Zwift has just sent out a press release highlighting upcoming game improvements and key events for the spring and summer months (April thru August 2023).
There is much to discuss here, so we will begin by publishing Zwift’s full press release, which introduces several new game features we haven’t yet covered due to Zwift media embargoes. We plan to release more in-depth posts focused on these topics in the coming hours and days, digging into the details you won’t find in a press release. Watch this space.
Some of the content in the PR has already been covered in detailed posts here on Zwift Insider, including:
Without further ado: here’s Zwift’s entire (albeit slightly edited) “This Season on Zwift” Spring/Summer 2023 press release.
It’s a poorly kept secret that the fittest, fastest, and most capable riders complement their outdoor rides with focused indoor sessions to refine fitness, even when the weather outside is perfect. Mixing Zwift sessions into an outdoor ride schedule gives cyclists the fitness edge needed to confidently ride further, meet challenging goals, and climb hills more easily – just what’s needed for a fun and exciting summer of riding!
Zwift is excited to roll into the Northern Hemisphere Spring and Summer with a full slate of new in-game features and events. Everything Zwift is announcing today – and other features being built – are designed to make indoor rides more fun and engaging, while ensuring cyclists have the right fitness to tackle their summer riding goals, whatever those might be.
Highlighted New Features Rolling Out This Summer
(all images represent the current state of features still in development)
Coffee Stop
We’ve all started a ride, only to realize that we forgot an essential, like a water bottle or sweat towel. Or sometimes you’re halfway through a ride and need to take a nature break, or get a caffeine hit to finish your last few miles.
With Coffee Stop, Zwift is adding a much-requested feature. Created during a recent Zwift Hackathon, Coffee Stop lets you take a short break – up to three minutes – without falling behind the group you’re riding with, whether that’s friends in a meet-up, a Pacer Group, or other Zwifters you happen to be riding with in free ride.
All Zwifters will have access to the feature. To take a Coffee Stop, Zwifters will select the option from the Action Bar or Zwift Companion App. Once activated, you can take care of whatever you need to do – make an espresso, sign for a delivery, or refill your bottle. Your avatar will keep pace with whatever group you’re riding with while you’re off the bike. You’ll even keep accumulating distance and XP.
But don’t let the dreaded café legs catch up with you! After three minutes, your Coffee Stop expires, so act fast or get ready to catch up.
Rider Teleport
Riding with friends is one of the best things about cycling. With Rider Teleport, it’s now easier to do on Zwift.
Now, when you’re mid-ride, and one of your friends decides to hop into the same Zwift world, you can teleport directly to them without exiting your current activity. You can also use Teleport with RoboPacers by starting with an easy pacer group and teleporting to a harder one once you’re warmed up. Looking to complete more miles after an event finishes with a group? Simply teleport to a RoboPacer going your speed!
You can initiate a teleport from your action bar, and your avatar’s movement will appear as a straight line on your post-activity map.
Action Bar Update
Zwifters will still access the Action Bar the same way they always have – with the up arrow on their keyboard, or via Companion App – but everything else about this important interactive feature has changed. Action Bar has always been the one place where Zwifters control all in-game features, and it’s now easier to use.
Instead of having to scroll far to the left or right to give a Ride On, change camera angle, or make a u-turn, actions have now been organized into easily navigated submenus. Click into the submenu for emotes to access all the reactions in one place – Ride On, elbow flick, toast, and wave. A different submenu will give you options for Rider Teleport, showing you Zwifters you follow and RoboPacers in the same world as you. Zwifters will also be able to access Coffee Stop from Action Bar.
Climb Portal
Join other Zwifters and ride through these two new portals to experience some of the real world’s most famous climbs. This new addition to Zwift will put you in a totally new Zwift environment with a completely new visual experience, but which still replicates real world places. Zwifters will get to test themselves on legendary grades and iconic switchbacks with other riders.
At launch, two of the climbs available through the portal will be Col du Tourmalet and Col d’Aspin, both storied for their prominence in some of history’s most exciting bike races. Other climbs will be available as well.
Keep Everyone Together
By turning on Keep Everyone Together in club events, it’s easy for Zwifters to plan no-drop rides for their clubs, making it easier to spend time with friends and socialize while you pedal, even if your group has a wide span of fitness levels. This favorite feature has previously only been available in select events. Now, any Zwifter who is an administrator of a club can turn this feature on for their club’s events. With Keep Everyone Together enabled, all participants in club rides will ride together, no matter their power output.
Club Notification Control
Use Club Notification Control to decide which Club Chats and Club Events you want notifications from. You can now turn on notifications from your favorite clubs without being bombarded with chatter from the rest.
Pack Dynamics V.4
Get ready for a smoother ride on Zwift with the latest updates to Pack Dynamics. This update makes riding in a peloton more realistic; you won’t be overtaken as easily, and won’t get sucked up into a peloton while riding solo. Plus, the new in-game dynamics make it easier to float from the front to the back of the pack, if you want. Group too slow? It’s also easier to break away if you want. If you aren’t trying to move up, your avatar will mostly stay in the same position relative to other Zwifters, as you would if you were riding in a pack in real life.
Player Highlight
Player Highlight makes it easy to see your avatar, pick out friends, and spot ride leaders on Zwift. The Player Highlight shrouds your avatar, as well as those of Zwifters you follow and ride leaders in a glowing halo when you’re riding in a dense pack. The highlight fades in smaller packs and when you’re riding solo. This dynamic enhancement is especially helpful in events when everyone is wearing the same jersey.
Select New Content for This Season On Zwift
Zwift Spring Training Series
Year-round training on Zwift is a great way to boost your outdoor fitness—and the Zwift Spring Training Series is the perfect program to get you ready for summer. With this series, we’ve developed six effective, efficient, achievable workouts that will get you ready for all your summer goals. Indoor Work = Outdoor Fun.
Conquer A Classics Mission
Ride the distance of Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, 145.5 km, to celebrate the speedy women of the World Tour. Conquer those kilometers and unlock a sweet Watch the Femmes kit for your avatar and a unique Mission badge! The mission started April 3, but there’s still plenty of time to join and complete the kilometers before the end of the month.
Ride With Pride!
Pride month is right around the corner, and we’ve got the perfect way to celebrate—June’s Ride with Pride Mission. Sign up and keep your Monthly Mission streak rolling.
Tour de France // Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift Mission
The Zwift Watch the Femmes campaign will take over the month of July with an on-demand mission that challenges Zwifters to complete four stages, with different course options provided with the new Segment Portal. Stay tuned for more details!
Questions or Comments?
Zwift just added an FAQ which may answer many of your questions.
Got other comments or questions? Post below!
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