Zwift Update Version 1.87 (143212) Released

Zwift version 1.87 begins its phased rollout today. This release includes a new “Streak Flair” feature to reward consistent work, upgrades to the Ven-Top climb, and more…

Note: I’m at Simon Schofield’s home in Spain as a stopover on my way to Mallorca for Zwift Community Live, so this post may be a bit light on details. If you see additional changes beyond what I’ve noted below, please comment!

Streak Flair with Scotty

Ride Streaks were added to the game in December 2023 as a way to motivate Zwifters to train regularly on the platform. Today’s update adds what Zwift is calling “Streak Flair”: a visual upgrade to our avatars that changes based on the length of your ride streak.

What is the visual upgrade, exactly? Well, it turns out that yesterday’s April Fools Scotty was actually a sneak peek at a new game feature. Our jersey pocket can now be filled with a bit of Scotty flare:

• Level 1 (4 weeks): the first bit of flair is a pocket Scotty medal when your streak hits 4 weeks. (You’ll keep this flair until you reach 12 weeks.)
• Level 2 (12 weeks): the medal is upgraded to a keychain Scotty peeking out of your pocket.
• Level 3 (24 weeks): animated Scotty! Now your pocket companion moves with a fun animation. This Scotty will stay with you as long as you hold onto your streak from here on out.

Important note: at launch, everyone’s Streak Flair will default to being turned OFF. You’ll need to select FUN from the Settings screen to show your flair.

New France Routes/Badges

Nine new France route badges have been added to the achievement list, although these routes won’t be available to ride until April 7th.

• Ven-10
• Croissant
• Three Musketeers
• Gentil 8
• Bon Voyage
• Hell of the North
• Knights of the Roundabout
• Sacre Bleu
• Macaron (event-only)

Read more about the France expansion, including screenshots, in This Season on Zwift.

Ventoux Upgrades: Sections and Spinner

Zwift’s release notes say, “… the Ven-Top route now includes a HUD display mirroring the Grade’s climb experience with 10 equidistant sections highlighted on screen. Additionally, when you summit this epic climb, you’ll now receive the Alpe du Zwift spinner!”

This is a welcome upgrade. Ventoux is the longest climb in game (apart from a handful of climb portals), yet it has always lacked the segments and spinner that help make Alpe du Zwift a more attractive climb. I predict we’ll see increased traffic on Zwift’s Ventoux KOM in the coming days.

Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

• Standardized the look and feel of scrollbars throughout the game.
• Fixed an issue that could cause an incorrect value to be shown in the Weekly Goal Met in-game banner.
• Improved the reliability of The Zwift Big Spin reward spinner.
• Fixed an issue that could cause a Zwifter’s kit to revert to the default Zwift kit after leaving a group ride or event.
• Enabled more detailed 3D lighting on newer Apple devices and Windows machines with dedicated GPUs.
• Improved an issue that could cause intermittent shadows to flicker on Zwifter avatars in some conditions.
• Android: Improved readability and usability of form input fields (login, profile settings, custom workout editor on tablets, etc.).

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!