Zwift is celebrating a decade of helping make more people, more active, more often. In past ten years, the Zwift community has logged a collective 8.72 billion kilometres, climbing 81.56 billion metres.
Zwift notes that is also offers a collective experience, so many of those kilometres have been earned riding alongside other Zwifters from all corners of the world in group events. Community event organizers are the backbone of Zwift events, and have organized an eye-watering 4,034,556 events over the last ten years.
As Zwift celebrates a decade of indoor training, it has unveiled a range of software updates coming from September 2024 as well as a new push on hardware.
The hardware offerings from Zwift include the release of the Zwift Ride Smart Frame, which is now available to purchase separately – compatible with specific Zwift Ready Trainers.
Zwift has also confirmed official launch of the Zwift Ready Program, bringing compatibility to additional smart trainer brands for almost any 8-12 speed bike, thanks to virtual shifting and Zwift’s Cog and Click.
Zwift Ready is an officially licensed program that makes it easier for customers to identify smart trainers that support Zwift’s virtual shifting. Several Zwift Ready trainers will be available to purchase online and in stores with the Zwift Cog pre-installed and the Zwift Click controller in the box.
Zwift has unveiled a raft of new software updates…
Watopia Expansion
November will start to see an expansion to Zwift’s popular virtual world: Watopia. Zwifters may notice something unusual appearing from the ocean, just off Watopia’s coast, and will need to wait until November for Stage 5 of the Tour of Watopia to explore this new land.
Further details on the new expansion in Watopia will follow nearer the time.
This year’s Tour of Watopia will celebrate a decade of cycling and running on Zwift. Participants will be able to take in five stages of Watopia expansions, starting with some of the earliest routes. Zwifters will have the option of three distance options and double XP, when completed live during events, or 1.5x XP when ridden on-demand.
Revamped Heads Up Display (HUD)
A new refreshed Heads-Up Display (HUD) includes seven customizable metrics, such as cadence, heart rate, average watts and watts per kilogram, among others, so that riders can tailor the display of their experience on Zwift.
Runners also receive an update to the HUD, featuring a fixed display of a heart rate zone distribution bar, heart rate and steps per minute. Wahoo KICKR Run owners will also see the new Dynamic Elevation display when utilizing Incline Control.
New challenges and rewards
A range of new challenges can be accessed via the Challenges section on the Zwift home screen and can be completed alongside one additional ‘main’ challenge – Everest, Italy or California.
- Cardio Crusher – September 9 – Catering to a wide range of fitness goals and for time-crunched athletes, the Cardio Crusher Challenge offers five new workouts, all under an hour. Zwifters who complete all five workouts will unlock 250 XP.
- Route Chaser: The Grade – October 3 – For those looking to earn new badges, Zwifters must complete five routes to complete the challenge, three of which are new – Mayan 8 (23.1km with 241m elevation gain), Radio Rendezvous (20.5km with 736m elevation gain), and Power to the Tower (44.7km with 1492m elevation gain).
Zwift notes that more challenges will be added in the coming months.
Zwift Racing Score
Zwift Racing Score aims to ensure that racers are placed in the right category from the beginning of their racing journey, making races more competitive and enjoyable.
The score dynamically adjusts based on current fitness and also performances in races. With improved matchmaking and rewards for strategic racecraft, Zwift Racing Score is designed to elevate the competitive experience.
Zwift Racing Calendar
Today there are over 100 community event organizers organizing races on the Zwift platform, helping to create a competitive space for Zwifters globally.
Complementing Zwift Community events is the Zwift Racing Calendar, which is split into four key pillars:
- zRacing Monthly – Year-round racing with new racing routes landing each month.
- Zwift Racing League – Billed as the largest team event in cycling with 2,610 teams participating in the 23/24 season, the league brings Zwifters together offering three rounds consisting of six races each between September and February.
- Zwift World Series – Five races spanning from September to January, the tailor-made courses offer three tiers of monthly monument racing challenges.
- Zwift Games – Relaunching in March, the Zwift Championships will return for a second year, offering Zwifters the chance to race for Community and Elite levels with more to be revealed in the coming months.
Garage upgrades
The Zwift Garage is getting an overhaul for 2024 enabling Zwifters to upgrade their virtual bikes. Zwifters will be able to upgrade their bikes by completing upgrade challenges to unlock the ability to purchase the next upgrade stage using (Zwift virtual currency) Drops.
All bikes will have five stages of upgrades, offering enhancements such as weight reductions, improved aerodynamics, and lower rolling resistance.
Zwift Camp: Baseline
Alongside the return of the Zwift Academy talent identification and training program, Zwift is introducing a new workout program. Zwift Camp: Baseline runs from November 18, 2024 to January 5, 2025.
The new training program is designed to help Zwifters learn more about themselves with six workouts with long and short versions to suit all athletes. Upon completion, Zwifters will receive a report helping identify their strengths and weaknesses based on their rider type. After the program, there will be new challenges available for riders to take the next step with their fitness goals.
www.zwift.com/this-season-on-zwift
