Episode 39 - Rocker plates, virtual Everesting and all the latest Zwift news

Simon, Shane and Nathan are back with another episode packed with Zwift news and gossip. Are we expecting to see new features, especially the London extension, pre-Christmas? The Zwiftcasters read the runes, before revealing what their ideal Christmas present from the Zwift developers would be. Do you sing while you’re Zwifting, or do you only have enough breath to lip-sync? The Zwiftcast launches a fun contest to find the best lip-sync Zwifters. No sooner had the price rise fuss died down than another storm rolled in across Ocean Boulevard, with ZHQ’s decision to cancel a crit race series, just as it was about to conclude. Zwift exec Emily Mullen explains the reasoning and talks about the debate over women’s racing which the decision sparked. CVR, the organisation which promotes racing and live event and is headed by prominent Zwifter, Frank Garcia, has launched a whole series of new initiatives. Simon asks Frank some tough questions about the developments and CVR’s relationship with Zwift and Zwifters. The Zwiftcasters discuss the possible reasons why Strava may have ignored virtual miles in its end-of-year round up publicity and speculate about the relationship between ZHQ and Strava. If there’s one thing the Zwift community is really good at – it’s Zwift hacks, and the latest upsurge in DIY fixes has seen several Zwifters build their own rocker plates, which permit the trainer to simulate outdoor riding more accurately. Simon rounds up the various approaches and the podcasters discuss the possibility of rocker plates being made commercially. This episode rounds off with a look at vEveresting, possibly the hardest thing you can do on an indoor trainer.