How the Race Was Lost: Zwift Games Stage 1 on Makuri Madness

It’s been a while since I’ve regaled you, dear readers, with a thrilling tale of Zwift race loss. But the Zwift Games are upon us, and with them big race packs on fresh routes. A Zwift racer’s dream! So today I’m unpacking my story of racing stage 1…

The Warmup

It was the middle of my workday, and I was two espressos to the wind as the lunch hour approached. First I gave myself a front-row call-up, then I spun for around 20 minutes with RoboPacer Coco until my legs were warm and my heartrate was up. While I spun, I thought through the upcoming race…

The Makuri Madness route is new in Zwift, and I hadn’t ridden it yet. So I did a bit of online recon, ironically reminding myself of the route’s details by looking at the page I’d built weeks ago.

The route lays out quite simply: it’s 10km of flat, a 2km descent through Pain Cavern (which could be named “Recovery Cavern” in this direction), 2km more of flat road… and then the action begins. You hit the one climb in the whole race, a counterclockwise dusty corkscrew on Mech Isle, then descend the other side onto a flat run-in to the finish on the Boardwalk Sprint.

Or to simplify it even more, for “overmuscled” riders like myself: the first 14 kilometers are easy, and the last 2 are hard work.

Along with new routes, there are three things worth noting about Zwift Games races that make them different from a typical Zwift race:

1. Equipment is neutralized: use any bike and wheelset you’d like. They all roll the same.
2. Everyone gets one powerup, in the pens. And that’s all you get.
3. Steering is disabled: I don’t know why this is, but I think it’s a bummer. Steering makes racing more fun!

Category Choice

With a racing score of 532, I decided to join the 450-570 group. I knew that meant I wouldn’t get a great GC time (read more about Zwift Games GC strategies here), but I also wanted to see if I could get on the podium in what should, in theory, be the easiest possible group for me, on a route that suits me nicely.

For most riders participating in the Zwift Games, that’s the choice you have to make: do you pick the event/category where you have a shot at the podium (so, competing against a smaller number of riders, with lower scores)? Or do you pick the event/category that will give me the fastest GC time (a larger number of riders, with higher scores)?

Having chosen my category, it was time to race. Let’s go!

The Easy Bit

We blasted out of the start pens with 72 riders, but that quickly dropped to 57. Based on the number of aero powerups I saw flying in the first minutes of the race, clearly some riders hadn’t gotten the powerup memo:

The group settled into a tempo pace as we spun around the perma-night urban flats of Neokyo. With 57 riders in the group, it seemed everyone knew they couldn’t get off the front and stay away… so nobody even tried. That meant the pace stayed steady, with my heart rate comfortably staying in a zone 3 range of 145-160 all the way to the final 2 kilometers.

It was fun to chat with some of the riders in the pack, a few of whom were definite Zwift Insider fans. We joked about the impossibility of starting the race at sea level, then riding downhill and still being… at sea level. And we made good-natured fun of riders burning their aero powerups early.

Soon enough we were approaching the 14km mark as we crossed the land bridge onto Mech Isle. Everyone knew it would soon be on like Donkey Kong. Deep breath…

The Finish

As we neared the corkscrew climb, I positioned myself a few bike lengths from the front. This would give me the benefit of the draft, while allowing me to sag and stay in touch even if the front was too fast for me to hold.

I revved the power up, knowing the effort would only last for a minute. And as we flew up the climb and came over the top, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself comfortably near the front!

65 seconds at 477W got me a Strava segment PR over the climb and left me well-positioned near the front of the pack.

One rider “H. INOX” attacked off the front as we descended the other side, and the pack began to stretch as the front gave chase. Soon the elastic snapped, and our strung-out group of 53 became a compact group of 33 as we began to reel in Mr. INOX.

This is where riders who didn’t fancy a short pack sprint began to show their cards. One rider in green, “B. Amin (JOIN.cc)”, executed a masterful jump, bridging up to INOX quickly by going all-in with his aero powerup as he accelerated away from our group and through the draft of INOX.

But the day wouldn’t be his. No, the win would go to the next rider, one Marc Visser, who jumped with 500 meters to go. Visser (despite only having 14 races to his name in ZwiftPower) executed a perfect bridge up to INOX before powering past Amin, never to be seen again.

For my part, I jumped a bit too hard, too early. My aero powerup timing was solid, but I overcooked it and quickly went off the front of the pack! I looked up at the screen after sprinting for a bit, and the finish arch seemed so far away. 160 meters to go. I figured I would get swamped by the chasers, but nobody was coming around…

I flew past Amin and into 2nd place with 133 meters to go, but with 50 meters left, “G Mraz (OTR)” slingshotted around me with a well-timed effort to grab silver.

I would finish 3rd, just barely grabbing a podium slot. But out of 72 starters, I won’t complain!

See my ride on Zwift.com >
See my ride on Strava >

Watch the Video

Takeaways

This was a fun race, on a course that is just about perfectly suited for me. Too bad stage 1 only lasts three days!

Visser got the well-deserved victory, risking it all in a long attack. I could have possibly finished higher if I’d done the same, but I’ve always struggled with committing to an all-or-nothing attack. Chapeau, Visser.

Looking ahead, my chance at good stage results will be dropping as we progress through the Zwift Games and the climbing intensifies. But that’s alright. It’s all training!

My 3rd place finish earned me a racing score upgrade from 532 to 543, and a finishing time for the Zwift Games GC of 22:17. That time is not even close to the top times among riders with a racing score of 500-600. No, all of the top times are from riders who jumped into the advanced races to sit in the draft of the big dogs! Smart. Their lap times are in the 20 minutes range, with a few even sub 20.

I also earned a nice 2025 power curve bump in the 2-5 minute range, which basically covered the final 2 kilometers of the race. Yup… those final 2 kilometers are hard work.

Your Thoughts

Did you race Zwift Games stage 1? How did it go? Share your experience below!