Racing on Zwift

One of the best parts of Zwift is being able to race against other people all over the world. Nothing will motivate you to push harder and suffer more than real competition with others. Since most races are spent riding at or near threshold, it’s a great workout to build your FTP. While some aspects of virtual racing are similar to the real world, there are several differences you need to be aware of to be successful.

Tips and Best Practices

Join the pen as soon as it opens

• Zwift races start very fast, so it’s important to be in good position from the beginning, especially in large fields. Racers line up in order of entering the pen, up to 30min before, so arrive early for a good spot. You can continue to warmup while you’re there or take care of any off-the-bike last minute business you have. Another very useful tip that almost seems like a hack is, login, join the pen, then log out of Zwift entirely. Log back in, ride anywhere to warm up well, then rejoin the pen. You will then be put into the place you were originally added, essentially saving your spot! Note that any riding in the pen is not recorded.

Warm up very well

• To get into the lead group, you’ll have to sprint out of the gate, so being fully warmed up is critical. Ride in another world or in the pen with some hard efforts at least 10-20min before your race. About 5 seconds from the start, being ramping up your power so you’ll launch off the line. After 30- 60sec, the pace will settle down into race pace.

draft to save energy

• To finish strong you need energy, so being as efficient as possible throughout the race is key. Drafting is the most important part of saving energy. Once you’re within a meter or so of a racer, you’re in their draft, indicated by your avatar moving to the hoods (up higher). When you’re almost in their draft, a popup will countdown the meters away from reaching full draft. (Using the Tron bike does not let your avatar change positions, but you will get a draft).

Beware the surges

• At random times and often over rolling terrain the group will surge, dropping riders that weren’t paying attention or staying on the gas. These can happen quick and before you know it, you have to sprint to stay with the group. So always pay attention and keep pressure on the pedals. And remember, just like IRL when you’re in a group, if you’re not moving up, you’re moving back.

Beware the sticky draft

• Zwift has a funny quirk where if you’re wanting to pass another rider sometimes you can get stuck on their rear wheel, and you’re only able to break the sticky draft by putting in a significant effort to get around them. If you think it’s happening, put in some hard pedal stokes to break free and continue to pass.

Use the super tuck

• At 36mph and above and a steeper than 3% grade, stop pedaling and you will enter the super tuck. You’re more aerodynamic so you can keep your speed high while resting your legs. On shorter descents it can turn off suddenly, so it’s good to keep a light spin if you can.

REcon the course

• Knowing the race route is a big advantage in all racing, including Zwift. When you’re familiar with the grades and the climbs, you can pace accordingly, guess where attacks will happen, or where you want to attack. Many races take place on courses you can ride anytime, so take advantage. Some races are located on event-only courses, but after a few of those events, you’ll know the course.

Dust

• When racing in a group, the dirt sections on zwift can reduce visibility to such an extent that it affects the race. Attacks may happen at the front, but you won’t know it because they’re shrouded in dust. In this case, watch the list of racers on the right and look for power spikes to determine if you need to do the same. This is actually good practice during any race to keep tabs on those around you. Another hack is to switch to camera angle 9 to the Bird’s Eye view that’s unblocked by the dust.

Sprinting

• Timing and power are what wins Zwift races, in that order. You may have the power, but if you go too early or too late, you don’t stand a chance. There’s no single great strategy for this. It takes practice and intuition, just like racing in real life, but here are some good general tips:

  Within the last 1 mile or so, get into good position. Stay in the draft, in the top 10 or 15 racers, but not at the very front. Depending on your sprint endurance, about 300 meters from the finish, start your sprint. Give it everything you’ve got until you cross the line.

  Just like IRL, great sprints take practice. Try different gearing and different timing. Try to figure out how long your sprint can last at the end of a hard race. Practice on the marked sprints around Watopia and other worlds, as well as every race, no matter what group you’re in. Always fight for the best placing, and learn from each attempt.

powerups

• Some races have PowerUps. These are randomly awarded as you pass through a start/finish, sprint arch or summit a KOM. There are seven PowerUps that can be used to your advantage in races. A well timed invisibly cloak or aero boost can make the difference in final sprints or when you’re hanging on to the group by a thread. Learn them so you can use them at the right times. Here’s a link that describes all 7.

Get on zwiftpower

• Because some racers only have estimated power, don’t have a HR monitor, or were in the wrong category, the results on Zwift are not accurate. The true race results are on https://zwiftpower.com/ after those racers have been removed. Lots of other comparison and ranking data is in there too. You’ll need both a power meter and heart rate monitor to be ranked on ZwiftPower.

For more information about racing on Zwift, check out this guide on Zwift Insider.

Have fun out there and good luck!