Episode 24 of Zwiftcast has been released. Here’s the full episode description:
Simon, Shane and Nathan are together – in the same place, and that place is Las Vegas! The Zwiftcasters are in the Nevada desert for the very first CVR World Champs, which is virtual bike racing as never before. Whilst the event takes top billing in this podcast, it’s not the only things the boys find time to talk about.
In a more chatty than usual podcast, the trio discuss Frank Garcia’s ambitious staging of Zwift racing as an ESport. If you don’t know what this is, after listening to this ‘cast, you’ll be much wiser. But there’s room for more than just racing.
Simon talks to Any Tough and his six year old son Daniel, about Kid Zwifting, its benefits and how the game can inspire youngsters to get involved in exercise and fitness.
Simon, Shane and Nathan also mull over the E Fondo on Zwift; the film Zwift made about Mat Hayman and the advent of more data with the Zwift Ride Report.
But the birth of Zwifting as an ESport at scale does dominate this ‘cast, not least because of Shane’s “surprise” second place. The chaps dissect the event and debate what it may mean for the development of the platform.
This podcast is a little more chatty than usual – perhaps not surprising as the hosts don’t have to wrestle with the obvious disadvantages of being on three different continents. We hope you enjoy it.
I loved the Vegas races, but I would rather see all the top riders (zada approved) going for the win in a pro length race. I still think it is rather silly that they all have the same trainer but those new to Zwift had to ride entry level bikes while the other riders could use Concept bikes or Cervelo with a disc wheel; that’s not a fair playing field.
Just a clarification: the disc wheel option it’s now only for betatesters.
Not sure a “pro length” Zwift race would be as attractive for competitors or as entertaining to watch. Four or more hours on the turbo watching them cruising in a bunch for most of it? These events need the excitement of shorter crit style races where it’s more full-on for more of the time. Putting them all on the same virtual bike setup might be interesting though.