Zwift to refresh avatars as a part of raft of winter changes

Zwift’s busy period of updates shows no sign of slowing down after the popular indoor training platform announced that its avatars will receive a refresh in February.

New faces will be available as a part of the changes, while avatars no longer need to match the gender selected on a profile. Alongside this, Apple watches will soon also be compatible with the app as heart rate monitors, while riders will be able to find and queue routes and workouts via the companion app.

The American brand has also confirmed that the popular Tour de Zwift event will return in January, just one month before the Zwift Games makes its debut. Announced in November 2023, the new event has been billed as the “biggest cycling esports competition to date”.

The latest updates, which will all come into effect across the winter months, come less than a week after Zwift implemented a new levelling system which makes it easier for Zwifters to rise through the ranks and earn rewards.

• Read more: Zwift makes it easier to level up in latest update

Zwift updates and new features

The biggest beneficiary of the latest changes will be the avatars which, having remained untouched for many years, will be familiar to anyone using the platform. From February this will change with Zwift promising that “faces will be getting a whole new appearance”.

Previously the avatars available were dependent on your profile’s gender but that will also change soon, although Zwift hasn’t confirmed when as of yet. This means that riders will be able to choose any avatar they want, although Zwift has clarified that event categories will still match the gender assigned to a rider’s profile rather than their avatar.

In a bid to further boost compatibility, it will soon be possible to use Apple watches as heart rate monitors in conjunction with the app, although this is also from an unspecified date.

© Zwift

It will soon be possible to queue routes and workouts in the Companion app

The final change should cut down on the time it takes to find any routes and workouts as, from January, users can find and select routes in the Companion app. These will then appear in a queue on the main Zwift app ready for your next ride.

• Read more: Zwift launches new road and eight new routes as Watopia expands

Tour de Zwift makes a return

Having been around since 2017, the Tour de Zwift has become a formality in the indoor cycling calendar and it will make a return once again in January 2024. Serving up multiple stages, the event allows users from around the world to explore the different routes on the platform. There are multiple routes available per stage, so you can pick and choose where you explore - including routes that you may not usually have access to. Zwift has confirmed that there will be new rewards up for grabs, including the platform’s first ever virtual bucket hat.

• Read more: Zwift routes and worlds - a complete guide

While the Tour de Zwift is a chance to explore the virtual worlds, things will step up a gear at the Zwift Games in February. The Rapha Festive 500 will also once again be returning to Zwift in December, with any miles clocked indoors counting towards the total distance covered, while Zwift has also partnered with L’Étape du Tour de France to provide workouts and events for those preparing for the event.

Riders can also receive an early New Year’s fitness boost courtesy of Kristin Armstrong's new training plan. There are more events on the horizon too, with Zwift teasing that a new one will be available in March, but we’ll have to wait until February for any further announcements.

Zwift

Zwift is a fitness technology company that allows users to interact, train and race on its virtual online cycling platform. Zwift has approximately one million subscribers and has completely changed how cyclists view training.