A REAL OR VIRTUAL DANGER?
220 Triathlon|Spring 2022
Enjoyed by millions of endurance athletes, indoor training platform Zwift has been accused of putting vulnerable players at risk of eating disorders
TIM HEMING
A REAL OR VIRTUAL DANGER?

TIM HEMING

Cutting through the spin of tri to address the issues that matter, Tim is a sports journalist who has written extensively on triathlon for the national press.

If you haven't caught the Zwift bug, you're probably in the minority. The cycling and running platform has become a competitive lifestyle for thousands who love competing on the turbo trainer.

But while Zwift has made our avatars push faster and harder for longer, is it also turning a blind eye to flaws that could trigger the health risks of disordered eating already inherent in endurance sport?

This is the view of one experienced age-group cyclist who contacted 220 to lay out the dangers he perceives for young riders on the platform. The argument rests on the way Zwift calculates performance, chiefly through power (watts) and weight (kg). The higher the power and lower the weight, the faster you go, especially up hills.

This story is from the Spring 2022 edition of 220 Triathlon.

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This story is from the Spring 2022 edition of 220 Triathlon.

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