Wattage Cottage Episode 3: Making Zwift Racing Great Again, Club Upgrades, Rocket Espresso, and a Junior Development Team Launch

The trio begins by diving into “Making Zwift Racing Great Again”. What could Zwift do to make the experience more engaging, more “indoor-only”, while keeping it all dead simple? From real-time points racing to elimination races without elimination to “Tantopia”, we dig into the possibilities.

Then it’s onto Zwift Clubs. Cycling, particularly road cycling, has always revolved around local clubs. Zwift’s Clubs feature tries to bring some of this to the platform. But how useful is the Clubs feature today, when it’s really just a container for events? Could Zwift build it out to enable better interaction and stronger communities, all within the Zwift ecosystem?

Next up: Rocket Espresso’s recent announcement of a limited-edition collaboration with Zwift. Feedback from the community was generally negative, with comments focusing on the machine’s price tag. Shane weighs in on how Starbucks drinkers aren’t interested, Eric confesses his espresso obsession, and we all gain a bit of perspective on the world of high-end collabs and influencer marketing.

Lastly, we hit on a fresh piece of news: Zwift is launching a North American junior team in 2027, with partners Canyon and Pedal Mafia. And this is no short-term project, with long-term funding secured and a 10-year goal of putting a rider on the Tour de France podium. What are the motivations here? Will Zwift need to change how it deals with junior accounts? And could this affect Zwift Academy?

Thanks for listening! Leave a review if the show is landing for you, and share us with your cycling friends. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.