We’re rolling out a new Draft Indicator designed to make it easier to see when you’re gaining a strong drafting benefit in Zwift. This new visual element will appear in the center HUD and slowly expand based on how much draft you are receiving.
With this update, the familiar “Close The Gap” messaging will be retired. Instead of a text prompt, drafting feedback will be shown directly through the HUD bar, giving riders a clearer and more intuitive signal as they settle into someone’s wheel. When you’re sitting in a solid draft, the bar will grow to reflect the benefit you’re receiving.
Without using any power-ups, the draft indicator will reach roughly 80% of the full draft bar. When activating the Draft Boost PowerUp at the same time as being in full draft, it is possible to extend the draft bar full length.
There’s nothing you need to enable—this indicator simply appears when within range of the bike in front of you.
One important detail: this indicator will not appear when riding a TT bike or riding behind a handcycle since drafting doesn’t apply in those setups.
Overall, this change should make it easier to understand when you’re really “in the draft,” especially in groups, during races, and while riding with Pace Partners. We’re excited to bring more clarity to one of the most important and most requested dynamics in Zwift riding.
Pretty excited to try this out. I guess I wonder if it would be more intuitive to let the bar go the full way in the current progress bar without a power-up and then have the bar extend a bit further outside the current bound (maybe with a slightly different color when over the normal 100%) when there is a power-up. Then folks would know when they have as much draft as they can without a power-up etc.
Seems it’s set up to only show when you are drafting, so I expect it would show during a TTT. And a handbike drafting another handbike should get it too.
Should disappear if someone drops a burrito in front of you too.
This is a really strange design choice. All I care about is whether I’m getting the full amount of draft possible at any given time. I’d much prefer that the bar changes (either by expanding or changing the scale) while a draft PU is active. Such that my target at all times is filling the bar.
And I’ll echo everyone else to please make it available during TTTs if it’s not already. Arguably the most important time for knowing whether you’re getting the full draft.
I would suggest putting lines out at the 80% point so it’s easy for people to see when they’ve hit full “natural” draft and then keep the line visible when boosted so they can see what the split is.
I also agree with the color change / difference between natural and boosted drafting. The very obvious case is where someone is at 50-60% natural draft, hit the draft power up which takes them to 80%, if there isn’t a color difference showing people will get confused and think the power up isn’t working or won’t understand why the bar isn’t filling up. These poor UI design choices are going to cause all sorts of complaints and customer service headaches.
So, put a permanently visible line at 80% and then use a different color in the bar to represent the portion of the draft “boosted” from the power up.
How did this work, I assume you were pulling them, so you wouldn’t see their “close the gap” message? I guess they will just have to use the draft indicator now, which really should give them the same if not better information.
Something I’ve noticed when creating the draft overlay tool for Pedal Games app (that overlays data on top of Zwift), is draft off one rider is roughly 75-80% of full draft. And, it only takes two riders in front of you for you to receive 100% draft. The Van powerup boosts the draft watts received to 115% of that max, and that is the same no matter the number of riders you’re behind. Interesting choice for Zwift to only fill their draft hud when there’s a powerup, because Pedal Games is able to show 100% as 100%. Looking forward to riding this in Zwift, it’s a great update!
