should be a tad under 350,000m of climbing this year so 2025 I am going to cut down my weekly races to just 1 per week and go for the half million elevation meters instead.
Not get injured! Started 2024 with a broken foot, fractured leg, broken wrists and fractures in my hands (track cycling) .... so the aim in 2025 is NOT to crash and NOT to be broken again! Hell of a 24!
To double the distance that I rode this year, as I took a lot of time off the bike, indoors and out. At least 2500 miles, which I realize for some is just one season, or less, but for me is a lot. I also run so it takes away from my riding.
Thanks, Conor. After years of riding, I’ve come to a simple conclusion: be consistent. Just ride your bike. Don’t overburden yourself with rigid training plans-life will throw you curveballs, and the last thing you want is to give up out of frustration after missing a ride. So, keep it simple: ride your bike and enjoy life. Happy New Year.
Smart trainer with a dedicated bike have been great for me. Really takes away from all my excuses for outdoor rides. I mean, I still have the Big Book of Excuses for outdoor rides but now at least ride more often.
I highly recommend getting into Zwift races ASAP, nothing compares in terms of motivation to finish and to push yourself. It's pretty easy to hop off mid way through a training session - much more difficult to bail mid race
I suggest selecting a very flat route for your workouts. If you are on a hilly route it can play with your head when you are in the middle of an effort and you get to the top of a hill. Your mind naturally says “ah yes the top it gets easier now” but it doesn’t 😮 if you are still in an effort section 😞 It can be hard pushing your FTP on a downhill on screen!
I live in the alps so winter here means it can be tricky to ride outside regularly. I have a permanent set up in my cellar so i can jump on zwift whenever i need to. I just power it all up, switch on the disco lights, crank up the music or put on a GCN video and i am away. Really helps with the consistency aspect of training. No excuse not to ride.
As for “Permanent Set-Up,” it is in our 3rd car garage. Cold in winter, but I can just jump on without any prep or set up. Definitely makes me more likely to ride. As for how I Zwift, most commonly I use the Pacer Bots, and “teleport” to join more challenging bots to increase the intensity of the rides. I’m 4 years in on Zwift and still satisfied.
I consider myself to be very lucky to have a shed with a dedicated bike on flux2 on a rocker board with a decent screen. It just makes keeping fit and enabling me to enjoy my outdoor rides so much easier. I just love riding gravel sportives with my oldest son. I'm 66 and I'm gonna whip his ass this year 2025!! ( Maybe ) Is that a goal?
After adapting my setup as follows, I found it easier to train more regularly: * Always stow road cycling shorts & jersey as a bundle * Place bidons and electrolyte tabs in the same rack * Make power for laptop, Smarttrainer and fan switchable with one (1) switch * Start up Smarttrainer and laptop first, then change clothes I use TrainerRoad and listen to music. I don't get on with Zwift, the user interface is too playful for me and distracts me. But that's a matter of taste!
Since 2006/7, when I bought a new bike after 5 years, my old bike has stayed on a trainer. This has meant that it is always at the ready and saves my good bike.
I realize GCN is paid to promote the Zwift Ride frame but if you have the budget for a complete belt drive smart bike there is no comparison! Smart bikes are endgame for indoor training.
Do they not simulate a real bike though? I prefer zwift over traditional exercise bikes because they replicate the real thing, I can use my real gears and bike!
I joined the GCN Zwift club so I could share my results with all the other GCN fans. Just came off a bit of a Zwift hiatus but getting ready for the GCN 30in30 challenge once again.
Some of you really need to check your personality & become a better person in 2025. The amount of snide, negative & nasty comments on what is a very innocent & harmless video by a very nice guy is insane. What a way to spend your time posting such insults completely unprovoked. If it’s not for you, it’s much easier to just move on 🤷♂️
I have a Zwift cog on my Kicker move trainer. I have already worn out a chain in very few hours on the trainer, about 450 miles on chain. I did notice a lot of metal shavings on ground under my chain.
GCN... any thoughts about covering or doing a Zwift Tour race. Flamme Rouge Racing, Chasing Racing, SISU and others offer multi-stage racing with Green, KOM, GC, Stage and Team honors. It takes the online racing to the next level. And thousands of people are signing up... from Level D to A+ with neo-Pros to everyday weekend warriers walking away with achievements from finishing to podium. Great camaraderie and fitness for all who join, but even more so for the finishers of all stages. Check it out! Next FRR event is mid-February.
I purchased mine few weeks ago, find it very handy. I’m a little bit new to indoor cycling, of cycling all together, so my outdoor bike has a rather limited cassette. The Cog gives al little bit bigger range of gears so you can find the most enjoyable gear for you a bit better. On the Zwift website, it’s included in the Kickr Core do you don’t pay for it as such, and in that case, would definately recommend.
I puchased a Tacx Neo 2. It lasted 30 mins then blew up, Tacx then sent me a new unit with a broken hub, I then got a replacement hub then the second unit blew up after 7 mins. Useless machines. I'm sticking to riding in the cold and rain. And trying to get my cash back from Tacx.
For someone in ok but not great let alone top shape, not yet ready for an all-out FTP test, what's the best way to estimate it, one of the dedicated FTP tests, or one of these hill climb routes? And for the latter, do you have to actually complete them, or is it ok to quit if you just can't go all the way, and Zwift will still give you a reasonably accurate FTP estimate? It's just that the FTP tests I've taken feel like unsupervised stress tests, which I imagine can be risky if you try to push yourself too far beyond your current level and you're not especially young and fit.
They have a “Zone Benchmarking” workout that is just short blocks in each zone, with cues about how they should feel. If you ride that and use the bias adjustment so your effort matches the cues, you’ll get a pretty good estimate of where you’re at to start.
Zwift will also determine your ftp during normal rides. Whenever you improve, zwift will let you know. If you cycle often with a heartrate measurement, you will notice at what heartrate you can cycle for a long time and what heartrate is not sustainable. Get to know your body.
Hi, I got a video idea: ceramic bearing vs steel bearing. You guys could replace all bearings on the bike and compare the speed of the bikes. I think this would be very interesting because it could be a myth buster.
What you are looking to find out is “Watts per kilogram” for your age group. But that depends entirely on the person’s level of training and even competition up until now. Some of us just got into competitive cycling much later in life and others have been training since their teens. Best bet is to just compete against yourself and see if you can increase your average watts per kilogram over the seasons. And if you have a power meter or smart trainer, you could try some races and then you will find out for sure. Unless other riders are not truthful about their age…
@@rebeccafeldman1805 Thanks for your reply, I remember my Wattage at 40 and the drop off is now 145 and I cant hold that for long, I just wondered if that Wattage was a norm for 70. Just started Zwift so I can gauge my self with others
@ again - if you want to compare it’s not about your total Watts. It’s about Watts per kilogram of bodyweight. That accounts for differences in the size of each rider. Also, you can look at the categories, and the watts per kilogram range for each: A, B, C, D. That will tell you if you are similar in power output to the other riders in each category. At my fittest, I am happy to be a C Rider. Somewhere there may be a table of what percentage of people fit into each category that somebody else could share here. I’m going to guess it’s 40% D 30% C 20% B and 10% A riders. But that’s a wild guess.
Ya after 5 years I left the platform for anything else. I had a membership at a local gym they was extremely well equipped for what zwift now costs. Now I use training peaks just to avoid supporting zwift. Zwift is dead. The company has never made a profit. The company has wasted so much money designing and engineering products it never brought to market. They ignored the largest segment of users, Apple users, for so long it was sad. If I want to get more fit I will use anything else before zwift ever again. The only thing I would want to do on zwift is maybe a race.
I smell a bit of panic in the Sales and Marketing department at Zwift now that Indie Velo is part of Training Peaks and that a Training Peaks account is cheaper than Zwift and will give you TPV as part of it. We could see the next David and Goliath story unfold shortly.
Pros get paid to show up on Zwift, then fly to the south and ride outside. Or stay at home and ride outside. You will feel much better after a ride outside. Quit the indoor computer game and ride outside.
@99cya So many issues of various types. Still can't make shifting work, waiting for support feedback. Training rides in ERG mode only for now. Also, unsure of if my bike is really ok mechanically, trying to validate that.
What are your cycling goals for 2025?
La marmotte alpes, getting gold without dying 🎉😂
Audax events
should be a tad under 350,000m of climbing this year so 2025 I am going to cut down my weekly races to just 1 per week and go for the half million elevation meters instead.
Not get injured! Started 2024 with a broken foot, fractured leg, broken wrists and fractures in my hands (track cycling) .... so the aim in 2025 is NOT to crash and NOT to be broken again! Hell of a 24!
To double the distance that I rode this year, as I took a lot of time off the bike, indoors and out. At least 2500 miles, which I realize for some is just one season, or less, but for me is a lot. I also run so it takes away from my riding.
