There's also little doubt that Zwift is an amazing training tool<\/a>.\u00a0 In fact, I've relied on it for much of the past two winter seasons to both build fitness and maintain motivation<\/a>.\u00a0 What seems to have risen recently, however, is the concept of Zwift racing.\u00a0 More than once, I've seen people comment about the validity of these competitions.\u00a0 Are people using the online format to easily cheat?\u00a0 Is it even racing if you're not in the same room with someone else?<\/p>\n There are even plenty of people on various Zwift Facebook groups that eschew outdoor riding completely in favor of a virtual riding platform.<\/p>\n A few years back, I wrote about how Strava had the potential to be a fitness wrecker<\/a>.\u00a0 Now, hearing that people are turning to Zwift instead of the outdoors, I'm wondering, “Is Zwift\u00a0Killing Cycling?”<\/p>\n Click through to explore the pros and cons of this burgeoning platform:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the many things I've read on a variety of Facebook comments is how riders are skipping their outdoor rides.\u00a0 They're opting to\u00a0climb on a smart trainer<\/a> and knocking out 20 miles online.\u00a0 In a room under artificial\u00a0lighting.\u00a0 Away from the sights, smells,\u00a0and sounds of the road (not to mention nature in general.)\u00a0 At what point did we, as a society, become so addicted to instantaneous stimulation that we have switched from going outside on a sunny day to go for a ride to sitting inside in front of a TV?<\/p>\n Yes, there is no traffic indoors on your trainer.\u00a0 You don't run the risk of being driven over by an inattentive, texting motorist.\u00a0 There is no road rage on the trainer and generally, you're safer from the world around you.<\/p>\n Finally, because of the specific control you have over your environment, Zwift is a great platform for interval training<\/a>.\u00a0 You can get very specific, controlled and repeatable interval work in a short period of time.\u00a0 It's the perfect way to knock out a short hour of work without having to ride to and from a hill to do hill repeats.<\/p>\n C'mon.\u00a0 This isn't even a challenge, is it?<\/p>\n Sunshine.\u00a0 The wind in your face.\u00a0 The sound of the tarmac (or gravel) whipping by under your tires.\u00a0 The smell\u00a0of the outdoors.\u00a0 The freedom of riding wherever you want to go and wherever you want to be.<\/p>\n The other problem you run into is that no trainer can adequately recreate the true feel of the road.\u00a0 Climbing is just different on a trainer and even the resistance offered by different road surfaces can't be replicated on Zwift.\u00a0 This is a big deal.\u00a0 In a lot of events, the actual conditions of the roads contribute to the difficulty.\u00a0 For example, I had to do most of my Monkey Knife Fight<\/a> training on an indoor trainer.\u00a0 Nothing I did on the trainer was close to the feel of riding over dirt and gravel roads.\u00a0 The pounding on the saddle and the resistance on the tires is something that the trainer can't provide.\u00a0 Period.<\/p>\n These are the things people are giving up for their trainers and their Zwift app.\u00a0 Is it safer than riding on the road?\u00a0 Sure, but even taking simple steps like adding a Garmin Varia<\/a> to your bike can give you more awareness while you're out on the road.\u00a0 Is Zwift more convenient than kitting up for an outdoor ride?\u00a0 Absolutely.\u00a0 You don't have to worry about a helmet, gloves, glasses, tube, pump, etc etc.<\/p>\n But that's all part of the process of riding a bike outside.\u00a0 And I don't buy the argument that someone can't carve out an hour or two a week to ride their bike outside.\u00a0 The time difference isn't significant enough from the trainer to even enter the argument.<\/p>\n So even though there are compelling arguments for Zwift, something else has evolved that is attracting plenty of attention.\u00a0 That something also struck more of a nerve with me than anything else I'd seen.<\/p>\n In the last few months, I've seen a lot of posts like this:<\/p>\nHow Has An Indoor Trainer Replaced An Outdoor Ride?<\/h2>\n
The arguments for Zwift<\/h3>\n
![\"Group](\"https:\/\/tailwind-coaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/grouptrainingzwift-300x165.jpeg\")
<\/a>You don't have to worry about wind, rain or weather in general on the trainer.\u00a0 Every facet of your training environment is tightly controllable.\u00a0 You can change the temperature, the fan speed, even the humidity with a little forethought.\u00a0 That's a huge advantage compared to outdoors where you're at the mercy of the weather.<\/p>\nThe arguments\u00a0against Zwift<\/h3>\n
The Rise of Zwift “Racing”<\/h2>\n