Watts Up in Watopia: Holographic Replays

New content and new features coming our way for the upcoming trainer season. Hard to believe that we now have something to look forward to when riding indoors. Following up our overview of all the changes coming, let’s take a deeper dive into a much-anticipated feature: holographic replay.

Reminiscent of the ghost riders from the beta days on Jarvis Island (boy, were they annoying) and the current translucent pace partners (that continue to become more useful), you will soon be able to load a previous ride on designated segments to ride with/against yourself. Zwift Insider detailed which segments will be re-playable.

However, chasing PRs and KOMs is not the only reason to load up a holographic replay as a riding partner. Here are some other potential uses:

Baseline Rides. Want to see if you have the same fitness at the same time as last year? Go for a ride with your previous self and compare the metrics at the end of the ride. Is your average HR or time in HR zones different than the previous ride? What does that tell you where you are in your training compared to last season with the same power demands as your holographic self?

Virtual Equipment Testing. Maybe you don’t have enough drops to buy the best virtual equipment at your Zwift level. Maybe you don’t have enough drops to buy the fastest frameset and wheels. And maybe, you want to test out the difference among the virtual equipment that you do have in your Zwift garage. You will soon be able to load up a holographic replay, match the watts of your previous ride and see what difference the virtual equipment makes.

Pre-Event Rides. Those final days before the big event you have been peaking for are often tough to negotiate – easy taper rides, but not too easy in order to stay open and primed. The holographic replays on the whole course segments could help you keep your ride within the parameters for what worked for you in the past. In other words, holographic replays can help you ride easy when you need it using your past self as a benchmark and reminder.

With all that said, we older, master’s racers need to be kind to ourselves. One of the mercies of having raced for over 30 years is NOT having power data from when we were in our prime. So, let’s not let the holographic replay become the ghost of our former selves that haunts us.

Here’s what we at Slowtwitch have planned for the rest of the week.

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: Makuri Islands & New York
Thursday: France & Paris
Friday: France & Paris
Saturday: France & Paris
Sunday: Makuri Islands & New York

Slowtwich Indoors Event Preview (All Times Eastern)

Go to Zwift Events to sign up for these rides and runs.

Monday 100/100 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. Don’t forget that each of the five ride workouts and five run workouts have a short and long option. Rather than canceling a workout when you are crunched for time, you can complete the short version and still reap the benefits of the program.

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.

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.

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 an early morning bracer for the East Coast crowd. Get your work done before heading off to work.

Thursday SWIFT Ride, 6:55 PM
The newest ride to the Slowtwitch Indoors family, Slowtwitch SWIFT (Strong Women, It's Fun Together!) is here to bring another women's only ride to a slightly friendlier time slot. This ride will focus slightly more on strength-based work so bring those climbing legs. But even if you're feeling more like Mark Cavendish in the mountains of the Tour de France, so long as you keep the pedals moving, you'll stay with our group.

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.

Tags: