Ever wondered what Zwift racing looks like at the highest level? Jasper Paridaens has quite some experience with it, having been a Zwift Academy finalist in 2022. In this podcast, he discusses his Zwift beginning with Dr. Tim Podlogar and Dr. Tom Kirk. They also talk about mistakes Jasper has made in the past, how a beginner can get better in Zwift races and, of course, nutrition.
00:00-6:59 Getting started at Zwift
7:00-11:21 Gear
11:22-14:48 Training volume
14:49-18:26 Nutrition
18:27-23:17 Weigh-in protocol
23:18-26:39 Number of races
26:40-29:55 Off-season
28:56-34:53 Tips for beginners
34:54-35:44 Till next time
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🇸🇮 ABOUT DR. TIM PODLOGAR:
Dr. Tim Podlogar is an exercise physiologist with a special interest in endurance exercise metabolism and sports nutrition. He is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK and an assistant professor at the University of Primorska, Slovenia. Outside academia he works as a sports nutritionist in a World Tour cycling team and with many other aspiring athletes. He is himself an avid cyclist pushing his body to the limits.
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🇬🇧 ABOUT DR. TOM KIRK:
Dr. Tom Kirk was an up-and-coming cyclist with a desire to move into the professional ranks. When he realized that a career as a professional cyclist was not a realistic goal he returned to the UK to study for a degree in Sports and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He gained a BSc in Sports and Exercise Sciences, and followed up his degree with a Masters in Sports and Exercise Nutrition at Loughborough University. He then gained a PhD in Sports Physiology and Nutrition and a research position at Oxford University. Today he runs Custom Cycle Coaching (https://customcyclecoaching.co.uk/), a progressive cycle coaching and lifestyle consultancy.
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Hi guys welcome back to the endurance podcast um as usual we’ve got Tim and myself here and we’ve got a guest this time yasper paradigms um I hope I pronounce that about right um who was a rift Academy finalist last year in 2022 um so we’re going to talk a little bit about
Um his background how he got involved in zift his nutrition for indor training and racing and stuff like that um so I guess best thing to start really is with yasper how how did you get involved in cycling and in drift in particular I actually started my indoor
Experience my indoor sessions on um on a zwift and um thanks to the to the mean guy here in here in Belgium who is uh who is involved with all the indoor and S stuff his name is Stefan tat um he is also the manager of the uh of the all
Belgium uh squads uh who is also racing in the zft Grand Prix series um and yeah it was in the uh covid in the covid Years uh um we are not allowed to race outside and um I think every racer was was looking for something else
For some other um objectives and um yeah that’s that’s actually the main reason why I started with the with the indoor races um the uh covid and um yeah uh Swift was was a nice thing to do I I I actually uh felt in loved with it
And um it’s it’s just a nice way to to get some comp competition in the in the winter months as well and uh yeah when the results are actually quite good um I I just keep keep racing on on it um when you like started racing on Z like was it
Or starting using with let’s say it um you just started using with for the sake of racing or also training because like indoor training has usually been pretty popular in countries where the we weather is not really nice um especially in the winter months like in the UK and
Belgium um or was it just like you wanted to race and there were no races so you started drifting I actually wanted to to race and to to actually pain myself because that was also a thing that that I that I missed during during that times
And um I I just wanted to comp to compete against other other Riders and uh it wasn’t possible then and uh yeah that’s actually the main reason why I started with the indoor indoor races um and the training the training stuff and and the benefits of training on Swift came
Actually later on that I that I thought oh the training and the custom workouts are actually also quite good for for the races outside so so you basically like we’re training outdoors and then um just racing indoors yeah um so basically the opposite of what some other people might
Do and now you also do structured workout indoors um do you use um ERG mode or is it always free mode when you do training sessions I use the ERG mode uh it’s just easy to to keep your power steady and and to and to compete the uh training blocks
You had to do um you don’t need to to look at your screen uh oh I I need to do uh still two two minutes or or some time I had to do on on a specific power uh no it it it just moved by itself and it’s
It’s way more easier to uh train on the IR mode than on the free mode totally agree yeah no I don’t really use the tempo training much anyway so but I would say in terms of Translating that to when you go outside it’s not in ERG mode outside um
Obviously I can understand it makes it easier to hold that that set Power um yeah I tend to not encourage people to use ERG mold certainly not all of the time and but maybe that’s another another story so going back to when you first started on zift I guess zift
Another indoor training formats are probably the only thing that benefited from Co in the world um so had you train for a normal season of racing outside and then obviously that was stopped in in March of that year and so you wanted to use your Fitness yeah I um I prepared myself in
Winter like like I always do um before the before the indoor races it it was most of the time on the on the mountain bike outside or uh just on the on the race bike um yeah in bad weather conditions um yeah what it’s most of the time here in Belgium um yeah
Then the then the then the covid came and the lockdowns and there were no races so um I think um a lot of a lot of RAC a lot of riders here in Belgium switched switched automatically to uh to the to the Swift platform or maybe other
