Recently I was looking through the list of search terms that people have Googled before landing on my site and came across this corker; “Is Zwift better than real life?”
Well, having pedalled over 7000 virtual kilometres on the platform, I can tell you the resounding answer is … NO!
Get outside, clip in, pedal. Feel the wind in your face, hear the morning chorus of birdsong, feel the strain of the uphill, embrace whirr of a freshly oiled chain and the buzz of smooth tarmac under your wheels. Bikes were made to be ridden outside in the fresh air!
Don’t get me wrong. I love Zwift. It’s revolutionised indoor training, keeping me motivated through the winter darkness. I am fitter because of it. It’s also easy. Just throw on a pair of bib shorts, fill a bottle and climb aboard my Tacx NEO. But it’s no substitute for getting out and enjoying the open road.
For those in the northern hemisphere you will be starting to see the light at the end of that dark winter tunnel now. The days getting longer and milder, the sun’s warmth burning through the clouds. Time to limber up and dust off the summer bike.
The open road is calling your name!
Oh and if that was you who searched that phrase, please pop me a comment below! ;-)
Tempo Cyclist - Tasmania 
I’m waiting for the day the outside world gets wind of Zwift and decides to ban cyclists from the road. Scares the hell out of me. That’d SUCK!
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There’s already government talk in England about banning cyclists on certain roads on the grounds that they “can’t keep up with traffic” so are a hazard. Slippery slope…
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Exactly.
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Good article. I’m yet to try Zwift properly, I have managed to have a quick go and found it good fun but I do agree that it still doesn’t beat getting outside on two wheels.
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Only for a winter training Zwift is OK.
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I fear that in time Zwift is going to produce a breed of cyclist that doesn’t have any handling skills and basically can’t ride a bike that’s out on the open road and under way. Is the endgame going to be people walking into a bike shop, dropping big wedge on an expensive bike, while saying ‘Oh no, I’m not going to ride it outside, I only ride on Zwift!’
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We’ve already got that breed, it’s call triathletes! ;-) Haha! With Zwift now hosting Fondos, Sportives, virtual races with prize money and even the virtual national champs it’s only a matter of time…
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