You may have heard of Zwift by now: an online platform that is dedicated to indoor cycling. It’s like Mario Kart on bikes, but just with more sweat and less talking creatures.
With $14.99 a month, you can get access into a virtual cycling world that comes with multiple courses, group rides, and races, that makes even the, sometimes, boring indoor cycling seem more fun and more interactive.
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Different kinds of cyclists can be found pedaling around, cyclists like American Tour de France Hopeful, Andrew Talansky. In 2019 alone, 35,000 people signed up for Zwift’s talent ID program. The winners of this ID program are given a pro contract on either Team Dimension Data or Canyon/SRAM Racing cycling team. Below, we will be giving you a few information that will help you get started on the Zwift online racing platform.
Getting Your Gear
You do not have to worry about getting a new set of cycling gear (this is only if you already have extra gear from your previous outdoor cycling experience(s)) because you can still use the same gear that you use for your outdoor cycling, except the Zwift gear comes with a bit more hi-tech hardware.
A Virginia-based cycling coach, Allen Hunter, suggests that you start with the basic gear. Using a smart trainer is one way to truly experience that road feel adventure indoors; and here, resistance is automatically adjusted based on a virtual course’s elevation changes. Zwift also interfaces with most standard power meters, and this it does with ease, and it can also calculate the estimated power output via data from speed and cadence sensors.
It does not matter the data delivery method you choose to employ, you will need to connect your virtual cycling world via Bluetooth or ANT+ on your device’s processor, and these devices range from Mac and personal computers, to iOS devices and Android devices, and the new apple TV (4th generation). All you need to do to use the app is to download the Zwift app on your device, and you are good to go. This app also has an Android companion App that functions as a different display for your workouts, a Bluetooth connection bridge, and an event interface. Don’t let this daunt you, it is not as complicated as it sounds; the Zwift website is chock-full of easy-to-follow information that is also backed up by a great tech support team.
If you can set up an indoor training space that can stay in place full-time, then you should make sure to dial it in to ensure that your indoor cycling experience is more enjoyable.