Unlock Zwift’s full potential: Top tips for using the Zwift app and ZwiftPower

Head onto Zwift at any time of the day and you’ll find thousands of Zwifters exploring virtual worlds, enjoying group rides, training or even racing.

Still only a decade old, the online platform has become one of the most popular indoor training apps used by cyclists but despite its popularity, there are still lots of features hidden that many of its users overlook or simply aren’t aware of. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t important, though, and in this guide, we’ve pulled together some top hacks and tips that will help you to unlock the full potential of Zwift’s features.

For everything you need to know about getting started on Zwift, check out our in-depth guide here.

What is Zwift?

Zwift will be a familiar name to many as, despite only being founded in 2014, it is the most popular app for indoor cycling currently available.

While riding indoors used to be a monotonous chore of turning the pedals while staring at a wall, modern apps have transformed it into an entertaining experience and an effective way to train. No other app has done more to transform the image of indoor cycling than Zwift, which is largely thanks to the wide range of features that it offers that cater to every type of cyclist.

Zwift power accuracy

The key to an enjoyable experience on Zwift is accurate power numbers, especially if you plan to train or race.

The power accuracy level will vary per user as it is determined by the accuracy of your indoor trainer, which records and sends the power numbers to Zwift. Modern smart trainers provide a high level of accuracy, usually with a maximum accuracy discrepancy of around +/- 2%.

On-bike power meters, like pedal or crank-based devices, provide the highest level of accuracy.

It’s also possible to use Zwift with a classic trainer using a “dumb” set-up with a speed sensor and using an algorithm to convert it to work out virtual watts, but this generally isn’t very accurate.

How close is Zwift to riding outdoors?

Indoor riding can never fully replicate the outdoor experience but Zwift comes the closest.

Many of its virtual worlds are based on real-world routes, like Alpe du Zwift which is a replica of Alpe d’Huez, essentially bringing the outdoors to your home.

More importantly, it creates an immersive riding experience as the app can control your turbo trainer to simulate the gradient of the virtual world you’re riding in. If the road starts heading upwards, the resistance in your trainer will become tougher to emulate this, while it’ll ease off when going downhill. 

There’s also a social element to Zwift that allows you to ride indoors with your friends, just like you would outdoors.

Gradients on Zwift

© Zwift

Zwift brings climbs indoors

When using a smart trainer, Zwift takes control of the trainer to match the resistance to the gradient in the virtual world.

This can be an exact replica, although Zwift also provides an option to alter the trainer difficulty, which alters how it scales the gradient. For example, at 50% difficulty, your trainer provides resistance that matches half of the gradient. So if the virtual gradient is 10%, the trainer will give you the resistance of a 5% gradient.

The setting is set to 50% by default but can be changed via the main settings.

How to explore Zwift’s virtual worlds and routes

Zwift is home to a number of virtual worlds, each of which offers a variety of virtual routes for indoor cyclists to explore. These routes cover everything from flat and fast city rides to Alpine climbs, and exploring all of the routes on offer is an immersive way to spend your indoor training time.

Here are a few pointers for making the most of the Zwift worlds on offer, and you can explore the full range of worlds currently available here.

Watopia, Alpe du Zwift and more: Take advantage of Zwift’s full range of routes

© GCN

Watopia is the most popular world in Zwift

Riding indoors can become a little repetitive if you repeat the same ride every time, so it’s important to keep things fresh.

That is relatively easy on Zwift, which offers 12 different virtual worlds with thousands of kilometres of virtual routes to explore. Some are made-up worlds, like Watopia, which is the most popular and is home to Alpe du Zwift, a virtual replica of cycling’s Alpe d’Huez climb, and the Grade, which is a Zwift FTP test in disguise.

Other worlds are based on real-world locations, like London, Innsbruck and Richmond.

The other worlds include France, Makuri Islands, New York City, Paris, Scotland, Yorkshire, Bologna and Crit City.

The range of worlds and routes is constantly expanding too, so there’s always somewhere new to explore. Already in 2024, Zwift has added eight new routes to Watopia.

Try to mix up the worlds that you explore to keep your rides constantly fresh.

Join a group ride

Indoor cycling can be slightly isolating, which isn’t ideal for the more social cyclists among us.

The most obvious solution would be to head outdoors on a group ride but that may not always be possible. Zwift has provided an alternative solution by bringing group rides indoors.

Available to join through the events tab, there is a constant stream of group rides available through which you can join cyclists from across the world in a virtual spin. You can also create a ride exclusively for your friends through the ‘meetup’ feature or join a friend out on the road via ‘Join a Zwifter’.

