Zwift Academy

Zwift Academy is great for two very different groups of riders. Many just want to be part of this annual event. Ride, train, and race a little. There are others who are seriously trying to out duel one another to be in contention for race wins and selection to the ten semi-finalist positions.

Fit and Fun

Many Zwifters join the Academy to challenge themselves with workouts designed to test you and elevate your fitness level. Having a set time period prevents procrastination. Group rides are a unique class of exercise. Many are at a set pace. Actually, the speed is the resulting pace of watts per kilogram. To understand if the ride is a good fit, see the description on Zwift. It will list the pace as, for example, 2 w/kg (or watts per kilogram). You need to find your level of fitness in terms of those numbers. Very fit riders are comfortable at 3 or even 4 w/kg.

You can ask questions during the ride through messaging. With that said, fellow Zwifters, try to engage new ones. Welcome and encourage them. A group ride leader will have a yellow beacon attached to them the entire ride. They give guidance and answer questions in addition to leadership and instructions. (Usually, "Slow down in front!")  Remember, drafting will make it easier.

Beginners may find a race with a rolling start. This has a gradual increase in tempo until a set starting point. One is not allowed to jump off the front until that point. Most races, however, will start with a huge burst of power and speed. It will calm down after anywhere from one to three minutes. Save yourself some heartache by staying with a group in your category. Categories are listed in events https://zwift.com/events/. You won't generally last long as a C trying to stay with A or B groups. Before entering a race most races ask you to add this letter to your name. Go to my.zwift.com/profile/edit and add "B" to the end of your name, or C or D if that is your class. Your FTP number divided by your weight in kilograms will fall into the following categories; D= 1.0 to 2.4, c=2.5 to 3.2, B=3.2-4.0, and A=4.0 to 5.0

Workouts are for your personal achievements. For longer and more difficult workouts, try to do the entire workout. Don't be afraid to do less if it becomes too difficult. For example, I could not do 10 sprints in a row at 300% FTP. So, I did all ten at 200% FTP. The workout said rest and repeat twice more!? So, being exhausted, I stopped. Next time, I will try to do two sets. Others may choose to do five of the ten repetitions, and repeat that three times. Then they will redo the workout at a later date and attempt 7 or 8 of the ten repeats.

Enjoy the challenge. Your jersey for completion won't appear immediately in your virtual locker. Everyone will get it at a set date, usually the next Zwift update will unlock these items.

The Fast and the Furious

First, know that many hope to have what it takes to compete against other Zwifters for a real life professional cycling contract. There are essentials to be selected for the top ten. You will have to workout and race Zwift on a smart trainer. You also need to wear a heart monitor and sync your data to Today's Plan for the judge's analysis. You should verify your weight weekly and on every race date. Your Zwift weight must be set prior to the race. It will show on Zwiftpower.com. However, I am speaking of your weight on Today's Plan. On your account, go to 'Calendar' and click on the "+" sign for that day (bottom of daily panel). Click on the top option 'Record Body Metrics' and verify your weight.

The more outdoor races and power data you have, the clearer your abilities will be to the judging panel. Last year's semi-final tests included five 5 minute hill climb intervals and another had a 15 minute full effort at the end of a long tempo ride. If you have lack a power meter for outdoors, try to borrow one from somebody in your cycling community to record real life power. I would suggest doing this before the Academy starts.

While workouts and races will help you get the attention you want, the interview for top candidates is focused on real life race results. The importance of the smart trainer is to insure a rider can truly power up hills. You can of course, use a power meter for Zwift instead of your smart trainer numbers. If you are using the estimated 'z-power' on Zwift rather than a smart trainer or a power meter, there's some bad news. Z power candidates will not qualify. More and more races on Zwift are no longer extending credit for z power riders. This year, riders on standard (non-computerized) trainers will not be selected for the top ten positions. Your trainer needs to simulate real gradients.

Power meters or a smart trainer is the only way to get credible race results. If you are a serious contender but fairly new to Zwift, note that the entry level bikes are slower than the Cervelo and the Concept bikes. The 808 wheels are much faster than the standard wheels that Zwift accounts start with. You will have a difficult time staying ahead of riders with faster bikes. It is very tough to cross a gap by yourself to catch a group of riders ahead of you. Thus, many racers will push hard at times so as not to get gaped, especially to avoid getting dropped on a climb. Zwift Insider has a few racing tips here and here. Make sure your account is connected as "opt in." and update your profile and settings on ZwiftPower.com. For more information read this update: Zwift Insider article and www.zwiftpower.com/

For the serious minded, your FTP is important. Women should try to hit 4.0 wts/kg and men around 5.0 w/kg, as that is what the top candidates hit. You can always repeat an FTP workout towards the end of the Academy period. You will be tested and examined for power, speed, and endurance. Here are a few numbers from the Ladies of 2017 who qualified for the semi-finals. The top FTP scores were 4.59, 4.60, 4.77, and a whopping 4.93 w/kg. In their 5 second power 15.16, 17.0, 17.1, and 17.1 w/kg. Ouch! You can get an idea of your level from the chart below. Of the men, I only have one of the three finalists on my Strava radar. His weight was unlisted but his wattage is impressive. He had 934 watts for 5 seconds, 744 for 30 seconds, 457 for a three minute test, and an FTP at 362 watts.

As stated by Zwift, this year all in the Academy will be able to see the statistics for 50 top riders. This should make it a little more competitive than just the races. You have to do at least two races. Feel free to enter more races to improve your best results. Make a schedule where you will enter races fully recovered. Zwift races are tough, especially during the Academy.