{"id":3628,"date":"2022-02-11T15:52:16","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T15:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/?p=3628"},"modified":"2022-02-11T15:52:16","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T15:52:16","slug":"the-best-tips-for-training-for-a-zwift-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2022\/02\/11\/the-best-tips-for-training-for-a-zwift-race\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Tips for Training for a Zwift Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Indoor training is no longer the strange winter activity only the most hard-core cyclists do. Thanks to platforms like Zwift, it\u2019s actually a viable training tool as well as a place to test your mettle against other riders. Both training and racing on Zwift can be quite different from cycling outdoors.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2020\/04\/21\/indoor-cycling-cut-your-training-time-in-half\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indoor training<\/a> used to be a boring and painful way to stay in shape over the winter to be ready for the main racing season. Lately, it\u2019s quite normal to be training indoors for indoor events. Despite the differences, it\u2019s important to respect the basic sound principles of training that apply for outdoor as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zwift.com\/eu\">Zwift.<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-controller-wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">How does your calendar look on race day? \ud83d\ude2c\ud83d\udcf1 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HUiUoBTbRy\">pic.twitter.com\/HUiUoBTbRy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Zwift (@GoZwift) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GoZwift\/status\/1490998471457140737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 8, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async data-src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Don\u2019t go hard all the time<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Most virtual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2020\/10\/20\/start-indoor-cycling-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indoor races<\/a> on Zwift and other platforms are short. Typically, around an hour of riding. That\u2019s why it\u2019s quite appealing to train in a similar way. Just get on your bike in your pain cave and go hard for an hour. Zwift is really good at making these types of sessions exciting. The problem is that this training is not very efficient. It is very demanding on your body, takes a lot of recovery, and doesn\u2019t develop all aspects of your fitness.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Polarise your training<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The answer to the first problem is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/series\/build-your-own-cycling-training-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">have a training plan.<\/a> Ideally, try to do what most pros do \u2013 polarise your training. This is roughly how you should split your total training time with this approach.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>70-80% low intensity<\/li>\n<li>0-10% moderate intensity<\/li>\n<li>15-20% high intensity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The beginning of your preparation for a race should consist of more low-intensity rides to build your aerobic base. The time to include more intensity sessions is in the last few weeks before your main race.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Set a simple goal before each session<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When you have a rough idea for your overall quantity of easy, medium, and hard sessions, you will have an easier time defining what to do each day. It\u2019s really important to get on your bike with a clear intention \u2013 race, tempo or endurance. Otherwise, most of your days, you\u2019ll end up racing in a random group ride and training only at your threshold.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-controller-wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Week 5 of the Zwift Racing League is tonight!<\/p>\n<p>Tune in for all the action live: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uOuvTGSQgo\">https:\/\/t.co\/uOuvTGSQgo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Women&#39;s race starts at 21:15CET. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jwevL2JmXT\">pic.twitter.com\/jwevL2JmXT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; CANYON\/\/SRAM Racing &amp; CANYON\/\/SRAM Generation (@WMNcycling) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WMNcycling\/status\/1490627762121551875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 7, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async data-src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Learn how to save power in a group<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Zwift adds a virtual drafting effect in order to group riders with similar speed. That means there\u2019s always a power output range in every group. Test the minimum workload needed to stay in the group. Slowly lower your effort and monitor what happens. This can save a few watts without losing contact with the group.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Know your power-ups<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Power-ups are something unique to Zwift and they can significantly affect the outcome of any Zwift race if used right. Make sure to have plenty of practice using your power-up to learn when is the right time.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Helmet<\/strong> \u2013 decreases air resistance, use it at high speeds on flats and descents, almost a necessity to win a sprint<\/li>\n<li><strong>Feather<\/strong> \u2013 reduces a percentage of your weight, perfect to use for climbs<\/li>\n<li><strong>Van<\/strong> \u2013 cranks up the draft effect, use it to accelerate through the group in the final sprint<\/li>\n<li><strong>Burrito<\/strong> \u2013 disables drafting for riders around you, use it to prevent others from drafting during sprints or attacks<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ghost<\/strong> \u2013 turns you invisible to other riders, use it when you want to create a gap and break away<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You should have no problems doing your training almost entirely on Zwift if you follow these principles. Our next article will focus on several more tactics and tricks you can use in a race to get an edge over your competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indoor training is no longer the strange winter activity only the most hard-core cyclists do. Thanks to platforms like Zwift, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":3632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-3628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Best Tips for Training for a Zwift Race - \u0160koda We Love Cycling - Ireland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2022\/02\/11\/the-best-tips-for-training-for-a-zwift-race\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Tips for Training for a Zwift Race\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Indoor training is no longer the strange winter activity only the most hard-core cyclists do. 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