The third race of Zwift Racing League 2026/27 happens on Tuesday, October 6, and it’s a points race in Makuri Islands.
Don’t understand how ZRL points races work? Read our explainer >
If you’re on an A or B team, you’ll be racing one lap of Makuri 40, a course we haven’t raced for three years. This guide is for you. C and D teams will be on Urumaze (click here for that race guide).
We haven’t raced this course in three years, and much has changed since that time, including the race setup itself. Let’s look at crucial course segments, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options!
Looking at the Route
This is a points race, and all 5 intermediates are flat sprints. Apart from those key intermediates, there are also four key climbs. Let’s talk about each key segment in order of appearance:
- Starting Climb @0km (1.5km, 3.2%): right out of the pens, riders will have to go all in for a few minutes as the first selection is made on the climb up to the Village Sprint. Keep your W/kg high enough, and you may just grab some FAL points on the Village Sprint!
- Village Sprint Reverse @1.6km (0.15km, 0.8%): this sprint is short and flat, but comes after what is sure to be a tough starting climb. Who will have the punch to grab FAL, and who will be brave enough to save their legs and go for FTS?
- Country Sprint Reverse @7.3km (0.15km, 0%): riders will grab some recovery and speed on the downhill after the Village Sprint, so expect this short and flat sprint to have high speeds and big power numbers!
- Alley Sprint Reverse @16.1km (0.38km, -1.2%): after 8km of flat road following the Country Sprint, riders should once again have fresh legs to tackle the longest sprint of the race.
- Castle Park Sprint @18km (0.22km, -0.7%): just 2km after the Alley Sprint, FAL points on this one may just go to some riders who are brave enough to attack on the Alley Sprint and stay away for a few minutes.
- Festival Harbor Climb CW @25.8km (2.5 km, 2.1%): after a recovery descent through the cavern, expect riders to attack this climb hard in an effort to grab FAL points on the Shisa Sprint Reverse and/or form a breakaway.
- Shisa Sprint Reverse @27.4km (0.28 km, 0%): this longish sprint comes just after the Festival Harbor Climb, so expect tired legs and a strung out pack. Same question as the Village Sprint: Who will have the punch to grab FAL, and who will be brave/crazy enough to save their legs and go for FTS?
- Slot Canyon Climb @33.4km (2.8 km, 2%): the climb through the Slot Canyon is beautiful, but don’t get distracted by the visuals. Expect big attacks and the hardest sustained work of the day here, as this is the longest climb of the day and it finishes only ~4km from the finish line!
- Finishing Climb @39.6km (1.3km, 2%): don’t get fooled by the lap banner near the start of this climb – this route ends at the virtual banner further up the hill!
Powerups
You’ll get a 250 XP bonus at each “lap arch” you ride through, but here’s a little insider secret for you XP farmers: there are invisible lap arches all over Makuri Islands. In fact, WTRL tells me you’ll receive a total of 5x 250 XP bonuses in the race, as long as you aren’t holding a powerup when you go through the arch! Here’s where those bonuses occur:
- Virtual start/finish line, just ~100 meters from the start pens
- Virtual start/finish for Sea to Tree, ~4.6km into the lap
- Virtual start/finish for Castle to Castle, ~11.8km into the lap
- Lap arch for Flatland Loop, ~39.9km into the lap
- Virtual start/finish line
Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting).
Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. This will be best used on the final 1.4km of the Brooklyn Bridge KOM, where the road is steepest and efforts are high.
Aero Boost (helmet): 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). Deploy this during the Manhattan Sprint.
Bike Recommendations
- Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 or SL8
- Cannondale Supersix EVO Lab 71 (Team Edition is even faster)
Wheel choice feels a bit trickier here, because we have the option of the most aero wheels (disc wheelsets), better climbing wheels (to help you survive the key climbs), or something in between. Zwift has strong options in each of those categories, so I’d say take your pick, depending on whether you want a bit of an edge on the climbs, on the flat sprints, or strike a balance between the two:
- Shimano DURA-ACE C99/Disc: the most aero wheels in game, but a bit heavy compared to non-disc wheels
- Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560: very lightweight wheels which also feature strong aero performance
- SwissSide HADRON Ultimate 650: a compromise between light weight and strong aero performance. A bit heavier than the Wake 6560, but also a bit more aero.
Of course, your frame’s upgrade status should impact your decision.
Related: All About Zwift’s New “Bike Upgrades” Functionality >
For more info on bike and wheelset performance in Zwift, check out:
- Wheel Charts: For precise performance data on all wheelsets. and wheel performance.
- Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers for head-to-head comparisons of various frame and wheel combos.
- Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level: Determine the fastest setup available to you.
- Bike Frame Charts: For precise performance data on all road frames.
More Route Recons
J Dirom
John Rice
Strategic Options
Points Distribution: Makuri 40, 1 Lap
How will the race unfold, and what strategies will riders employ in the first points race of the season? Here’s what I predict:
- Selective Sprints: over 71% of the race’s points are from sprint FAL, but the powerups we receive are random. Riders will approach each sprint differently based on which powerup they’re holding, but make no mistake: riders will be targeting those sprint points, because that’s how you’ll win this race.
- Punch Into the Sprints: the first and last sprint segments offer punchy climbers opportunities to attack off the front and take high FAL points by keeping the power/speed high through the sprint arch.
- Breakaway for Castle Park Sprint FAL: with the Castle Park Sprint coming just 2km after the Alley Sprint, a coordinated breakaway could gap the field after the Alley banner and stay away to grab FAL points on the Castle Park Sprint.
- Slot Canyon Attrition: over 84% of the race’s points will already be locked up before riders hit the final Slot Canyon climb. Riders who believe they may get dropped on this climb may go all-in for those sprint points, then get dropped on the Slot Canyon climb, leaving a reduced back to fight over the FIN points table scraps.
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
