Zwift rolled out version 2 of their popular Zwift Ride smart frame today. This isn’t a radical redesign, but it’s a welcome one! This new iteration makes the Ride more accommodating for more riders, at the same impressive price.

Are you a Zwift Ride V1 owner wondering whether to update? Or perhaps you’re looking to upgrade your current indoor setup or buy your first indoor setup as we head into “Zwift season”? This post is for you! Read on to learn all about the new Zwift Ride.

What’s New

Here’s how the new Zwift Ride differs from the original V1:

• Bear Claw Cranks: Probably the most-requested upgrade on the Zwift Ride, these crank arms, offering 5 crank length options, have been available as a $99 upgrade option for over a year.
• Expanded Fore-Aft Seat Adjustment: A redesigned seat post topper lets you place the saddle clamp in 4 different fore-aft positions for an additional 30mm of fore-aft adjustability.
• Reduced Minimum Saddle Height: Minimum rider height is now 4’10” (146cm), which is 2″ (6 cm) shorter than the V1.
• Reduced Minimum Bar Height: Your bars can drop almost 4 cm lower on the V1 than the V2.
• Wider Bar Tops: Instead of the uniformly thick bars of the V1, the V2 sports bars with wider tops for more hand comfort.
• Improved Controllers: Not announced by Zwift, but confirmed by Zwift, the controllers on the new Ride feature an additional internal seal to keep them safe from moisture/sweat.

I dig into most of these changes below, but first… here’s a fun off-the-cuff video from my living room starring Ryan Condon and me…

Unboxing/First Impressions Video

Adjustable Crank Length

At a time when many riders are experimenting with shorter crank lengths, the original Zwift Ride’s lack of adjustability was a common source of complaint. (Not only did the V1 offer only a 170 mm option, but the cranks are non-standard, so you couldn’t swap in aftermarket cranks.) Zwift began selling a $99 bear claw crank upgrade in April 2025, but Zwifters consistently asked for these cranks to be included with a Zwift Ride purchase.

The bear claw cranks on the V2 are the same add-on cranks Zwift has been selling for the V1, with 5 options:

• 160 mm
• 165 mm
• 170 mm
• 172.5 mm
• 175 mm

New Fore-Aft Adjustable Seat Post Topper

Since the Zwift Ride’s initial release, some riders have requested the option of a seatpost that allows the saddle to be located further forward. (In fact, aftermarket options have arisen to meet this very need.)

The new seat post topper can be placed in 4 different positions for an additional 3 cm of fore-aft adjustability. Two positions can be reached with the topper oriented in one direction, while the other two positions are reached by turning the entire topper around to face the opposite direction.

A single bolt holds the assembly firmly in place, and it can be tightened or loosened using the Zwift Ride’s built-in tool.

Reduced Minimum Saddle and Bar Heights

Multiple changes to the frame geometry have made the Zwift Ride V2 more accommodating to smaller riders. While the V1’s stated rider size range was 152-198 cm with a minimum saddle height of 60 cm, the V2’s stated size range is 146-198 cm with a minimum saddle height of 56.75cm.

The main change enabling the reduced saddle height (and reach) is a slightly smaller frame, where all parts of the main triangle have been reduced in length. This also reduced the standover height and minimum bar height, with the V2’s bars able to drop almost 4 cm lower than the V1.

Reducing the size of the frame’s main triangle also reduces the minimum reach, further accommodating shorter riders.

It appears that Zwift labeled the seatpost heights, stem lengths, and bar heights so riders who know their Zwift Ride measurements from a V1 can easily set up a V2. They don’t translate perfectly, and modifying the new seatpost topper’s position will, of course, affect these. But it’s a thoughtful move on Zwift’s part, and a playful twist to have crown, smiley, and Ride On symbols as new measurements…

Wider Bar Tops

The narrow, uniform thickness of the original Zwift Ride’s handlebars didn’t win many fan awards, particularly for riders with larger hands.

The new Ride’s handlebars are oversized on the tops, like most modern bars, providing a much more comfortable grip surface.

Is it worth the upgrade?

That’s everything that’s new about the Zwift Ride V2 (apart from a new squirrel badge on the head tube and an updated rider sizing card). So the big question is – should you buy one?

Here’s my take: if you already own the Zwift Ride V1, upgrading to the V2 probably doesn’t make sense. If anything, you may want to purchase the adjustable cranks or updated seatpost, which Zwift says will be available at Zwift.com.

But if you’re looking for an upgrade to your existing bike/trainer setup, or looking to purchase your first indoor bike setup, the Zwift Ride V2 is everything the original Zwift Ride was, and more! The crank length options, saddle setback options, and accommodating minimum sizing for smaller riders are all big wins. Add that to the V2 shipping with the latest Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 and you’ve got a killer package at the same great price ($1299.99 / €1199.99 / £1099.99) as the original Zwift Ride.

Share Your Thoughts

What do you think of the changes made in Zwift Ride V2? Will you be purchasing one yourself? Share your thoughts below!

Zwifters recently descended on Mallorca for Zwift Community Live 2026, an IRL event bringing people together from around the world for 3 days of epic riding. In this week’s top video, watch as one Zwifting YouTuber takes on his first group rides ever!

Zwift just shared a roadmap of what’s coming in the next few months with their “This Season on Zwift” press release, so two of our videos feature this info. We’ve also included videos about riding outdoors after a long indoor season, and racing the final stage of the Zwift Games.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

When Shimano launched its Dura-Ace 9000 groupset back in 2012, it introduced a new weight-saving technique, where the outward and inside faces of the cranks were bonded together, with a cavity between them. An advance on the previously hollow-forged design of Dura-Ace 7900, Shimano claimed its new Hollowtech design saved weight with no loss in rigidity.

A few years later, reports began to emerge of crankset delamination and failure, reaching their thousands before Shimano acknowledged there was a potential issue with the bonding process.

This led to the recall for inspection of around 2.8 million 11-speed Dura-Ace and Ultegra cranksets worldwide and Shimano agreeing an $11.5m penalty in the US for failing to report the problem promptly. 

With the deadline to submit a claim approaching in August 2026, we look back over the timeline of Shimano’s costly product failure.

• Read more: “Bone fractures, joint displacements and lacerations”: Shimano agrees to pay $11.5m penalty over crankset failures

2012: Dura-Ace 9000 launched with new bonded crank arms

Shimano launched its first crankset with bonded arms as part of the Dura-Ace 9000 groupset. It was its first with four arms, in place of five, which were arranged asymmetrically on the spider rather than being evenly spaced. 

The outgoing Dura-Ace 7900 groupset – launched in 2008 – also used a two-piece hollow design, but the parts were forged together, rather than bonded.

When we reviewed the groupset, we commented on the larger section to the alloy crank arms over the predecessor Dura-Ace 7900 groupset and on the visible bond line between the two faces.

