Rebel Route: Hilly KOM Bypass

October 5, 2021

LAST UPDATED October 1, 2021

Our newest Rebel Route is a pitchy little number covering the upper portion of Watopia’s oldest climb, “the KOM”. It’s a fun loop if you’re looking to build sprint/anaerobic power (easy on the descents, all in for the climbs), seeking a personal challenge (how close can you get to the Strava KOM?) or just wanting to compete with a friend on a little-known loop.

About Rebel Routes

“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.

See all rebel routes >

The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.

Route Description

Watopia’s KOM banner is your start/finish line. From the KOM banner you will descend for a bit, then make a hard right into a short kicker climb. Keep your speed up over the crest, descend a bit more toward the statues, then turn right onto the “KOM BYpass” road.

This new section was added in Zwift’s December 2020 update and is slightly downhill in this direction. Gather speed on this bypass road, then smash it once you turn right onto the KOM, as this is the longest sustained climb of the entire loop.

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This loop is never flat! Its descents are more gradual than its climbs, so you get to have fun whizzing down the hills, then hitting the punchy climbs nice and hard!

Getting Started + Lead-In

The easiest way to get onto this circuit is to choose “Hilly Route” from your Watopia route options. This will take you up the KOM in a forward direction. Once you hit the KOM banner your loop has started, meaning you’ve got a lead-in of about 1.8km (1.1 miles).

Turn by Turn

Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete the Hilly KOM Bypass Loop, beginning in downtown Watopia after selecting the Hilly Route: