Zwift to Stage 21 of the Tour de France

Zwift is what happens when you merge cycling and PC gaming. 

Zwift to Stage 21 of the Tour de France

The Zwift system allows you to undergo cycling training from the comfort of your own home. No having to worry about facing the elements, avoiding cars and other traffic, or (in my case) anyone else seeing you. Now, with the Tour de France happening yearly, it’s easy to feel inspired and motivated to hop back on the bike and power out a few miles. 


What is the Stage 21 of the Tour de France

Every year, elite cyclists compete in the gruelling Tour de France race. Stage 21 is the relatively flat 108.4km final leg of the race taking riders from Chatou to Paris Champs-Élysées, often during blazing-hot weather. (It’s only 100km, and you are sat down, right?!) 

For us non-elites, there are companion games where you can virtually compete against the best cyclists in the world. Zwift offers a halfway house for those of us whose fitness regimes never really left the Wii Fit era. 


What is Zwift? A Quick Overview


Did You Say Zwift?!

Conceptualised in 2014 by Jon Mayfield, Eric Min, Scott Barger, and Alarik Myrin, Zwift (external link) is an indoor cycling and running app. The app itself is free, but to make full use of the amazing features a membership is required. With its easy-to-use interface, you’ll have access to over 130 tracks across 8 worlds. As well as races, you’ll be met with customisation options for your kit and bike, along with all the stats you could ever need to track your progress. The app guides you through the setting up process, even tailoring the content to suit your exercise style and fitness level.

Joining a dedicated community, you can race against fellow Zwifters from all around the world, giving them each a Ride On! (thumbs up) as they smash their goals. Day or night, there will always be someone to ride against or with – there are over half a million members! This is truly social media cycling at its finest. 

Plus, there are all sorts of training rides and structured workouts to really help with achieving your goals. Even the Tour de France won’t seem impossible with Zwift.

Menu screen for Zwift workouts.

What Do You Need to Zwift?

Three important things:

  • A bike
  • A trainer
  • A computer
Bradley Wiggins using Zwift on a Pinarello

I won’t go into too much detail about bikes – so long as it has two wheels, a seat, and two pedals, you are pretty much set. A true cyclist can talk your ear off about the different types of bikes – road, mountain, hybrid – but I am not a true cyclist, and we are here for the tech.

Speaking of tech, let’s talk about the trainer. There are two types of trainers you can choose from: a standard trainer or a smart trainer. First, the standard trainer is the cheaper option of the two, but does require additional hardware if you really want to get the most out of Zwift. Alternatively, the smart trainer, on the other hand, comes with most of what you need integrated. So, whilst the smart trainer may be a little more expensive upfront, it is probably the more cost-effective option. With a smart trainer, the resistance will adjust for when you cycle uphill or over more difficult terrain, as well as show the power reading of your ride. Apparently, tracking your wattage is the best way to see improvement!

Here is a video from Zwift with a little more information on the trainers.


What We Came For: The PC

Whilst its graphical output may not be as realistic or advanced as some of our favourite gaming titles, Zwift is still an impressive bit of programming which will need some decent supporting specs.

From the Zwift website, these are the suggested system requirements from your gaming PC to be able to run a smooth race.

StandardBetterBest
OSWindows 7 64bit
macOS 10.11
Windows 8 64bit
macOS 10.11
Windows 10 64bit
macOS 10.13
CPUIntel Core 2 DuoIntel Core i5
AMD Athlon
Intel core i7
AMD Ryzen
RAM8GB8GB8GB
GPU1GB dedicated GPU
Embedded Intel HD or AMD R5
2GB Radeon R9 200
Nvidia GeForce GTZ 650
2GB Radeon R9 290
Nvidia GeForce GTX 970
Hard Drive4GB of free space4GB of free space4GB of free space
BluetoothVersion 4.0 or greaterVersion 4.0 or greaterVersion 4.0 or greater

Chances are, your computer already meets and/or exceeds these specifications. But, on the off chance they don’t, I have paired a selection of the Overclockers UK gaming PCs with these three tiers. You can give me a Ride On for it when you see me next in Zwift. Should these PCs not meet your needs, you can explore our full range instead. Your perfect cycling partner is out there! 

Watopia in Zwift

Standard Zwift Specs

Refract Gaming Amber

Refract Gaming Amber 2023
AMD Ryzen 5 7500F CPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU
 16GB DDR5 RAM
1TB M.2 SSD

OcUK Gaming Dagger

OcUK Gaming Dagger Configurable Gaming PC
Choice of Intel Core i3 or i5 CPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU as standard
Up to 32GB DDR4 RAM
Flexible storage options

For the standard tier, I have chosen the Refract Gaming Amber and OcUK Gaming Dagger. Both of these gaming PCs fit the bill for the system requirements – and then some! They may both feature entry level CPUs, but their advanced modern tech packs more than enough processing power to help you smash your PB.  

