The last Zwift update of 2023 was released today, with rollout to Windows/macOS/Android machines beginning today and iOS/Apple TV beginning tomorrow.
Given the previous update‘s pile of changes and the holiday season, it’s not surprising to see that this update is light on major features. But let’s dive into the details!
Workout Tooltips
Zwift has been tweaking the workout startup screen since they released it back in October, and today they added “tooltip”-style detail popups for intervals if you mouse over them (PC/Mac) or slide your finger over them on a touch screen device.
This is a welcome change, as it lets you see precise details for each interval in your workout.
Race Timing Display Changes
Today’s update includes this note:
Made a change for the timing of all competitive events (excluding team time trials and individual time trials): the time displayed in the HUD will now be the elapsed time from the event start (gun time) instead of the elapsed time beginning when the rider has crossed the start line (chip time). More information on this thread.
This is an interesting change. First, here’s a video showing how race timing behaved before this change. Note how my ride timer (and distance) don’t begin counting until approximately 30 seconds into the race. Then when I cross the finish line, the elapsed time on my HUD is around 30 seconds less than the time that pops up for the results.
The race result used “gun time”, while my HUD was showing “chip time.” (“Gun time” refers to starting the timer when the start gun is fired, while “chip time” references having a timing chip on your bike which is picked up when you cross the event’s start line.) This is a bit annoying when, for example, you’re competing in the ZRacing monthly GC and are chasing a particular target time.
With today’s change, the time shown in the HUD will now match the time shown on the results screen. That’s good. But the odd thing about this change is that it does not apply to time trial races, where time (arguably) matters a lot more, and gun time is used for race results!
My hunch is Zwift excluded TT events from this change because they need to do some code changes in order to display gun time for TT events, given the unique way TT events slot riders in at different start intervals. But this does need to happen, so I’ll bet this isn’t the last news we’ll see related to gun vs chip time.
More Release Notes
Zwift provided notes (and occasional jokes) on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:
- Fixed a bug where cyclists could occasionally swerve into runners. That’s for other video games.
- Fixed an issue where Climb Portal’s elevation scaling options could not be navigated using keyboard or Play controllers.
- Fixed an issue with riders time in events that have the same segment and event finish lines.
- Fixed an issue where the player’s name in race results could be displayed in the wrong font color.
- The Save Activity screen now shows if you’ve connected your Zwift account to Wahoo SYSTM, which will post your Zwift activities to your Wahoo account.
- You can now dismiss the new cycling Streaks screen via the Zwift Companion mobile app.
- Fixed an issue where the road on the Canopies and Coastlines route flickered in some locations.
- Steering-Only events are now categorized under the “Hardware Requirement” filter.
- We humanely captured and re-released elsewhere the butterflies that appeared in the cycling Streaks screen after completing an activity in Climb Portal.
- Windows/Mac: Fixed a potential crash that could occur when riding with a RoboPacer.
- iOS & ATV: Custom workouts can once again be deleted
Discuss this release on Zwift’s forum >
Questions or Comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
Any chance of showing gears on Android?
Was hoping for new bikes in the drop shop now we have 100 levels to make things more interesting.
“Fixed a bug where cyclists could occasionally swerve into runners. That’s for other video games.”
lol, which game is that in reference to?
Carmageddon
GTA? 🤣
Paperboy
paperboy and 720 were my moby dick growing up as a kid. i could not the hang either and its just caused my nightmares
That wasn’t a bug, it was a feature 🙂
As a runner who uses Zwift to crosstrain, I’ll admit to laughing my ass off the first time my bike took out a runner.
I wonder if this means that Champion’s Sprint will now work for FAL/FTS points when the finish line of the segment is also the race finish line.
Was there a fix for the Everest Challenge? The last update made a change to the number of feet to complete the challenge (Feet added to the challenge (mine has 164K+ miles to complete challenge))
The “Racing Time” change is long-overdue but an extremely welcome change, it really really annoyed me particularly in zRacing events that you had to try and mentally account for different amounts of “add-on time” for each different route so you could have a clear idea of how fast/slow your race was shaping up to be. I’m a happy boy today, lol 😀
I’m just hoping that the change comes soon for TT races. Especially those in events where you’re trying to hit the fastest time over multiple events so you have a number in mind, but don’t know how long the lead in to the chip start is.
I’m still waiting for an update that allows for a “garage” clean out of unused bikes, kits, etc. and I wonder why no one else has requested it. 😉
they are not doing that
Yeah wish we could trade bikes in for sweat points, depending on how many hours used, you get a specific amount of sweat points added to your total.
Saw a rumor on the forum that this is being developed.
1) Add an option to the DB ‘owned-boxed’ vs (‘owned’ or ‘not owned’).
2a) When generating the shop
a) allow ‘owned’ items to be toggled to ‘owned-boxed’
b) the price for any ‘owned-boxed’ item is 0 to change back to ‘owned’
3) When generating garage screen, omit ‘owned-boxed’ items, or show them as greyed out and/or in a travel box
No fixes for the XP levels issues introduced last release? sad face
What issues?
