Zwiftcast

Episode 50 - New courses, a catch up with the amazing Rachael Elliott and lots of tech talk as Eurobike looms

Simon, Shane and Nathan are back for a minor landmark in Zwiftcast history, with the publication of the 50th episode. . . and as usual, there’s plenty to detain the Zwifcasters as they ponder developments in the Zwiftiverse.

The trio herald the half century with a chat that clarifies which new courses are due and maybe when . . . we now know we’re getting two new maps and late summer/early Autumn is looking favourite for release.

Switching gears, there’s a chat with Rachael Elliott on the progress of her recovery from her serious stroke, which left the noted Zwift and IRL racer with permanently impaired vision. Rachael is candid about her low moments, but equally positive about the effect of the support the community has given her.There’s also a chance to find out more about a special charity fund-raising effort for the Stoke Association, led by Rachael’s friend and the leading light of Zwift Power, Glen Knight.

Speaking of which . . . . . Simon, Shane and Nathan spell out what we know about the temporary suspension of Zwift Power and walk through some of the complex factors which have led to the much-appreciated service going dark.Sticking with tech, with the imminent arrival of Eurobike , the Zwiftcasters talk trainers, ranging over the slow pace of development around Smart Bikes and SRAM’s acquisition of Computrainer.

Shane’s review of the Wattbike Atom was less than flattering about its performance on Zwift and that leads to a discussion about the honesty of reviews and the reaction from brands whose products are put through Shane’s Lama Lab and come out battered and bruised.

This episode ends with Shane and Nathan instantly signing up for another 50! Have they thought that one through? Hope you enjoy listening

Zwiftcast Episode 49 - The (absent) Kickr Climb. Tanja's Tour de Yorkshire, Simon Warren on the Alpe and Trans Athletes

Simon, Shane and Nathan are back in their usual places of the UK, Australia and the USA for a look at the ever vibrant happenings on Zwift. The Zwiftcasters kick off with a chat about the KickrClimb, or, in fact, its absence. Despite it being ever-present on the Zwift Tour of Australia, where Shane's been hanging out, it's still not available to buy.

The trio move on to to discuss another rare bird - the special wheels you might get if you ascend the Alpe du Zwift, before climbing expert Simon Warren, of the 100 Greatest Climbs series of books, gives his verdict on the Zwift Alpe - and he knows the real thing like the back of his hand. Simon got to spend a bit of time with Zwift Academy Winner Tanja Erath at the Tour de Yorkshire and his report captures her feelings pre and post stage.

The Zwiftcasters debate how GDPR (it's not boring honest!) might affect Zwift, with the news that on the back of the legislation, ZHQ are due to launch a development platform.

Finally, Simon talks to Jillian Bearden, the trans athlete whose forced resignation from Team Fearless cause a huge ruckus on the Zwift social medias.

 

 

Episode 48 - Climbing in French, racing in London and Long Beach and trainers Made in America

Simon and Nathan are in London whilst Shane is in Melbourne as the Zwiftcast trio get together for Episode 48.

It’s the first time the podcasters have had an opportunity to discuss the Alpe du Zwift, and there’s much talk of times, turns and training with all three agreeing that ZHQ got this one spectacularly right. . . . although Simon really would like a race-my-PB feature on the climb!

With the KISS Crit finals being staged in London and Long Beach, the podcasters discuss the new features revealed by Zwift to spice up competition, including an elimination format.

Simon has a report from the HQ of trainer company Cycle Ops, an insight into production of the company’s big selling trainer, the Hammer and why the company is so proud its Made in America.

Episode 46 - Zwiftcast Special with Academy Winners Leah and Tanja in Girona

In a special episode in celebration of Women's Week on Zwift, Simon spends time in Girona with Academy Winners and pro racers with Canyon-SRAM, Leah Thorvilson and Tanja Erith. The women are now based in the Catalonian city, which is a magnet for cyclists and home to dozens of pro riders.

The Zwiftcast sets up camp in La Fabrica, a cycling themed cafe in the heart of the Old Town, and a familiar pre-ride coffee destination for the pros. There's also a tour of the apartment Leah and Tanja share with team-mate Alexis Ryan, which ends up mostly being a tour of the fridge! Just why do the three women need 5kg of Parmesan cheese? And whose is the can of 12% beer?