Both feature NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, far exceeding even the best specifications for graphic output. The Dagger utilises an RTX 30 Series card while the Amber has an NVIDIA RTX 4060, each taking advantage of powerful NVIDIA innovations to keep your frame rate smooth. This is then paired with 16GB RAM, to keep your Zwift session running smoothly. 

Zwift in New York

Better Zwift Specs

Refract Gaming Jade

Refract Gaming Jade 2023
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU
 32GB DDR5 RAM
1TB M.2 SSD

OcUK Gaming Carbide

OcUK Gaming Carbide - Intel Core i5 12400F, RTX 4060 Pre-Built Gaming PC
Intel Core i5 12400F CPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU
16GB DDR4 RAM
1TB M.2 SSD

Moving up a tier, we have the Refract Gaming Jade and OcUK Gaming Carbide pre-built PCs representing AMD and Intel CPUs, respectively. The Carbide is equipped with an Intel Core i5-12400F which uses hybrid core architecture and Intel Thread Director to intelligently manage core loads. According to Zwift Insider, single threads are the sweet spot for processing power as they tend to perform best with the app. Naturally, your gaming PC is going to be used for more than just your exercise regimen; so, having a CPU with more threads will not be a bad thing. 

These gaming PCs are equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060(/Ti) GPU. As we have already seen, this GPU is more than enough for Zwift, but it will also be well suited to the more demanding titles in your gaming library. The Ada Lovelace Architecture utilises advanced ray tracing and AI-enhanced upscaling to make all your favourite games play in stunning quality. 

Zwift eracing

Best Zwift Specs

Refract Gaming Celeste

Refract Gaming Celeste 2023
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
32GB DDR5 RAM
1TB M.2 SSD

OcUK Gaming Buzzard

OcUK Gaming Kinetic HM1 Gaming PC
Your choice of 13th Gen Intel Core CPUs
Your choice of AMD Radeon RX 7000 GPUs
 Up to 64GB DDR5 RAM
Flexible storage solution

Jumping up, we have our best tier contenders. The Refract Gaming Celeste and OcUK Gaming Buzzard gaming PCs are decked out with powerful gaming technology. Absolutely beautiful machines, the Celeste is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU, whilst the Buzzard has an Intel Core i7-13700F CPU, which you can choose to upgrade to the i9 of the same series. 

With high-performance GPUs in each machine, you’ll be able to Zwift with the latest generation of innovations. It is worth noting that no matter how powerful your GPU is, there will always be some bottle-necking with Zwift, purely down to how the app works. However, if you’ll also be using your gaming PC for content creation, streaming, or AAA gaming, both of these gaming PCs will hold you in good stead.  

Zwift race with a lot of riders

A Few Last Pointers

During my extensive research, I did discover a few extra points to consider when building your Zwift PC. 

When it comes to storage, to get the best possible performance from Zwift (and therefore you), it is best to run the app from a solid state drive rather than a hard drive; especially if there’s room for your operating system on there too. The faster the storage device, the shorter the load times. In Zwift, there are some extensive routes and worlds to boot up, so having that speed boost will really help your A-game.

For some bizarre and unexplained reason, AMD graphics cards don’t seem to work as well with Zwift. That’s not to say they don’t work with Zwift at all, you just might experience more frame rate drops on a Radeon RX than you would a GeForce GTX or RTX. Where possible, opt for Nvidia.

Lastly, you will want to take some consideration with your monitor. Having a gaming monitor with Freesync, or the equivalent, will really help your game run smoothly, as the frame rate of Zwift is not that consistent. To help combat this issue, opt for something with Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) – of which you can find our full range for here. Plus, if immersion is key to your enjoyment, a curved screen will really help you feel like you’re out on the road – and not in your front room! Alternatively, it is compatible with AppleTV – simply pair with your Zwift and you can zip around Watopia on your big living room TV!

Zwift Watopia finish line

Get Zwifty!

Huzzah, you know everything needed to get Zwifty! This is some future living, right here –  being able to cycle the world without leaving your house. First, we worked from home. Now, we exercise from home! Let us know in the comments if you’re going to start Zwifting. Maybe you already are – tell us your favourite feature and what PC you run the programme on!

PC specs are subject to change.

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