Ask a pro: Travis Samuel on how to win a Zwift race

Although Travis Samuel spent several years racing outdoors with Continental teams like Silber and Toronto Hustle, the 29-year-old is a bit of an expert when it comes to riding inside. In April 2020, as part of The Crush Covid campaign organized by Samuel’s team Toronto Hustle, he rode 1,008 km in 24 hours, smashing the world record. The event was created to raise funds for healthcare workers at a Toronto hospital. Many riders participated in teams, taking turns riding on Zwift for 24 hours straight. A few cyclists, including Samuel, rode the entire 24-hour event solo.

How Travis Samuel broke a world record and got through 24 hours on the trainer

But he also knows a thing or two about Zwift races, which, thankfully, are far shorter.

The joy of racing from home

“Zwift racing is a lot of fun; it’s a whole different but similar discipline that I believe is amazing in getting people into cycling, to continue riding during the winter, or bring people together as a community. Being able to race and ride with people globally is really motivating to stay fit and ride so much through the winter. It’s been quite fun to see the competitive community continue to develop seriousness for esports and push the line of technology through smart trainers. With the computer systems running Zwift with advanced micro/graphic chips, gamer level RAAM, high-speed WIFI, or hardwired internet to get that extra micro-connections, and videoed weigh-ins,” he says. “For me, depending on the level of the race, I may just use my iPad and phone with the companion app, or I may go all out with my laptop, iPad, phone with the companion app, discord, Zwift power, and the Zwift insider course.”

Warm-up routine

No matter which category you’re in, Zwift races can start off pretty fast, so it’s key to have your body primed and ready to go. If the event is 20 minutes, he likes to do at least a 20-minute warm-up with one of the robo-pacers. “Then, 15 minutes afterward, so that means it makes it really easy to do a 1:45 to 2-hour ride,” he says. “Hydration-wise, I will have water for most of my rides, but if I know it’s going to be a harder effort or a 2+ hour ride, I’ll have a drink mix in both my bottles. I’m a fan of using Skratch Labs hydration, myself.”

When the whistle blows

Samuel is strategic with his efforts, especially at the beginning.

“For the start of races, I try to limit the hard acceleration effort start as much as I can. I’ll tend to do a 400-500-watt effort as soon as the banner drops and then judge the effort based on the pace of the group,” he explains. Some riders like to get their watts up before the start of the race to get a “boost.” Samuel disagrees. “Ramping up five seconds to go just uses effort for no reason,” he says. “The group will tend to ease off after 1-2 minutes. It’s an easy way to save an effort.”

Strategy

Zwift racing is very similar to outdoor racing, Samuel says, with one of the biggest things in Zwift races being understanding how the algorithm works. “Sometimes fighting to stay at the front is really energy-burning, so just trying to be as smooth as possible and knowing where the critical points are in the race to make those efforts in moving up, following, or bridging,” he says. “It is similar to outdoor racing, understanding the dynamics of how the peloton moves and being efficient. In Zwift, letting yourself yo-yo throughout the group can be the easiest because of not having to follow all the micro-efforts to stay in position. As the game changes and evolves, you have to keep studying how certain efforts or movements change within the game.”

The Race: before and during

The Peterborough, Ont. native generally looks at the route before the race, as there are so many custom finish lines or variations of routes, even if he’s ridden the same route before. Once he’s in the finale of the race, he tries to be mid-front of the pack with 1 km to go.

“With 500m to go, I try to be top 10-15, as there is an advantage to be slightly behind with the draft and especially if you can time your power-ups properly through draft or aero power-ups,” he says. “When and how to use each power-up is a bit of a custom formula for each different finish line. Knowing the final few kilometers of each finish section and how they will mostly play will affect how you use each different power-up to your advantage.”