Thanks, Conor. After years of riding, I’ve come to a simple conclusion: be consistent. Just ride your bike. Don’t overburden yourself with rigid training plans-life will throw you curveballs, and the last thing you want is to give up out of frustration after missing a ride. So, keep it simple: ride your bike and enjoy life. Happy New Year.
The permanent setup is an elite level tip! Removing any barriers to getting on with the workout is key for me.
Exactly
@@alexfirth so you have to divorce your wife first ?😂
I thought it easier to just get a bigger apartment for an extra room 😂
Just got a trainer and Zwift for Christmas… wow, it’s awesome. So great to cycle and have a ton of fun doing in during the winter months.
Great to hear!
My Zwift ride just arrived today. I cannot wait to start my road cycling fitness journey. Video couldn’t have come at a better time
have fun and let us know how it goes
You're gonna love it. Ignore the haters. Ride and Zwift is the best combo going.
Smart trainer with a dedicated bike have been great for me. Really takes away from all my excuses for outdoor rides. I mean, I still have the Big Book of Excuses for outdoor rides but now at least ride more often.
4:02 - If I pick a too fast Pace Partner, I definitely need a pacemaker 😆
I highly recommend getting into Zwift races ASAP, nothing compares in terms of motivation to finish and to push yourself. It's pretty easy to hop off mid way through a training session - much more difficult to bail mid race
I suggest selecting a very flat route for your workouts. If you are on a hilly route it can play with your head when you are in the middle of an effort and you get to the top of a hill. Your mind naturally says “ah yes the top it gets easier now” but it doesn’t 😮 if you are still in an effort section 😞 It can be hard pushing your FTP on a downhill on screen!
I live in the alps so winter here means it can be tricky to ride outside regularly. I have a permanent set up in my cellar so i can jump on zwift whenever i need to. I just power it all up, switch on the disco lights, crank up the music or put on a GCN video and i am away. Really helps with the consistency aspect of training. No excuse not to ride.
I use pace partners, build my own workouts and also do some of the challenges
Zwift is a blast for when it’s crappy outside.
Exactly 1 year on Zwift and I’m level 75
As for “Permanent Set-Up,” it is in our 3rd car garage. Cold in winter, but I can just jump on without any prep or set up. Definitely makes me more likely to ride.
As for how I Zwift, most commonly I use the Pacer Bots, and “teleport” to join more challenging bots to increase the intensity of the rides. I’m 4 years in on Zwift and still satisfied.
Thanks for sharing!
I consider myself to be very lucky to have a shed with a dedicated bike on flux2 on a rocker board with a decent screen. It just makes keeping fit and enabling me to enjoy my outdoor rides so much easier. I just love riding gravel sportives with my oldest son. I'm 66 and I'm gonna whip his ass this year 2025!! ( Maybe ) Is that a goal?
Dedicated bike, kickr core and Zwift, works for me
nice setup
After adapting my setup as follows, I found it easier to train more regularly:
* Always stow road cycling shorts & jersey as a bundle
* Place bidons and electrolyte tabs in the same rack
* Make power for laptop, Smarttrainer and fan switchable with one (1) switch
* Start up Smarttrainer and laptop first, then change clothes
I use TrainerRoad and listen to music. I don't get on with Zwift, the user interface is too playful for me and distracts me. But that's a matter of taste!
Since 2006/7, when I bought a new bike after 5 years, my old bike has stayed on a trainer. This has meant that it is always at the ready and saves my good bike.
I made big gains on Zwift doing 4x15 sweet spot workouts but also developed a muscle imbalance that brought me to the gym.
good job
I realize GCN is paid to promote the Zwift Ride frame but if you have the budget for a complete belt drive smart bike there is no comparison! Smart bikes are endgame for indoor training.
Do they not simulate a real bike though? I prefer zwift over traditional exercise bikes because they replicate the real thing, I can use my real gears and bike!
I joined the GCN Zwift club so I could share my results with all the other GCN fans. Just came off a bit of a Zwift hiatus but getting ready for the GCN 30in30 challenge once again.
Nice intro, how accurately does a swift peloton simulate an actual peloton?
I mix altitude training in with zwift using an altitude machine. 6 week block of altitude training and the ease of zwift
Thanks Conor but no mention of whether or not you use erg mode, and if so big, little chainrings or combo of both
Thanks mate!
How to get this red GCN kit in zwift?
I'm going to climb Mt. Washington in February. I keep looking at my trainer but not getting on. Only a month and a half to get ready now.
