Looking for Ideas - Motivation, What next

General Discussion
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Hey There…

1st post here in the forum. I need some help with my motivation using Zwift. I’ve been using Zwift for about a year now and aside from seeing my cycling fitness increase, I was finding motivation in collecting badges which I’ve all but finished doing and completing the Everest Challenge to obtain the Concept Bike. Now after these accomplishments, I’ve kind of lost my motivation. I’ve done the same two training plans now and collecting XPs to increase levels seems kind of pointless because of the achievements seems kind of silly (i.e. polka dot socks, gloves, etc…). Is their some type of achievement out there that keeps people motivated that I’m not aware of?

Thank you!!

CK

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Up to level 42, there are the level unlocks for the best gear.

(You need level 35 to get a setup that will beat your Tron bike.)

And at level 34, there’s the fastest climbing frame:

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Tried racing yet? You don’t need to be a cat A rider to race there are races for all abilities.

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Hey Chris,

Welcome. You ask a good question that brings up lots of deeper issues. It’s going to be very personal for each of us, right?

To get to the heart of it, do you enjoy the actual experience of riding indoors using Zwift? When you get off the bike at the end, do you feel better, happier? Maybe I’m weird*, but I find that I enjoy indoor cycling at least as much as doing it outdoors and am motivated by knowing that I get a mental and physical boost out of Zwift each time.

If doing indoor riding feels like a chore, the motivation will be much harder to find and has to come from some external factor. (BTW, if that’s the case, are there practical things you can do to make the experience more enjoyable? More comfortable, simpler and more immersive?)

Like you, I have all but exhausted the badge hunting. The equipment acquisition aspect that @Siobhan_Sinclair has highlighted has been good additional motivation for me, as is the act of progressing up the levels for the sake of it. Having those carrots in front of me does help push me to put in further time and efforts, even if the resulting value exists only within Zwift.

At this rate, at some point in the next six months or thereabouts, I’ll run out of new levels and I suppose I’ll just rely on the enjoyment in riding and the social aspects of Zwift. Still, there are many people who have reached the highest levels (25, then 50) years ago and who still ride a huge amount in Zwift as well as outside, so I guess they are all finding the motivation somewhere. I think that many of them are also racers, like @Gordon_Rhino-Racing points out.

The eternal optimist in me says that Zwift might surprise us all and soon add more challenges, more missions, more levels and other aspects that will provide lots of additional, external motivation… but we cannot rely on that. :wink:

(*To further illustrate my point, back in simpler times [1998], I remember happily riding indoors through a long, snowed-out winter using the dumbest of dumb trainers for hours at a time with nothing but a blank wall in front of me and a Deep Purple CD on repeat. Yeah, I’m probably weird. :man_shrugging:)

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for me, group riding is what keeps me coming back. i ride with the pacer bots, group rides, races, events, etc. the appeal of riding by myself wore off pretty quickly, but riding in a group is just as fun as ever. also, i try different types of ride: short c, long c, long d, 45 mins at b, it all improves different skills.

i also do workouts mixed in, too. zwift academy is really good for that. 1 workout and 4 group rides a week keeps me coming back.

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I wouldn’t object to new levels above 50. I don’t need virtual socks or sunglasses or even bar tape. Just the levels would be nice. I find motivation in the simple joy of getting that number to change.

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When I get bored I run a trial on another platform…Fulgaz, BigRingVR, Rouvy, etc…Ride different parts of the world.

  • The road to the Blue Lagoon
  • A big-a$$ downhill in Ethiopia (recovery ride)
  • Lava Fields of Hawaii
  • Etc.

Granted these are tunnel-visioned but it works for me. Chances are though you will be alone. I do not do group rides or race or training plans. Just free-rides. My most enjoyable times on Zwift are getting into or forming a small group paceline (mostly in the desert of Watopia but the flatlands of Makuri work well) and going faster than I would on my own. Great fun for a few minutes.

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Thanks everyone for taking the time to provide your responses. I do find myself enjoying Zwift and sometimes prefer it over going outside because it’s much more efficient; especially when you only have a small window of time to get in a ride. I’m very much task oriented person so I’m motivated by having a goal. Whether that be trying to get all the badges I can, completing a training plan or climbing enough feet to get the Tron bike. So I guess I’m just looking for my next challenge on Zwift. I started an older Zwift Academy and completed the workouts and just need to add some group rides. I’m curious how ZA differs from the workouts I’ve done. Is their some type of ‘achievement’ at the end?

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There is a custom paint job for the Canyon Aeroad 2021.

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