Just did the real thing a bit more than a week ago. My comparison to Zwift: - Zwift: road is accurate, gradient seems and feels accurate. Visuals... Well, it's zwift, they've done well, but it's not the real thing. Would be nice to have the villages along the route (like Huez, and Alpe d'Huez at the top). Especially coming out of Dutch Corner, and the view of the buildings of Alpe d'Huez on top would be nice to have in-game. - Real life: it's accurate too :) lol.... Visually there are far more beautiful climbs, but there's something magical about this place you don't get anywhere else. Times: Zwift PB: 1:08:49 with Avg 255w, NP 256w and 2.72wkg Real life: 1:13:04 with Avg 263w, NP 269w and 2.9wkg (yeah lost some weight between my best Zwift run and the real one) So a bit more than 4min slower while doing more power, and almost 0.2wkg more (which relates to almost 20w avg more if I had the same weight as my Zwift PB).
Zwift is an incredibly useful piece of software, both for training and social engagement with cycling, but to say the virtual Alpe d'Huez is more visually appealing is ludicrous! Come on.
@@dsdf_fdp1858 I disagree. On a crappy cold day in the winter where I live, there's nothing worth looking at and the humorous design and the incidental competition that happens on Zwift can be much more entertaining than wiping snots of off your runny nose on a 45 degree day. Sure on a beautiful Spring day then outside is better.
I rode up this route for the first time a few days ago. Took forever! Big up to those that can sub 60 mins, I've a long way to go. I'll never compare the real life to the virtual route but I now have a much better understanding at to what's required. Thanks for sharing you're experiences :-)
Not sure I agree with the zwift visuals vs real life, zwift is pretty dull when you've done it a few times I think it would take longer to get bored of the real thing(I've only done it twice though)!
The great thing about Zwift is that I can get outta bed, eat some breakfast and then jump on the bike and do any kind of ride I want. I don't have 3000 foot mountains right outside my door. There isn't a crit race starting every two hours on a Saturday morning. I don't have to worry about suiting up for weather. If want to quit early I just get off and go take a shower.
Avg cadence of alpe du zwift effort is 88rpm while IRL alpe d'huez was 77rpm. That's a lot lower and could give insight into trainer difficulty setting on Zwift, gearing of bikes, true effect of gravity, or riding style.
It is just too easy on indoor trainers. You need to train torque and force climbing cadences indoors. People over spin reality inside. I imagine the trainer flywheel also contributes to this problem a bit. Power is power, but a lower cadence absolutely introduces new mental challenges and physical things that need to be trained. It is immensely easier to stay smooth between 85-95. Staying smooth at 60 into the 70 rpm range is totally different.
Different price points of course but the Kickr is seriously impressive. The Vortex is a great entry level smart trainer though. The difference is the feel: Kickr better resembles riding on the road.
@@CyclingPulse Also Vortex is limited at 7% vs 15%+ for the Wahoo so it will be more realistic even without the climber part. If you don't run out gears outdoors it won't make a difference though.
How does Zwift beat the Alpe du Huez at being the Alpe du Huez? The Alpe du Zwift is great and feels like an achievement when you do it but noting like the real thing. The history, the views, the bars at the top and freedom.
also you need to considering to adjust the tension or % of strenght that you could adjust on the app, if you want a 100% real effort, normally it's calibrated to 50% of the real effort
It looks much better in real life. I dont like the way Zqift adds tunnels that arent there (why the hell do that?) and makes the road surface look a lot worse than it is.
clearly the time difference is due to trainer difficulty(50% in default settings, which means alpe d'zwift is actually 4% average, unless you ramp up trainer difficulty to 100%), cadence in alpe d'zwift is very unrealistic, only lance or froome can climb alpe at 95+ cadence
Shouldn't make much difference unless you hit the limits of your gear range and end up in an inefficient cadence; all the trainer "difficulty" does is change the amount you have to change gears; the same power output is still required to get to the top.
I don't think Zwift includes bike weight. 11w difference is about 4% so that drops 57:36 to about 55:20. Then add 8kg bike and equipment, guessing you're around 75kg, that's another 11% diff, so that drops 55:20 to 49:24... pretty close to Zwift 49:40.
