Zwift – the future of cycling indoors!

Zwift – the future of cycling indoors!

As you probably already know, I have a penchant for cycling and this month I managed to mix one of my favourite sports with my other love – computers!

Zwift is a piece of software that allows you to connect your bike, an indoors trainer and your computer, the most sensors you have, the more the integration works. If you have a smart trainer (one that connects to your computer) then Zwift will change the resistance based on the terrain that you are cycling through!

Ok I hear you ask, you live in Spain, why on earth would you want to cycle indoors? Well that’s a good point and at first I thought the same thing, however there are some days when its either too windy, too rainy (not many haha) or too hot to safely cycle outdoors, so this system gives you an alternative. Its’ quick, easy and really handy if you have room to have it set up perminantly like I do – I can finish work and be on the bike cycling around Watopia (the name of the island that you cycle around in Zwift) in a matter of a few minutes without ever leaving the house.

Zwift utilises your own bike, connected to a cycle trainer. You can use a basic trainer that you can buy for not much outlay, a flexible trainer which has a power meter built in so that you can see how hard you’re working or a smart trainer (guess which one I have)! That changes its resistance in real time based on the road gradient. Zwift also connects to any other ANT+ or some BlueTooth sensors that you use normally when cycling (cadence and heart rate for example), all of these sensors provide information to Zwift to accurately tell you how you are doing. At the end of the ride all of that critical information is recorded and automatically uploaded to Strava (if you dont already use Strava then you should consider doing so, its “the” cycling app, used to record your trips and performance).

Another great thing about Zwift is that it’s social so while you’re cycling along, watching your progress along the virtual world in 3D on the computer screen in front of you, you can see all of the other riders, your position in the group and other statistics (I just love stats). Things like how hard they are working, where they are in relation to you and you can even communicate and chat with them if you use a smart phone or tablet. You can use your mobile device to also make decisions, like which direction you want to turn at junctions, change the view that you’re looking at and various other things to keep your training session interesting. Throughout the circuits (you pick the one that want to ride, either a nice easy flat route through to really hilly trips) you will find some timed sections, allowing you to push yourself and try to record a faster time than on a previous lap, or on a previous day, week or month – again more stats but Zwift really does give you the tools to allow you to see if you’re improving.

The main thing about using Zwift is its engaging. Cycling indoors really could be very boring, they make it far from that with the 3D created world Watopia. Many a day I have cycled through the glass tunnel under the sea that links some of the islands together – the graphics are fantastic and linked with other real time riders the while thing is really immersive.

You can find out more at www.zwift.com – if you want to know more about computers or trainers that are suitable for use with Zwift then drop me an email and I help you understand what’s important to get the best out of the experience, it’s always easier to work with someone that has pleny of experience rather than trying to muddle through yourself.