Indoor platforms and for me it was like a a normal a normal switch um I think I wasn’t the only one who needs to uh to uh race against against the others so um it was like yeah it was it it was normal so yeah how has your setup um changed over the
Time like we probably started like with a very poor fun and poor ventilation and we have something special now that makes you like um suffer Less on the bike indoors um I started actually with a cheap uh Elita trainer uh elit uh dto um and actually with on my first
Zwift race so my first zift race I ever did um I won the kicker power V5 so that was actually the the first up upgrade that I that I that I had and um yeah when you are when you are selected to to compete in the world championships um
You have the option to to buy a new trainer from waho and um so I actually always did and um now I’m racing on the Wahoo power V uh V6 and um yeah I have I think uh three fans um in front of me and uh on hot
Summer days uh it came be a tree so yeah I find that like the ventilation to be the most important thing like myself because I spend like 14 hours a week probably at the moment um indoors on the kicker with the kicker fan I just use trainer out um I don’t compete or
Anything but yeah um I know this experience um how do you like ventilate the room do you have windows open or like the humidifier did you go like one step ahead or is it just the fan and the bike uh nowadays it’s defend on the bike
Uh because it is winter here in here in Belgium so um the room temperature where where my setup is located it’s it’s now approximately five or six degrees so it’s actually it’s actually very good for uh for racing for racing indoors but um yeah on in this in this summer it’s
Just all all windows open uh all the fans on my on my on my head and uh just uh drinking drinking a lot um it can be like two two or three bottles an hour in uh winter in summer days so yeah cooling down is maybe sometimes the most important thing in
With yeah most people don’t understand this I think like I saw many professionals doing zwift races I don’t know for sponsoring purposes and then you see like very tiny little fan in front of them or no fan at all and they’re like sweating and you’re like come on guys you’re professionals you
Should know better um have the fans on but yeah people just because even if it’s five degrees right you need the fun absolutely absolutely when I broke my arm I was doing Teo training and I did it outside in the winter and even then I’d start off with long sleeves on and
Everything like that and then just gradually you’re taking clothes off taking clothes stuff and that’s even outside so obviously indoors with a few degrees warmer you you just get overheat so quickly don’t you absolutely uh now nowadays here in here here in Winter I I always start with my
Long sleeves but actually after five or 10 minutes it’s like too too hot and I just uh move it out and it’s way way better with uh at the fan and short sleeves when you are actually riding indoors Tim goes for the extra pain of doing in the heat chamber though don’t you
Normally Yeah well yeah then the ker needs a ventilator I’m not me it will overheat with your power so how much like at the moment like how much training do you do indoors and how much do you do outdoors and what is like your training volume how in total around
Uh around 15 hours um 15 hours a week uh these month um and they are actually all indoors um I can’t even remember the last time when I ride when I did a ride uh on the bike Outdoors um I think it’s it could be half of half of October so
Already uh already two months yet that I actually ride always indoors um I remember last year I I spended like four months every training on my indoor bike so um the first ride outdoor was was a little bit strange but um after several minutes you get back you get
Back used to it and yeah do you still compete outside you still do chesses or as well or yeah yeah the uh the road the road season here in Belgium uh start from yeah when the when the Belgian classic start so uh we in the last week
Of uh February and it continues until uh the third week of October so and how do you find the crossover when you finished the Ser season of zift racing normally relatively short races to go out and you do 100 120 kilm plus racing I switched I switched to the longer races quite easy
Um but yeah you you you have the condition from the from the indoor races and for me it’s it’s not it’s not a big switch to switch to the longer races so it’s not it’s not that I that I noticed to myself oh I I actually problem with the with the uh
Length of the outside races now it’s it’s doable For Me Maybe the weather’s more of a problem in February March in Belgium when you yeah more absolutely what’s your longest um ride on on zwift uh my longest ride was probably last year uh between Christmas and uh New
Year’s Eve uh there was a ride on Swift uh the full PRL London so it’s uh 175 case and I think it was a five hour ride oh okay not too long then not too long five hours yeah long enough yeah yeah but yeah maybe I have loads of
Botles lined up next to you so you didn’t have to stop too much and yeah or I or I just call to to someone in in the other rooms and say hey can you bring me some liquid and most yeah so yeah speaking of nutrition like how do you go
About like playing non nutrition for the races and like yeah do you have like a special protocol or you just do what you think is works best well um I started this year with with a more uh specific um nutrition protocol um but the previous the
Previous years it was just uh a bottle of uh uh a bottle of sugar um Coca-Cola or something like that and a bottle of of water um but uh nowadays it’s it’s it’s more um um endurance powder and um and some gels that that are already um ready to uh take and
Um and a b of waters as well but um it’s it’s more it’s more professional now I think um so I so I I use yeah I use the powder I use the gels after the ride most of the time when I’m when I when
