It’s that time of the year where Zwift provide an update on what they are going to be releasing. The Press Release in full reads as follows:
NEW ROADS, PLANNING TOOLS AND DEEPER OUTDOOR INTEGRATION SET TO HELP YOU GET MORE FROM THIS SEASON WITH ZWIFT
An expanded Paris map, gravel galore, new bikes and so much more to benefit Zwifters this coming season
Zwift, the global online fitness platform, today lifts the lid on many of the exciting new product developments and content experiences planned to launch this coming season. From planning in Zwift Companion, more levels to chase in both running and cycling as well as a dedicated event map for gravel, there is something for every Zwifter to explore This Season on Zwift.
Personalized Recommendations Go Outdoors
Launching in April
Personalized Recommendations recently launched in Zwift, helping Zwifters spend less time thinking and more time doing. Based on a combination of your recent ride history, and preferred activity types, every Zwifter now receives a recommended next activity in the ‘Next Up’ card in Zwift Companion. Personalized Recommendations will serve a variety of content, including workouts, Robopacer Rides, Routes, and workouts. The first recommendation is the one we think you will enjoy most but Zwifters have the flexibility to adjust activity type to suit their needs.
As we move towards the Northern hemisphere summer season, Zwifters now have the option to view an Outdoor Recommendation in Zwift Companion. This will be a basic guide to advise how to get the most from your next activity. Simplicity is the name of the game here, giving Zwifters the space to make the most of those sunny summer miles!
Plan Your Week in Zwift Companion
Coming this April
For those who prefer to plan out their weeks, and hold themselves accountable through scheduling, Zwift is now giving Zwifters the ability to plan their week within Zwift Companion. At launch, Zwifters will be able to schedule bike workouts, bike routes, bike and run events, Robopacer Rides and challenge tasks (e.g. Route of the Week) for the days ahead. As activities are added to the weekly calendar, the fitness graph on the Zwift Companion app homescreen will automatically show all future planned activities so Zwifters can see what’s ahead at a glance. For Zwifters with third party training connections, planned workouts will automatically populate.
Don’t want to plan your full week? No problem. Planning a few events or activities ahead will have the added benefit of improving your personalized recommendations, so if you have a race scheduled for tomorrow, we can give you something to prime those legs.
Zwift Camp: Breakthrough
April 6th – May 17th
The final Zwift Camp of this winter season arrives with Zwift Camp: Breakthrough. Beginning April 6th, Zwift Camp: Breakthrough is designed to support Zwifters in their transition to the summer season. The five workouts will focus not only on fitness but also features drills to improve technique, stability and control. The end result should be strong, smoother outdoor miles for Zwifters.
Configure your HUD for workouts
Launching May
Whether participating in Zwift Camp: Breakthrough, or completing any one of Zwift’s 1,000+ workouts, the ability to customise data fields in workout mode is sure to level up the experience. Four configurable data fields can be illustrated on the central workout screen. Zwifters can pick from 13 biometric data points ranging from Cadence (RPM) to Core Temperature or power to weight ratio (W/KG). This update will allow Zwifters to tailor their data inputs, so they can focus on what’s best for them and get the most out of their training.
Gravel Mountain
Ride it from April 6th
Zwift’s first gravel only map comes to Zwift on April 6th. An event-only map, Gravel Mountain will be the fastest, most exciting way to experience gravel on Zwift – expect dust, speed and loose lines.
Set in a red rock environment with new route features including red rock medians, corner berms and ultra-wide roads. The full gravel surface means gravel bikes will be optimal, so why not pay the Zwift Drop Shop and enjoy a new virtual bike day to celebrate the launch of Gravel Mountain.
PAS Racing Series
April 6th – May 3rd
The fastest and most dynamic racing experience on Zwift starts with the PAS Racing Series which brings the performance and style of Pas Normal Studios to a new kind of gravel racing on Zwift: tough, competitive and refined. The four stage gravel series includes the new routes in Gravel Mountain and a new gravel route in Makuri Islands. Races will run hourly, and of course there will be a custom Pas Normal kit to unlock.
