How to leverage Zwift to have fun and get faster this winter

• Updated on: 2023-07-02
• Read original article here

It wasn't too long ago that when the weather changed cyclists faced grim weather or ultra-intense indoor training. As the summer season ended many cyclists would transition to long, slow, outdoor riding while braving the elements. Others who either couldn't, or wouldn't, brave the elements might ride indoors but the experience was even less fun. Dreary intervals staring at a timer took an incredible will no matter the actual intensity. As Zwift has firmly established itself within the modern cycling ecosystem, the brand has completely changed the conversation. 

Today, there is a whole new way to spend your time. Instead of facing icy weather or brutal intervals, you've got another choice. Using Zwift, you can get faster while having a blast and you can do it anytime of the year on your own schedule. This isn't brand new but Zwift continues to introduce new features making it easier. This season includes opportunities to follow workouts, scaled to your fitness, inspired by the professional riders you look up to. You can do it whenever you've got time or you can join others to tackle the challenges in a community. Then, as before, you can incorporate racing into your training for high intensity sessions that are genuinely fun. This year, Zwift is making that even easier. If that all sounds a lot better than the old options, keep reading to see what's new. 

The key to modern cycling training is measuring performance with watts. It's also the key to riding on Zwift. That means before you get started, you'll need an up-to-date FTP (functional threshold power) test. Don't worry though, whatever horror stories you may have heard about FTP tests, Zwift has made that pain a distant memory. 

At one time it was a badge of honour to ride as hard as possible for the 20 minutes required to finish an FTP test. Those tests are still available in the Zwift workout library if you like them. There are two options and they are also an excellent workout in their own right. They aren't required anymore though. Instead, Zwift has two versions of a ramp test that is just as accurate but much, much, easier.

A ramp test ends when you can no longer turn the pedals. Depending on your choice of the "ramp test" or, the "ramp test lite" for newer riders and riders under 60kg, you'll notice that the workout screen lists times of 39 or 43 minutes and it looks very tough. Don't get scared, you aren't expected to complete the workout. Zwift will walk you through the whole process with instructions coming exactly when you need them. You will start with a gentle warm up then ride a little harder minute after minute until you can't anymore. The whole process takes around 15 minutes with 4-5 minutes of hard riding. When it feels impossible, it will end. Zwift reports your new FTP and you are ready to start training and racing on Zwift. 

With your accurate FTP in hand, you are ready to start with one, or all, of the workouts hosted by four top-tier teams. By using your FTP, the workouts will scale to your ability level and you can do as many workouts as you'd like. If you'd like to do it alone, that's an option. You can also join others in group workouts. There's an energy that comes from knowing every avatar around you represents people in their own homes completing the same challenge. There are even opportunities to complete the workouts with the professionals from Ineos Grenadier, Jumbo-Visma, Movistar, or Bike Exchange Jayco who inspired the workout.

You can find out which athletes are participating, when the group events are happening, and when it's possible to ride with a pro on the Zwift Pro Training camp information page. 

Don't forget, completing events is also an opportunity to show your team support or personal dedication. Complete any of the team workouts and your avatar will have access to their team cap. Complete any two workouts from each of the four teams and you'll also unlock a Pro Training Camp cap. 

One of the most fun things to do on Zwift is racing. There's no barrier to entry and you can do it at any time that works for you. Throughout the year, there are always races available in a variety of formats and lengths. The community organises the vast majority of these races but ZRacing comes direct from Zwift headquarters and the company is making it even more fun and accessible. 

Each month a new themed series of races will come to the Zwift calendar. The courses change every week so you'll have new scenery to look at and new challenges to conquer. Sometimes the theme will highlight a location on Zwift but for December the teams who contributed workouts to Pro Training Camp pick the courses. It's an opportunity to test your fitness, build new fitness, and unlock a badge for completing each stage in the ZRacing Monthly series. 

Zwift is also making sure the challenges are accessible to all. In terms of schedule, courses and durations mean that you can warm up, race and cool down all within the space of an hour. When you schedule that hour will also be up to you with events on the calendar every hour. Of course, fairness is also part of being accessible and with that in mind, all ZRacing events feature category enforcement. This makes sure that the people you are racing match your skill level. You can always try a harder race but as fun as Zwift racing is, there's no such thing as an easy win. For women who prefer to race with other women, there are women's specific races on the calendar every day as well.   

When you are ready to give it a try, visit the ZRacing monthly calendar or check the daily race schedule on the Zwift Companion App.

The Zwift platform is all about community. Sometimes that means completing workouts with the energy of a group or riding a route with a group to help you keep focus. Other times it means riding as hard as you can to see who is the fastest at that moment. It's always fun but there are also times when you'd rather race your greatest challenger, yourself. The new HoloReplay feature is the way to do it. 

Every time you ride a timed segment on Zwift it will become available for racing with the HoloReplay feature going forward. Choose between the last time you rode the segment or your personal best over the last 90 days and you will see yourself on the course next time. The HoloReplay avatar isn't draftable but it is raceable and it represents an exact recording of you. Each turn of the pedal, and your exact wattage through that section, is there for you as a challenge. Use it to shave seconds on short sections, or long ones, and you can pace out the fastest times you've ever managed. 

Jump into the settings next time you log in if you want to customise your HoloReplay settings. You can find more details on the HoloReplay support page.

If you've been a long-time subscriber, you might have noticed these features on the recently updated home screen. You may have even tried some of them. If not, log in and check it out. 

For those who haven't given the platform a try, you can try it for free. Visit the Zwift homepage today and click the "Try for Free" button in the top right. After you've created an account, you'll be ready to start exploring the virtual world of Zwift with a free 14-day trial. There's plenty of time to try out everything that makes Zwift such an integral part of the modern cycling landscape.