Ride with a pro cyclist in a Zwift virtual world

Zwift isn’t only a playground for amateur cyclists, it’s a popular training ground for pros too - Mathew Hayman famously won Paris-Roubaix in 2016 despite being restricted to training on Zwift during much of the build-up.

Back then Zwift was still in its relative infancy but it has grown exponentially since to become the most popular indoor training app, and many pros can be found prowling its roads. Finding them isn’t a lottery, either, as the aforementioned ‘Join a Zwifter’ feature will transport you into the virtual world alongside the pro, although they’ll have to be verified so you can find them.

Use the Zwift Companion app

© Zwift

The Zwift Companion app

The Zwift Companion app is useful for all of Zwift’s features, but especially when exploring virtual worlds.

It allows you to control your ride by changing direction or making a U-turn, while you can also interact with other riders by sending kudos or messages during group rides. It's the best way to interact with your virtual world mid-ride.

Using Zwift’s workouts and training plans

While the gaming element of Zwift remains its most popular feature, the app is also home to a comprehensive library of workouts and training plans. These training plans aren’t as detailed as on some other platforms, but that’s not Zwift’s niche, and they provide a balance for anyone who wants to combine training with other features.

Before you dive into Zwift’s workouts and plans, here are a few pointers.

Read more: How to get started with indoor cycling training

Train flexibly with Zwift’s training plans

While most cyclists will start a training plan with the best intentions of following it to a tee, few fulfil that ambition. Life simply gets in the way, forcing us to miss and rearrange workouts.

Zwift’s workouts are designed to be flexible for this exact purpose, making them great for time-strapped athletes who need a flexible plan. You’ll have a window in which to complete each workout, rather than a specific time, and once it’s completed the next workout in the plan will be unlocked.

Take advantage of this flexibility as it will make it easier to stick to a plan.

Read more: Pro indoor training tips from Zwift Academy winner Alex Bogna

Search for workouts based on time

If you’re a time-strapped cyclist and only want to follow individual workouts rather than full plans, Zwift categorises its workouts based on time. This includes those that are less than 30 minutes, 30-60 minutes or sessions over an hour.

It’s an easy way to find a workout that fits into your schedule.

Use Zwift’s ERG mode

© Zwift

ERG mode makes it easier to follow workouts

Zwift training can be completed on any type of trainer but it’s easier with a smart trainer as you can take advantage of ERG mode.

ERG mode simplifies training as Zwift controls your trainer to match the resistance level to your specific power target. It will do this regardless of your cadence So even if your cadence goes up or down, the trainer will adjust to ensure that you’re still hitting the target power.

Without ERG mode training can otherwise be a bit of a pain as you have to concentrate on trying to hold a specific power, which isn’t easy on undulating virtual roads.

Ramp or regular FTP test: Which is best?

Some cyclists love them, some hate them, but whatever your opinion on FTP tests is, there’s no denying that they’re important.

For those unaware, FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is widely regarded as the best benchmark of a cyclist’s fitness. It’s essentially the maximum amount of power a cyclist can sustain for one hour. When training, you will need to test your FTP sporadically so you can adjust your training and workout intensity.

This test can take on many forms, starting with a one-hour test, although this involves lots of suffering. A 20-minute alternative has also become popular, but many apps like Zwift now offer ramp tests. As their name suggests, ramp tests increase in intensity every minute and the goal is simply to ride for as long as possible. When you finally throw in the towel, Zwift uses an algorithm to calculate your FTP.

As ramp tests are an estimate, they’re not quite as accurate as the other methods. However, they’re more achievable and easier to manage. 20-minute FTP tests remain popular too but require good pacing. One-hour tests are best avoided unless you’re used to them as they’re incredibly hard to pace and it can mentally be tough to power through to achieve an accurate FTP number.

Whichever method you choose, stick to it for future tests to ensure consistent FTP results.

Read more: How to do an FTP test to measure your cycling fitness

Zwift events explained: The key to racing success on Zwift

Racing in the real world is beyond the remit of most everyday cyclists for a multitude of reasons, but in the virtual world, it is much more accessible.

Many apps now offer virtual racing platforms and Zwift is one of them, with an endless number of races available each day. It hasn’t only brought the competitive spirit indoors, but opened up racing to a much wider audience.

However, racing indoors on Zwift, even if you’re experienced, has some extra nuances that you should be aware of, otherwise, you could be missing out on a performance edge or fall foul of a Zwift faux pas.

