Racing on zwift is extremely popular and a perfect way to unlock a lot of cycling performance. There are over a 1000 races held on the platform each week, these range from beginner/amateur races to competitions featuring riders from pro level cycling. Zwift also has 'category enforcement' in place for its official races. This is so that a level of fairness is applied and you're less likely to be destroyed by someone who races professionally for a living. I'll admit, I am completely addicted to it and can safely say it has improved my fitness and bike skills dramatically.
I have been racing since 2023 and was instantly locked down as a category C racer. I have always focused on Zwifts Z-Racing series as they always have good competition and the best routes for racing on. In my short time racing, I feel like I have learnt a lot about how the game dynamics work. When I started, my only goal was to try and stay with the lead group for as long as possible. Now in races, I am testing the lead groups and fighting for podiums on most races. I also feel like I'm overachieving with my strategies, as my watts per Kilogram (W/KG) results are never the highest in the race or in danger of pushing me into Cat B.
So here are 6 tips I feel have helped me improve on my racing journey so far. I think these would be great for any beginners on the scene, they also might help some more experienced racers who are just missing out on podium places.
Pick the right race bike and wheels to suit the Zwift racing course
The first tip starts before you even enter an event. You can save a lot of energy by picking the right bike for the course.
Most beginners will make one of two mistakes with this. The first is to not think about their bike choice at all and race one of the standard Zwift bikes. These are generally just energy wasters. It's very important that you collect drops (Zwift currency) and purchase a better bike and wheel set. The other mistake is to overthink their bike choice.
If we focus on the official Z racing races, then these are usually short races with short punchy climbs to break up groups. Most beginners will worry about getting dropped on the climb and decide to maximise their bike choice to suit. But the problem with this is that most of the race will be either flat or at a fast pace, in those cases an aero bike is much more beneficial.
For racing (especially in the early stages), I would advise you focus everything on getting an Aero Frame and wheels. The two early favourites are the "Zwift Aero" frame (Available at level 9) or the "Specialized Allez Sprint" frame (Available at level 14). I would also advise you go for some aero wheels like "Shimano C60" (Available at level 10) or "Roval Rapide CLX" (Available at level 15). Any of these combinations would be a lot faster than the starter bikes and wheels. Also these combinations wouldn't be a great deal slower than the popular Zwift concept Z1 (Tron) frame which a lot like to race.
Top Tip: You can test how much better, different bike combinations are by using robo pace partners. I would find a robo partner who just pushes you to put a bit more effort (than is comfortable) to stay with. Then change your bike and wheels before riding with the pace partner again. You should feel that it's a lot easier to stay with the group, your average power number should be lower too.
Join the Zwift race early to start from the front of the pen
One advantage racers never realise, is that the starting order of the race is decided by how early you get into the pen. A pen is the area the race will start from, from there you will set off on a "Lead in" section of roads to the beginning of the advertised race course.
Race starts are always fast and it's easy to get caught out and dropped in the first 1-2 minutes of a race. If you start at the front of the group, this gives you a better vantage point to see when the lead group has stretched or split. If you try getting in the pen early, you will soon notice how much easier the starts are and how much energy you save not having to push your way through the group.
The race pen usually opens 30 minutes before the race starts. I usually set my game up and load straight into the pen. After that I get myself ready with kit and water. I then have a 10-15 minute warm up in the pen, before the "explosive" race start, which we get onto next.
Zwift races always start fast, make sure you're ready
This is a bit of a follow on from tip 2, but you always need to start aggressively in a Zwift race. The experienced racers will always push hard at the start to try and catch some of the other riders napping. The lead group will always travel a lot faster (collectively) than a single rider. If you are dropped from this group you will potentially have to use twice as much power to catch back up. This is because the Zwift game dynamics act like a real life peloton would, the riders in the group see-saw within the peloton which drives the group faster but also allows recovery.
The surge at the start usually lasts for a minute. With bigger races and select courses, it can sometimes last longer, but I've never seen it continue to push after 2 minutes. It's important just to get your head down and hold out for this early surge to finish. You can then settle and recover with everyone else.
Learn where the race attacks could happen and be prepared
A good habit to get into with racing, is to always check the course so you can work out where potential attacks will be. Riders will generally try to attack on climbs and small ramps, however another area can sometimes be on non road sections. These sections of dirt, gravel or even wooden planks slow the pace down, you sometimes find the riders with Tron bikes will attack knowing they don't have to use as much energy on these sections as the riders on standard road bikes.
To check the course either do a free ride of it at your own pace, or review it using the detailed route maps on zwiftinsider.
Understand the Zwift pack dynamics for maximum drafting
This is a harder tip than it sounds to put into practise. As I mentioned in section 3, you will travel faster if you are in the middle of a group. Zwift calls this "pack dynamics" and it's based on how real life drafting works in a bike racing peloton.
This tip is hard to master because the pace will constantly change and you'll find yourself drifting forwards and backwards within the group. Ideally you want to drift between the middle and front of a group. This is so you benefit from the drafting advantage, but you're also able to see if any attacks form or the group splits. The diagram above shows how you will benefit in group drafting. The Zwift game dynamics apply a small drafting benefit to every member of a close group, the amount of benefit will depend on where you are positioned in the group.
The main thing to focus on is staying with the lead group as long as possible. Once you are out of the group, you will have to apply a lot more power to travel faster than them. The ability to respond to attacks will come later as you get stronger in your category.
Use Zwift power ups to help you stay in a group
Power ups are usually referenced as attacking tools to help you take advantage in a race. However, I've found that I use these more to help with recovery and as a way of staying with a group. If your struggling to stay in the lead group then power ups are a great way to keep you in touch with the leaders.
Key and common power ups that can be used to help you catch back up to the group are:
Feather: This power up lowers your weight value to give you a better W/KG to help on climbs. However it can still be used to apply extra power on the flats to help you catch back up to the bunch.
Aero Boost: This is best used on flats and descents to give you some extra speed. It's ideally suited for when you are out of a group, so possibly the perfect aid for when you find yourself getting dropped.
Drafting Boost: This power up is meant to help when you are within a group, however I've found it seems to expand your drafting range. So when you're trying to catch up to the back of the lead pack, this is a great power up to deploy to extend your drafting reach.
Good Luck
So there you have it, 6 tips to help you hold your own in Zwift racing. The best tip with anything in life is to get as much experience as possible. So enter all the races you can, then learn from all the podiums you miss out on. We hope that when it comes to the race that matters, you will be able to use some of our tips and your talent to take that victory. Good luck and we'll hopefully see you in the pens soon.
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VeloHunt Steve