More Levels for Running and Cycling
Coming April
Every Zwifter knows how compelling it is to round up their rides to the nearest mile or kilometre – not for bragging rights, but for that extra XP. Chasing levels is incredibly rewarding and now there’s more to chase than ever before, no matter your Zwift level. The level 100 cap has been lifted, giving Zwifter hundreds of new levels to chase. And for those Zwifters who have hit that century milestone, there is a new status stripe, visible in the rider name list and in Zwift Companion. Runners on Zwift will also see the level cap lifted from 30 to 50.
Tour Fever Challenge
July 2nd – August 16th
Zwift is the official software platform for the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and to celebrate there will be six weeks of festivity as we all get swept up in Tour Fever. Running July 2nd – August 16th, the Tour Fever Challenge celebrates the summer of racing with five stages of rides and races to enjoy. The Tour Fever Challenge includes five new badges to chase in the Paris Map.
Paris Expansion
Launching June 26th
The Paris map, created for the Virtual Tour de France, is set to become even more iconic with the addition of the famous Montmartre climb. Mimicking the new finishing circuit of the Tour de France, which has proven popular with fans since it was introduced for the Paris Olympics, Zwifters will now be able to ride up the cobbled climb to the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre. Short but punchy, this will be sure to put a sting in the legs.
Drop Shop Update
Spring / Summer
The Zwift Drop Shop is the destination for Zwifters to spend their well-earned Drops on the latest bikes and wheels. This year, the Drop Shop is getting its biggest overhaul yet, with a wealth of new bikes and wheels arriving over the next 12 months. This Spring and Summer, 18 new bikes and 13 new wheelsets are set to hit the virtual shelves. The first two ‘Drops’ land in March and April with a distinct gravel focus, giving Zwifters the chance to kit themselves out with the latest tech for the launch of Gravel Mountain and Pas Normal Racing Series.
Zwift Challenges Go Outdoors
Coming this Summer
Zwift Challenges, with their bonus rewards for completion, have proven to be immensely popular experiences on the Zwift platform. This summer, the fun doesn’t have to stop as cyclists enjoy the great outdoors, as Zwift plans to launch its first indoor/outdoor challenges. To complete, Zwifters will need to have connected their Wahoo, Garmin, or Hammerhead accounts.
My thoughts and summing up
It appears that there is a lot going on over the next few months, but I question if some of these updates are really what Zwifters want.
Updating the Drop Shop at face value looks a good thing, but only if the Garage functionality is updated in parallel, to which there is no mention. I don’t need more bikes; I need the ability to get rid of all my old stuff in the garage that I have accumulated over 6 years.
Gravel Mountain – I don’t really know many Zwifters that actually like the gravel sections in races. Around the Jungle, many a race has been spoilt because of the change in road surface. I would have rather seen a large climb appear in Makuri Islands, such as Mount Fuji. Has Zwift lost the opportunity to bring that climb into the world because their competitor, MyWhoosh has it on their platform?
Other functionality, such as recommendations on what next to do, is confusing. For those who are following a training plan, this has no value and for those who are not, most of the time when they jump of Zwift, they do what they feel like doing, so I am not sure if this functionality will add the intended value.
Configurable HUDs were added last year and, to be honest, I set mine up and haven’t changed it since, so I am not sure the value of having more configurable data points on the central workout screen will add. During my workouts, the only thing I can look at is how much time left remains for that segment. I don’t have the capacity to think about data and other numbers, simply what my watts are, and how long left.
More levels for running and cycling is interesting. With the cap lifted for cycling, it now doesn’t really matter what level you are, because if it is never ending, it is almost like “who cares” as there is no finish line to get to. With running, having spent the winter on the treadmill, completing all the routes, I marginally “leveled up” and therefore, unless the barriers to obtaining the different levels change, then getting to level 50 is the equivalent of having no level cap because you will never get to it. I don’t think even Mo Farah would get to level 50 on Zwift, the number of kilometres he would need to run.
In summary, it’s nice to have updates, but I see bigger challenges that need addressing, which include fixing the problem of the overcrowded Garage, more routes (not necessary roads) to ride, and addressing the fact that Makuri Islands, despite being graphically great, lacks a major climb, so why not add that as well as the Paris updates? But the most pressing issue is the creation of different event formats. Zwift’s competitors have varying race and event formats, whilst Zwift has stagnated in this department. At this time, I see Zwift’s competitors offering more innovative functionality that Zwift are unable to replicate. TrainingPeaks Virtual ability to create rideable routes from GPX files is an example. Personally speaking, these updates are not hitting the points that really need focus.