Simon accompanies Leah and Tanja on a training ride, and afterwards in a wide-ranging discussion the trio sit down to discuss life as a pro in Girona, the season ahead, their acceptance in the peloton and their assessment of the state of women's cycling.

There are also contributions from Zwift brand manager Kate Veronneau on the strength of the women's community on Zwift, the health of the Acadamy programme and The Trouble With Men.

We also hear from the "Zwift Sisters" - two women who use the platform to work out together and catch up despite living on opposite sides of the world. Plus pro rider and podcaster Abbey Mickey, of the Voxwomen website, gives her take on Leah and Tanja's position in the pro peloton.

 

 

Episode 45 - Rachael recovers, meet Jordan Rapp the workout king and behind the scenes at Nathan's stream central

Simon, Shane and Nathan discuss all things Zwift on the new episode of the podcast for Zwifters.

This edition begins with an intriguing tease dropped by the game’s creator Jon Mayfield that “hidden areas” which are “locked to the public” exist in Watopia. The Zwiftcasters discuss.

Rachael Elliott is one of the most admired racers in Zwift and a valued member of the community. Thousands of people were shocked to hear she’d suffered a serious stroke. She’s recovering – and Simon caught up with her in hospital for a chat about the astonishing reaction in the community to her ill health.

Jordan Rapp is a multiple Ironman winner and former pro triathlete – he’s also now working for Zwift. Jordan will be concentrating much of his time in his new role as Game Designer beefing up the game’s Workout Mode. Simon caught up with him for an in depth chat.

In front of the camera, Nathan’s streaming operation is slick and super-pro. But have you ever wondered what his studio is like in real life? Simon finds out and you might be surprised what he’s got to work with.

The Zwiftcasters polish off this episode with a discussion about Shane’s first look at a rocker plate – which stirred up a little controversy in the DIY mod world.

Episode 44 - Zwift Run reaction, Strava's data surprise, junior racing . . . and cheese

Simon is with Nathan in Wisconsin and Shane is in Melbourne as the trio return to discuss all things Zwift. Simon has a few portions of humble pie to eat . . . . on cheese, on running and on beer, and he explains how it’s all going to get digested!

With the dust settling on the launch of Zwift Run, the Zwiftcasters assess the reaction in the community and debate the revelation from Strava that a large portion of the data uploaded to the ride tracking platform now comes from indoor activities.

Ben Shepherd, an Australian triathlete, is one of those who trains indoors for big events. He explains how a time-crunched life led to him using the treadmill and the turbo to get in shape for Kona and other events.

There’s an interesting chat with Nathan – and some behind the scenes material for video viewers – about his streaming setup, how far he’s come and how he manages to do so much in such a small space.

While kids racing on Zwift seems positive and inspirational, as personified by nine year year old Maya, the Zwiftcasters get in vent mode to air their frustrations at the seeming lack of positive forward movement in the adult racing environment.

Simon chats to big gamer, Zwifter and radio presenter O J Borg about his views on the development of the platform and the podcasters finish off with a chat about their experiences of being coached.

We hope you enjoy watching or listening.

Episode 43 - Zwift Run Launch, the Rocker Plate Revolution and CoachPod

Simon and Shane are in New York City for a big moment in the history of Zwift - the launch of running. The expansion of the platform was marked with a splashy launch event and as well as Simon and Shane's views, there's comment from Zwift Insider editor, ric Schlange and pro triathlete Lionel Sanders. The huge flowering of innovation and ingenuity from the Zwift community has seen designs for rocker plates mushroom. Simon rounds it all up and gets expert comment from inside the trainer industry. 

Many Zwifters work (a little) while training or riding, but the staff of a cycling website have taken Zwifting-while-you-work to a whole new level. Editor of Cycling Tips website Neal Rogers talks about how the virtual lunch ride has become a forum for company bonding and brainstorming.

And there's a new Zwifty podcast coming along - Simon gets the lowdown on the Training Podcast featuring big names in the Zwift world.

Due to a bit of a mechanical in the production of this episode, this Zwiftcast is a little shorter than usual. We hope you stillenjoy it!

