JOIN x Lanterne Rouge x Zwift: The Indoor Series is back for a second season, with group workouts and races every Thursday building toward the big Fondo on Saturday, December 19, 2026.
You can drop into single events, or follow the full training plan in the JOIN app, where each weekly event slots into your own adaptive schedule. The series started two weeks ago, but there are still nine weekly events and the Fondo to come! This first upcoming event is a race on Makuri 40 this Thursday, October 22.
A Unique Mix
What makes the Indoor Series different?
- You ride with the people behind it: The series is a collaboration between JOIN and Lanterne Rouge, and you’ll get to ride alongside some of the team members each week, including Benji and Patrick from Lanterne Rouge and the full JOIN crew.
- All part of a plan: The races and workouts are not random. They are picked to build toward the Fondo on December 19, mixing short races, a time trial, and targeted interval sessions such as reversed steigerungs, VO2max efforts, and Rønnestad intervals.
- A tour of Zwift’s worlds: In nine weeks you visit Makuri Islands, France, Innsbruck, London, Watopia, Bologna, Yorkshire, Scotland, and Richmond, before the finale back in Watopia.
Two Ways to Ride
Join Single Events
Every event is open on the Zwift calendar. Sign up for the ones that suit you best, or join them all!
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/joincycling >
Follow the Full Plan in JOIN
JOIN builds a personal training plan from your fitness level, goals, and availability, and keeps adjusting it as you ride. The plans are designed by World Tour level coaches. When you follow the Indoor Series in JOIN, the Thursday events are built into that plan, and the rest of your week is planned around them so you arrive at the Gran Fondo fresh and ready.
JOIN connects to Zwift through Zwift’s Training API, which Zwift Insider covered in 2024. Your JOIN workouts sync to Zwift automatically, and your Zwift rides flow back into JOIN, which then updates your plan. Ride something other than the scheduled workout and JOIN adapts to that too.
To get set up:
- Download JOIN from the App Store or Google Play and create an account.
- Connect Zwift: tap the gear icon, go to Connected Accounts, and switch on Zwift.
- Follow the Indoor Series in JOIN and set your availability.
- In Zwift, find the day’s JOIN workout on your homepage, or under Workouts > Custom > JOIN.
Upcoming Events
All weekly events are on Thursdays at 20:00 Central European Time (currently 19:00 UTC, 14:00 EST, and 11:00 PST, but clock changes may shift those times by an hour). For the workouts, distance and elevation are for one lap of the route.
| Date | Event | Route | Distance | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Oct 22 | Race | Makuri 40 | 40.2 km | 308 m |
| Thursday, Oct 29 | Workout: reversed steigerungs | Roule Ma Poule | 23 km | 155 m |
| Thursday, Nov 5 | Race | Innsbruck KOM After Party | 36.9 km | 656 m |
| Thursday, Nov 12 | Workout: 2 and 1 min VO2max | London Classique | 5.5 km | 16 m |
| Thursday, Nov 19 | Race | Tides and Temples | 36.5 km | 460 m |
| Thursday, Nov 26 | Time trial race | Bologna Time Trial | 8 km | 236 m |
| Thursday, Dec 3 | Race | Harrogate Circuit, 3 laps | 41.4 km | 735 m |
| Thursday, Dec 10 | Workout: Rønnestad intervals | Loch Loop | 8 km | 71 m |
| Thursday, Dec 17 | Workout: cadence pyramid | 2015 UCI Worlds Course | 16.3 km | 127 m |
| Saturday Dec 19 | Fondo (09:00 CET, 08:00 UTC) | Three options (see below) | 41-88.7 km | 1153-2113 m |
Sign up for each event on the Zwift events calendar, or follow the series in JOIN to have them all in your plan.
The Fondo Finale on December 19
The series ends on Saturday, December 19 at 09:00 CET (08:00 UTC, 03:00 EST) with a Gran Fondo in Watopia. There are three distances, so everyone can pick a ride that fits their legs and their weekend.
| Distance | Route | Length | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran | Four Horsemen | 88.7 km | 2113 m |
| Medio | Quatch Quest | 46.7 km | 1710 m |
| Bambino | Accelerate to Elevate | 41 km | 1153 m |
The Gran is a proper winter epic, taking in Watopia’s biggest climbs. The Medio is shorter but finishes on the Alpe du Zwift. Whichever you choose, the weeks of races and workouts before the Fondos prepare you for the big day.
About the Organizers
- JOIN is an adaptive cycling training app. It builds a personal plan from your fitness, goals, and availability, and adjusts it after every ride. Learn more at join.cc.
- Lanterne Rouge is a professional cycling show hosted by Patrick Broe and Benji Naesen, and produced by Luc Grefte. Tune in on YouTube.