That is a nice espresso machine in the background 👍🏿
I can't get a good enough view to see which make or a model it is
I thought it was a fancy chain lube dispenser. :):)
Question Conor I thought the ZWIFT Ride was only for riders up to 6ft 6in tall. Do you find it uncomfortable using the short cranks on the ZWIFT RIDE?
Some of you really need to check your personality & become a better person in 2025.
The amount of snide, negative & nasty comments on what is a very innocent & harmless video by a very nice guy is insane. What a way to spend your time posting such insults completely unprovoked.
If it’s not for you, it’s much easier to just move on 🤷♂️
Almost 8 years on Zwift and just level 33??
Zwift has been pushing hard on ads on every channel. Mywhoosh is putting pressure
Better outdoor winter riding morale than most of us, I'm sure 😊
I've been on zwift for 7 years and just got past level 30.
How does this support getting fit on Zwift if you are not even the fittest GCN presenter
Why be so negative and make snide comments?
Nice Ad!
More GCN training pls...
Is the active off-season a good trainingplan for the winter ?
What PC config and screen are you using?
Has Hank's departure been announced yet? Which video was it in?
I have a Zwift cog on my Kicker move trainer. I have already worn out a chain in very few hours on the trainer, about 450 miles on chain. I did notice a lot of metal shavings on ground under my chain.
That’s odd. Shouldn’t happen. Anything special about your setup?
Cog v1 or v2?
@@thedownunderverse V2
@@slighter I don’t think so. The initial chain on the bike was not the best quality. I did put on higher quality chain, Durace 11 speed
@ whoa!
GCN... any thoughts about covering or doing a Zwift Tour race. Flamme Rouge Racing, Chasing Racing, SISU and others offer multi-stage racing with Green, KOM, GC, Stage and Team honors. It takes the online racing to the next level. And thousands of people are signing up... from Level D to A+ with neo-Pros to everyday weekend warriers walking away with achievements from finishing to podium. Great camaraderie and fitness for all who join, but even more so for the finishers of all stages. Check it out! Next FRR event is mid-February.
My 2025 goals have been Shattered I always looked forward to the GCN January Challenge 30 in 30 Rides.. Is GCN doing it this year
Zwift Cog Yes or No?
I purchased mine few weeks ago, find it very handy. I’m a little bit new to indoor cycling, of cycling all together, so my outdoor bike has a rather limited cassette. The Cog gives al little bit bigger range of gears so you can find the most enjoyable gear for you a bit better.
On the Zwift website, it’s included in the Kickr Core do you don’t pay for it as such, and in that case, would definately recommend.
Yes , and a no , depends on platform you’re using , I want to use other platform that I can’t using virtual shifting
Yes but get a cassette too.
i have it, its so easy and works perfectly.
Yes
I puchased a Tacx Neo 2. It lasted 30 mins then blew up, Tacx then sent me a new unit with a broken hub, I then got a replacement hub then the second unit blew up after 7 mins. Useless machines. I'm sticking to riding in the cold and rain. And trying to get my cash back from Tacx.
Need a family sub model for Zwift
For someone in ok but not great let alone top shape, not yet ready for an all-out FTP test, what's the best way to estimate it, one of the dedicated FTP tests, or one of these hill climb routes?
And for the latter, do you have to actually complete them, or is it ok to quit if you just can't go all the way, and Zwift will still give you a reasonably accurate FTP estimate?
It's just that the FTP tests I've taken feel like unsupervised stress tests, which I imagine can be risky if you try to push yourself too far beyond your current level and you're not especially young and fit.
They have a “Zone Benchmarking” workout that is just short blocks in each zone, with cues about how they should feel. If you ride that and use the bias adjustment so your effort matches the cues, you’ll get a pretty good estimate of where you’re at to start.
I'm not sure if this helps. I just got zwift and decided to start with the zwift FPT test light much easier for my current level
Zwift will also determine your ftp during normal rides. Whenever you improve, zwift will let you know. If you cycle often with a heartrate measurement, you will notice at what heartrate you can cycle for a long time and what heartrate is not sustainable. Get to know your body.
Oh and heartrate values are very personal and should not be compared to others.
Zwift needs more/different training plans.
Create your own? 🙂 Or "copy and paste" from elsewhere.
Hi, I got a video idea: ceramic bearing vs steel bearing. You guys could replace all bearings on the bike and compare the speed of the bikes. I think this would be very interesting because it could be a myth buster.
