Zwift Ghosts

I Against I (Racing against myself)

I recently retired from Peloton after nearly four years of daily riding. There were many reasons for moving on, which I may go into more deeply one day. One of the issues was that I didn't have a way to compare my performance with past rides on the same ride. I couldn't tell if I had improved or regressed. There weren't any clues to help me know if pushing slightly harder would allow me to maintain or even improve my performance.

I'm only a month into using the virtual bike trainer Zwift, but there's a lot that I like about it. It seems more challenging, which equates to a better workout for me. While it's virtual and not a real bike, it feels much closer to the struggles and rewards of actual riding compared to a Peloton.

One of my favorite features is the Zwift Ghost. When I'm riding a segment or route that I've completed before, a ghost avatar appears. It shows how I rode previously compared to my current status. Ideally, I'm riding better than last time, so the ghost is behind me and out of sight. But if it's in front, it serves as powerful motivation to push a little harder.

Mutliplying ghosts

These ghosts aren't limited to one per ride. During a recent route, I started seeing multiple ghosts competing against my current ride due to the different segments being measured. It felt almost Matrix-like, seeing multiple versions of my slightly younger self from just minutes ago compared to now. I was doing the same segment ten times, so for the first half, I was incrementally improving, only to start dropping as quickly as I had previously improved. After that, some laps I came back strong, while others not so much.

All this is to say that seeing my previous self helped me understand my current state. It helped me improve my performance when I had gas in the tank or when I needed a nudge. There were also times when I was spent. During those moments when my ghost left me in the dust, I could at least admire what I had been capable of.