How to win a race on Zwift

A) Drop your weight and cheat.

B) Read the below tips to tune your racing tactics, be honest with yourself, & get stronger.

Zwift is a great online platform for cyclists & runners to exercise, train or race without leaving your house.

Racing can be fun, rewarding & brutal…that's just in the first 5 minutes.

I’ve been racing on Zwift for over three years & have summarised 5 tips below. Hopefully, they help. Just please don’t cheat.

1. Check out the course beforehand

Scout the hills, flat sections & finish line. It doesn’t have to be extensive; plenty of websites pull apart each route with tips for each KM. But in reality, you only need to know when the climbs are (point 2). I either jump on 15–20mins prior to the race start (point 3) & ride the race route. Or, pick a popular race route whenever you do your training rides.

2. Climb hard & fast!

Races aren’t won on the hills, I’ve seen plenty of people burn themselves on a climb, only to be caught later on. But races can be lost of hills.

If you miss the kick (the moment a group starts putting in massive watts & all jump out of their saddle) it’ll be a fun catch-up game. Instead, when you’re nearing a climb, especially the shorter ones, place yourself close to the front of the peloton. If you need to put in some effort to get to the front then do it.

Once a group starts to climb, keep an eye out on their watts per kilo, and aim to match it. Hills hurt & regular Zwift racers know that hence why they go into max power mode for a brief period to split the group. If a group is split, there are fewer people chasing 1st place.

However, say you’re in a group of 20 riders approaching a hill. My advice would be to stick with the majority. If two riders want to fly off the front with 15km to race then let them. If you’ve ever watched a major cycling event you’ll understand why the main peloton will say “Of you go son” when a rider will power off solo when you could ride in a big group, share the front work & benefit from the draft.