Road v Zwift: Top SA cyclists draw comparison

While the country’s top cyclists are hoping to return to the road soon, with the international season still suspended, they have had a taste of elite racing in recent weeks, despite being locked down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

And in a world which is forcing sports to think outside the box, inevitable comparisons are likely to be made between traditional contests on the road and races held on virtual platforms.

The popular Zwift platform, being used for the Virtual Tour de France, allows cyclists to use stationary bicycles to train and race in virtual cities.

By linking bikes to computers or mobile apps, using smart turbo trainers (small devices which attach to the back wheel), resistance is applied or lessened to simulate gradients.

Sprinter Ryan Gibbons, who rides for top-flight local outfit NTT Pro Cycling, has shone among the international stars as virtual racing continues to gain traction.

Gibbons, who edged out former Tour de France stage winner Daryl Impey to win the South African road race title in February, surged to a historic victory on the 36.4km opening stage of the Virtual Tour de France race last week.

While the second stage was won by French rider Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo), NTT Pro Cycling held the yellow, green and white jerseys heading into this weekend’s third stage.

Simulating reality, Virtual Tour de France participants are attached to lookalike avatars, which feature the sponsored kit of their respective teams.

A total of 23 men’s teams and 17 women’s squads are taking part in the three-week contest, with four riders participating in each of the six stages, allowing teams to change their squad members on each leg.

And though he admits there are significant differences between the Zwift platform and racing on the road, Gibbons feels there are as many similarities.

“Both are on a bicycle, and both require fitness, endurance and power,” said Gibbons, who is set to turn out on the 48km third stage of the Virtual Tour on Saturday.

“The main difference is that out on the road you’re generally racing much further distances. You’re on the bike for between four and seven hours.

“It also requires a lot of technical skills, like riding in the bunch, knowing how to ride in the wind, descending, braking. But you do have benefits and assistance from your teammates, like riding in the slipstream and that sort of thing.

“In the virtual world it’s pretty much all on you. It comes down to pure power. But you don’t have to worry about external factors like crashing. If you pedal harder than the guy next to you, you’re going to go in front of him.

“So they both do give a clear indication of who is in form and who is not, and you can’t really hide in the virtual world.”

The Virtual Tour de France has attracted some of the best riders in the world. Picture: Zwift

Gibbons’ teammate, Louis Meintjes, also feels there are significant differences between road racing and Zwift racing, and the former national champion agrees that virtual contests are no less
challenging.

The Tour de France, scheduled to start at the end of August after being postponed last month, is set to consist of 3 470km of racing over 21 stages.

The Virtual Tour de France, in comparison, consists of 225km over six stages.

Meintjes, however, believes the virtual race’s shorter distances and the absence of physical teammates offer unique challenges.

One of the country’s top performers in recent years, having finished in the top 10 overall at the Tour de France in 2016 and 2017, Meintjes took eighth place on the 29.5km second stage of the Virtual Tour de France.

“The biggest differences between real racing and Zwift racing, I think, are probably the intensity and the duration,” Meintjes said.

“In a Zwift race you start sprinting from kilometre zero, and there’s almost never a moment that you can relax.

“In the ultra endurance races you have to perform after five hours, but because this is much shorter, it’s completely full gas.

“The tactics are also slightly different. You can’t use your teammates as much in a Zwift race. You can still plan and try work together, just not as much as in the real world where the team is absolutely
crucial.

“So it’s pretty intense, and you’re still riding a bike. The power you produce gets you the result in the end.”

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