Episode 42 - World Switching, the Zwift Light Show, Cloud Gaming and Rehabbing with a Broken Neck

Simon, Shane and Nathan are back with a packed episode, which kicks off with the Zwifcasters unanimously agreeing “it’s time” for Zwift to enable world switching. Zwift creator Jon Mayfield concurs, telling the podcast that be believes critical mass has now arrived as numbers on the platform grow ever larger.

The trio move on to discuss the Tour Down Under, where a duathlon race in the Zwft pop-up drew massive numbers. . . and was rated by Shane as the blue riband event – a sign of things to come perhaps as Zwift Run develops?

Graphics card giant NVidia announced its Cloud Gaming feature at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – Simon takes a look at what this might mean for Zwift along with tech expert Mike Hanney, inventor of the Zwiftaliser tool. They conclude that whist the impact on Zwifters may not be immediate, cloud gaming could be a huge development for gaming.

Zwift is often used as a rehab tool, but for Dereck Bowen, it’s been a life saver. Dereck tells Simon how an ill-advised leap into a snowdrift cost him a broken neck – and how the platform has kept him sane as he recovers.

There’s a fascinating discussion around Jon Mayfield’s “weekend project” – a system that links Zwift to wi-fi controlled lighting – changing the ambience in your Zwift room to match the game.

The Zwiftcasters discuss the perennial problem of fliers in group rides with a thoughtful contribution from veteran Zwifter and ride leader Christian Wiedemann.

And this episode rounds up with a discussion about cheese!

We hope you enjoy listening or watching.

Episode 41 - Zwift Grows! The coming club portal and trainers sound tested

The Zwiftcasters welcome 2018 with lots of chat about the Zwift getting bigger – in both senses. The roads are longer, with the London expansion, and the roads are busier, are thousands of new Zwifters flooding on to the platform.

Simon, Shane and Nathan try to make sense of it all – and look at the statistics, combining insight, public information and naked guesswork to try to assess the scale of the Zwift universe.

Meanwhile the chaps discuss the Surrey Hills expansion. It may not be as visually spectacular as recent developments, but there could be some very interesting business reasons behind the new roads.

The consequences of growth is a continuing theme as Simon sits down for a chat with Zwift’s VP of Events, Charlie Issendorf. Amongst other things, Charlie reveals that the Zwift HQ is seriously considering limiting entry to some events – Shane sniffs a clever marketing ruse. Charlie also reveals that a “club portal” is soon to launch, giving benefits like private rides and club kit to qualifying groups.

Simon puts three of the best trainers, the Neo, Drivo and Kickr into the Zwiftcast sound lab to get a rounded picture of just how loud or quiet are the competing top offerings from Tacx, Elite and Wahoo.

ZwiftQuest could be a whole new way of Zwifting – it’s competitive but it’s not a conventional race. Simon talks to ZwiftQuest pioneer Jonny Noblett.

And finally the boys riff on When Good Rides Go Bad.

Episode 40: Lotto Soudal launch on Zwift, Academy Winner, Zwift Insider and more . . .

Simon, Shane and Nathan are back with the last Zwiftcast for 2017. It’s the usual mix of Zwift news and features – kicking off with a report from Belgium, where Zwift was involved in the team presentation by Lotto Soudal. Simon was there and caught up with sprinter, Andre Greipel, breakaway specialist Thomas de Gendt and Ladies rider Puck Moonen, Zwifters all.

The Zwiftcasters discuss how it may be best to marshall group rides on the platform when they’re led by pro riders . . . .for whom 3w/kg is barely breaking a sweat!

A new pro for next season is Tanja Erath, the winner of the women’s Zwift Academy 2017 – Simon catches up with her for a chat.

Next there’s a bit of a debate as Simon and Shane amicably disagree (and Nathan carefully referees!) about two things: should we be careful about “fake news” around Zwift and should Zwift CEO Eric Min continue to offer his personal tech help desk to Zwifters?

The very successful zwiftblog has changed its name to zwiftinsider. Simon catches up with the man behind the site to discus the name change and the continuing evolution of the community resource.

There are an ever-growing number of clubs on Zwift – and one of the lesser known ones does much to both promote group rides and raise money for a very deserving cause. Simon catches up with Caewlin Brown, the leader of Sprint and Spin . . . . and finds out why he has a red bucket by his trainer.

And that’s it for 2017 – thanks everyone for listening or watching and see you in 2018.