This week we are checking in on how we are all progressing toward our end-of-the-year goals and establishing new ones for the year to come.
Earlier in the year, we challenged you all to 100 runs of 30 min or more in 100 days. In support, we offered our Group Runs on Zwift. How are your progressing toward this goal? What number day are you on? If you haven’t started, there are still more than 100 days left in the year to meet this challenge. Get started today.
Today marks the start of Zwift Academy Road, an eight-week training program that will set you up with a solid foundation for the end of this year or next year.
Also, you can help Vitality meet their goals of donating polio vaccinations to UNICEF. Read below for more details and use what we have planned this week on Zwift to help meet your goals.
Guest World Schedule
Here’s this week’s guest worlds, so you can plan to earn some of the route badges you are missing:
Monday: Makuri Islands & New York
Tuesday: Makuri Islands & New York
Wednesday: Innsbruck & Richmond
Thursday: Innsburck & Richmond
Friday: France & Paris
Slowtwich Indoors Event Preview (All Times Eastern)
Go to Zwift Events to sign up for these rides and runs.
Monday Group Run, 7:00 AM & 7:00 PM
Join us for a group run on the virtual track of May Field that will kick start your week.
Tuesday Ride of the Valkryies Workout (Women Only), 6:00 AM
This event is by and for women. It’s an almost no-drop, rubber-banded Structured Training workout, featuring a warm-up, set of intervals, and a cool-down. This week’s workout is Speedplay – Mind Your Cadence.
Tuesday Structured Training, 7:00 PM
Our Tuesday ride features triathlon-focused cycling workouts written by coaches and pro athletes affiliated with Slowtwitch. The workouts last 60 minutes and will help add variety and interest to your weekly training schedule. This week’s workout is Drop the Hammer.
Wednesday Group Run, 7:00 AM & 7:00 PM
A more scenic group run on the Quatch Quest course.
Thursday Rise & Grind, 5:35 AM
This workout is a 55-minute early morning bracer for the East Coast crowd. Be sure to get a warm-up in and enter the staging area at least 5 minutes before the start. The groups will be fenced with the exception of designated KOMs and sprints, as well as the last 10 minutes of the ride. This ride is double-drafted, so don’t let gaps open up, or you’ll be off the back quickly!
Thursday Hilly Vanilli Chase, 6:55 PM
This double-drafted ride uses a chase format with the D group getting a 5 minute head start on the C group, which will get a further 5 minute head start on the B group. The goal is to have all three groups complete roughly the same amount of distance by the end of the ride. The D and C groups will utilize the fence until they are caught by the group behind. Teamwork is key to the groups catching or staying away. Gather some friends and get them organized to chase!
Friday Festina Lente, 9:00 AM
This structured training workout is designed to get you geared up for the weekend. Roughly translated as “make haste, slowly,” Festina Lente features a workout that will get your engine running but still leave some in the tank for the big rides and races you have planned for the weekend. This ride is led by members of the Kanberra Cycling Team as lead beacon. August will feature a progression of four workouts designed by Craig Polston of EVOQ.BIKE. This week’s workout is Threshold+Bursts.
Other Events to Watch For
Vitality for UNICEF Ride Series
Join a Vitality social ride this week and help promote a partnership with UNICEF. The goal of the partnership is to vaccinate millions of children worldwide against polio by Vitality donating vaccines to UNICEF on behalf of participants who complete this series of events. As an incentive to help with this cause, Vitality is offering the chance to win a Canyon bike. Each ride in the series represents another chance to win. These rides also earn you a Vitality virtual kit and socks to add to your Zwift garage.
Zwift Academy Road
This week marks the start of Zwift Academy Road. The eight-week program runs from August 30th to October 25th. Now is the time to start building for next year. Don’t wait until January. You need 10 events total to graduate from the program, including 6 structured workouts, 2 recovery rides, and 2 progress rides for measured results. Go in with a baseline and track your improvement leading to big gains at the end of the 8 weeks. This will set you up nicely for an end-of-the-year event or a strong foundation for building toward next year.