How to grab your first sprint jersey on Zwift

      In Zwift, there are tons of sprints all over the various courses that Zwift has. Some riders can take sprint jerseys no problem, others it is harder. Here are a few ways that you can increase your chance of taking the sprint jersey.

    The first way is to use your powerup. Usually in Zwift you get a powerup pretty regularly so if you have one when there is a sprint, definitely use it. It will help you go a lot faster. The most effective powerup is the aero helmet. This makes you 50 percent more aerodynamic which makes a pretty big difference if you compare it to other powerups such as the feather.

    The next way is to join group rides. During group rides there is usually a group. It is not very often that the leader sprints too. Usually the leader gives you the option to sprint. If you are in a group fall back to the back of the group and maybe even get slightly dropped, put your powerup on and sprint as hard as you can when the time comes. When sprinting at around 9 wpk you can get to almost 36 mph when sprinting through/pass a group. This is just the way that the draft works and I am not quite sure why this happens. Using a powerup with a group increases your speed event more! Especially when using the Aero boost or the truck boost.

    Another way is to ride the reverse of a route. If there is a sprint on a route, there is almost always a reverse version of the sprint. Most people don't bother to flip a u turn to go the other direction so doing the reverse there will definitely be less competition. You could also go onto a world that is not currently on the schedule doing the meetup hack, where you create a meetup with yourself on a course that is not in the rotation at the time. There are typically 100 riders or less on the course so there is a very high chance of grabbing segment jersey's.

    My final tip is to build up your speed before the sprint starts. If you have a friend riding too, make sure to drop back slightly and use them as a slingshot to gain momentum. Starting your sprint around 3 seconds early helps you build up your speed, don't start too hard but do a decent sprint to get your speed up to around 50kph, then turn your powerup on as you pass the green sprint start. I have found that this worked numerous times including getting my first sprint jersey in Makuri Islands. I also used this strategy in a recent group ride that I did.

    I hope you found this article fun and helpful. If you did please tell others about the blog! If you have any other tips that are not listed leave a comment and I will add it onto the article.