Introducing Zwoom: Zwift + Zoom in the Age of Coronavirus

Racing is on hold. Well, mostly on hold. The real-world racing that we know and love is very much paused. But in the interim, it turns out there is still lots of racing to be done virtually on Zwift. Does it compare to the real deal? Yes and no…

There are elements of Zwift racing that are definitely silly. The weight doping that you have heard about is very much a thing. And the whole event interface has room for improvement, from fixing overlapping fields within a given race to simplifying a jury-rigged back-end for Zwift Power.

But for better or worse, now that we’re in week two of quarantining in New York City, we’re starved for just about anything that replicates the competition and social elements of real-world racing. So we’re turning to Zwoom. Yes, Zwoom. That’s Zwift + Zoom. We touched on Zwoom a few weeks ago and in the absence of racing and socializing IRL, we think Zwoom is the perfect way to spend the evening with teammates.

Our First Official Team Zwoom Race Report

Normally, at this time of year, the Journal is full of race reports about early mornings in Central Park and big-time early season races like the Grant’s Tomb Crit. But with that pause on real-world racing, we’re officially putting together our first ever Zwift race report, from multiple perspectives across different fields.

A big thank you to Charlie Issendorf who both organizes the real world Prospect Park series and works at Zwift for putting together this particular Zwift series.

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One TBD trainer setup — TV: Zwift, iPad Mini: Zwift Companion App, Laptop: Zoom with friends and teammates.

Barb - 2nd Place in the W Field

This was my second Zwift race, and it was amazing to experience how much I had learned from the race. It was also totally different in that we had our own women’s field, which was awesome! I did a decent warmup, even after riding earlier in the day. I had learned that in the 30 seconds before the race starts, it’s a very good idea to ramp up your watts. This is of course totally different from racing outdoors, but it makes the hard starts of a Zwift race less painful.

I was riding around with the field at a decent, but not crazy, tempo until a men’s field passed us. One of the women in our field jumped in with them. I didn’t have the legs to follow her, but the moved split our field. I got into a nice rhythm with a few pals from the women’s race, as well as some of the men who had been dropped.

We kept going and I just tried to get a sense of where I was in the women’s race — how far ahead was the woman riding with the men? Were any of the women we dropped catching us? It was really confusing, but it was also a fun diversion as I pedaled around at or over my FTP.

As we approached the final turn, I knew I had to get a little sprint going. I was sure my sprint would be just as bad as it is in real life, but I think my focus on knowing where I was on the course paid off. I was able to win our ‘field sprint’ for second place. It was exhilarating!

Matt - 3rd Place in the B Field

I have probably done more Zwift racing than anyone on TBD. But as one of the heavier riders on the team — and someone who is blessed more with 30-60 second power than any sort of meaningful FTP wpk — my general strategy is to stick to flat races where I hang on for dear life in the draft for as long as possible.

On this particular day, that still added up to some of the hardest efforts that I have done all year, with peak 5-second, 1-minute, 10-minute and 20-minute heart rates during what was effectively a sub-30-minute race.

In the end, that was sufficient to stay in the pack for the duration of the race, and while one rider snuck up the road in the closing lap, I was still in position to launch an early sprint for second. I was passed at the last minute by one rider, but hung on for a virtual podium and some good laughs with the squad about how gassed we were at the end.

Shane

I was extremely bad at this, and a day later am still feeling the first 10 minutes of effort, which I did on nearly no warm up (lesson: that’s bad!), and then promptly died. It was all of the bad parts of the first 10 mins of a CX race, and none of the fun roots or turns or dirt. After my first Zwift race experience, I really cannot say whether it was Type 2 Fun or No Fun. I guess I’ll have to do another one and report back.

Alvaro

I can’t wait to do my next Zwift race. It was super hard, but I had heard such horror stories that I was totally ready for it. I was so stuck to the screen trying to figure out the mechanics of drafting and learning the course that time flew by. After being cooped up on Zwift for months, I needed something new. I’ve still got a lot to learn about these races, but I’m determined to chase a virtual podium if I can’t chase a real one.

Our Tips for Zwooming

We’re all increasingly Zoom experts as part of this phase of work from home, but if you haven’t used it yet, a few tips:

• On free accounts, there is a 40-minute time limit. That is long enough to fit in a lot of Zwift races, but not all. Be prepared to rejoin the meeting if you’re on the free trial.

• For Zwooming, headphones are pretty essential, otherwise your companions are going to hear nothing but trainer and fan noises on the bike (the heavy breathing during the race is pretty much unavoidable).

• Switch your Zoom screen to gallery view for proper socializing.

Logistical Tips:

• Alvaro suggests covering your HR on the screen with electrical tape: “I didn't want to visualize how much it was hurting.”

• Treat it like a TT. You should line up hot — sweating and ready to go.

• Turn your apartment A/C down to ~66ºF or around there, and do so with time so that it's cold by when you start racing.

• Have a towel handy, or wear a bandanna if you must. You will sweat!

Actual racing tips:

• Figure out how drafting works in Zwift before doing your first race. This was a painful lesson for a lot of the team during their first race.

• There is a lag between when you apply power and when your avatar speeds up. Anticipate random risers and apply power early to make up some free spots on folks who respond to the incline slower than you.

• Know that if there are other groups on the road, they aren’t kept separate from you, so if you get “passed” by a faster group they will swarm you and there is no way to keep your group separate. Your own group will blow apart. Be prepared to stay on the faster wheels for as long as possible.