Your Zwift Pre-Race Checklist
If you’ve ever joined a Zwift race feeling rushed, under-fueled, or slightly panicked, you’re not alone. A simple pre-race checklist, however, can turn that chaos into confidence. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve gone to start a Zwift ride and realised I forgot my towel or headband (I sweat a lot!). Forgetting these things before a race, however, can affect performance – particularly the mental aspect.
It took me a while to realise that a pre-race routine for Zwift can make a big difference to how I perform, though I am still tweaking and adding to it. Whether you use a written race day checklist or build it into habit, picking what works for you means that you turn up ready to blast out of the pen like a club ladder race versus your rivals.
1. Check Your Equipment
The one thing that is sure to bring your race to a grinding halt is a tech “mechanical”. It produces that sinking feeling as you smash the pedals to close a gap only for your trainer to display zero watts. Making sure you are connected and charged might only take a few minutes, but if you leave it to five minutes before the race, you are sure to raise your heart rate if you have to solve any problems.
I normally race in the evening, so I tend to get set up way ahead of time to make sure everything connects and that there isn’t a dreaded Zwift update to download. Ensuring that your weight is up to date and that your trainer is calibrated are key to keeping racing honest. I am awful at remembering to update my weight, so I tend to update it in Zwift Companion every time I jump on the scales.
Getting your fan setup dialled is important to ensure you’ve got that air circulating to keep you cool. (Yes, I am a geek and have taped the placement of my fan on my garage floor.) Unless you’ve got a posh remote, don’t forget to turn your fans on before the ride so that you don’t risk having to jump off on a downhill to switch them on. Not that I’ve ever done that.
In the Coalition, you also have the chance to ask any equipment questions in the Workshop channel.
2. Top Off Your Nutrition
The demands of not only the start but also the regular surges in a race can really tax your body. For me, consuming a good amount of carbohydrates in the two meals before a Zwift race ensures I am topped up (though eating within a couple of hours is not recommended and usually ends with a mess!) And don’t forget to hydrate leading up to the race. Keeping that lovely plasma volume topped off ensures that when your heart rate hits max, you’re extracting everything you can.
There’s nutritional prep before a race, but what about during a race? Having water bottles at the ready is a must. For me, electrolytes and water are important, as I am pretty salty when I sweat. Keeping my sodium up during the race means I don’t reach for salty snacks later. Most Zwift races are around the 30-40 minute mark, so you could probably get away with not taking on any carbohydrates. Having some drink mix, gels or in my case jelly babies nearby, however, can give you a mental edge. The sugary taste in your mouth can really give you that last push to make it back to the group or to smash off the front.
Members of the Coalition can always ask questions in the Nutrition & Health channel on the Discord server.
3. Establish a Structured Warm-Up Routine
Just as important as nutrition is a good warm-up – without it, your race might be over before it starts. A warm-up routine that works for you is partly personal preference. I usually spend around 30 minutes warming up, as I like a light spin before the start. I’ve saved a custom workout with two blocks that include one at tempo and one at threshold, followed by some spin-ups to really get the legs turning. There are plenty of good warm-ups in the Zwift Workout library, so find one and try it to see what works for you. You also can edit a workout to make it your own, or create your own workout from scratch.
This is probably a good time to remind you that if you enter the race pen as soon as it opens, you can save yourself a spot on the front row. Just don’t forget to choose your kit and bike setup before, as sometimes Zwift saves whatever you were wearing and riding. This may have happened once or twice to a certain member of our ladder team, and resulted in some gentle “character building” comments.
Pro-tip: Once you have reserved your space on the front row. You can leave the event, do a warm-up with a pacer bot, and when you rejoin the event with 5 minutes to go, you'll back in your reserved spot on the front!
4. Recon the Course and the Competition
Checking out the race course ahead of time allows you to consider where the effort needs to be spent, and where you might plan your own attacks. I often look at the course summaries online, but nothing beats actually riding it prior to the race. For example, in a recent ladder race on RGV I didn’t realise how close the finish was after the downhill from “les intestins”. I ended up going a little late, but fortunately being heavier I managed to pull off second.
You can also check the power-ups on offer in a particular race, especially if they are not set to the main three. Things like a Burrito can play havoc in team races, and Ghost can really be used to good effect – especially if you use one at the banner and immediately get another.
If you are in a public race, you can use ZwiftPower or ZwiftRacing.app to check out the competition. You can look at each individual’s power number to determine who might try for a breakaway and who is probably going to sit in for a sprint. A little visualisation of how you want to race against the competition can really help when it comes down to key moments. For example, you can determine ahead of time whether to set your own pace on a long climb or burn your matches to hold on.
If you're racing in a bigger series like Zwift Racing League, then Zwift Insider always posts comprehensive reviews of each round, all the relevant details for the races.
Lastly, if you're in The Coalition, then we often have members record route recons so you can watch a video to find out where the most important parts of the race will happen!
5. Create Your Checklist
So how valuable is having a race day checklist? Personally, I think having something physical to work off means you never miss the start and you turn up ready to give your best to each race. Once you’ve gone through your checklist a few times you might rely on memory, but from my experience (or maybe it’s just my memory) that usually means missing at least one thing. Consider the points above and adapt them to fit your own time, preferences (and memory).
Want to get even better at racing?
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