Wattage Cottage Episode 2

In this episode:

Shane just returned from China, and what he saw about the global indoor cycling market is not what you'd expect. That's where the conversation starts.

From there: Tim Searle's expanded Zwift levels are out in the wild — how is the community actually receiving them? And when the highest-mileage accounts on the platform start hitting Level 400+, how confident are we those numbers are clean? That question leads naturally into MyWhoosh's in-home anti-doping program — a competitor putting real money behind eSports integrity. What does it signal, and does it put pressure on Zwift?

Then the crew goes deep on Zwift's AI-driven Next Up feature — including a quiet but telling development: Zwift now lets users opt out. What does that say about where trust stands? And with outside rides factoring into recommendations, is Zwift trying to become something bigger than a riding platform?

The back half is all about the workout experience itself. Eric's VO2sday Micro Races pulled 371 riders on the first event — a community-built format designed to deliver real training stimulus inside a race structure. Shane makes the case for ERG mode on real terrain. And the group digs into HUD customization and what the execution layer actually needs to look like if AI training recommendations are going to mean anything.

Finally: the Rouvy acquisition dust is settling. The forums have had their say. The crew reads the room.

Music this episode curated by Eric Schlange. If you liked it, thank Eric. If you didn't — also thank Eric, but diplomatically.

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