So somebody at parkrun mentioned “Zwift” like it was a completely normal word, nodded knowingly, and then carried on talking about their FTP as if you’re supposed to know what that means too. You smiled. You nodded back. You had absolutely no idea what was happening. Relax, that used to be me too — and now I race the thing three times a week and have opinions about avatar shoe colours. So let’s fix this properly, one honest paragraph at a time.
So, What Actually Is Zwift?
How Does It Actually Work?
Here’s the unglamorous but important bit. Zwift needs to know how hard you’re working, so it needs a way to talk to your bike or your feet:
- For cyclists: you need a smart trainer (it controls resistance and talks to Zwift automatically) or a basic turbo trainer plus a speed/cadence sensor. Your actual bike sits on the trainer, going nowhere, while you go absolutely everywhere.
- For runners: yes, runners too — Zwift Run works with a footpod sensor (usually clipped to your shoe) that tracks your pace, and you run on a treadmill while your avatar runs the same virtual routes as the cyclists. Same world, different sweat.
- A screen: laptop, PC, tablet, Apple TV, or even your phone if you enjoy squinting competitively. Download the Zwift App: https://www.zwift.com/download
- An internet connection that doesn’t take load shedding personally. More on that in a second.
Once you’re connected, you pick a route or a workout, and off you go. Your effort in the real world becomes your speed in the virtual one. It’s oddly motivating watching a cartoon version of yourself overtake someone, purely because you refused to ease off on a fake hill in your actual spare room.
Zwift is the only place where a full-grown adult can sprint for a virtual banner arch, alone, in the dark, at 8pm on a Wednesday, and consider it a personality trait.
This Is Not Just For Serious Cyclists in Lycra
I need to clear this up because it’s the biggest myth going around: Zwift is not only for people who own three bikes and talk about “watts per kilogram” at braais uninvited. It’s for:
- Runners doing an easy recovery session without dodging taxis or dogs with opinions
- Cyclists who don’t fancy riding in the dark, in the rain, or induced traffic chaos
- Anyone coming back from injury who wants controlled, gentle effort without terrain surprises
- Absolute beginners who just want to move without an audience
- Competitive types who want to race without needing to pack a race-day bag the night before
Whether you run or ride, the app doesn’t discriminate. It will humble you equally, on any given Tuesday, regardless of your sport of choice.
Getting Started Without Losing Your Mind (Or Your Savings)
You do not need to remortgage the house to try this. You need a bike or running shoes you already own, a sensor of some kind, a screen, and a fan strong enough to convince your body it hasn’t made a terrible decision. That’s genuinely it to get started — everything else is a “later” problem.
I’ve put together an honest, no-fluff checklist of exactly what you need versus what can wait, including the SA-specific load-shedding/power outages survival tip that saved one of my races mid-sprint (I still haven’t fully recovered emotionally):
🚴♀️ New to Indoor Training? Grab the Starter Checklist
The honest, no-jargon list of exactly what you need to get started on Zwift — essentials, nice-to-haves, and the SA load-shedding survival tip nobody warns you about.
Right, Now Come Find Me
Here’s the part I actually wrote this article for. Zwift is a hundred times better with people, and I would love it if some of that “people” was you. I race and ride with CMC (https://www.capemultisportclub.com/our-disciplines/cycling/zwift), our cycling club’s team, in the WTRL Team Time Trials, and I’m on there most weeks getting dropped with dignity or occasionally, gloriously, not getting dropped at all.
Look me up on Zwift as:
L.iz 🩷 (CMC)
Send a ride-on, join a session, heckle me kindly in the in-game chat, or just lurk and watch me suffer up a virtual mountain from the comfort of your own screen. Either way, the tribe is friendlier than it looks, and nobody judges your pace, your pyjama shorts, or your questionable choice of avatar hairstyle. We’ve all been there.
Got questions before you dive in, or want to know more about joining a CMC session? Pop me a message — Liz@theendurancediaries.co.za — and I’ll get you sorted.
🩷The Endurance Diaries🩷