What would be a average wattage for a fairly fit 70 year old.
If only they had an online device where you could ask such questions....
What you are looking to find out is “Watts per kilogram” for your age group. But that depends entirely on the person’s level of training and even competition up until now. Some of us just got into competitive cycling much later in life and others have been training since their teens. Best bet is to just compete against yourself and see if you can increase your average watts per kilogram over the seasons. And if you have a power meter or smart trainer, you could try some races and then you will find out for sure. Unless other riders are not truthful about their age…
@@rebeccafeldman1805 Thanks for your reply, I remember my Wattage at 40 and the drop off is now 145 and I cant hold that for long, I just wondered if that Wattage was a norm for 70. Just started Zwift so I can gauge my self with others
@ again - if you want to compare it’s not about your total Watts. It’s about Watts per kilogram of bodyweight. That accounts for differences in the size of each rider. Also, you can look at the categories, and the watts per kilogram range for each: A, B, C, D. That will tell you if you are similar in power output to the other riders in each category. At my fittest, I am happy to be a C Rider. Somewhere there may be a table of what percentage of people fit into each category that somebody else could share here. I’m going to guess it’s 40% D 30% C 20% B and 10% A riders. But that’s a wild guess.
@@rebeccafeldman1805 again thanks for the information.
FTP tests every month? No. And no good coach would recommend that.
well i am using zwift for 1 year and i am now level 48. no idea what you are doing with level 33 after 8 years :D
Riding outside?
Going outside where you should ride a bike.
Now where is that gorilla thumping its chest emoji when you need it most 🙄🙄🙄
I guess it's zwift all the way now no gcn training any more some some of us can't afford this option 😢
Ya after 5 years I left the platform for anything else. I had a membership at a local gym they was extremely well equipped for what zwift now costs. Now I use training peaks just to avoid supporting zwift. Zwift is dead. The company has never made a profit. The company has wasted so much money designing and engineering products it never brought to market. They ignored the largest segment of users, Apple users, for so long it was sad. If I want to get more fit I will use anything else before zwift ever again. The only thing I would want to do on zwift is maybe a race.
so much sufferings on 116 bpm
Prefer Rouvy and the icognito real world images
I smell a bit of panic in the Sales and Marketing department at Zwift now that Indie Velo is part of Training Peaks and that a Training Peaks account is cheaper than Zwift and will give you TPV as part of it. We could see the next David and Goliath story unfold shortly.
This clip is basically an advertisement for Zwift and Not a clip made for you
Zwift, infact all the indoor training programmes are very expensive for what they are. Games with millions spent on them cost less. Bit of a joke.
Pros get paid to show up on Zwift, then fly to the south and ride outside. Or stay at home and ride outside. You will feel much better after a ride outside. Quit the indoor computer game and ride outside.
I got myself a Zwift Ride but it has been anything but "jumping on and start riding" 😑
what you mean by that?
@99cya So many issues of various types. Still can't make shifting work, waiting for support feedback. Training rides in ERG mode only for now. Also, unsure of if my bike is really ok mechanically, trying to validate that.
@@JustBrowsing777 oh sorry to hear that. i hope you just have a faulty unit and get one replaced. im on a garmin myself.
Is only one problem Wahoo kickr power numbers are at least 5% higher than the real numbers😂
There’s no such thing as a power meter that reads too high. 😂
Try a factory spin down!
@Zerotonin666I did, else it is 10%🤣
@ lol 🫠
You guys are sponsored by Zwift. We get it. Ughh
Zwift is the Candy Crush of indoor cycling. I'll stick with the real-life reality of ROUVY.
I 👍
and the recent price increase of Zwift doesn't help. I went to Training Peaks Virtual
Yea that no one uses
@@jackdavis8786 is the best tool for people who like riding mountains ⛰️
this follows on from a video where Connor was NUKE-DROPPED by Si and Alex !!! in a Race to the End - how sad Connor - wha'appened ?
Team MyWhoosh here click !
I prefer Rouvy
Mywhoosh all the way!
I'm pretty sure pros don't use zwift! 😂.
Yeah, like Mark Cavendish, never even heard of it...
Errr think you’ll find a lot do
did you hear the story of Matt Hayman’s Paris-Roubaix Training? Couldn't' train outside broken arm, ... wins paris roubaix, good doco on it.
thanks for the comment, there are lots of pros who use Zwift - if you take a ride on there you see them flying around!
@@gcn They're the ones moving at a "Hold my beer, say hi to your mom!" pace.