It was followed in 2013 by Ultegra 6800, which, in Shimano fashion, replicated at a lower price and slightly increased weight much of the functionality of the flagship groupset.

Mid-2010s onward: crank-arm failure reports emerged online

The first reports of failed Shimano cranks emerged online. Starting in late 2017, the @thanksshimano Instagram account began to fill up with shots of failed Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace cranks, spindles and more, with the most recent dating from March 2024.

2020: BikeRadar first reported on crankset failure

BikeRadar has been following the Shimano crankset story since April 2020, when we reported on a crankset failure in the team. 

Riding to work in January of that year, Stuart Forrest experienced a complete failure of the crankset, with the outer part of the crankarm separating from the rest of the crank.

He’d covered around 15,000km on the groupset in six years and had noticed a couple of weeks earlier that the cranks had started to creak.

Responding to our report, Shimano’s spokesman pointed to the huge global user base of its cranksets and advised riders experiencing problems to consult a dealer.

2021: Shimano said there wasn’t a design problem with its cranks

In late 2021, Road.cc reported on a crank failure experienced by one of its readers, which spurred other riders to report similar incidents. 

Shimano told Road.cc at the time that its engineers hadn’t found a design problem with its cranks, although it was investigating to see if there was a specific cause.

21 September 2023: official recall announced in the US

In September 2023, 11 years after it had introduced the design, Shimano announced a US recall of its 11-speed Hollowtech cranks in the US, and a global inspection and replacement programme.

This affected a total of 760,000 cranksets in the US and 2.8 million globally, after 4,519 reported instances of cranksets separating.

Affecting the original Dura-Ace 9000 and Ultegra 6800 cranksets, as well as the more recent Dura-Ace R9100 with and without a power meter and Ultegra R8000, this was the first time Shimano had acknowledged a problem with its Hollowtech cranksets. 

Shimano confirmed owners of cranksets showing signs of bonding problems and delamination would be provided with a free replacement.

22 September 2023: Shimano clarified recall programme

The next day, Shimano clarified which cranksets were affected by the recall, specifying that only certain model numbers, for cranksets made before 2019, and with a specific range of production codes, needed inspection by a dealer and potential replacement.

Shimano excluded from its warranty cranks modified by third parties, such as 4iiii and Stages power meters, but included them in its inspection process.

• Read more: The Hollowtech crank recall is a nightmare for riders, shops and Shimano. How did we get here and what happens next?

October 2023: class-action lawsuit filed in the US relating to crank failures

In October 2023, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the US against Shimano, Specialized and Trek, claiming the announced recall was inadequate.

Because it did not cover all Hollowtech cranksets, the suit claimed cyclists could be riding a dangerous bicycle for an extended period without being sure their cranks wouldn’t fail. It also sought redress for riders who had already disposed of a failed crankset.

In addition, it pointed out that mechanics could be liable if a crankset failed subsequent to an inspection and caused injury.

Trek and Specialized were included in the suit because they were accused of “knowingly and intentionally misrepresenting, omitting, concealing, and/or failing to disclose material facts regarding the quality, reliability, and safety of the cranksets”.

October 2024: some bike shops claimed they were ‘banned’ from the programme over high failure rates

A year later, Road.cc reported some bike shops claimed they had been put on a ‘banned list’ for the crankset inspection programme, because they had failed too many cranks. Shimano’s UK distributor, Madison, said Shimano would no longer pay the £35 per inspection fee to shops on the list.

Meanwhile, some shops claimed they were returning a large proportion of cranks to Shimano because they were not in a position to definitively pass a crankset based only on visual inspection.

August 2025: class-action lawsuit neared conclusion

Roll forward another year and the US judge issued preliminary approval for the settlement of the 2023 US class-action lawsuit.

The settlement was granted final approval by the court in February 2026 and involved Shimano issuing a magnifying device and a manual for retailers, to assist them in inspection. Shimano also opened a website through which affected riders could submit reimbursement claims. It stated the impact on its future business was expected to be immaterial.

March 2026: Shimano agreed to pay an $11.5m penalty 

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced an $11.5 million civil penalty settlement with Shimano, which it concluded had failed to report promptly to the commission the defect in its 11-speed cranks.

The settlement also required Shimano to ensure compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act and submit annual reports on its compliance programme and internal controls.

August 2026: deadline to submit claim form for class-action lawsuit closes

14 years after it launched Dura-Ace 7000, Shimano is finally looking to draw a line under the saga, with a deadline of 4 August 2026 to submit a claim, with documented costs, if you purchased and installed a replacement crankset on your bike outwith the replacement programme.

The first race of Zwift Racing League 2025/26’s final round happens Tuesday, April 7, and it’s a team time trial with a spicy finish!

Hell of the North was named in a nod to Paris-Roubaix, my favorite one-day race on the cycling calendar. The name is perhaps a bit dramatic, given that this is a flat route with a “petit” climb at the end. Be that as it may, it’s one of France’s newer routes, hasn’t been raced yet in ZRL, and should make for an interesting opening TTT.

Let’s dig into the course, look at bike selection, and more!

Looking at the Route: Hell of the North

All riders will race 1 lap of France’s Hell of the North, for a total race length of 20.1km with 241m of elevation gain.

Broadly speaking, this is a simple route: 17km of flattish roads, finishing with the Petit KOM, a 2.7km climb averaging 4%:

But let’s drill down a bit into key sections and waypoints:

• First Draft Powerup given in the start pens
• Flat Start + Les Intestins (first 3.6 km): Get up to speed quickly on the flat lead-in, then rotate pulls in a way that keeps you fast over the three peaks of Les Intestins. This may be the most technical portion of the route.
• Ramps Up Dos d’Âne Sprint @5.6 km (600 meters long, 2-3%): Two short, cobbled ramps up to the sprint arch will reward teams who raise their power to keep speeds high.
• Dos d’Âne Sprint Arch and 2nd Draft Boost Powerup @6.1km
• Sprinteur Sprint Arch and 3rd Draft Boost Powerup @11.9km
• Ramp after Sprinteur Sprint @12.6 km (300 meters, 2.5%): Another slack climb you’ll want to power through.
• Sprint du Cratère Reverse and 4th Draft Boost Powerup @13.4km
• Ballon Sprint and 5th Draft Boost Powerup @16.2km

The Petit KOM is, of course, the standout feature on this route. In a scratch race, it’s where the pack breaks up as riders with high w/kg drop the sprinters whose wheels they’ve been borrowing thus far.

In a TTT, though, the Petit KOM requires a different kind of strategy. While it’s a sub 5-minute climb for A riders, and sub 6 minutes for B, it’s not just about the best effort you can put in. Because at only 3.9%, this is a very draftable climb, particularly in the flatter bits. (This climb zig-zags its way to the top, and the “zig” portions, when you’re traveling roughly toward the start pens, are much flatter than the “zags”.)

You may also want to sacrifice a rider or two, particularly on the flatter portions of the climb, since your time is taken based on the fourth rider to finish.

