Zwift has teased Tour de France celebrations and announced training updates alongside a new climb in Watopia.
The string of announcements comes as the seasons change, with the indoor cycling app aiming to help you “reach new fitness heights”.
Alongside the Tour de France celebrations, Zwift is refreshing its interface and adding greater flexibility with other training platforms over the coming months.
Tour de France celebrations
Zwift will celebrate the Tour de France with a month of Tour-themed content in July, including map refreshes, races and climbs.
Last year, Zwift introduced Climb Portals, which meant you could climb famous mountains from the 2023 Tour de France.
For this year’s edition of the Tour, eight climbs from the men’s race will be coming to the Portal.
Two climbs will be on the Portal in the race’s first week. There will be three available for the second and third weeks.
Week 1
- Côte des Forche: Stage 1, elevation: 159 m, avg grade: 6.3 per cent, distance: 2.5 km
- Col du Galibier (Lautaret): Stage 4, elevation: 563 m, avg grade: 6.6 per cent, distance: 8.6 km
Week 2
- Pas de Peyrol/Puy Mary: Stage 11, elevation: 628 m, avg grade: 6.9 per cent, distance: 9.2 km
- Pla d'Adet: Stage 14, elevation: 873 m, avg grade: 8.2 per cent, distance: 10.7 km
- Col de Peyresourde (Avajan): Stage 15, elevation: 555 m, avg grade: 7.7 per cent, distance: 7.2 km
Week 3
- Isola 2000: Stage 19, elevation: 1,157 m, avg grade: 7.1 per cent, distance: 16.2 km
- Col de la Couillole: Stage 20, elevation: 1,145 m, avg grade: 7.2 per cent, distance: 15.9 km
- La Turbie/Col d’Eze: Stage 21, elevation: 616m, avg grade: 3.1 per cent, distance: 15.9km
The France and Paris Zwift maps will also be 'dressed' to celebrate the Tour de France and “ready to welcome Zwifters looking to join the celebrations”.
Throughout July, users can join RoboPacers – bots that ride at a consistent pace – leading groups through France and Paris and partake in ‘Vive la France’ Zwift races.
Zwift has also teased its Monthly Missions, which can deliver in-game perks, will be taking place in its virtual France and will have a “Tour-themed twist”.
Zwift's Watch the Femmes
Zwift will focus on the third edition of Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with its 'Watch the Femmes' content.
The race begins on 12 August in Rotterdam, before finishing on Alpe d’Huez.
Zwift’s Alphe du Zwift will be “dressed for the occasion” and from 18-25 August there will be RoboPacers taking place every two hours on the virtual mountain.
Structured workouts inspired by Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift contenders will also be available.
Zwift has hinted more content related to the women’s race will be released.
Zwift expands Watopia with The Grade
Zwift has announced The Grade, a new climb on the west side of Watopia’s Southern Coast, the most recent expansion of Zwift’s virtual worlds.
The Grade will run from the Ciudad de La Cumbre and connect the Southern Coast with the backside of the Epic KOM climb.
The indoor training platform says the new climb is a direct and steep passage “designed to be testing”.
The expansion will launch in June with new routes for freeride exploration, training and racing.
My List will help you plan workouts
Launching in April, Zwift’s new My List feature will help you plan your next training sessions.
Zwift says the feature will enable you to queue routes and structured workouts before you next log in.
Using the Zwift Companion app, you will be able to browse routes and workouts and add them to My List.
The selected sessions will then appear on your Zwift home screen next time you take to the turbo trainer.
Heads Up Display refresh
Heads Up Display (HUD) shows you information while riding on Zwift, and it’s set to get a makeover this summer.
Zwift says HUD’s new look will “provide you with more information right where you need it”.
The updated display will feature a new ‘Climb Mode’ with a dynamic elevation profile. Zwift says this will help you better pace your climbing efforts and it will use the same gradient shading as the Climb Portal.
The HUD update will also mean you can customise the data fields in the power tile, which shows information such as power and speed. You will be able to choose from speed, average power, power-to-weight ratio, cadence and heart rate at launch.
Zwift promises the update will bring greater clarity to route progression and elevation in the mini-map.
Zwift Training Connections for better integration
Launching in the summer, Zwift’s Training Connections feature will provide better integration with third-party platforms and coaching services to help you achieve specific training plans.
Zwift says the new training API connection will behave much like other third-party connections on Zwift.
Once the API is set up and approved, workouts built outside of Zwift will pull through to the platform and show in the Custom Workouts folder.
Zwift’s 2024 spring training
Zwift’s six-week Spring training series is currently taking place.
Zwift says the series is intended to help you build endurance for long, outdoor rides.
Shorter and longer versions of the workouts are available, so you can decide whether you want to undertake a 30- or 50-minute indoor training session.
