Zwiftcast

Episode 81: Is this the Solution to Sandbagging? Plus all the Zwifty chat

Another week - another Zwiftcast. Simon, Shane and Nathan unite to discuss the boom times on Zwift as the platform provides welcome relief from the burden of the virus.

The headline feature on this episode is the long-awaited Solution to Sandbagging. This is a short term fix which Zwift hopes to implement within days (for testing) and weeks (for a full roll out)

The approach sees four types of warnings/sanctions applied to Sandbaggers . . . listen to a full explanation of the system from senior game guy Jordan Rapp.

The Zwiftcasters move on to discuss the measures Zwift is putting in place to prioritise the stability of the platform as truly enormous numbers flood the events which are proving so popular as Zwifters look for a challenge to distract them from the concerns caused by the pandemic.

One of the biggest rides has been with Mark Cavendish - and Simon talks to a Zwifter who got picked out of 3,500 riders for a live Insta chat with the Manx Missile himself.

Later the podcasters speculate about the cryptic clues on a new feature outlined in the latest update and wonder whether some interesting development work on enhanced Power Ups described by Jordan may offer further hints.

Simon also gets behind the story of one particular Event on the Zwift schedule. The Bike Breaks Shop Ride is an IRL institution. Now transferred to Zwift, this ride is proving a source of much needed comfort and support for a bike business which has been hammered by the travel ban across Europe.

And finally, the Zwiftcasters talk about the implications of other platforms muscling into the online eSports area and whether they’re making a good job of it.

We hope you enjoy listening.

Episode 80: The Fence is Back, Clubs Launches and Tour de Quarantine

Simon, Shane and Nathan are back with the second of the new cycle of weekly Zwiftcasts - and there sure is a lot to talk about.

Special guest Wes Salmon from HQ appears twice to give us a ton of detail on both the return of The Fence and why it went wrong, plus the thinking behind the limited launch of the much-awaited Clubs feature.

We also have another honoured guest, Brad Sohner, the genius behind the funny and uplifting Tour de Quarantine, which now has a Zwifter in the mix.

Elsewhere the Zwiftcasters range across the very busy period on Zwift, with a few changes that come under the “let’s be nice to noobs” category, plus the turbo trainer famine and why rowing won’t be coming to Zwift anytime soon.

And of course, the podcasters make room for discussion of Peak Zwift. It seems we have a winner ;)

We hope you enjoy listening

Episode 79: Crazy numbers on Zwift; will there be a trainer shortage and changes at HQ

In a worried world, Simon, Shane and Nathan try to look at the positives whilst recognising some of the serious matters facing Zwifters.

Episode 79 marks the first of the weekly episodes during the virus crisis.

Simon kicks off with a Zwiftcast plea to HQ- let’s turn the Unemployed Badge into  a Work From Home Badge . . . it just seems kinda better right now.

The podcasters move on to discuss the remarkable figures in the game as new Zwifters pour onto the platform in huge numbers. Simon is confident of victory in the Zwiftcast’s Peak Zwift Guessing Game.

But could a limiting factor end up being a trainer shortage? There are signs it may happen although an update from Elite on the unprecedented measures they’ve taken to ensure supply provides some hope for those keen to get their hands on a smart trainer.

The chaps discuss and dismiss the several calls for Zwift to be made free - and Dick, if you’re listening  . . .we don’t mean to be mean!

In a packed episode Simon talks to a Dad and Lad team who’ve been on Zwift for years - and looks at how the company is dealing with another huge influx, the number of kids getting signed up under the company’s excellent Kids Go Free scheme as parents look for healthy diversions in the home.

Simon, Shane and Nathan take a look at the news that Zwift has undergone a management re-organisation, with lay offs, and what that may mean for Zwifters.

There’s lso a feature on Group Meetups - part of the game which has come into very sharp focus in the crisis. . . . .with lots of advice to HQ on how it may be tweaked.

And finally, the podcasters seem to have gone challenge crazy - listen to find out who has now challenged who to what!

We hope you enjoy listening and we hope you stay safe.

Episode 78: Peak Zwift Revisited, Community Reaction to the Virus + Operation Cofidis

The Zwiftcasters are working from home! But then we always do :) Simon, Shane and Nathan are back together to discuss how the extraordinary events of the past weeks have been impacting them personally, the sport they love - and the cycling game that is providing both escape from, and therapy for, a troubled world.

That doesn’t mean we are ignoring the virus - that’s impossible. And we hope Listeners understand that we can’t not talk about what everyone is talking about.

In the light of the huge surge of Zwifters onto the platform, many of them new, the Zwiftcast has re-opened Peak Zwift Guessing Game. Tune in to see how big Simon, Shane and Nathan think the surge will be.

The importance of online communities in these difficult times is elevated and the chaps discuss how the Zwift Community is responding, with increased participation in events and lots of special guest riders, in the form of pro riders, turning up and helping to foster a sense of togetherness.

And we have the full extraordinary story of how Zwift staff negotiated their way through a locked down quarantine zone in the UAE to bring some relief to pro riders stranded in their hotel rooms by the virus.

These are difficult and distressing times.  . . .but remember: you never feel worse after a bike ride. We hope you enjoy listening.

Episode 77: Richmond refreshed, Ella wins big and the Minterview verdict

Simon, Shane and Nathan convene for another hour-plus of Zwift chat.

The podcasters begin with their reaction to the big refresh for the Richmond course and conclude that it’s a huge improvement.

Throughout this episode Simon, Shane and Nathan discuss the biggest and most significant aspects of last episode’s interview with Zwift CEO, Eric Min. Amongst the subjects forensically analysed and discussed are the pace of development on the platform; Eric’s unusual comment about “digital destinations” and the state of play with  trainer manufacturers’ innovation.