Read more about the Hell of the North route >

Powerups (?!)

A few years ago, powerups were announced for a ZRL TTT… but as I recall, it never actually happened.

I always thought that would be a fun addition, though. And it sounds like it’s going to happen for this stage! WTRL says we’ll get a draft boost (van) powerup in the start pens, and at every arch. See notes above under “Looking at the Route” for arch locations.

Reminder: the draft boost increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. It’s best used at high speeds (flats and descents), and only helpful when you’re drafting!

Teams would be wise to discuss how to best use these powerups, as you will receive a total of 5 during the race. I see “offensive” and “defensive” approaches to powerup use in this race:

• One smart “offensive” approach would be to trigger the powerup ~45 seconds before you’re slated to take a pull on the front, making it easier to sit on the wheel(s) near the front so your legs are as fresh as possible when it’s time to take your pull. This may allow you to take a slightly harder pull than usual, and if everyone on the team does this, it could trim valuable seconds off your time.
• Alternatively, if a rider is struggling to stay in the wheels, they could use the powerup to ease their effort wherever they’re at in the pull order. This is the “defensive” approach. It’s also sort of the default/bailout approach, because some sprint arches come within a minute or two of each other, so you’ll want to trigger the powerup regardless of where you’re at in the pull order, just so it’s not wasted.

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

Bike choice here is simple, assuming you have access to everything: go aero.

The math is straightforward: a lighter frame like the Scott Plasma RC Ultimate only saves half a second on the Petit KOM at 5 W/kg. And the fastest lightweight wheels (ENVE SES 4.5) don’t save any time over the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc on the climb, given how aero the disc is.

That scant savings from a lighter frame will be wiped out on the flats, where the disc wheel drastically outperforms climbing wheels. So full aero it is.

If you don’t have access to this setup, check out “Fastest TT Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level” and use the fastest TT frame and wheelset available at your level.

One more note on bike choice: upgrading your frame makes a big difference. A fully upgraded frame saves around 13 watts, or ~48 seconds per hour of riding. Read all about the performance improvements you receive from upgrades here.

More Route Recons

Many recon rides are planned each week on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re unfamiliar with this course, jump into an event and familiarize yourself with the route! Find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

Additionally, riders in the Zwift community do a great job every week creating recon videos that preview the courses and offer tips to help you perform your best on the day. I’ll add recons below as I find them, but please comment if you find a useful one that isn’t yet listed!

TTTips

Successful team time trialing on Zwift requires a challenging combination of physical strength, proper pacing, and Zwift minutiae like picking the fastest bike, understanding drafting in a TTT context, and getting your frame fully upgraded.

Mixed courses like this week give valuable seconds to “balanced” teams with two strengths:

• Big pure-power riders who can keep their watts high on the front while staying in single-file formation to conserve in the draft behind
• A set of four riders who have a high W/kg in that 4-6 minute VO2max window, to deliver the final punch up the Petit KOM.

On a course like this week’s, I recommend all team members set their Trainer Difficulty to the same value, and make sure that value is at least 75%, so you feel slight gradient changes and increase power to compensate. This will help you automatically punch on the uphills, keeping your overall speed high.

Your goal in a ZRL TTT is to get four riders across the line in the shortest time possible. That means every team’s pace plan will differ based on each rider’s abilities. I highly recommend having an experienced DS on Discord directing your team, especially if your team contains some inexperienced TTT riders.

Lastly, if you want to go further down the TTT rabbit hole, I highly recommend Dave Edmond’s Zwift TTT Calculator tool.

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

MB Wear is the brainchild of former pro riders Tiziano Dall’Antonia and Marco Bandiera, and it has the largest range of cycling-specific socks I’ve seen in many years.

The newly launched brand’s range includes a mix of fabrics, designs, weights and shapes to cover everything from aero-optimised time trialling to all-weather off-roading.

The socks are made using materials including graphene-infused cotton, polyamide with silver ions and ceramic-infused yarns. Each sock is designed for its specific purpose, and MB still finds space to include some funky designs.

• Read more: Best cycling socks | 9 pairs of stylish socks and buyer’s guide

Pro Specialis

The Pro Specialis sock is priced at £16.99 / €19.50 and designed as MB’s all-year round option.

The Q-Skin Polyamide fabric is claimed to offer UV-A and UV-B absorption, and abrasion resistance. Along with the internal construction and design, it’s said to help circulation by emitting FIR – beneficial electromagnetic waves that help increase blood circulation.

These are big claims for £17 socks. Personally, I just like the neon pink colourway.

Aero-optimised socks

The Aero Fast and Aero Dry socks are MB Wear’s most expensive offerings at £29.99 / €34.90. The foot of the socks mirrors the construction of the Pro socks. This seamlessly joins a Lycra 3.0 upper section that’s ribbed for aerodynamic efficiency, according to MB Wear, and extends 19cm above the ankle.

The Aero Dry follows the same design and size, but is made from an ultra-light, highly vented material for fast rides on hot days.

Graphene-infused

The Pro Graphene combines Q-Skin fabric with a graphene yarn. This makes for a hard-wearing yet lightweight second-skin fit that offers more protection than the classic Pro Specialis for £19.99 / €22.

MB Wear’s Fun and Smile socks (£19.99 / €22) are made using Q-Skin’s lightweight breathable fabric that’s ideal for warmer days. With a myriad of colours and designs, these look likely to become my go-to summer option.

The Comfort sock (£16.99 / €18.90) uses a heavier-weight fabric on the sole, with a 3D-weave pattern that’s claimed to help cushion and support the plantar area and heel. MB says the Comfort is the ideal sock for off-road and gravel riding.

MB Wear also offers a Night sock with reflective yarns and fluro colours, a Sahara sock for the hottest conditions and the Siberia for – you guessed it – the coldest.

This is our 12th April Fools’ Day on Zwift, and each year ZHQ has come up with something fun for the community.

A Quick Review

In 2025 we all got a Pocket Scotty, which became an ongoing feature the next day. In 2024 we ironically wore VR Goggles, and before that it was two years of special April Fools’ Day events. 2021 saw us big wheeling, 2020 saw us transported to 1989, and 2019 we smelled burning rubber. The year before that it was Paperboy. In 2017 we had big heads, 2016 gave us the old-timey effect, and in 2015 we rode big wheels on Jarvis.

This year Zwift has a new surprise – they’ve swapped out the supertuck rider position for the superman! (Apologies for the low-quality images… I’m traveling and trying to get shots from a low-powered laptop…)

How To Be Super(wo)man

To get into the new Superman position on Zwift, five conditions must be met:

1. You must be on a standard road pr gravel bike frame (no Tron, TT, or MTB)
2. You must be traveling at least ~36MPH (~58km/hr)
3. The gradient’s decline must be at least -3%
4. Your power output must be below 11 watts
5. You must be out of the draft and not riding in a pack (safety first!)
6. It has to be April 1st (local time)

Zwift will automatically place your avatar in the superman position if all these conditions are true. You come back out of the superman once any of these conditions is not met – for example, if the road flattens out to a -2% decline.

