Today I accomplished what used to be the ultimate goal of Zwift — reaching level 50. True, the original top level of Zwift was 25, but for most of the game’s history, level 50 was the ultimate target. 500,000 experience points and you are top dog. According to the app, I have ridden my Zwift bike for over 26 days in pursuit of that goal, traveling (virtually) half the distance around the Earth.

Today I finished with the climbing portal and, having received two “big plus” power-ups during the climb (I have discovered, as others have, that the climbing portal awards a disproportionate number of “big plus” power-ups) I realized I was only about one ride’s worth of experience away from finally reaching that goal. So, back to the climbing portal I went.

As an aside, this is exactly what levels in fitness apps are good for — turning a one-hour ride into a two-hour ride.

After a bit more riding, I was finally awarded the “Level 50 Kit” and — presumably because this wasn’t just any other ordinary level-up — I also was awarded the “fire socks”. What are fire socks you say? Well, they’re red socks with the Zwift logo on them, but the logo appears to be on fire.

Make no mistake, though, the fire socks are the real prize. Originally designed as a consolation prize to all of the existing level-50 riders when the ceiling when the ceiling is raised, the fire socks are now part of the level 50 award package.

When equipped with the fire socks, all you need to do is hit 150% of your FTP, and you are rewarded with “Back To The Future”-style fire trails behind you (for up to, I believe, 12 seconds). Now, that’s the kind of UI upgrade I can use!

Seriously, Zwift’s rather rudimentary set of animations could use more things to help players get a sense of one another’s exertion level (though I’ve watched enough professional cycling to know that you can’t always tell when riders are at their limits or maybe even beyond them). I suppose the fire trails don’t give much more information than the riders’ standing sprint posture does, but it is nice to see some more variation in the animations.