Simon also chats to Ella Harris, the NZ winner of the Zwift Academy who is now making a name for herself winning IRL races.

We hope you enjoy listening!

Ep 76: The Minterview . . . Zwift CEO and Simon in conversation

Simon sits down with Zwift CEO Eric Min for the now traditional “ask me anything” annual interview, covering a huge range of topics from the health of the company to, yes, the possibility of a velodrome. The conversation provides deep context and background on why some things happen, and why others don’t . . . . plus quite a bit on the pace at which things happen, or don’t, on the platform.

We hope you listen to the whole of the interview, but if there’s one subject in which you are particularly interested, maybe you’d like to skip to that first. So here is a log of where to find the topics covered.

00:00Hello and a word on transparency

01:45 Zwift’s new London office

02.45 What’s made Eric happy in the last year?

GENERAL ISSUES

04.30 Pace of development for Zwift

05.40 Peak Zwift and growth

07:15 Fun is Fast marketing campaign

09:40 Is eSports a massive, risky bet?

15.20 More on pace of development, specifically Game Development

19:50 Zwift’s new Hardware division

COMMUNITY ISSUES

27:15 Trainer Difficulty confusion

29.30 Juniors’ Racing

32:00 Race Categorisation/Sandbagging

38:30 Is eSport in danger of diminishing general user experience?

43:00 Family Pricing Plan

45:30 Zwifting for people with disabilities or different abilities?

47:20 Is Zwift listening to the community?

FEATURES

51:15 Steering

52:45 FutureWorks

54:00 Ghost Rider/PB Bot

56:25 World Switching Expansion

57:15 Workout Mode

60:15 Allow Saving Without Exiting Game

62:15 Hang out after end of ride

63:35 Velodrome

64:55 Can remote racing ever be credible?

68:15 What’s the next new map?

COMPANY

69.30 When will Zwift be profitable?

70:25 Future of running

73.05 Effects of lack of direct competition for Zwift

75:45 Marks out of ten for Zwift’s potential

77:55 Zwift’s carbon footprint

Episode 75: Peak Zwift (or is it?) Tour de Zwift and all the Zwifty Chat

The Zwiftcasters welcome in 2020 with the first episode of the new decade - and kick straight off with a discussion of what’s become a landmark in the Zwift calendar - Peak Zwift.

You can hear which one of the Zwiftcasters, along with special guest guessers, got it right.

The podcasters go on to discuss whether the second January in Tuesday really will be Peak Zwift this year. The game has a few initiatives upcoming which may see the current record broken. Stay tuned.

Is the update which restored  climbing cadence on Zwift from 80rpm back down to 70rpm a victory for the Zwiftcast? The boys are claiming it!

The Tour de Zwift is a huge event - more than 120,000 Zwifters took part last year and this year’s event has been eagerly awaited. The podcasters discuss the importance of these events to the community. We also have a feature with Zwift’s VP Media, Nina Caplin, who explains the aims behind the series of live streamed shows which run alongside the TdZ this year.

And we have a velodrome? Actually, we don’t. We have a running track. Simon talks to Zwift’s Mr Running, Stephen Cousins on how important the 400m track is for our running colleagues - and whether they might one day let the cyclists in!

We hope you enjoy listening.

Episode 74: Crit City + review of 2019 and hopes for 2020

Simon, Shane and Nathan convene for the final Zwiftcast of 2019 in both reflective and expectant mood. There’s plenty of looking back on what brought the podcasters Zwift joy in 2019 and a little on what they’d like to see for 2020.

There’s also reaction to Zwift’s pre-Christmas present of a new map - it’s short, but it’s fun. Crit City looks designed to appeal to the e-Sport crowd but should also please anyone who races on Zwift. The Zwiftcasters give their initial verdict and speculate on what they’d like to see added.

We hope you all enjoyed listening in 2019 and will join us again in 2020. Happy Holidays!

Episode 73: The One for Runners

This is a special episode of the Zwiftcast, dedicated to those who run on the platform. Some of you might ride too, but the focus here is wholly on running.

Mike McCarthy is one of the original Zwift execs who was a very early hire to the company when it was first set up.

Known as talented and successful cyclist, at Zwift Mike concentrated on a senior Business Development role, but recently he has been made VP of Running.

It’s fair to say Running has got off to a slow start on Zwift - so what does this appointment mean for Zwift’s Second Sport?

I hope the wide-ranging interview provides some answers. Hope you enjoy listening.

Episode 72: Special from DC Rainmaker's Pain Cave in Amsterdam

Simon, Shane and special guest co-host Ray Maker, also known as D C Rainmaker, are together in person in Amsterdam to discuss all the latest Zwiftiness.

The three podcasters are gathered for Ray’s annual Winter Open House event where sports tech geeks get together over a few beers to discuss what’s hot and have fun.

Simon spends some time amongst this well-informed and enthusiastic crowd asking two questions: What’s Zwift doing well and where could it improve?

Elsewhere in this episode there’s a nice long chat with The Girl, Ray’s life partner and now business partner, on how the family and the blog is settling into life in Amsterdam.

Simon, Shane and Ray discuss the implications of Ray’s scoop story about Zwift starting its own hardware division and Ray gets to join the Zwiftcast’s Guessing Club on Peak Zwift.

The trio discuss just how much work remains to be done for eSports on Zwift to be successful and, after an interview with Peter Lago from Elite on whether the Italian company is a bit behind the pack in the Smart Bike race, the episode wraps up with Simon talking about his recent big decision: to get an e-Gravel Bike.

We hope you enjoy listening.