever ZRL event on the Sugar Cookie route.
There’s much to discuss, including ZRL scoring changes for points races, tricky bike decisions, strategic options, and crucial segments. Let’s go!
Looking at the Route: Sugar Cookie
Watopia’s Sugar Cookie route has never been raced in ZRL, since it has only been in game for less than a year. It’s a big loop with just one substantial climb.
All riders will be racing a single lap of the route for a total of 39.2km with 260m of climbing.
Let’s discuss the key parts of this route, beginning just after we blast out of the start pen:
Lead-In: we begin from the Jungle pens with a long (5.6km) lead-in, descending to the Jungle Circuit arch. Yes, the Jungle is dirt. No, you don’t want to use a gravel or mountain bike (read more about Zwift Crr). Mind your pack position, but don’t expect any big moves yet. Powerup at Jungle arch: aero boost (helmet)
Stoneway Sprint @7.7km (FAL): this sprint feels longer than its 400-meter length because it begins on a 3% slope that slowly tapers to flat ground. Use your aero powerup wisely stay off the front of the charging pack and you just may grab some points across the line! Powerup at arch: aero boost (helmet)
Acropolis Sprint @10.3km (FTS): another longish sprint (450m), this one turns into a false flat through the finish. You’ll want to use your aero boost and position yourself for maximum drafting throughout the sprint if you’re chasing the FTS points on offer. Powerup at arch: aero boost (helmet)
Sasquatch Sprint @16.1km (FAL): this sprint starts just after you see the Sasquatch warning sign on the left. Slightly uphill and 350 meters long, this segment is only awarding FAL points, so it’s all about drafting smart and timing your powerup and final kick! Powerup at arch: aero boost (helmet)
Woodland Sprint @20.8km (FAL): the longest sprint of our four (500m), it’s also mostly downhill, so it’ll be fast! FAL points only, so using your aero and timing your kick will be key. Powerup at arch: lightweight (feather)
Climb to Epic KOM Bypass @28.1km: this will be the key selection point in the race. While the climb is ~2km long, it’s the steep first ~700 meters that often shatters a group. We recommend using your feather here if you feel yourself losing position, or want to put in an extra-effective attack. If you’re struggling, find a good wheel to hold for the final draggy 1.3km over the bridge, as this section only serves to increase the gaps that have already formed.
Descent to the Finish: from the start of the Epic KOM Bypass to the Jungle floor, riders have around 8km of mostly downhill road. Anyone dropped on the key climb may be able to bridge up if they find enough help and ride smart, but it may also turn into a strategic choice of which teams you’re willing to work with.
Finish at Jungle arch: after the long descent through the Jungle, expect riders to have fresher legs than usual, which means a willingness to rev up the watts a bit early. The final effort will kick off in earnest somewhere in the watery cave section, but it’s the final 200 meters of dirt hardpack that will decide the winner. You can’t see the finish arch until you’re just 115m from the line, so it pays to know your route, watch your HUD, and mind your pack position!
It’s important to note that FAL and FTS segment points as well as finishing points have changed this round for ZRL racers!
FAL points now go to the first 20 riders over the line (20-19-18…1 points, respectively). FTS points only go to the fastest 5 riders through the segment (10-8-6-4-2 points, respectively).
Finish points are now based on how many riders finish, but there are also new podium bonus points for the first 5 riders across the line. Example: if 60 riders finish, 1st place gets 60 points, 2nd place gets 59, etc. But podium bonus points are also awarded to the top 5 riders (10-8-6-4-2, respectively) so that 1st place rider would actually get 60+10=70 points for their finishing position.
Riders will receive particular powerups at each arch. See notes above for which powerups are given at each arch, and read our guide to powerups if you don’t understand how they work.
Study the route and the powerups and you’ll see WTRL has assigned powerups logically, so you can use each one before hitting the next arch. That said, if you’re confident in your climbing ability and agreeable to not contesting the Woodland Sprint, there’s a 200IQ move that may win you the race… see our note under “Strategic Options” below.
Bike Frame + Wheel Choice
This route features lots of flats and descents, plus a flat finish. But it also features a key climb with a steep bit where w/kg will be key! All of this makes bike choice a less-than-straightforward matter.
An aero bike will maximize your sprint speeds and let you sit in most easily on the flats, rollers, and descents that make up the vast majority of your overall mileage. But a lighter bike would give you a slight edge on the key climb where riders will be dropped and efforts are sure to be high.
Given the strong performance of the new Pinarello Dogma F 2024, it’s hard not to recommend it as the best pick here, coupled with the DT Swiss disc wheel. This setup loses very little (2 seconds in our ~50-minute test) to the traditional Venge+Disc combo, while gaining 11 seconds in our ~50-minute climb test.
That said, there are several options that will all perform well on this route. The Venge+Disc is the most aero setup available. The Tron bike is still a strong all-arounder. Will you pick a setup that helps you in your weakness, or one that emphasizes your strength?
Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.
(Note that John’s video doesn’t explain the recent FAL+FTS+Finish points changes explained above, nor does it specify that some of the sprints award FAL while only one rewards FTS. John can be forgiven for this, though, as WTRL’s website hasn’t been very clear about this info…)
Strategic Options
Points Distribution, Sugar Cookie (1 Lap)
This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants.
With segment points and finish points evenly split, there’s no clear best approach that applies to all teams and all riders. Here are some predictions of strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:
All-In For the Sprints: as you can see from the chart above, sprints make up almost half the points a team could earn in this race. Riders who know they can’t hold the front of the race up the key climb may go all-in for sprints.
Chasing Finish Points: riders who aren’t strong sprinters will save themselves for the key climb so they can hang with the front group and hopefully sprint against a reduced pack for finish points.
Post-Climb Bridges: the long descent after the key climb provides ample opportunities for heavier riders to bridge up to riders who had dropped them on the uphill. Strategic team decisions will need to be made, and communication will be crucial.
Keeping an Aero In the Quiver: riders who are confident they can hang onto the front group up the key climb without the help of a feather may hold onto their last aero powerup, saving it for the finishing sprint. If it works, it’s a 200IQ move. But if you get dropped on the climb you’re buying the team beers!
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
The notorious UK Aeonian Race Team (“AEO”) donned their team kits and took on the pringle at the infamous Herne Hill Velodrome in London. Once a dairy farm and coined “the fastest track in the world”, the velodrome seemed the perfect place for an in-person AEO meet-up.
A lot of the Aeonian riders had never met in person before and this was a great opportunity to meet their teammates beyond the avatar and their paincaves.
Kindly organised by Zwift Academy finalist Katy Hill, it all started with sizing the bikes and getting used to being on the track. Naturally, this evoked nervous laughter as some were not used to riding without gears and brakes. However, after a couple of turns around the track and some excellent instruction by the Herne Hill coaches, you could begin to see the AEO racing spirit come to the surface. The ladies were split into two groups of mixed abilities to practice close riding and changing riders on the heights of the banks. And in true AEO fashion a gentle competition unfolded between the groups (not that each group would admit it).
The team celebrated a great day out with pizza and a good chat. All agreed that this fun experience brought out the team’s core value – that together we can achieve more.