I had a guy go by me on ADZ today and he was doing over 5 watts/kg. I saw him on the leaderboard coming up from a long way back and he was doing that the whole way. That's gotta be like over 300 or 350 watts. I averaged 134 for the climb and that's my PR.
That is truly ridiculous: saying that a pixelated simulation in a sweaty room would beat the real thing. Are you kidding me? By the way, how hard is it to get the physics formula right so that riding indoors with the same wattage would result in approximately the same time?
If it was correct it wouldn't sell anymore... hate those strava zwift trainings where people hit 37-38km/h for up to 2 houres and when you go riding outdoors with them they couldn't keep up with the group riding at 30km/u...
You must weigh about a kilo to do it in that time for those watts. Also there is no way riding it indoors on a trainer, no matrer how good it is, is better than the real thing.
I can't see how Zwift could ever win against the real thing. Everything about the real climb is better, unless you really like sitting inside and riding more. Not much excitement and enthusiasm for the real thing in this video. That's a pity. I'd encourage everyone to get out there instead. Zwift is good for riding, when the weather is bad and you can't go outside riding.
Video fatto male.. perdere tempo.. inutile parlare di preparazione indoor ad uno che va su a 280watt.. se sei già allenato che preparazione devi fare?? Dai dai . Fate il video con uno che non ha mai fatto più di 100di dislivello di salita e poi vediamo
Is this an advertise? The review is overly positive of Zwift, and as a rider who has ridden both Zwift and Alpe d’ Huez irl, I am not buying the arguments. Several times in the video it’s displayed that the rider is going at +20 kph, whereas in the irl video (and my own experience) this does not happen on the alp until the finish line. Also to state that the scenery in the game is better than irl is .... well then you haven’t ridden the alp. Maybe this would be the case if Zwift made a Mont Ventoux course.
@@kaveac exactly. There's already 6 inches of snow on the ground where I live, and it's only mid November. It's Zwift or nothing for a lot of us during winter. Also, Zwift races are anything but boring.
Just did the real thing a bit more than a week ago. My comparison to Zwift:
- Zwift: road is accurate, gradient seems and feels accurate. Visuals... Well, it's zwift, they've done well, but it's not the real thing. Would be nice to have the villages along the route (like Huez, and Alpe d'Huez at the top). Especially coming out of Dutch Corner, and the view of the buildings of Alpe d'Huez on top would be nice to have in-game.
- Real life: it's accurate too :) lol.... Visually there are far more beautiful climbs, but there's something magical about this place you don't get anywhere else.
Times:
Zwift PB: 1:08:49 with Avg 255w, NP 256w and 2.72wkg
Real life: 1:13:04 with Avg 263w, NP 269w and 2.9wkg (yeah lost some weight between my best Zwift run and the real one)
So a bit more than 4min slower while doing more power, and almost 0.2wkg more (which relates to almost 20w avg more if I had the same weight as my Zwift PB).
Zwift is an incredibly useful piece of software, both for training and social engagement with cycling, but to say the virtual Alpe d'Huez is more visually appealing is ludicrous! Come on.
@@dsdf_fdp1858 I disagree. On a crappy cold day in the winter where I live, there's nothing worth looking at and the humorous design and the incidental competition that happens on Zwift can be much more entertaining than wiping snots of off your runny nose on a 45 degree day. Sure on a beautiful Spring day then outside is better.
trainers are kinda for those days you cant get out.
Alpe d’Huez is one of the most boring mountains to go up though. That said, nothing beats the real thing.
I rode up this route for the first time a few days ago. Took forever! Big up to those that can sub 60 mins, I've a long way to go. I'll never compare the real life to the virtual route but I now have a much better understanding at to what's required.
Thanks for sharing you're experiences :-)
Not sure I agree with the zwift visuals vs real life, zwift is pretty dull when you've done it a few times I think it would take longer to get bored of the real thing(I've only done it twice though)!
The great thing about Zwift is that I can get outta bed, eat some breakfast and then jump on the bike and do any kind of ride I want. I don't have 3000 foot mountains right outside my door. There isn't a crit race starting every two hours on a Saturday morning. I don't have to worry about suiting up for weather. If want to quit early I just get off and go take a shower.
