Devin’s New Rider Rep Blog 1 on Zwift

Welcome all to the inaugural blog post from your New Rider Rep, Devin Erdmann! Today’s mini topic: Zwift and indoor training. 

As a cyclist that’s relatively new to racing (2023 will be my third season on the road competitively), I admit that taking the bike inside when the snow starts flying and plodding away on a trainer in the basement had practically zero appeal. But, in an attempt to get better and faster, I sprung for a smart trainer and a subscription to Zwift. The app is interesting enough to keep me engaged with the workout or ride, and it’s an easy, fun way to lower the friction between the couch and the bike. While picking a route and chasing PR’s or CR’s is an entertaining way to get in the indoor miles, I’ve found the best value and most fun riding in our weekly BBC group rides. It’s nice to just be able to log on, sit in the virtual group draft, and catch up over the chat for a couple hours without having to decide on a route yourself. As someone who is admittedly always late to everything, one thing I found useful is that the app lets you join the group ride up to 30 minutes late without having to virtually catch up in the game. I did, however, learn the hard way that that function only works so long as you’ve already accepted the ride invitation prior to the start!

Keeping that in mind, I encourage everyone reading this who hasn’t joined is yet to get up, get on the bike, and join us Sundays at 9am on Zwift for a good endurance ride with some entertaining banter. If I can make it before the time cut, you can too!