I could type them out here, as I have already in reply to you in other threads, I suspect you have seen those messages but just chosen not to reply for whatever reason. If I type them out here will you read them? Otherwise I’m not going to waste my time writing it out again.
Sounds like someone is salty about their banked XP vs a newbie who can level up faster, relatively. Bore.
Thanks for wrongly assuming my issue, it’s a great way to engage in productive discussion with someone else. Insulting them as well, shows what great character you have. Have a good one.
Well, what are the level issues then?
I’ve actually already had this discussion with you as well Kaowin, so why should I do it again? Check the level 100 article.
Ok, so I just spent 5 mins to look back and find it. And it’s exactly what I said earlier – your banked XP vs a newbie who will level up faster now than you did 5 years ago. Dude, just ride, be healthy and be happy. Go forth and earn your virtual points.
Ya run in to one A-hole a day, they are the A-hole. You run into A-holes all day… You are the A-hole.
Just link to that comment and we all can read it.
I don’t really care about your opinion or any other random’s, only trying to get the message across to someone that might have some pull. Plus engaging in this thead has already been shown to be toxic people (see the downvotes when I correctly pointed out a rude comment), I’m not wasting my time re-hashing things to some randoms in a toxic environment. I went through the comments and they are all replies to specific points that Eric made in comments (to which he never replied, but replied elsewhere in the same article later), so it’s multiple comments that you have to read in thread to follow.
So why don’t you just write Eric an E-Mail?
I thought you were pretty rude to Eric who runs this whole thing and does a great job. He may or may not have pull at Zwift, but that’s not his job. You wanna talk to Zwift about it, go to Zwift.
I suspect that the downvotes reflect the fact that people do not appreciate your rude reply to Eric in this discussion. Eric is not Zwift and he owes you nothing – he provides us all with a great asset. Ironic that you then pulled someone else up on their lack of manners and civility, and described the atmosphere as toxic, when it was your own reply which was ill mannered without any justification. You then seemed to carry that on by being spiky with others. Maybe you just need a Z1 recovery spin.
Addes Santa of the coast of downtown? Or is that not new – first Xmas on Zwift..
Santa was active already in 1.54
He does have a lot to get thru to be fair! 😄
I really wish Zwift would sort out the Workout UI… since the recent ‘refresh’ its practically unusable if you want to use it for structured training rather than just dipping into periodically.
Pretty sure this is my 7th zwift Christmas and I still don’t have the Christmas jumper, saw it this week on someone else, someone please tell me how I get one
Standard orange zwift jersey! it turns to the christmas ones
thanks for the reminder!
Just seen Eric’s IG post on this – it is actually the basic grey jersey that you need to select.
I’ve noticed a couple bugs actually, if you level up on the streak screen after a ride i.e. with the extra 300, 400 or 500 xp you will not get the 50,000 drops bonus. I did not receive the drops when this happened, meaning you only get them if you level up during a ride. Also, I did a double climb portal ride yesterday, I did the first accent at 100% but decided to do the second accent at 50% as I was a bit tired & pressed for time. However, after the completed ride on Strava both accents and descents were noted as “Excluded Effort” and the elevation for both trips was not included in the Strava leaderboard due to the second trip at 50%. I don’t see why the first ascent at full 100% should also be excluded just because I decided to do a second trip at half effort.
The Strava Leaderboard limitation was disclosed in the ZwiftApp release allowing for Climb Portal Gradient Changes. If you set the gradient for any attempt, your entire Strava segment efforts will be excluded because this tag is marked at the Activity level – all or nothing.
Bug with Yellow beacon not being yellow anymore but a translucide brownish thing that is hard to pinpoint
No countdown with the warning message “Return to the group” when riding ahead of the fence
No “close the gap” message as well
I get close the gap messages all the time. Even in a big blob.
Tour de Zwift!
Still waiting for the rebel routes that were added two releases ago to be rideable…
Have a look at the Tour de Zwift.
Well they’re rideable! I rode the spiral into the volcano the other day, just by navigating it the old fashioned rebel route way. It just doesn’t unlock the badge yet, to my great surprise lol.
Yeah, I guess that is what I meant. The badges show, but you can’t earn them quite yet.
AndyW has a point, the Big Flat 8 and the Spiral is a part of Stage 8. Cool. I hadn’t scrolled that far earlier
I would like a No Steering filter. It is very frustrating to race against those with steering when you don’t have it.
Why not come up with something like “fire ears” in stead of the “Scotty squirrel ears”?
When will they have the rebel routes for which there are new badges as selectable routes? My OCD is really bothered by not being able to select those routes and having uncompleted badges lol
Did u see my posting above?
“You can now dismiss the new cycling Streaks screen via the Zwift Companion mobile app.”
Umm. Nope, you can’t. Another in a long line of disappointing mistakes in Zwift Updates. There is no functionality at all in ZC and according to Evan in the Zwift forum, they’re “looking into it”. Film at Eleven…
The functionality is there, since I use it all the time. But it seems, it doesnt work for everyone.