Cool video, thanks! When is the Ventoux (real) versus Ven-top (Zwift) video coming? ;)
Avg cadence of alpe du zwift effort is 88rpm while IRL alpe d'huez was 77rpm. That's a lot lower and could give insight into trainer difficulty setting on Zwift, gearing of bikes, true effect of gravity, or riding style.
that is exactly what I was going to comment.
It is just too easy on indoor trainers. You need to train torque and force climbing cadences indoors. People over spin reality inside. I imagine the trainer flywheel also contributes to this problem a bit. Power is power, but a lower cadence absolutely introduces new mental challenges and physical things that need to be trained. It is immensely easier to stay smooth between 85-95. Staying smooth at 60 into the 70 rpm range is totally different.
The game on the right side has better graphics!
Yes, more realistic!
I like the content, but Zwift beating the real climb is kind of silly lol
ZDW95 the moment zwift “won” the visuals I stopped watching. How can you compare beautiful mountains to a video game?
Nice video, enjoyed it :)
I think I will have to try this now and then later hopefully next year when I have lost my 30kg overweight. Should be an insane difference.
Road Grand Tours Cycling has Mount Vontoux they also have the Stelvio. Perhaps try them on for size.
First time viewer. Subscribed. Liking the vids!
How did the kicker compare to your vortex is it worth the upgrade as I am considering it with a view to doing as you did and climb the real one
Different price points of course but the Kickr is seriously impressive. The Vortex is a great entry level smart trainer though. The difference is the feel: Kickr better resembles riding on the road.
@@CyclingPulse Also Vortex is limited at 7% vs 15%+ for the Wahoo so it will be more realistic even without the climber part. If you don't run out gears outdoors it won't make a difference though.
Zwift wins for me. I'm sick and tired of airports - jet lag - crappy hotels - shit food - dealing with jerks - etc.
Better stay in the states then.
Zwift is a lot tougher mentally that's for sure
This may be a silly question but how do I do Alpe du zwift? Was it an event or some sort?
I did Rouvy Alpe D’Huez this week and it was great, Zwift has never appealed to me, as it’s like cycling in Telly Tubby land!
How does Zwift beat the Alpe du Huez at being the Alpe du Huez? The Alpe du Zwift is great and feels like an achievement when you do it but noting like the real thing. The history, the views, the bars at the top and freedom.
obviously looks much better inreal life ;)
also you need to considering to adjust the tension or % of strenght that you could adjust on the app, if you want a 100% real effort, normally it's calibrated to 50% of the real effort
Yes but watts are watts, the calibration is just a "virtual gear" when you think of it.
In my case, 327w for 42:55 on Zwift, vs 324w for 45:57 for the real thing. The Zwift version is definitely faster.
Things that never happened......lol
Same ballpark, though.
great video thank you
I know this is going to be a silly question, how do you access the ride,I've never seen it, cheers dude
Need to be level 12 on zwift
I'm lvl 14
Cyclinsean Here you go ua-cam.com/video/OhxZOOU513E/v-deo.html
@@Noid77 thankyou.
Zwift needs to be bought out by a bigger games company like EA. It has so much potential....
EA is the cancer of the gaming industry
whats the name of the first song?
No chance real Alpe du Huez all day long
It looks much better in real life. I dont like the way Zqift adds tunnels that arent there (why the hell do that?) and makes the road surface look a lot worse than it is.
Done swift not show gradient data on screen??
It does yes on the map on the right hand side of the screen. Difficult to fit it in for the side by side comparison!
Very interesting, but the comparison with point scoring is a bit stupid... :-)
Zwift doesn’t have have weather control... yet!
Real life wins everyday except rainy days
If you want to compare trainer vs. real life you can just ride the climbs in TDA. Although I'm not sure they do as much sponsoring of videos...
clearly the time difference is due to trainer difficulty(50% in default settings, which means alpe d'zwift is actually 4% average, unless you ramp up trainer difficulty to 100%), cadence in alpe d'zwift is very unrealistic, only lance or froome can climb alpe at 95+ cadence
The real climb is way harder unless you have trainer difficulty on 100% and the Zwift climb is over 10% faster to complete
Im sure armstrong has the record up the aple
Funfactor of zwif best than irl ... wtf 🤣🤣🤣
Training in zwift you don't have gravity, that punishes more the heavier bikes and taller and heavier cyclists.