I’m when I not forget um I take the recovery and um it’s also the the indoor um racing world is is improving and when you are not improving with them the uh your your opponents uh your opponents are just um month after month they are they’re getting better and you actually
Need to need to do something extra to uh to keep competing with them and um yeah you feel you you feel yourself stronger when you use the right right nutrition and and afterwards when you take the recovery um you feel yourself better the following days and it it’s just like racing Outdoors
When you when you are in a small stage stage race stage race um yeah how do you like what about like the hours before like special breakfast you have a special routine like the day before like glycogen loading do you do any of that or is it more by the
Fer I keep it in my mind that that uh and it’s it’s actually started from the evening before um it’s like then um carbo loading and um in the day of the race s you you I personally I don’t eat that much uh because you need to wait yourself uh for
Like two hours uh before the start of the race um so it’s it’s um fast uh fast digesting food and yeah just after you wait in you you eat you eat something something sweet something high sugar um and then is it it’s actually racing on in nearby uh empty
Stomach that’s interesting I didn’t really considered how similar it is to other sort of more weight category based Sports obviously if it’s boxing or lightweight rolling or something like that the the weigh in before is so important and I’ve never really considered that in with but since it’s
All watts per kilo and there’s the like you say the way in a couple of hours before things are different dimension to it yeah and for for me it gives me actually a little bit of a stress um like now you have these rft ground pre
Where is where it is um mandatory to wait yourself two hours before the start of the race and like like I said before I’m I’m I I started with with the with my food and with my uh liquidity intake like one day or sometimes two days before um that I say to
Myself um come on eat the eat the best food and the fastest uh digest digesting food you can take and um yes I don’t know it’s it’s it’s like it’s good for everyone um because you can you can lose too much of your of your body weight and I don’t know it’s
It can be sometimes um more negative for your performance and uh than positive because weight is weight is important but you can lose too much weight that you have just no power in your legs and anymore I’m made that decision the bet uh decision of uh waiting two or
Less um on the World Championships a couple of years ago I I was just so much busy in my head to to wait the less as possible that I just forgot that you also need some some power some power in your legs and um yeah that mistakes can happen yeah
Two hours before is not a big wind of opportunity to to make up for if you’ve dehydrated yourself or as you say you’ve not taken enough food carbohydrates on boarding there days before to try and try and meet that weight does it is it a special
Um scales everyone has to have the same scales to weigh themselves on or how do they do that so is that uh similar to in the world championships everybody has the same um trainer no in the world championships everyone has has the same trainer and everyone had to wait
Themselves like two hours before the start of the race um and the waiting protocol is for everyone the same um it just waiting um it just wait in yourself uh wait in some um something from approximately 10 Kos um so it’s your own personal scales that
You have at at home yeah yeah yeah so somebody’s scales could weigh a little bit different compared to if I weigh myself on my scales and then weigh myself at in Tim’s lab on his 5,000 scales I’d expect his to be more accurate than mine well actually the the exact
Protocol of the weighin is um you measure your scales it’s like like you have a reference weight for yeah yeah absolutely it’s like uh 10 kilos yeah afterwards you you show the zero the the show the zero uh display then you just wait yourself show the zero display as well
And afterwards uh you um you wait the scales and yourself and it should be exactly the same I understand yeah I’m not that busy with how to manipulate the the we in stuff so it’s no it’s it’s not um it’s not a big thing
For me how is um now that like in a train in a like High season for zft how many races do you do per week like how do you manage like that recovery and that the training stress doesn’t go too high well actually that was a problem
For me last last season last indoor season I did uh too much too much races um I did the Swift Academy workouts um so actually last year I finished the road season in the end of October and um I did the Swift Academy workout out um
From end of September until uh the mid of October so that was actually a um High stressful period um of that year and um when I when I get the message that I was selected for the Swift Academy finals in November um that wasn’t that was a sign
For me to just train harder and to focus myself on these Rift Academy finals and um I went to Spain I went with the um aline the king team and uh I did the sft academy finals I took a several days off and and afterwards it was it was just uh just
Like started the Swift ground PR races um some some other small races in between to be selected for for future championships like the Belgium championships like the World Championships so I actually never stopped racing uh until the last week of February and um I was in the in the last
In the last months in the last weeks of February I was actually mentally empty uh from all the these weeks all these months um focusing on the indoor races and on my on my indoor goals um so last year it was like a little bit too much so uh I learned that lesson
That lessons and uh this year I I just take one or two race one or two races a week um I think that’s enough for for this period of of the of the of the year but um yeah I learned my lesson from last year so over that sort of 12 month period
