Last week Zwift, the hugely popular online 'game' designed to make indoor training fun (or at least vaguely bearable) announced a new add-on – Alpe du Zwift. The 7.5 mile (12km) segment climbs 3400ft /1036m at an average of 8.5% and, with its 21 hairpins, bears more than a passing resemblance to the iconic climb of Alpe d'Huez.
According to Zwift's Chris Snook Alpe Du Zwift will be "…a fantastic training tool for those preparing for Gran Fondos this summer. For many people, this will be the only way to simulate climbs of one hour or more in length."
At the moment Alpe du Zwift is only open to 'Zwifters' who've clocked up enough mileage to unlock level 12, although users yet to hit level 12 will be able to ride it as part of official Zwift events held on the climb or if they ride with a friend who's unlocked the climb. CP editor Rob is training for this year's L'Etape du Tour, so he'll be looking to conquer the Alpe in his garage soon…
In the meantime, this video from Zwiftcast is a great reminder that games like Zwift take quite a bit of work!
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