Zwift racing categories: Don’t sandbag

Zwift races are categorised to ensure that riders of similar abilities compete against each other. These categories are based on a rider’s power-to-weight ratio (W/kg), which is a rider’s FTP divided by their weight in kilograms. There are four categories in total:

• A: 4 W/kg and above
• B: 3.2 - 4 W/kg
• C: 2.5 - 3.2 W/kg
• D: Under 2.5 W/kg

While the idea is to match similar riders, each category is still home to a wide range of abilities and it can be tempting to drop down a category for an easier race. However, this is frowned upon and has a name: sandbagging. Zwift now has features that attempt to prevent sandbagging from happening by forcing a rider to compete in the relevant category, but you should try to stick to the right category too - after all, it’s no fun winning a race against riders of a lower category.

Read more: 10 mistakes to avoid on Zwift

Drafting on Zwift

© Zwift

Drafting is a big part of Zwift racing

You may be racing in a virtual world but drafting still matters. Like riding in the real world, you will receive a draft when in the virtual slipstream of another rider and this will make a big difference when racing.

Sticking in the slipstream and staying embedded in the virtual peloton can be harder than it sounds. The to-and-fro of the peloton is different to real life and it’s easy to get caught in a cycle of high peaks and low troughs of power as you grapple with the nuances of virtual racing, rather than maintaining a smoother power profile. This is something you will quickly get used to and master, though.

Do Zwift bikes make a difference?

To the uninitiated, the idea of different virtual bikes may sound silly. After all, it’s not like the real world where they can vary in weight or via their aero profiles…except they can.

Zwift has attempted to simulate virtual worlds in as many ways as possible and this has even extended to the bikes users can ride. These come in different shapes and sizes, just like in the real world, and will have an impact when riding in virtual worlds. At the top of the pile, the Tron is the most sought-after bike.

You won’t be able to choose from all of these bikes straight away as most have to be unlocked through Zwift points which accumulate the more you ride, as can other equipment too.

Don’t ignore this equipment as it could make a big difference in races and you can change your bike according to the virtual parcours, whether that be for some more lightweight for climbing or more aero for flat parcours.

Use Zwift PowerUps: Going faster in races

While it aims to simulate elements of real life, Zwift still contains a huge element of gaming, specifically through the inclusion of PowerUps.

These give you a temporary in-game benefit and are dished out at certain points on maps while exploring, but also during races, and they could be the difference between winning and losing. It’s really easy to forget or overlook them while you’re in the pits of mid-race pain, but try to make a conscious effort to activate them. More importantly still, use them at the right time for maximum gain. Here’s a list of the current power-ups available and their benefits.

• Draft Boost (van): Provides additional draft for a limited period.
• Aero Boost (helmet): Makes you more aerodynamic.
• Burrito: Only available during events, this cuts the draft for anyone riding behind you for 20 seconds.
• Cloaking (ghost): Also only available in events, this makes you invisible to other riders for 20 seconds.
• Steamroller: Reduces virtual rolling resistance to emulate smooth tarmac. Best used when riding on virtual gravel.
• Anvil: Makes you heavier for up to 15 seconds and is useful when descending.

Use ZwiftPower to access race results and rankings

While Zwift displays race results, ZwiftPower has become the go-to for most Zwifters.

It’s a community-driven website run separately from Zwift that displays upcoming events and previous results and allows users to monitor and analyse their data. However, unlike the regular Zwift app, it will show any disqualifications and points for point-based races.

Race organisers can also create custom rules for their races through the site.

It is also home to a ranking system that shows how you stack up in the world of Zwift racing, with points awarded every time you finish a race - so you’re actually in two races at the same time.

How to sign up for ZwiftPower

Signing up for ZwiftPower can be a little confusing, so here are some quick pointers.

You first need to allow Zwift to share data with ZwiftPower. You can do this on the Zwift website by going to the ‘Connections’ option under settings, and then opting in to ZwiftPower under the logo.

You’ll then need to login to ZwiftPower on the website but you can do this using your regular Zwift login credentials and the two apps should automatically link up.

Do you have any Zwift hacks or top tips? Let us know in the comments.

Need more indoor cycling advice? Check out our complete guide to training indoors for 2024 or our beginner’s guide to getting started with Zwift.

Zwift

Zwift is a fitness technology company that allows users to interact, train and race on its virtual online cycling platform. Zwift has approximately one million subscribers and has completely changed how cyclists view training.