The Ultimate Guide to Zwift for Beginners

It’s all the rage: your friends’ Strava activities look like they’ve been cycling through water, they’ve managed to become overnight crit racers and they mean business when it comes to training. Our guide to Zwift unveils everything you need to know about getting started in the fabled world of virtual cycling.

- What is Zwift?
- How does Zwift work?
- How much does Zwift cost?
- How to get started on Zwift
- Zwift Courses and Worlds
- Zwift Group Rides and Races
- Zwift Virtual Kit, Equipment and PowerUps
- Canyon Bikes on Zwift
- How to use Zwift as a training tool

If you spend any amount of time with other cyclists, you’ll have heard the word Zwift thrown around like it’s some kind of performance enhancing substance. Funnily enough, it’s not far from the truth and it’s why over 1.6 million riders have clocked up over a billion kilometres since its launch in 2014. Zwift is the world’s leading online interactive cycling game where riders can workout with the help of a video game interface.

Zwift provides a tool to sharpen your skills via structured workouts and races, so that you can improve your functional threshold power (FTP) and become a stronger, faster cyclist both on the turbo trainer and on the road.

Zwift is used by weekend warriors as well as professional cyclists, especially with the rise of eRacing within the UCI. More often than not, the pros advertise when they’re training on Zwift so you’ll be able to join them for the ride.

When you set up your profile, you’ll be asked for some basic data such as your weight and power, which will calculate your watts per kilo (w/kg) used to define the difficulty of group rides and races.

Zwift uses Bluetooth and ANT+ technology to read connected sensors (these can be anything from speed and cadence sensors all the way through to a smart turbo trainer) to power an avatar through a virtual world of cycling. If you pedal, your avatar pedals and likewise when you stop, so does your virtual counterpart.

After a free 7-day trial, a Zwift subscription is USD$14.99 per month charged in your local currency. During the free trial, you can get a taste for whether the platform will work for you before committing longer term via a rolling monthly contract that can be cancelled at any time.

Within these courses, you can ride alone or with friends in a Zwift group ride. When you log into Zwift, you’re presented with a list of scheduled rides and races. To join, simply click one of them and choose your desired intensity (A-D), a table for which you can find below.

A: 4.0 w/kg and above

B: 3.2-3.9 w/kg

C: 2.5-3.1 w/kg

D: 2.4 w/kg and below

Racing is also one of the attractions of Zwift compared to other online training platforms. The Zwift Racing League is an extensive seasonal calendar featuring professional e-racing riders (such as those in our Canyon eRacing Team), regional divisions and promotion/relegation at the end of a season. Sharpen those virtual elbows and brace yourself for intense, gripping and exciting racing.

In a similar style to many computer games, it’s possible to progress through the levels, upgrade your gear and grab bonuses as you pedal. You’ll begin your journey through Watopia (and the other courses) on board a default bike with fairly standard accessories. The more you ride, the more XP points you’ll achieve and the more upgrades you can buy. It’s not cheap to buy frames and wheels, but if you’re willing to work for it, you’ll soon find yourself on board your dream build.

The overarching goal of Zwift is to transform you into a better cyclist and it has successfully managed this the world over. Zwift enables riders just like you to train year round no matter the weather outside or the time constraints in which you find yourself. “Zwift is a fantastic platform for training and racing,” says Canyon’s Esports Team Manager, Rhys Howell. “You can join races and get a high intensity workout trying to beat people from all over the world, join a group ride, do your own workout or even just free-ride at your own pace.”

Online training really came into its own throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic with cyclists all over the world opting to train indoors to combat the spread of the virus. “Throughout the lockdowns in Germany, I decided to ride every route on Zwift which included a few 5 hour sessions,” adds Rhys who manages the Canyon Zwift Cycling Team. “I don't think I would have managed that without something as engaging as a virtual world!”

You can try the ZCC training plan and train like a pro here, and there are plenty of other pre-built training plans available on Zwift that will help you build your FTP. Try them out and see how you get on!