Between um say the February to the February you must have done a lot of racing if you raced all through the summer on the road and then also indoors how many races do you think you did over that period of time um the combinations of the com comination of in and outdoor
It can be uh can be easily 70 70 or 80 ra uh races yeah that’s quite a lot yeah so you don’t actually have an offseason then pretty much like they take like a month off or like three weeks off training completely like most professionals do last year no no I I did
Not um but this year I did um I took uh two or three weeks I didn’t any kind of race or high intensity stuff um I actually got the Epstein bar V virus uh it uh started in April May this this year and um I noticed during the summer
I was I was always uh fatigue and empty and the and the results weren’t what I was used um so I do so I did some blood analyzes and uh yeah the the result was that I was actually with the uh with with that Epstein bar
Virus uh that was for me designed to to take some to take some some intensity uh back for my my body for the month of uh October small amount of time off was enough for that to to recover completely and you again exactly exactly and um I
Think that that’s a thing that I that I had to do uh between the indoor and the outo and the outdoor season in February as well so um I think it’s it’s just good to take some some weak rest during the uh in and outdoor season because
Other other otherwise it’s it’s too it’s too intensity uh all the indoor um all the indoor races are just uh yeah they are extremely hard um and uh the intensity is isn’t something you you can forget what would be like people are still trying to go for with like what is
Basically like the biggest rookie mistakes of the beginners that they do um wrong when they start training indoors um do you think like what would you recommend everyone um they bought like a trainer and then or decide to make a buy a trainer like what would you recommend um how to
Start um I would say start and be sure you can stay in in the in the bench that’s like step one and um stay there to the to the end and when you have something left in the tank give everything the last 300 meters that’s for race one and when when you
When you are improving your level and we are when and when you are used to that you can think about attacking and um attacking and maybe took some races with the with the uh with uh with a a parkour with more uh altitude me meters but um the first
Races stay in the bunch and give everything the last the last part of the race and how many times would you recommend people to race like every day I remember I was racing every day and then um I got sick and it didn’t work any well I wouldn’t say
Every day it’s it’s it’s like when you are starting um you you should feel to your body what is what is enough and and what can you do more um but I say start with one One race or maybe two races a week and when when you are um when you
Complete these these races uh good you can start maybe for another race in in the week so three races but I I would I wouldn’t say do more than three races a week when you in the zift final with all the other finalists um and you’re riding
Together outside in real life would you say there was a good crossover between those who uh you thought were the the best on zift and on the or did you see some differences in some people who were who were more experienced in one versus the other yeah you you saw actually some
Differences from from a rider who was used to ride on Swift uh they have they have like lower Cadence than the Riders who are more um who are more riding on the on the road um that’s actually the main difference that I saw um but yeah a a good Rider on the
Road isn’t necessar a good Rider in zwift um I saw a good Rider on the road actually a pro a pro Rider um and in his first zift race he was he was dropped immediately but at the end in the when you see the results um that guy had actually the highest
Power numbers of the whole bunch so but he wasn’t used to race on zwift and he was actually dropped immediately but he was just so strong that he had the highest numbers so uh racing in zwift isn’t is something else than racing in in the in the real world and um
But on the but on the Swift Academy finals I yeah the difference in Cadence was the was the main part of saying okay that’s a swifter and that’s like a more real real road racer so it sounds like riding efficiently on zift versus riding efficiently on the road is is where the
Those tactics um play what’s what’s an efficient way to ride on the road you would expect the professional to be really good a could sit out of the wind Etc doesn’t come into play so much on zift it’s more maybe anticipating what people are going
To do and not having to be chasing all the time um when somebody attacks because you don’t get that same that same sense of of what’s happening on the computer that’s what I found anyway when IAD Swift yeah that’s actually a key point that that you say right now um stay stay
In the bench is like a critical point in the indoor races um when you have like a virtual uh 10 m behind you are actually dropped and you you actually had to put like two or three watts per kilo more than the guys in the bunch to to go back into the
Bench so it’s like wasting energy and we when you are not used to that you you are uh dropped really fast that was me when I Tri facing I was always in the front and then well and the finish I was dropped 40 years ago cool um yeah without like taking you
Too much time um like thanks a lot for um for joining us um I think listeners can learn from the best in the business about zft and um yeah um Good Luck um in the future thank you um it was a nice it was a really nice shat and I hope I can
I I could help you with the uh a podcast and with with some other zift tricks yeah that was brilliant thanks for the tips and tricks Jasper no Problem