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Zwift is a massively multiplayer online
cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from ...
and
running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This i ...
physical training program that enables users to interact, train, and compete in a
virtual world A virtual world (also called a virtual space) is a computer-simulated environment which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities ...
. Zwift was developed by Zwift Inc., which was co-founded by Jon Mayfield, Eric Min, Scott Barger, and Alarik Myrin, in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States, North America, in 2014. The Zwift game was released in its beta version in September 2014, in partnership with TRUE Communications/InGoodTaste, and became a paid product with a fee of US$10 per month in October 2015 (). They raised their monthly membership to US$14.99 in November 2017 ().


Early history

In 2012/13 Eric Min had recently sold his previous company, Sakonnet Technology. Min, a lifelong cyclist, found himself confined to riding indoors, and dissatisfied with current interactive options, he believed he could improve on them by "making cycling social". Around this time, Min saw an online post by programmer Jon Mayfield describing a "3D trainer program" he was developing as a hobby project. Min promptly contacted Mayfield, making arrangements to fly to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
to speak to him; the two agreed to co-found a company around the project.


Beta

The first virtual world, Jarvis Island, was released as an invite-only beta product on September 30, 2014. The product proved unexpectedly popular, and more than 13,000 applications were received for 1,000 beta places. The launch took place simultaneously in Rapha Clubhouses in London, New York City and San Francisco. By May 2015 Zwift had moved into
open beta A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impro ...
. A virtual version of the
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
(Virginia) 2015 UCI Road World Championships Course was introduced on September 3, 2015. On October 30, 2015, Zwift launched as a fully fledged product with a $10 monthly subscription fee.


Technology

Zwift allows players to ride their bicycles on stationary
trainers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...
while navigating through virtual worlds. Players may cycle freely around the game world and join organized group rides, races, or workouts with other users. Zwift uses
ANT+ Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...
or Bluetooth Low Energy technologies to transmit data that, in combination with athlete weight and equipment choices, is used to convert the athlete's efforts as speed and
power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...
. "Smart" trainers, which include a built-in power meter, permit accuracy in the measurement of watts as well as enabling an
immersive technology Immersion into virtual reality (VR) is a perception of being physically Presence (telepresence), present in a non-physical world. The perception is created by surrounding the user of the VR system in images, sound or other Stimulation, stimuli th ...
experience, where resistance is applied or lessened to simulate the gradient encountered on the virtual course. Zwift estimates the power of users on conventional trainers via the user's
cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...
and the power curve of a wide range of specified trainers. Zwift was originally available only for users with personal computers. In December 2016 Zwift launched on
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
, and in November 2017, the application became available via Apple TV. Zwift also includes a
mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
which allows users to change direction, take
screenshots screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is a digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by the operating system or software running on the device powering the display. Additionally, s ...
, communicate via messaging, use power-ups and
follow Follow may refer to: * ''Follow'' (album), the third album by Pakho Chau *Follow (dancer), one member of a partner dance *"Follow", a song by Jerry Merrick, popularized by Richie Havens on his 1966 album ''Mixed Bag'' *"Follow", a song by Drowning ...
other athletes. As of January 2018, there were over 550,000 accounts.


Investment

In December 2018, Zwift raised a
Series B A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the ...
investment of $120 million: the investment round was led by Highland Europe, an English investment company. The CEO Eric Min announced the money would be spent on categories expansion, including eSports tournaments and further development of Zwift Run. Zwift ranked fifth in
Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
's ''2019 Most Innovative Companies (Sports Sector)''. In September 2020, Zwift raised a $450 million minority investment led by investment firm KKR. The funds will be used to push the development of Zwift's core software platform and bring Zwift-designed hardware to market.


Worlds

There are eleven worlds, or maps, in Zwift. Only one is always available: Watopia, a fictitious island, which has seen some of its expansions lean into fantasy, including dinosaurs and riding into an active volcano. This world also includes a recreation of the famous Alpe d'Huez climb. Eight worlds are rotated according to a predetermined schedule. They are: The last two worlds can only be accessed as part of a scheduled event:


Community

As of June 2021, Zwift had more than 334,000 fans on the social media site
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. Facebook chief executive
Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born ) is an American business magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), o ...
used the platform to help continue training after suffering a broken arm. An article in ''La Velocita'' called the game's fans "Zwifters". An early partnership between Zwift and ride-sharing site
Strava Strava is an American internet service for tracking physical exercise which incorporates social network features. It is mostly used for cycling and running using Global Positioning System data. Strava uses a freemium model with some features on ...
has led to integration with Zwift rides being automatically uploaded to Strava if users enable the function. The first documented Zwift race was held March 3, 2015 organized through Facebook and modeled after weeknight race-riding, a common community event in the road racing subculture of cycling. One of the earliest groups to offer established racing on Zwift was KISS, which started races in late 2015 and had grown by 2018 to become one of the largest organizers on the platform. As of September 2022, Zwift users had used the platform to amass: * Total Miles Ridden: 3.37 billion * Total Meters Climbed: 53 billion * Total Watt Hours: 26.9 billion * Average Elevation: 277m * Average Distance: 17.47 miles * Imperial Centuries: 171k * Ride Ons Received: 1.11 billion * Workout Activities: 74.3 million * Weekly Races: 1000+ * Peak Concurrent Users: 47k * Total Moving Time: 191 million hours * Pro Athlete Accounts: 2,395


Zwift Academy


Cycling

In early 2016 Zwift launched the Zwift Academy program, which utilises the platform to test would-be riders for their suitability for professional bicycle racing. In the inaugural competition, 1,200 cyclists entered, with former marathon runner Leah Thorvilson being crowned the winner and securing a contract with the team for 2017. The Academy expanded for 2017, adding a men's competition: that year the women's competition was won by ex-triathlete
Tanja Erath Tanja Erath (born 7 October 1989) is a German professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Continental Team . Major results ;2018 : 2nd Scratch, National Track Championships : 4th Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT ;2019 : 1st ...
, who finished first in a field of 2,100 entrants and won a contract with Canyon-SRAM for 2018, whilst the first men's competition was won by former speed skater Ollie Jones, who beat 9,200 other cyclists to secure a place with the team. The Academy initially centers on an eight-week training program incorporating 16 events, with interval training and virtual group rides and races, before ten riders are selected for the semi-final stage and then a final three are chosen to compete against each other in real life.


Triathlon

In 2018, the Zwift Academy talent identification concept was expanded to include the sport of
triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
. Four athletes were selected to the '' Specialized Zwift Academy Triathlon Team''; Rachael Norfleet (USA), Geert Janssens (Belgium), Golo Philippe Röhrken (Germany), Bex Rimmington (United Kingdom).


eSports Professional Cycling League

In 2019, Zwift appointed Craig Edmondson as CEO at Zwift Esports, and has produced two e-race series events, participants were professional athletes competing on the platform. The 2019 debut of a professional cycling eSports League (KISS Super League) which was announced back in late 2018, with the participation of four UCI Continental men's professional cycling teams confirmed:
Team Wiggins Le Col Team Wiggins Le Col (), also known as ''Team Wiggins'' in media, was a professional developmental cycling team based in the United Kingdom, which began competing in elite road bicycle racing and track cycling in 2015. The team folded at the end ...
, Canyon–SRAM, Hagens Berman Axeon and Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka U23. In 2020 due to the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
being postponed because of
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
Zwift was used to host a virtual Tour consisting of six stages. In December 2020 the first ever UCI Cycling Esports World Championship was held on Zwift.


References


External links

* {{official website Cycling equipment Sports apps Fitness games