Stage 1: Watopia’s Hilly Route
Date: Saturday July 4
Timings:
Women’s: 15:00 CET // 06:00 PDT // 23:00 AUS
Men’s: 16:05 CET // 07:05 PDT // 00:05 AUS
Start Lists
Stage 2: Watopia’s Mountain Route
Date: Sunday July 5
Timings:
Women’s 15:02 CET // 06:02 PDT // 23:02 AUS
Men’s: 16:07 CET // 07:07 PDT // 00:07 AUS
Start Lists
Where to Watch
A full list of broadcasters is available on the Tour de France website.
The easiest way to watch it online is through Zwift’s YouTube channel.
Jerseys and Challenges
Rules for all Virtual Tour de France race classifications can be found below:
Do we know what trainers and/or power meters they will be using?
We do not. Most (possibly all) of these teams have trainer sponsors, though, so they’ll be riding those I would guess. I bet nearly all will be on Wahoo KICKR or Tacx NEOs. Perhaps a few on a high-end Elite or Saris direct-drive trainer…
One question so many of us have had over the years is “how long could I hang with the pro peloton in a real race?” While an obvious impossibility for outdoor races, zwift could finally make this possible, for virtual races, by allowing us to race against the pros, after the race, as virtual competitors (akin to the PR ghost that has oft been requested).
the answer: 0 seconds 😀
Having ridden the L-Etape yesterday, I learned this morning that I’m about 15 minutes slower than the men’s winner. I got to the finish in 1:08 while the winner today clocked in at 53 minutes. Considering I’m 47 and stuck with a 30-year old bike with a 39-21 granny gear, I am actually quite pleased by my effort.
Zwift doesn’t implement features we request. Instead they spend their time making more power-ups.
Will we be able to watch the events if we can’t view it live?
I assume they’ll be archived on Zwift’s YouTube channel. And maybe elsewhere – I know NBCSN typically archives TDF broadcasts…
All i need is a Team to partake in this event…
This is so cool! I wonder if they are going to change the scenery on Watopia any to reflect the tour crowds and atmosphere. So good that the women are racing too. I am eager to see how the Zwift Academy grads Ella Harris, Jess Pratt, and Tanja Erath perform with all their Zwift experience. Will be very interesting.
I would really have liked to have seen slightly longer races for the pros. I guess they’re trying to show the whole “Zwift experience”, but still.
Wonder if some teams will target climbing and sprint jerseys rather than the yellow?
Thanks for adding the Australian time. I assume it’s AEST (Australian eastern standard time) as we have 3-4 time zones.
Why did it crash again !!!!! Thought this was suppose to be sorted
Watching the live footage now and surprised by how much I’m enjoying it – Watopia looks great, escpecially from the virtual helicopter! The Tour is always a big part of my summer and this is definitely a fun way to plug the gap. Kudos to Zwift and all involved, and thanks Eric for the superlative coverage of all things Zwift – you do a superb job.
Looks like the in-game bikes/wheels correspond a bit with each team’s IRL sponsorship (although I saw a set of Zwift wheels on one set-up), but in-game do they all have the same properties, or do some teams have an advantage there?