SISU Racing has just announced its boldest challenge yet: SISU Punainen, a Vuelta-inspired, seven-stage race series built for riders who thrive when the road tilts skyward. Set entirely in Watopia, this inaugural edition is unapologetically brutal, beautifully relentless, and designed for the mountain goats of the virtual peloton.
Riders will compete for four individual classifications, ensuring every stage offers something to race for. The coveted Punainen (red in Finnish) Jersey rewards the overall General Classification leader based on cumulative elapsed time across all seven stages. The Sprintteri Jersey recognizes the fastest riders through the designated sprint segments, while the Vuorikauris (Mountain Goat) Jersey celebrates the strongest climbers. The Johtaja (leader in Finnish) Jersey recognizes the overall leader in each age category. Whether you’re an all-rounder, a sprinter, a pure climber, or racing within your age group, there’s a jersey to chase!
Stage and Schedule Details
Stages are scheduled in multiple time slots each weekend (Saturday-Sunday) and Tuesday-Wednesday.
- Stage 1: Saturday, August 22 & Sunday, August 23
- Hilly Route, Watopia (Individual Time Trial)
- Stage 2: Tuesday, August 25 & Wednesday, August 26
- Mayan San Remo, Watopia
- PowerUps: Draft, Feather, Aero
- Stage 3: Saturday, August 29 & Sunday, August 30
- Three Little Sisters, Watopia
- PowerUps: Draft, Feather, Aero
- Stage 4: Tuesday, September 1 & Wednesday, September 2
- Climber’s Gambit, Watopia
- PowerUps: Draft, Feather, Aero
- Stage 5: Saturday, September 5 & Sunday, September 6
- Big Loop, Watopia
- PowerUps: Draft, Feather, Aero
- Stage 6: Tuesday, September 8 & Wednesday, September 9
- Mountain 8, Watopia
- PowerUps: Draft, Feather, Aero
- Stage 7: Saturday, September 12 & Sunday, September 13
- Mountain Route, Watopia
- PowerUps: Draft, Feather, Aero, Anvil
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Open and Women-Only Options
The inaugural SISU Punainen features both an Open Punainen and a Women’s Punainen, reinforcing SISU Racing’s ongoing commitment to supporting the advancement of women in cycling esports. By providing dedicated racing opportunities for women alongside open (mixed) events, SISU hopes to keep building a more inclusive racing community where every rider has the opportunity to compete for prestigious jerseys and overall honors.
Zwift Race Score
This series uses Zwift Racing Score (ZRS) for categorization, following a format similar to the recent Zwift Tour Fever series to create tighter, more closely matched fields.
- A Grade: 701-1000
- B Grade: 551-700
- C Grade: 401-550
- D Grade: 251-400
- E Grade: 1-250
Riders who upgrade during the first six stages will be classified in their higher grade. Riders who upgrade in Stage 7 will not be re-classified.
The Jerseys
There are multiple leader jerseys up for grabs:
- The General Classification (GC) is decided by the cumulative elapsed time taken to complete all seven stages.
- The Team Classification is based on the combined time of each team’s fastest three riders on every stage.
- The Sprintteri and Vuorikauris (Mountain Goat) classifications are determined by a rider’s cumulative time through all designated Sprint and KOM/QOM segments of Stages 2 to 7. Where a stage includes the same segment multiple times, only the rider’s fastest time through that segment will count toward the classification.
- The Johtaja (leader in Finnish) classification is decided by the cumulative elapsed time taken to complete all seven stages in each age category.
More Details
Separate Open Punainen and Women’s Punainen events are offered, with each having its own General, Team, and Jersey classifications.
- Each event is a mass start with all riders visible on the course.
- TT bikes are mandatory for the iTT. Draft will be disabled.
- ZPower and riders without heart rate data will be excluded from the results.
- A rider’s best time will count if they race the same stage multiple times.
- To be included in the GC, riders must have a ZwiftPower profile.
Questions or comments?
For more information and results, visit sisu.racing/punainen.
