Steering on Zwift has been a feature which was introduced in 2020. However, it only became popular in 2023 with the introduction of Zwifts Play controllers. It was finally allowed in the popular 'Z Racing' races towards the end of 2023 and met with mixed emotions among racers. So much so that it still hasn't been allowed in major esports events like the Zwift Racing League.
Steering not only adds a layer of realism, but also introduces new tactics and challenges. I personally love it and feel it has really made me enjoy the platform even more. I agree it can give advantages when racing, but I question if these are major advantages. There are always a lot of riders winning races without steering enabled. From my experience, I feel it has improved my racing but mainly made it twice as enjoyable.
I have been using the Zwift play controllers for most of my racing on Zwift. During that time, I have learnt various tips from watching the release videos. I have also found a few advantages of my own that I wanted to share. Below are my best tips for gaining an advantage by using steering within Zwift races.
Use Zwift steering to find a draft faster
This might be the most obvious tip for racers using steering, but it's always worth mentioning. The best use of steering on Zwift is to move into the draft of another rider. If you move directly behind someone, you will benefit from Zwifts "Pack Dynamics" which is the game mechanics that try to make it resemble real life riding. Riding behind another rider will require less effort as there is less wind resistance.
So by using steering, you can speed up the drafting effect and save energy quicker. The more energy you save, the more you can use towards the end of the race for a breakaway or sprint.
Use Zwift steering to overtake faster by moving out of the draft
This next tip is definitely not as obvious as tip 1. With steering enabled, Zwift seems to reward you if you steer round other riders as you overtake. This is noticeable when you are sat in someone's draft and then power up to overtake them. If you power up without steering, there is a slight delay before your avatar moves past the other rider. But if you steer to the side of the rider as you power up, the overtake is instant. This also seems to be increased when you are overtaking a group of riders to breakaway.
This is something you should definitely practise and perfect. I recommend you try it with robo pacer groups. Sit behind the group and test if you can notice a difference between riding through the group or round it.
Use Zwift steering to descend faster
Zwift measures distance like a real ride, meaning you can record less distance by steering into corners to make them shorter. This is especially noticeable on big descents where you can steer tight into corners with higher speeds. If you're a just a few seconds behind, this trick will soon have you back in a group.
You don't need to climb big descents to practise this one, just a simple free ride will work. During the ride, just steer into every corner like you're a motor racing driver would. You will soon pick up the technique, then when you next hit a long descent you'll soon see how much it benefits you.
Use Zwift steering for big gains on corners
This tip is a combination of both tips 2 and 3. It partially works well when you are following a large group on a climb with a switch back. The technique to this one is to wait until just before a corner, then steer into it and apply a little extra power. You will see your avatar quickly cut past most of the group.
The best advantage with this, is it that it stops you getting stuck behind slower riders on climbs. As soon as you hit a switchback you can move towards the front and not get held up drafting behind riders that might start to struggle. It's another one you can test with pace partners to perfect before you try it on important races.
Use Zwift steering to avoid others drafting off you during sprints
This is the hardest tip to master, mainly because sprint finishes don't happen that often. They're also very frantic, where your mental focus is on the finish line and not what's behind you. If you have planned your sprint well, then there is a good chance someone will be behind you following you draft to out sprint you over the line.
So the trick to this, is to use the steering controls so you're not leaving a draft for them to capitalise on. I suggest you practise steering to one side of the road as you start your sprint. If you can make this a habit, then you are less likely to forget during those heated last few seconds of a race. You'll just have to remember to not do this habit if you're sprint involves drafting off of someone else.
Use Zwift steering for covering less miles and cutting corners
Our final tip is more a fun challenge than a racing winning trick. Like on tip 3, you can turn into corners to cover less distance to potentially go faster. If you are racing on a solo time trial event, this will be hugely beneficial and should save you a lot of time. With general road races you would only really use this technique if you had broken away from the pack.
The fun part of this tip, is that there are some sections in Zwift were you can literally cut over pavements and round the back of spectators. One of the main sections for this is on the London Classique course (pictured above). These are most likely development errors, but are generally seen as easter eggs to the lucky racers that find them.
So that's all the tips I can think of for gaining an advantage with steering. Are there any I've missed? Please feel free to share your experiences with steering on Zwift and any other tips you have. Thank you for reading and good luck with your racing.
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VeloHunt Steve