Triathletes will be very excited about two announcements Zwift made over the weekend…
First: The Team
Specialized and Zwift are collaborating to form what they call “the world’s best supported amateur tri team.” This 4-person team of elite amateurs is targeting the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona October 13, 2018. Here’s how Zwift explains it:
If you’re looking to podium at Kona, we’re looking for you. Apply to join our team backed by Specialized, share your training journey with Zwift, and make it to race day at the IRONMAN World Championships.
As one of four members on our elite amateur race team, you’ll have access to unprecedented support from our partner: Specialized will provide bikes, helmets, clothing, cycling shoes, and accessories. We’ll fly you to their wind tunnel in Morgan Hill for aero testing and a bike fit to ensure no watts are left on the road.
Once you qualify for the IRONMAN World Championships, we will go even farther by covering your entry fee, flights, and lodging. It doesn’t stop there — you’ll also fine tune your training with race-proven mentoring from Lucy Charles, together with access to world-class coaching advice from Tim Don.
Applications close March 18.
Interested in joining the team? Apply Here
Second: The Workouts
Not sure you want to qualify for Kona 2018, but still want to get fit? All Zwift Academy Tri workouts will be open to the public starting in March.
Moving Into the Tri Sector
Zwift is already very popular among triathletes, for several reasons:
- You can put in those long hours on the bike in the TT position without worrying about traffic, weather, and darkness.
- Everyone knows triathletes love data, and Zwift of course shows lots of interesting numbers as you train.
- Cycling workouts can be specifically tailored to the rider’s power levels and training goals.
- The official release of Zwift Run makes it easy to do a brick run (ride followed immediately by a run) in the comfort of your training room.
Several key hires for Zwift in the last year have come from the tri world, including Emily Mullen (Head of Brand & Marketing Communications) and Jordan Rapp (Game Designer). Additionally, Eric Min recently told me Zwift estimates that their user base includes over 50,000 triathletes–so clearly triathletes are on the platform, and Zwift is paying attention. (Eric told me this in the context of a discussion about the target market for Zwift Run, because existing triathlete Zwifters will play a key role in growing the running user base.)
Now we just need to get swimming on Zwift. We’ve got the virtual waters–we just need the equipment and compatibility. SwimErg, anyone?