While I can’t recommend attempting this position in real life, I can promise you it’s possible:

There’s even a tutorial video. But don’t blame me if you try this and it doesn’t go well for you:

Your Thoughts

Based on this April 1st fun and recent images from the Pas Racing Series, it appears Zwift has worked up some new avatar poses/positions. What other avatar postures would you like to see? (I want a victory wheelie.) Share your thoughts below!

“Always sprint for a finish line” and “try to hold on even if you have to burn matches to do so” are my two golden rules when it comes to riding and racing on Zwift. They obviously mostly apply to racing, but as I’m coming back from an annoying cycling-related knee injury that kept me off the bike for nearly nine weeks, these rules also apply to most of the group rides I take part in nowadays. too.

Other people’s “Zone 2” seems to be my threshold at the moment, but I’m getting there. My power, endurance, and—most importantly—my ability to recover quickly are all returning to their pre-injury levels, slowly but surely.

However (and this is a big HOWEVER)… getting dropped in Zwift is still light years ahead of where I was only six years ago. Like a toddler in a sweet shop, I still see smashing myself around Watopia as a privilege, not something I have to force myself to do and I have to remind myself of that every time I end up finishing mid-pack in a race or questioning all of life’s choices while trying to hold onto Eric Schlange in one of his weekly “fun” Pizza Burners. But that’s just my competitive side coming out. That childish grin quickly returns whenever I think back to my “pre-fitness” days in 2018.

(Seriously though, someone really needs to report Eric’s weekly “pizza burner” ride description to the Federal Trade Commission—100 km at threshold is more than just a “spin”…)

It’s only now, having just checked when my first ever Zwift-related video was uploaded (1st May 2023), that I’ve realised I’ve been riding and racing on Zwift for almost three years. Wowsers! Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

My name is Ryan Condon, and I’ve been making entertaining YouTube videos about my fitness journey for the past six years. Zwifting on my trusty Zwift Ride in my homemade “pain cave” has been a huge part of that journey.

“He’s not fat, he’s big-boned.”

At the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, I weighed 190 kg. To put that into perspective, the average UK man in his 40s weighs 83 kg. I was 107 kg heavier than the Joe Bloggs you walk past every day on your local high street.

The physical and mental implications of weighing this much were massive. Being tall (6’2”) had helped me “get away” with being “big”—a term my grandma used to describe me.

“He’s not fat, he’s big-boned,” she’d snap whenever anyone dared mention my disproportionate size in front of her when I was a teenager. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t anywhere near as confident as she was when dealing with the snide remarks from my schoolmates.

By the age of 38, my knees ached, my energy was non-existent, and my sleep was a joke—I probably averaged three to four hours a night. Depression and anxiety were taking hold, although I didn’t recognise it at the time.

I grew up in a working-class London family; feelings weren’t discussed, and “depression” was something other people had. I was also likely alcohol-dependent by this point. I made a video about this subject (which you can watch here), but in a nutshell, the mental darkness I lived with was amplified by my drinking. At one point, I was even too heavy to weigh myself on standard bathroom scales. That sense of alienation—of being on my own—was staggering.

Half the Man I Used To Be

Fast forward six years: I no longer drink, I’m teetotal, I’m vegan (a story for another time), and I now weigh anywhere between 87–89 kg, depending on which way the wind is blowing or how many croissants I’ve had that day.

I’m literally half the man I used to be, and I’m in the best shape of my life. That 103kg of body fat I lost (as my partner Tracie likes to joke) is more than the weight of an entire adult male.

When I started uploading videos to YouTube, I realised there were almost no fitness influencers catering to bigger men (or bigger people in general). Most assumed you already had a base level of fitness and of course, I didn’t. I just wanted to know:

• How do I start?
• How do I keep moving?
• What can I eat?
• And most importantly… how do I stay motivated?

Because I couldn’t see anyone who looked like me online—unless they were the experiment or the butt of the joke in a MrBeast-style video—I decided to document my own weight-loss journey, with an emphasis on making the videos entertaining, hoping it might inspire others like me… those who knew enough to know that doing something—anything—is better than doing nothing.

I’m not a nutritionist or fitness expert. I simply share what works for me, hoping to inspire others in the way I once wanted to be inspired.

Leveling Up with Zwift

Indoor cycling on Zwift was the extra string to my bow that I was looking for back in 2023. By then, I had already managed to lose 70 kg through walking and then running, getting down to about 120 kg. But my body adapted and my weight loss plateaued, even though I was still exercising and eating sensibly.

It was then that I discovered indoor cycling—specifically Zwift—purely by chance, and it completely revolutionised my fitness and weight-loss progress, helping me lose another 30 kg of body fat.

I very recently crossed the 10,000 km mark for total lifetime distance covered, with well over 113,000 metres climbed. That’s a big benchmark for me.

It’s still “rookie numbers” compared to others on the platform, but I’ve also made and uploaded over 100 Zwift-related videos to my YouTube channel, so I like to think I have some lived experience on the subject.

I’ve also become quite a capable racer, climbing from Category D into Category B. That just means I went from complete beginner to an above-average, pretty good Zwifter at my peak. However, at the end of last year I suffered a sports-related knee injury that kept me from working out and Zwifting for nearly nine weeks. As any Zwifter knows, without regular training you lose your power and endurance much quicker than it takes to gain them.

I’m now back on the road to recovery. I’ve regained about 80% of my pre-injury Zwifting abilities and have managed to get myself back into the upper end of Category C with my ZRS hovering somewhere around 420; however, at my peak, I reached 570, and I’d like to get back there as soon as possible.

The Process and the Pillars

I love running and cycling outside, and nothing will ever replace that vibe. However, when time is scarce or it’s chucking it down and I don’t fancy a Special Forces selection test just to fit in my cardio for the day… Zwift is the answer.

It fits into my plan easily, no matter the weather. If I’ve got everything set up just the way I like it, there should be no barriers—and no barriers means no excuses and of course, no excuses = consistency.

When I started on Zwift for the first time, I didn’t really know what my real power number was, even after several months of consistent riding. This is because we’re programmed to hold back as humans. No one jumps into a fast group ride or race and completely buries themselves the first time they try. It’s counterintuitive to everything we’ve been told to do. So we end up getting dropped—which is fine. It’s all part of the process and that’s the single best piece of advice I can give any new Zwifter: Trust the process! Just jump in feet first and learn through the baptism of fire.

