Zwift PowerUp Tri Podcast

​This week we have 70.3 specialist Sam Appleton on with us as hecomes off of an impressive 8th place at 70.3 World Championships in Nice last month. Formany users, Zwift is an outlet to be able to combine their love of gaming with their necessity forquality training. This is very true for Sam, and we take the chance to chat with him about his (and Jordan’s) love for gaming and esports. We of course get a breakdown of the World Champs race as well as some exciting news about Sam's plans for the rest of the season. In the tech corner, Jordan talks about what to him was a surprise at Eurobike—that no one has released an answer for a 12 speed drivetrain on a smart trainer?!?!

Episode 15 brings recent Kona qualifier and Zwift Academy Tri mentor, Sarah True, in for a chat. We take this opportunity to talk about an often overlooked yet important topic: depression in endurance athletes. We dive right in and speculate on why depression seems to be so common in athletes as well as our advice for dealing with it. Sarah also offers a quick update on the Zwift Academy Tri team with Kona just around the corner. In the tech corner, Jordan gives us the rundown on the hotly debated E-Bike racing scene.

Jordan and Matt get together to share their thoughts and observations from the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice. Both the men's and women's races had some breakthrough performances as well as some surprises on this super challenging course. Did the pre-race favorites produce? Were there any Kona implications from race day? And Jordan checks in on steering on Zwift and the new Yorkshire course.

You know who Dan Empfield is, right? Multisport entrepreneur. Inventor of the triathlon wetsuit and triathlon racing bike. When it comes to the business side of triathlon, few people know more than Dan. He swings by the studio in Episode 14 to talk about the current state of the sport as well as where it’s headed. It’s demographics have been shifting over the last few years, causing alarm bells to go off for some. Dan, on the other hand, has a more positive outlook. He thinks triathlon has a bright future, but urges us all to do our part, otherwise we could see a downturn.

Ironman 70.3 Champion, Pieter Heemeryck, lives in Belgium and rides a lot on Zwift — he’s a level 47! That’s 21,000 KM of Zwifting. Second only to Lionel Sanders. At least in the pro triathlon world.

 

When he won Ironman 70.3 Lanzarote, Pieter’s bike split was the fastest of the day. Same goes for his split at the 70.3 World Championships last year in South Africa. Pieter chats with us about why training indoors can translate into outdoor PRs. We also chat about recent tri news and Jordan’s first vacation in years.

Where do you go after winning an Olympic Gold Medal in triathlon? If you’re Gwen Jorgensen, you make the jump to marathon. With Gold in mind, she’s shifted gears during her training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Gwen chats with us about the change, plus we catch up on recent tri news!

Alistair Brownlee is often seen on G.O.A.T. lists, and he just completed and won his first IRONMAN! What’s next for the 2x Olympic Gold Medalist? We chatted about his move up in distance and what podium he’s hoping to stand on next.

Almost half-a-century old, the sport of triathlon has seen its fair share of progress. A pillar of the sport for decades, tri legend Mike Reilly is a staunch advocate of its positive effects. He stops by in Episode 10 to talk all about it. How it’s evolved. What the scene looks like now versus then. His experiences, and recently published book, Finding My Voice. The crew also goes over a few recent races, and checks in on some interesting tech from E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

One of the reasons long-distance triathlon is so beloved is its all-ages appeal. Young. Old. It doesn’t matter. If you have the drive to go the distance, you can be a triathlete. Over the years, there’s been frequent debate on what the “ideal” age is for top performances. Traditionally, “older” (30–40) has been seen as better, with experience and knowledge helping tri veterans make it to the podium. Lucy Charles-Barclay is pushing back. Only 25 years old, she’s already racked up a number of Ironman wins as well as three World Championship podiums. She joins the crew in Episode 9 to explain how younger athletes can approach races similar to older competitors, and how age is just a number when it comes to experience and tri knowledge. We also talk about Allied's successful gravel bike launch in Kansas as well as other recent happenings in the tri scene.

Want to know more about the Specialized Zwift Academy Tri team? Here's your chance.

 

We sat down for a chat with Tim Don—a tri legend and one of the team’s two mentors—to talk about the camp at Morgan Hill. The workouts. The team. The gear. Everything. We also dive into triathlon training tips and some awesome new tech: the DJI action camera and Wahoo Elemnt Roam.