Zwift knows all too well how deadly boring riding indoors can be, and perhaps that’s why they announced a host of new features designed to make trainer time more fun as we head into our events season. Whether you’re just trying to log some extra riding hours or you’re training in earnest for the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, held on the platform, there’s great news for everyone. So, what has our editors most excited?

An Improved Zwift Home Screen

For new riders, Zwift can be a bit intimidating. The designers took this feedback and have introduced a new home screen that makes accessing training plans and workouts in Zwift’s library easier and more intuitive. It also pushes new and returning users to test out PacePartners, Zwift’s tech that allows riders to participate in a group ride with a computer generated ride partner that maintains a designated pace.

Race Yourself

The Holographic Replay feature is going to make FTP testing a whole lot more fun for dedicated Zwifters. Test once, then train for a few weeks, come back, and race a ghost of your former self on the same course. Sounds silly, but don’t you kind of want to kick your own ass? (The creators also say that the Holographic Replay allows you to better understand the correct pacing for any given segment in the game.)

Improvements In eSports

Zwift Racing League boasts over 1 800 teams and 15 000 riders, so racing on Zwift is shaping up to be as intense as ever this season. Zwift, once again, is the host platform for the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships and will also be running the qualifiers for the race.

Zwift has finally developed in-game dynamics that allow for a more intuitive team time trial race format. In the past, teams had to do their countdowns, and race organisers would need to manually tabulate results outside the game. Hopefully, this update opens up team time trial racing to a broader community of Zwifters by making it easier to participate.

As always, short weekly and daily races are also on the schedule. But perhaps most importantly, Zwift has added an auto-categorisation system to ensure that riders are matched against competitors of similar abilities based on their most recent ride data captured within the platform. They’ve also announced that for some races, you will need to have power on your bike or trainer. Zwift also launched a racing-specific website, where the racing calendar is easily viewed. Additionally, Zwift Academy is back for another season—open to everyone who wants to get fitter, not just young pros gunning for a contract. You can register now right here (the Academy begins September 12).

A Few New Roads

You’ll have to wait until November to ride them, but Zwift is adding new roads to the Makuri Islands. Paved, gravel, and dirt surfaces will wind through the lush Urukazi (woo-roo-kah-zi) map. “Urukazi” is the combination of two Okinawan words (“uru” means “shore,” and “kazi” means “breeze”).

According to Zwift, combining the two words is intended to evoke the serene, untouched character of the Southern Japanese archipelago—there are even waterfalls and caves. On the terrain of Urukazi, you’ll find a “Zwifty interpretation” of those islands’ scenery as you ride pavement, gravel, and “a new type of surface not yet found anywhere else on Zwift.” Intriguing!