I now have three “pillars” that I try to stick to every day:

• Eat clean, portion-controlled meals — three per day.
  For context, I used to eat 4,000–5,000 calories daily. Now I focus on the right quantity of quality food, averaging about 2,000 calories per day. Any less than this and I don’t have the energy to keep going.
• Move consistently and do something every day.
  I started with walking, and now I run 5 km or cycle 25 km every day as a minimum. If I’m training for an event, this ramps up.
• Use motivational tactics to maintain discipline.
  I highly recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. (There’s a lot I learned from these books, but the two biggest takeaways were how to build strong habits that break bad ones, and the idea that you have a finite number of “f*cks” to give—so choose carefully what you spend them on. Psychological tactics like this massively helped keep me off the sofa and into the pain cave, even when it was hard.)

Obviously, there’s a lot more to this. The nuances are hard to highlight in one article without disappearing down a fitness rabbit hole, but these three pillars are what I think about every day when planning my week ahead.

100 Small Moments

Back in 2019, I started by walking every day for a whole year without a single day off. I even made a video about it:

This might be a risky thing to say—especially on a website dedicated to cyclists—but I still consider walking to be the best exercise for weight loss. However, cycling and Zwifting are catching up quickly in my mind.

People often ask if I had a defining wake-up moment.

Honestly, I didn’t.

There wasn’t one big “eureka” moment—there were hundreds of small moments of realisation.

Buying plus-size clothes.
Making excuses at my daughter’s school sports day.
Not being able to fit on a rollercoaster at a theme park.

Just three of many dominoes that had to fall before I finally pulled the trigger and made the change.

A David Goggins quote resonated with me:

“To achieve greatness, one must be willing to be unbalanced for a period of time.”

Back when I was walking 10 miles every day, I was unbalanced—in the best possible way.

My obsession, once directed at my career, was now fuelling my health, fitness, and eventually my family life. But I had to face “40 days and nights in the desert” before I could reset my factory settings. This combination of dietary discipline, physical movement, and psychological commitment transformed my life.

Mindset, willpower, and behaviour change are more important than fad diets or gimmicky exercises.

My motivation has to be personal—losing weight just to look good for a holiday won’t sustain long-term change.

Find your “happy place”—your reason to move forward even when it’s tough.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. I used to get frustrated when things didn’t go to plan. Now I choose what I care about, and when things go wrong I try to adapt instead of reacting.

Celebrate meaningful achievements. Rewards should reinforce progress—not undo it. There is no secret sauce.

“Change happens when the fear of staying the same outweighs the fear of change.”

Believe in yourself.
Be kind to yourself.
Keep moving forward.

Small steps matter. Consistency matters.

Your journey is yours—nobody else’s.

You can watch all of my videos on my YouTube channel: Ryan Condon.

There’s a photo that hangs in Look’s HQ of Laurent Jalabert winning stage six of the 1992 Tour de France. It’s the colours in this shot that have inspired the paintwork of the new Ciel du Nord special edition of the Look 795 Blade RS, which the company has launched in a limited run of 167 bikes, matching the length in kilometres of the stage.

The stage marked Jalabert’s first Tour win and took in the Kwaremont, Kreusberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen and other cobbled climbs in Belgium used in the spring classics, and was marked by rain and thunderstorms. 

Look describes the colour scheme as “an ode to the red bricks, the unforgiving cobbles, and the unique atmosphere that makes the North the heart of the cycling world”. Each Ciel du Nord frame is hand-painted in Nevers, central France, making it a one-off, Look says. 

Rather than kitting the bike out with a fancy spec, as is typical for limited-edition bikes, the 795 Blade RS Ciel du Nord has a mid-range spec. Look says this is because the north of France is very much an industrial area, with a history of coal mining and heavy industry, so it’s one of the poorer areas of France.

There’s a Shimano Ultegra 52/36t x 11-34t electronic groupset and Mavic Cosmic S42 Carbon wheels with Continental GP 5000 TLR 28mm tyres, along with Look’s own finishing kit. Look claims a 7.6kg bike weight.

To round out the special edition, each bike comes with a set of Look Keo Blade Ceramic pedals, with its blades matching the bike, a Ciel du Nord jigsaw puzzle and a matching tote bag.

You can purchase the complete Look 795 Blade RS Ciel du Nord bike for £7,290 / €7,690 / $10,700 or the frameset for £4,800 / €4,800 / $6,000.

Lidl’s middle aisle sales can turn a weekly shop into the birth of a new hobby. That stand mixer is just too good a deal to not start baking, and I have really meant to take up weight training – and why wouldn’t I when that kettle bell is just so cheap?

But flights of fancy aside, occasionally Lidl’s bargains offer an affordable way to aid an existing pastime. So that’s why, here at BikeRadar, our attention has turned to the discount supermarket’s current selection of cycling deals from its in-house cycling brand Crivit (which also provides team Lidl-Trek with off-bike clothing).  

We’ll admit that much of what’s on offer (Lidl has full details of the range on its site) doesn’t set our heart racing, but there are three deals that might be worth your time.

Crivit Torque Wrench 

If you’re serious about bike maintenance, a torque wrench is essential. Torquing bolts on your bike with this specialist tool can prevent you over-tightening and ruining bearings or carbon components.

The best torque wrenches can cost in excess of £100. But if you’re keen to try out a cheap option before you invest a lot of money, the Crivit Torque Wrench could be for you at £14.99. 

The wrench comes in a case with nine sockets, including options for hex and torx bolts.

It is covered by a three-year warranty. 

• Buy now: Lidl Crivit Torque Wrench

Crivit Cordless Compressed Air Pump

Although they’re not quite as integral as torque wrenches, electric bike pumps have grown in popularity because they make pumping up tyres easy-peasy. 

The Crivit Cordless Compressed Air Pump is another budget alternative from Lidl. The pump has an electronic display, which provides information on tyre pressure and its battery status. It comes with preset air pressures for cars, motorbikes, basketballs and bikes. The preset for bikes is roughly 60psi. 

The device charges via USB-C and has a fabric-coated pump tube. 

It’ll also set you back £14.99.  

• Buy now: Lidl Crivit Compressed Air Pump

Crivit Brake Cleaner 

Contaminated disc brakes can lead to horrible howling sounds and significantly increase your stopping distance. In short, they’re a nuisance. But so too is forking out money for the – often expensive – products you need to clean them.

But Lidl’s cycling sale seems to have the solution. The supermarket is selling 400ml of brake cleaner for only £2.49.

• Buy now: Lidl Crivit Brake Cleaner

You may like

• Lidl releases new electric mountain bike – and I think it looks pretty good

Princeton Carbonworks has arrived in Zwift, with three wheelsets released to the game: the Alta 3532, the Wake 6560 White, and the Mach TSV2/Blur Disc. Today, we’re looking at the Wake 6560, the company’s popular flagship racing wheelset, known for aero performance and light weight.

A bit of trivia: the “Wake” name is a nod to the collegiate rowing roots of Princeton Carbonworks’ founders.

Here’s how these wheels (the Wake 6560 Evolution II) are described: “The 6th iteration of the Wake series and the largest step change in performance they’ve made yet. Faster. Lighter. Stiffer.”

