Zwift released a major update last night which includes two big items: flexible Training Plans and the ability for events to be on a different world than the currently live world. Read below for details on these and other changes included in this update.
Flexible Training Plans
If you’ve ever endeavored to complete a structured training plan over several weeks, you know the biggest challenge (apart from completing the actual workouts) is fitting the training plan into your life. What happens when you have to skip a workout for an emergency? What if you want to ride outside?
As Zwift’s Jordan Rapp says, “The best training is the training you actually do.” Zwift’s goal with these new Training Plans is to give you the structure needed to realize real training benefits, as well as the motivation to complete the plan. This is only version 1.0 of Zwift’s Training Plan system, but it’s a great start.
There are twelve training plans included at this time, with more to come. To access the plans, click “Plans” at the top of the workout picker screen.
You’ll see a full article on flexible Training Plans here on Zwift Insider in the near future. For now, click below to watch the ZwiftCast guys discuss them. You’ll also hear from key Zwift team members about their vision for this feature:
Three-Way Flexibility
When you select a plan, you also select the plan length, so you can target a particular completion date. That is one way these new training plans are flexible.
They are also flexible because you can mark a workout as being completed outdoors–so you aren’t required to complete every workout on Zwift.
Lastly, if you have to miss a workout, the plan will automatically do its best to make sure you complete the key workout(s) for the week. So you can take a much-needed rest day without derailing your training plan.
Off-Calendar Events
This update includes, for the first time ever, the ability for events to take place in a different world than the one currently scheduled. This is a very big deal, as it is the beginning of “world choice,” a feature Zwifters have been requesting for quite some time. Starting next week the calendar will contain events on Watopia, London, and Richmond–all on the same day!
Additional Updates
There are several other updates included in this release–here they are, with a few notes from myself.
- Events now start counting at a new spot, right under the ‘Enjoy your Ride’ sign in Watopia, and a new painted line on the road on the other 2 worlds: this is good, especially for races where you pay attention to the distance. Distances weren’t always accurate previously, so this should fix that issue.
- Previous efforts are now graphed on Alpe du Zwift segments: after checking out the Alpe this morning I’m still not sure what this actually means. But I do see that Alpe map on the right also includes your total distance up the Alpe, so you see how far you have left to go.
- Percentages for earning prizes at top of Alpe tuned slightly: hopefully this means Nathan Guerra can finally get those Meilenstein Lightweights.
- Graphics performance optimized: always a plus!
- Added ‘enhanced drafting’ mode for events, as a test. Draft effect will be much stronger in events with this rule set: this will be good for rides who want to make sure the group stays together, although I’m curious how this will effect pack speeds.
