Our Hard-earned tips for Zwifting

Here are some of our hard-earned knowledge and tips for zwifting. These tips will help you enjoy your indoor rides more and get through those tough workouts without suffering more than needed.

 1.Bottles up!

When zwifting, you are usually cycling in much hotter conditions than you are used to outside; therefore, it is important to get enough fluids in during your Zwift session. It can be a good idea to put some ice cubes in your bottles to keep your core body temperature down.

 2.Get the energy flowing.

When zwifting, you use just as many carbohydrates as you do when cycling outside; therefore, it is important to get carbs into your system. This can be done through energy mixes in your bottles, gels, energy bars, or maybe a bit of a snack like Haribo candy or chocolate bars. Some people really enjoy refreshing snacks like oranges or grapes on the indoor trainer as well, but remember the reel energy is in the carbohydrates.

 

 3.Electrolytes

Most people sweat like crazy when they Zwift. We lose a lot of electrolytes through sweat, so it is important to restore these deposits as well. This can be done through the sodium in your gels or electrolyte tabs in your bottles as well.

 

 4.Get off the bike.

Zwifting can be very static and monotonous, as you don’t get the same breaks with cornering and going downhill in Zwift. Therefore, it can be a great idea to get off the bikes in some of your longer Zwift sessions. It can also be a great idea to only use 1 or 2 bottles while zwifting, therefore needing to get off the bike to refill those bottles. While off the bike, it can be helpful to quickly stretch the back and legs.

 5.Stay cool as a cucumber.

Overheating is really easy during your Zwift session; therefore, a fan can be your best friend. It is important to get a good-quality fan that has enough wind-moving power to cool you sufficiently.

When looking for a fan to keep you cool, it can be a great addition to get one with a remote control so you can crank up the fan speed while you crank up the power on the bike.

 6.Store your gear.

Most hometrainers these days are direct-drive hometrainers, where you remove your rear wheel and attach your bike directly to the hometrainer. Don’t let that rear wheel lay around; instead, use some nice bike accessories and hang it on the wall! You can use the Neat component wheel wall mount to keep your setup tidy while zwifting. It can be found here.

 7.Get your Netflix on.

Longer Zone 2 rides on Zwift can get really boring; use your time on Zwift to get caught up on your series or start watching desperate housewives again!

If you have the space for it, you can setup your hometrainer in the living room in front of the TV, and then you can even binge some series with your significant other.

 8.Zwift together

Through the Zwift Companion app, you can do rides together with your friends in Wattopia, do social rides, race against each other in different race series, or see who can climb alp du Zwift fastest. ALL OUT TO THE TOP!!!

 9.Dedicated setup

If you have the space and funding for it, it can be a great idea to do a complete dedicated Zwift setup with a hometrainer bike like the Wahoo Kickr bike or the Tacx Neo bike from Garmin.

You can even go all out and do a dual TV setup, with one TV for ZWIFT and one for Binging that series.

Remember to add cooling to that setup!