The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 32 and above, for 685,000 Drops. Notably, they are rated 4 stars for aero and 4 for weight, the only wheelset in game with such a high rating, apart from the newish ENVE SES 4.5 PRO. Since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our taste, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets in game.

Let’s dive in and learn all about the performance of this wheelset from Princeton Carbonworks…

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

Princeton’s Wake 6560 wheels deliver impressive aero performance, edging out the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO but falling just behind the most aero hoops in game: the ENVE SES 8.9, DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65, and ENVE SES 7.8.

As the 4th-fastest wheels in game, the Wake 6560 lose 4.4 seconds across an hour of riding compared to the ENVE SES 8.9. They lose 10.2 seconds across an hour compared to the fastest disc wheelset in game, the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc.

Climb Performance

You would think such a deep wheelset wouldn’t climb well, but this is 2026, and wheelmakers are working miracles. With a claimed 1250-gram wheelset weight, the Wake 6560 is a bit lighter than the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO, and it shows in Zwift.

Princeton’s Wake 6560 wheels gain 12.3 seconds over our baseline wheels in an hour of climbing, beating the current top climbers (Zipp 353 NSW and Lightweight Meilenstein) by 2.5 seconds, and beating the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO by 2.9 seconds. How’s that for an all-arounder performance?

Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.

Conclusions

The Wake 6560 wheels from Princeton are Zwift’s new top all-arounders, edging out the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO in both our flat and climb tests and, in fact, outclimbing all the best dedicated climbing wheels in the game, apart from the new Princeton Alta 3532 hoops!

If you’re looking for a wheelset to use in races with significant climbs, this is the best one available in Zwift today.

These wheels have been, or will soon be, added to the following posts:

• Master Zwift Wheels List
• Zwift Speed Tests: Wheel Ranking Charts
• Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level
• Zwift Shopping Guide: What To Buy from the Drop Shop at Each Level
• Zwift Speed Tests Public Data (Google Sheet) (added)

Questions or comments?

Share below!

Quoc’s original Gran Tourer launched back in 2018 and was one of the first dedicated gravel shoes on the market.

The stylish lace-up upper and chunky walkable sole gave a different outlook from the co-opted mountain bike cross-country shoes that dominated gravel footwear.

Now Quoc has launched the third generation of the Gran Tourer. The Tech Dial closure has been updated to use metal core laces, with Quoc claiming this brings better durability and finer adjustment mid-ride because the lace now has no stretch.

The outsole retains the same chunky design, but it has been reformulated with a new hybrid rubber compound that is claimed to offer better grip and improved comfort when walking or hiking. The deep tread hides a recessed SPD (two-bolt) mounting, again to make the shoes easier to walk in.

The rubber-compound outsole wraps around a glass-fibre midsole to provide pedalling efficiency and better comfort.

The Gran Tourer III is available in sizes EU38 to 47 and is priced at £170 / $250 / €230.

• Read more: Best gravel bike shoes 2026: gravel-friendly footwear for adventure riding

Wider fit

The upper design now has a wider toe box, and both the toe box and the tongue feature laser-cut pinholes to aid breathability.

The collar of the upper is lined with a new soft-touch jersey material that it’s claimed eliminates pressure points.

The new finish includes a wave accent dividing the two-tone matt colours rendered in reflective 3M print.

The second-generation Gran Tourer was one of my favourite gravel shoes. The new model looks to have upped the stakes again with a new-shaped toe box and new outsole compound that helps reduce the weight to 712g a pair (size 45) from the previous generation’s 756g.

The Lilac Haze colourway shown here launches today, with an Ash version following on 5 May.

Last Friday, Mathieu van der Poel won the E3 Saxo Classic onboard an unreleased Canyon Endurace CFR.

The fact that van der Poel won is hardly a surprise – this was his third successive victory at the one-day race – but the fact he did it on an endurance bike is more shocking.

The Dutchman has become synonymous with the Canyon Aeroad, using it for every race and every stage, regardless of the terrain, begging the question of why he’s switched to the Endurace.

We spotted the Endurace out in the wild just last week, and Van der Poel using the bike could just be a marketing stunt hatched by Canyon that paid off spectacularly. But it also signals a shift in endurance bike design, which is a more intriguing story.

The racy endurance bike

Despite being an endurance bike, van der Poel’s Endurace carried all the hallmarks of a race-bike setup.

And remember, this is a CFR (Canyon Factory Racing)-branded bike, with a suitably aggressive-looking layout.

Thinking you’ve seen this kind of thing before? You have. The second-generation Trek Domane launched 10 years ago, and was available in two geometries – a standard ‘H3’ endurance layout, and a H1/H2 fit, which was designed to be a more aggressive geometry without quite encroaching on the Madone’s territory.

The racier layout was refined into the H1.5 geometry for subsequent generations, and remains available today on the Domane RSL frameset alongside the standard Domane SLR (and SL).

Of course, it’s also possible that every new Endurace will get this layout, more similar to the original Specialized Roubaix, a race bike originally developed for the demands of the cobbles at Paris–Roubaix.

But I think this is unlikely, given the Endurace’s established position in Canyon’s bike hierarchy, and the emerging trend away from overly aggressive, long-and-low fits.

Less aggressive, more aero

As Simon von Bromley noted when he analysed the photos of Florian Sénéchal’s bike taken by contributor Daniel Benson at the Tour of Bruges, the new Endurace CFR looks very much like the Aeroad race bike.

It’s likely that the upcoming Endurace is following a similar path to the Trek Domane, which manages to accommodate the extreme fit requirements of pro athletes but still lends itself to longer days in the saddle and the roughhouse nature of the cobbled classics.

Sénéchal was running a 10mm spacer under his new swept one-piece cockpit, but the head tube didn’t look especially short, while the space left behind the front tyre’s trailing edge suggests the front wheel might be pushed a little more forwards than on the Aeroad.

If it does have a slacker head tube angle, that will make the steering less reactive, which is ideal for the hectic nature of a cobbled classic, and for tired endurance riders.

Remember, bikes such as the Factor One are already on the scene, with claims that a taller front end is faster because the rider can hold a more aerodynamic position. This means any loss from the increased head tube surface area is more than compensated by the optimised rider position.

Plus, the frame appears to benefit from a narrower seat tube profile than the Aeroad, which would improve comfort, alongside clearance for wide road tyres.

Factor in the potential energy savings from a slightly more comfortable ride position, and it’s a modern recipe for real-world speed.

What about the Endurace CF SLX and SL?

No doubt, the Endurace CFR will come with a hefty price tag, and it’s more likely that you and I will be able to afford the second- or third-tier bikes. So what might we see here?

If my theory holds true, I suspect the CF SLX and SL-grade bikes may come with an even more relaxed geometry, similar to the current-generation Endurace.

It’s also possible that Canyon will offer the SLX in a more relaxed layout, but with the aerodynamic tube profiles seen on the unreleased CFR, and then keep the SL with its current frame design.

