Zwift Racing League Week 2 Guide: Fine and Sandy (Points Race)

The second race of Zwift Racing League 2025/26 Round 1 happens Tuesday, September 23, and we’re in Makuri Islands for multiple laps of the Fine and Sandy route.

We’ve never raced this route in ZRL, and as a points race, it presents a strategic challenge. Do you go hard on the Mech Isle Climb and try to drop riders to improve your chance at points up the road? Or do you save your legs for the sprint segments? And what part will powerups play in your decisions?

Don’t understand how ZRL points races work? Read our explainer >

There’s much to discuss, including the route’s key sections, powerup details, strategic options, and bike choice. Let’s go!

Looking at the Route

Makuri Islands’ Fine and Sandy route is 10.6km long with 77m of elevation gain and 2 flat intermediate sprint segments per lap. We’ve never raced this route in ZRL, and A/B categories will be completing 4 laps (42.5km) while C/D categories will be racing 3 (32.9km).

Here are the key sections of the route from a points race perspective:

Mech Isle Climb (700 meters, 2.9%): This is the key feature on the route. It’s the only climb of any length, plus it’s dirt, plus you’ll hit it twice per lap! The first ~250 meters of this segment are quite flat, and it’s the final ~450 meters, averaging 4%, where the big efforts must happen.

One tip: push over the top to get yourself up to speed on the dirt descent, because gaps will open up and you can lose contact easily.

Boardwalk Sprint (240 meters @ 0%) FAL+FTS: this short sprint is pan flat and arrow-straight, so there aren’t many tips to offer apart from standard sprinting tips. Riders will be chasing FAL here, and if you want to compete, you’ll need to use your aero powerup just before crossing the start line. I recommend sitting in the draft for at least the first half, then using the draft to slingshot through the pack and across the line before anyone else.

Tidepool Sprint (310 meters @ 0%) FAL+FTS: another pan flat sprint, but this one is a bit longer and curvier than the Boardwalk. The same tips apply as above, although I would wait perhaps 5 seconds before popping my aero powerup.

The Finish: thanks to the twisty final kilometers, the finish line isn’t visible until ~140 meters to go, so you’ll want to watch your distance countdown and mind your pack position. Riders will begin sprinting well before the finish line is available, but it’s the rider with the perfect sense of timing (and perhaps a saved aero powerup) who will win on the day.

Read more about the Fine and Sandy route >

PowerUp Notes

Riders will receive one of two powerups at each arch, and there are two arches per lap, giving us a total of eight powerup possibilities (six for C/D categories). Here are details of the powerups, including the probability that you’ll receive each at an arch:

Aero Boost (75%): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.) If you’re chasing sprint points, this is the powerup for you.

Steamroller (25%): reduces Crr for 30 seconds so you roll as fast as a road tire on pavement regardless of wheels or road surface.
This is most effective when used on dirt, which means it will be helpful on the Mech Isle dirt corkscrew climb where the key selections will happen in most races.

You’ll want an aero powerup when contesting the intermediates, as well as for your final sprint to the finish line. The steamroller powerup will prove very helpful on the Mech Isle corkscrew climb, but it’s basically useless anywhere else.

Bike Recommendations

Riders will consider a handful of factors when selecting a bike frame and wheels for this race:

1. All of the race’s available points are on flat intermediate sprints or the flat finish. No KOM points.
2. The short Mech Isle climb will be a key selection point, and if you get dropped from the front, you’ve lost your chance to earn big intermediate points.
3. Which frame have you upgraded? (read more)

Some may ask: Do I need to pick a wheelset that performs well on the Mech Isle Climb, or a more aero wheelset to optimize for the sprints and finish?

Fortunately, the physics make it easy. We tested multiple top wheelsets, and even the Tron bike, on the Mech Isle Climb:

• S-Works Tarmac SL8 with DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc
• S-Works Tarmac SL8 with DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65
• S-Works Tarmac SL8 with ENVE SES 4.5 PRO
• S-Works Tarmac SL8 with ENVE SES 8.9
• Zwift Concept Z1 (Tron)

At 5 W/kg, all these setups turned in the same time on the Strava segment: 1:25. Strava doesn’t do fractional seconds in times, but the consistency of those times tells us one thing: you can optimize your setup for the flat sprints without fear of losing time on the key climb!

So we’re recommending pairing the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc wheels – the most aero wheels in game – with any of the following frames:

• S-Works Tarmac SL8
• Pinarello Dogma F 2024
• Canyon Aeroad 2024
• Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71
• Zwift Concept Z1

See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance, and check out Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level to determine the fastest setup available to you.

More Route Recons

Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

(Coming soon)

Strategic Options

Points Distributions, Fine and Sandy

These charts show the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants.

With FAL constituting the vast majority of each race’s total points, the message is clear: the winning team will be the one that puts the most riders near the front of the charging peloton at each sprint arch.

That means you’ll need to keep as many riders in the front group as possible, and those riders will need to contest the sprint segments as much as possible!

Here are some predictions of strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:

• Sprint, Rest, Survive, Repeat: this will be the most common strategy. Rest between timed segments, sprint on the segments, and do the minimum required to stay in the front group over the Mech Isle climb. It’s the smartest approach, unless you have the legs to attack in a meaningful way. You’ll just need to decide which sprints you’re going all-in for, and which ones you’re conserving on.
• Mech Isle Corkscrew Launch to Boardwalk Sprint: the Mech Isle climb ends about ~1.4km before the Boardwalk Sprint arch. Could rider(s) attack on the climb and stay away to grab FAL points on the Boardwalk Sprint? We think so… especially if 2-3 riders work together.
• Big Attacks On the Mech Isle Corkscrew: this punchy dirt climb will stretch out the pack and drop some riders, especially on the first and last attempts of the race. Be ready for near-max ~45-second efforts each lap!
• Bigger Final Mech Isle Corkscrew Attack: riders will save some juice for a final max effort up the key climb. Some who don’t trust their sprint may even try to go long, using the climb as a springboard… but these attempts are usually fatal.

Your Thoughts

Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!