Did you have your trainer difficulty up all the way? I'm curious how much that would make a difference, if at all.
Shouldn't make much difference unless you hit the limits of your gear range and end up in an inefficient cadence; all the trainer "difficulty" does is change the amount you have to change gears; the same power output is still required to get to the top.
I don't think Zwift includes bike weight.
11w difference is about 4% so that drops 57:36 to about 55:20.
Then add 8kg bike and equipment, guessing you're around 75kg, that's another 11% diff, so that drops 55:20 to 49:24... pretty close to Zwift 49:40.
Duncan Clarke Zwift includes everything
If you finish the real alp d’huez climb at the point where Zwift finish it. The climb should only be 11,9km.
It took two years but your wish is granted ... Ven Top ...
My average Watts is around 100. These guys with above 250W averages amaze me.
Dick Tchairdjian you’ll get up there eventually. Keep putting in the hard work. You’ve got this!
I had a guy go by me on ADZ today and he was doing over 5 watts/kg. I saw him on the leaderboard coming up from a long way back and he was doing that the whole way. That's gotta be like over 300 or 350 watts. I averaged 134 for the climb and that's my PR.
Looking trim!!!!
That is truly ridiculous: saying that a pixelated simulation in a sweaty room would beat the real thing. Are you kidding me? By the way, how hard is it to get the physics formula right so that riding indoors with the same wattage would result in approximately the same time?
If it was correct it wouldn't sell anymore... hate those strava zwift trainings where people hit 37-38km/h for up to 2 houres and when you go riding outdoors with them they couldn't keep up with the group riding at 30km/u...
Werner: get into your setting and put the difficulty at 100%...job done (it's default setting is about 50% )....it feels pretty tough though!
Je trouve que le faire en vrai c est moins dur et plus sympa que sur zwift. La version de zwift est epouvantable
You must weigh about a kilo to do it in that time for those watts. Also there is no way riding it indoors on a trainer, no matrer how good it is, is better than the real thing.
Was this guy paid by Zwift ? how can you even compare the beauty of Alpe D'Huez to a game XD (wish I can get to climb Alpe D'Huez)
It says includes paid promotion
lol what the fuck
Seriously? No way. How can anybody say Zwift is better than the real climb. #worng
I dont think it looks the same. Why wouldnt zwift just make the environment exactly the same?
Id rather have the ride in the same environment...
I can't see how Zwift could ever win against the real thing. Everything about the real climb is better, unless you really like sitting inside and riding more. Not much excitement and enthusiasm for the real thing in this video. That's a pity. I'd encourage everyone to get out there instead. Zwift is good for riding, when the weather is bad and you can't go outside riding.
Video fatto male.. perdere tempo.. inutile parlare di preparazione indoor ad uno che va su a 280watt.. se sei già allenato che preparazione devi fare?? Dai dai . Fate il video con uno che non ha mai fatto più di 100di dislivello di salita e poi vediamo
Is this an advertise? The review is overly positive of Zwift, and as a rider who has ridden both Zwift and Alpe d’ Huez irl, I am not buying the arguments. Several times in the video it’s displayed that the rider is going at +20 kph, whereas in the irl video (and my own experience) this does not happen on the alp until the finish line. Also to state that the scenery in the game is better than irl is .... well then you haven’t ridden the alp. Maybe this would be the case if Zwift made a Mont Ventoux course.
mate your right knee wobble as hell, please go get a proper bikefit before it's too late
some things can't be bike fitted out...
Over £1000 I've spent on numberous bike fits,physios, equipment and I'm still no better off.If he can cope with it then crack on
SWIFT??? Booooooorrrrriiiiiiinnnnngggggggg! better buy a nice frame or a wheelset
and how is that going to help when riding indoors during very cold snowy winter weather?
@@kaveac oooppss. I live in the philippines but still there's a lot of them using those trainers with a superbike hahaha
@@kaveac exactly. There's already 6 inches of snow on the ground where I live, and it's only mid November. It's Zwift or nothing for a lot of us during winter. Also, Zwift races are anything but boring.
harrylook - 💯%Right