That said, in previous generations, the geometry has been the same across all models of the Endurace, and it would be a shame if Canyon decided to reserve the aero gains for those with deeper pockets. After all, that appears to be the point of the new Endurace – it’s a race bike, but one all of us could ride, and perhaps should.

Zwift + Pas Normal Studios are partnering for a race series April 6 to May 3, and it’s going to be a gravel blowout! The series features three new gravel-focused routes and is timed to line up with new gravel frames and wheelsets in Zwift’s Drop Shop. And on top of all that, we’ve got a kit unlock on offer as well!

These races will be popular for several reasons, including prominence on the calendar as they effectively replace Zwift’s regular ZRacing events for four weeks. Read about the series below…

Route Details and Schedule

Here are the routes we’ll be racing in the Pas Normal Racing series:

• Stage 1 (Apr 6-12): Red Rock Loops (Gravel Mountain)
  • 9 laps (18.9km, 193m elevation)
  • Powerups: Steamroller
• Stage 2 (Apr 13-19): Handful of Gravel (Watopia)
  • 2 laps (16.3km, 169m elevation)
  • Powerups: Steamroller
• Stage 3 (Apr 20-26): Yumezi Grit (Makuri Islands)
  • 2 laps (19.1km, 235m elevation)
  • Powerups: Steamroller
• Stage 4 (Apr 27-May 3): Red Rock Loop Reverse (Gravel Mountain)
  • 9 laps (18.9km, 193m elevation)
  • Powerups: Steamroller

See all upcoming series events >

New Gravel Frames+Wheels

Zwift is using this series as an opportunity to refresh the Drop Shop’s gravel offerings more than ever before, with 5 frames arriving along with 2 wheelsets! Some of these are already in game and available for purchase, and we’ve completed and published our performance tests. Others will arrive in Zwift’s next game update, which is scheduled to roll out April 7.

New Bikes

• Canyon Grail SLX (read performance test results)
• Cannondale SuperX LAB71 (read performance test results)
• S-Works Diverge (launches April 7)
• Pinarello Dogma GR (launches April 7)
• Cervelo Aspero 5 (launches April 7)

New Wheels

• ZIPP 303 XPLR SW (read performance test results)
• Roval Terra Aero CLX (launches April 7)

Pas Normal Kit Unlock

Finish any stage of this series and unlock the in-game Pas Normal Racing kit.

XP Bonuses

Like Zwift’s regular ZRacing series, this race series includes XP bonuses for stage completion! A total of 2000 XP is available:

• 1 stage: 1000 XP
• 2 stages: +500 XP
• 3 stages: +300 XP
• 4 stages: +200 XP

GC Leaderboards

Zwift’s web-based leaderboards are used to track the monthly GC competition in ZRacing and similar series. Unlike past years, no ZwiftPower registration or use is necessary.

Access the ZRacing leaderboards at zwift.com/racing/zracing >

Your GC ranking is based on your best finishing time for each stage, and you can race each stage more than once to try for a better time.

Category Options

For their monthly series, Zwift typically schedules three different categorization schemes to encourage “Fairer, more competitive racing for everyone.” The different racing score ranges are titled Advanced, Range 1, and Range 2:

See upcoming Range 1 events >
See upcoming Range 2 events >
See upcoming Advanced events >
See ALL upcoming events >

Questions or Comments?

Post below! 

This season, Zwift is leaning heavily into the Zwift Camp concept, launching a three-camp series that kicked off with Zwift Camp: Baseline in September.

Next week (Monday, April 6), the third and final Camp of the season begins. Named “Zwift Camp: Breakthrough”, it’s a 5-stage workout series all about helping you transition to outdoor riding. Dive into all the details below!

Breakthrough Basics

After Zwift Camp: Baseline showed us our power bests across various intervals, and Zwift Camp: Build pushed us to get stronger, Zwift Camp: Breakthrough is here to help us transition confidently into outdoor riding.

The Camp consists of five different workouts, spread across five weeks. You can finish each workout once and complete the Camp, but you can also do a workout multiple times if you’re looking for additional training.

Instead of targeting power intervals like the first two camps, ZC: Breakthrough workouts target your technique while helping you build enduring fitness:

• Stage 1: The Foundation
• Stage 2: Body Control
• Stage 3: Cadence Mastery
• Stage 4: Standing Skills
• Stage 5: Flow Session

Workouts + Schedule

Stages can be completed as on-demand (solo) efforts whenever you’d like, or you can join a scheduled group event.

• Stage 1: April 6-12
  • Foundations: Good posture and a cleaner pedal stroke save you tons of energy. It’s how you make outdoor rides feel effortless. The workout reinforces “calm control” while you build sustainable fitness with mostly steady work, then finishes by sharpening leg speed so you can stay smooth across different cadences.
  • Unlock: Oakley Velo Kato Glasses
  • Route: Triple Twist
• Stage 2: April 13-19
  • Body Control: Riding outdoors is all about tiny adjustments. When your position changes, staying steady is what keeps rides calm and efficient. The workout guides riders through hand-position changes, one-leg focus drills, and calm upper-body control so adjustments feel natural, not messy, and you stay efficient and confident outside.
  • Unlock: Princeton Wake 6560 Wheels Lava Red Colorway
  • Route: Island Hopper
• Stage 3: April 20-26
  • Cadence Mastery: We’re teaching cadence adaptability: staying smooth and in control even when rhythm changes (wind, terrain, surges, group pace). The workout emphasizes switching between higher and lower stroke speeds while keeping power steady, so outdoor riding feels composed instead of chaotic.
  • Unlock: Pinarello Dogma F 2024 Starry Red Colorway
  • Route: Green to Screen
• Stage 4: April 27-May 3
  • Standing Skills: The goal is to make standing feel just as smooth and confident as sitting. The workout focuses on clean seated-to-standing transitions while maintaining control, building confidence for rollers, small rises, quick changes in pace, and “stretch-and-reset” moments outdoors.
    • Route: Gentil 8
• Stage 5: May 4-10
  • Flow Session: The “put it all together” capstone. This is practice for the real world—you’re training control, not just fitness. Posture, pedal stroke, cadence control, and standing transitions blended into one steady, outdoor-ready rhythm. The script positions it as the final integration—helping riders feel calm, smooth, and capable when roads, terrain, and pace change.
  • Unlock: Zwift Camp: Breakthrough Kit
  • Route: Big Flat 8
• Make-Up Events: May 11-17

Sign up at zwift.com/zwift-camp > (events coming soon)

Each stage is a week long, with events beginning at 9am PST on Monday and scheduled hourly on the hour until 8am PST the following Monday.

Progressive Unlocks

Four unlocks are available as you work your way through Zwift Camp: Breakthrough:

• Complete Stage 1: Oakley Velo Kato glasses
• Complete Stage 2: Lava Red Colorway for Princetown Carbonworks Wake 6560 wheels*
• Complete Stage 3: Starry Red Colorway for Pinarello Dogma F 2024 frame*
• Complete all 5 Stages: Zwift Camp: Breakthrough cycling kit

*These unlocks are for colorways only. You must still purchase the base Princetown Carbonworks Wake 6560 wheels and Pinarello Dogma F 2024 frame in the DropShop.

