You can, too! How to Race Online with Zwift®
by CBCG coach Molly Balfe
Travel might not be possible right now, but I’m happily rolling through my big gear intervals in the countryside around Yorkshire. A local cyclist is giving everyone cool historical facts about his town, which I’m only slightly distracted from by the exclamations of “ojisjsdjlsdjoijiosdjsdfljlsdjkljsdfjlsfidnzfnssd” from another nearby rider. Thankfully, a third cyclist jumps with a mildly annoyed, “DUDE. You’re sweating on your phone!” Like many of you, my experience with social distancing has been punctuated by a LOT of indoor training. There was a time when my trainer gathered dust for most of the year; now it has a near-permanent setup in my small apartment’s living room.
Thanks to a fortuitous Christmas present from my little brother, I’ve been lucky enough to explore the virtual worlds of Zwift® while suffering through my indoor workouts. The platform’s graphics and achievements are pretty motivating, but the real benefit for me was the feeling that I was meeting up with friends for a group ride. It was a lot like my NYC training days of riding loops of Prospect Park - even the random dudes who hang on your wheel were there! In the early weeks of the pandemic, I signed on to train with thousands of people from all over the world. I started to recognize names, I made virtual friends, and I chatted with my real friends through the Zwift® Companion App.
Regular training led to some fitness increases right at the same time as races started to get cancelled. I’m not sure what came over me - perhaps a touch of perceived scarcity syndrome wherein people panic when they fear something might not be available, like toilet paper - but I was suddenly yearning for racing more than ever. I wanted to get out and suffer with friends and strangers and get an idea of where I was after a long winter of indoor rides. I had seen Zwift races through promotional emails, but I wasn’t sure what it entailed or if it was something that was within my reach. Without giving it too much thought, I decided to dive right in and sign up for something. Here is a recap of what I learned after making a whole lot of mistakes:
1) Connect your account
Anyone can sign up for a Zwift race, but if you want your results listed you need to sign up for and verify an account with Zwift Power. You can find good instructions here, make sure to read them carefully to ensure your results get posted.
2) Pick an event
Before you settle on a specific event, select a category in which you want to race:
A: 4.0 w/kg FTP or higher
B: 3.2 w/kg to 4.0 w/kg FTP
C: 2.5 w/kg to 3.2 w/kg FTP
D: Under 2.5 w/kg FTP
Once you’ve determined your category, head on over to the Zwift Companion App and click on “events” to find a list of upcoming races. Make sure you check out the race descriptions to see what the rules are and learn a bit more about what to expect. For additional information and more filters, check out the event listings on Zwift Power.
3) Know the course
There is a lot of variation in terrain on Zwift. Tempus Fugit is flat and fast, but the climb in Innsbruck features over 1300 feet of vertical gain in less than 5 miles! You don’t want to be surprised by the fact that your 16k race is straight up a hill, so go ahead and check out the course description before your race starts.
4) Set up your gear
Because all of this racing fun is virtual, it relies pretty heavily on technology. I recommend signing in early so you can get a good warm up and make sure everything is working properly. Plug in your laptop, ensure your heart rate monitor and smart trainer are connected, and open up the Companion App so you can chat with your fellow racers. Remember your real-world setup as well! Get a towel (seriously, get a towel), fill your water bottles, and establish and memorize your pacing plan of attack. Just like any race, it is crucial to have some idea of where your effort level and wattage should be.
As for my first Zwift racing experience? I made pretty much every mistake I just outlined. I chose a race by mileage alone, thinking it would last me about an hour (it was much longer). Midway through the race I had to get off my bike to plug in my dying laptop (thereby losing the group I was riding with). I started much too hard and pushed a few tougher sections thinking that the race would end with a downhill (it ended with a 4-mile climb). Luckily, no one can see the result of all this, because I failed to connect my account to Zwift Power. I hope you can benefit from my learning curve and avoid all of the above. My most salient takeaways, however, is that online racing is both an ideal outlet for some of that untapped race energy, and a gateway for a whole lot of sweaty fun. It can also be relatively anonymous fun, so go ahead and make some mistakes in the name of racing!
Coach disclaimer: think very carefully about how this type of racing integrates into your training schedule and your bigger goals. Online racing is very tough and could impact your next few days of training. Check in with your coach about how to structure a plan that includes this type of training stimulus.
Not interested in racing, but miss riding with friends? Think about joining an online group ride! The Endurance School offers a weekly ride on Thursdays at 6:30am PT. Zwift allows us to keep the group together so no one gets left behind. We write a structured workout for each session (more info on the CBCG Facebook page), but you can also do your own workout. Chat with us live on Twitch, just make sure to stash your phone somewhere dry!