Over the past few years I have noticed fewer and fewer cyclists on Strava posting rides in the real world. Instead I see them post routes in Watopia, Richmond and Yorkshire - the virtual bicycling world of Zwift. They tell me how Zwift has made indoor cycling so much more fun and more motivating.
But I had assumed that the “dumb” turbo trainer I had purchased some 15 years ago was not compatible with Zwift, I was not confident I could figure out the technology, and anyway, I figured that I had enough entertaining and motivating videos to watch on Youtube on my Apple TV while cycling indoors.
Then in early April the combination of the lockdown and learning that a $75 investment in Wahoo speed and cadence sensors would quickly and simply allow me to setup Zwift spurred me to become a Zwifter.
It was cool to jump on my ancient bike, start pedaling and see my avatar spring to life and move out amidst the other avatars - cyclists from other time zones around the world. At first packs of cyclists raced past me, but within a few minutes I found myself drafting off a Canadian cyclist. Of course I became obsessed on staying with her as we traded position for the next 10 kilometers, sweat pouring off me as I maintained some 150-200 watts & 25-35 kilometers/hour according to Zwift. It was only when we started climbing a 8 percent grade hill that I fell off as my speed plunged to 5 kilometers per hour and my Canadian friend disappeared into the distance.
This struggle climbing hills in Zwift has proved the most intriguing issue for me and points to the question of whether my Zwift avatar actually matches my effort. In a strange reversal from the real world, on Zwift I am glacially slow climbing and rocket fast on descents. This creates an interesting new twist on my cycling tactics.
It was cool to jump on my ancient bike, start pedaling and see my avatar spring to life and move out amidst the other avatars - cyclists from other time zones around the world. At first packs of cyclists raced past me, but within a few minutes I found myself drafting off a Canadian cyclist. Of course I became obsessed on staying with her as we traded position for the next 10 kilometers, sweat pouring off me as I maintained some 150-200 watts & 25-35 kilometers/hour according to Zwift. It was only when we started climbing a 8 percent grade hill that I fell off as my speed plunged to 5 kilometers per hour and my Canadian friend disappeared into the distance. 
This struggle climbing hills in Zwift has proved the most intriguing issue for me and points to the question of whether my Zwift avatar actually matches my effort. In a strange reversal from the real world, on Zwift I am glacially slow climbing and rocket fast on descents. This creates an interesting new twist on my cycling tactics.
Is it worth the $75 and $15 per month? If you are going to do a lot of indoor cycling, then Zwift seems absolutely worth the effort. But in the best of worlds I think we would ride outdoors rather than in a virtual world.
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