Questions or Comments?

What do you think of this last Zwift Camp of the season? Planning to participate? Got questions? Share your thoughts below!

The all-white world champion’s skinsuit worn by Tadej Pogačar when he won this year’s Milan-San Remo is up for auction.

Pogačar crashed on the approach to the Cipressa with 32km to go, but still rode back to the bunch in the ripped skinsuit and won the race in a two-up sprint against Tom Pidcock. 

Now the skinsuit, described as ‘exactly as it was that day’, complete with a torn race number and road grime, although with the addition of his teammates’ signatures, is up for auction on GalaBid.com.

The highest bid for the skinsuit stands at €60,100 with 13 days until the auction closes, so there’s still time for you to up the ante.

Alternatively, you could sit it out to see if Pogačar wins Paris-Roubaix to seal his fifth and final Monument and puts that jersey up for auction as well.

If you do submit the winning bid for the Milan-San Remo skinsuit, you’ll not only bag yourself a piece of cycling history. Pogačar has pledged to double the winning sum and donate the total to his foundation, which supports children and young people in need.

Of course, the Milan-San Remo jersey may turn out to be a bargain if Pogačar does win Paris-Roubaix. Particularly if he crashes on the way. 

• You may like: Tadej Pogačar’s stage-winning Colnago V1Rs sells for $190,500

As part of Women’s History Month, we’re featuring four different women’s clubs with a strong presence on Zwift. Looking to join a women’s club? See our Women’s Clubs on Zwift post!

When was your club founded? 

Female Cycling Force started in 2021. In 2025, we officially became a brand (femalecyclingforce.com). 

How did your club come to exist? 

Our founder Linda began road cycling at a time when the only options were to ride with men or to ride alone. Unwilling to accept that reality, she founded Female Cycling Force to connect women in cycling and to inspire more women to start riding themselves. 

Have any/all your club members ever met up IRL? If so, please tell us about it! 

Yes! We organize weekly rides in Munich and Stuttgart, as well as camps, so the Female Cycling Force community can meet in person from all around the world. 

Do most/many/any of your members also ride outdoors? 

Yes, we all ride outdoors as well. 

What do you see as the biggest hurdle for women to start cycling? 

A lack of role models, the fear of being dropped on rides, feeling “not good enough” for group rides, as well as the overwhelming number of different bikes and not knowing which one is best for them. 

Is the answer the same for women starting cycling on Zwift? 

No, Zwift is definitely easier and more accessible for everyone.

Do you have thoughts/ideas/dreams for how we (we as a collective humanity, not necessarily Zwift – but it can include Zwift if you want) get more women riding? 

Create more safe spaces, and give more role models a stage. Also, research and testing should not be men-specific with products adapted for women. Instead, test with women and make products for women!

What is a fun fact you’d like to share about your club? 

Even if we are a female-only community, our biggest supporters are men!

If you had a magic wand to change one thing about the Zwift product OR the Zwift community, what would you wish for? 

Video chat on group rides!

Follow FCF:

• Website: femalecyclingforce.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/femalecyclingforce
• Zwift Club: zwift.com/clubs/d484d83e-0919-44bf-88a4-5ffe0b50455b
• Strava Club: strava.com/clubs/femalecyclingforce

Pro-Lite displayed its new Indoor Training Bike at the Taipei International Cycle Show, offering the adjustability to mimic your real-world setup indoors.

The new trainer features 24 levels of resistance and is said to be designed with input from Rouvy to create a realistic ride feel.

The device features near bike-fitter levels of adjustability, with the saddle height, reach, bar height, bar width and crank length all featuring some level of movement.

On the handlebar, there’s a display and a built-in stand to support your tablet or laptop when using cycling apps.

Pro-Lite says it has spent time creating a non-gendered saddle for the bike, with padding to support any rider’s anatomy.

This should make sharing the device in a household easier, with no need to switch saddles before each ride.

The crank lengths range from a short 150mm to 175mm, meaning you should be able to test out different options.

Pedals are dual-sided, with SPDs on one side and toe straps on the other.

If you’ve ever wanted to be able to taunt your friend as you drop them and disappear into the distance on a group ride, Rilax’s RU-1 Pro helmet might be for you.

The helmet has an InstaLink Intercom system that enables up to eight riders to talk to each other while out riding.

Rilax says the RU-1 Pro enables you to chat to other users of the system up to 2,000m away, with a microphone and speakers integrated into the shell.

The brand says it uses noise-reduction software in order to keep gasping breaths and wind noise from exiting the speakers.

The system also enables you to play music or podcasts, and take calls on the move.

Battery life looks good, with a claimed 12 hours of playback available, although Rilax doesn’t say how long it lasts in the intercom setting.

The system has IP67 waterproofing, meaning you should be fine if the heavens open.

This top-of-the-range model features a touch-control interface on the side of the helmet for a sleeker design compared to the buttons found on other models.

There is also a built-in light on the rear of the helmet, and it charges via USB-C.

Zwift events headline our list of notable events this weekend, with the Big Spin, Zwift Games, and the zFondo series earning their spots for different reasons. We’ve also got two community race series to feature – one wrapping up with a banger of a long course, and another just starting, with age group-based categories!

Zwift Big Spin, Stage 2

Zwift Games, Stages 6a/6b

zFondo Series

SISU Racing Club Championships

No Spring Chickens – Herd Masters Racing

How We Make Our Picks

We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:

• Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
• Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
• Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
• Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
• Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
• Is it for a good cause?
• Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
• Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?

In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!

Berd Spokes has been toying with 32in wheels for a while, and after launching its PolyLight spokes at the start of the year, it has now unveiled the new Hawk32 Gold wheelset.

The new wheels are the lightest 32in wheelset I’ve seen, with the total weight said to be 1,196g for the pair.

While not in the running for the lightest cross-country wheelset, the light weight is impressive given the claimed performance gains of the new wheel size.

• Read more: 32in wheels could be terrible for the bike industry – here’s why 

Titanium driver

To achieve this weight, the brand has used a titanium driver to save weight from the hubs.

The ratchet system has 70 points of engagement, and the wheels use equal spoke lengths on each side.

Berd Spokes says this makes it simpler to replace spokes and to carry spares, while keeping the wheel as strong as possible.

The brand also showed off its 29in Hawk30 Gold, with both wheels expected to be available in the coming months and pricing yet to be confirmed.

Elsewhere on the stand, Berd Spokes was also demonstrating its new Trudi wheel jig that will automatically true wheels.

The device uses a tablet to work out the tensions, and this new version has been designed to accommodate tapeless rims and 32in wheels.

The device is not aimed at home mechanics and costs around $7,000 should you want one.