Zwift Racing League 2021/22 Round 2 Week 6 Race Guide: Climber’s Gambit

February 11, 2022

LAST UPDATED September 4, 2023

The sixth race of Zwift Racing League 2021/22 Round 2 happens Tuesday, February 15th and it’s the Queen Stage. With one sprint and two climb intermediates, this race has something for everyone. But make no mistake: a climber will win the day!

Let’s dig into the race, including tips for bike choice, powerups, strategy, and crucial segments.

Looking at the Route: Climber’s Gambit

Watopia’s Climber’s Gambit route was created for the 2021 Zwift Academy Road program as a test of sprint, VO2, and threshold power. And that’s exactly what riders can expect in their ZRL race! The route is 27.9km long, with 670m of elevation. And 400m of that elevation comes in the final climb.

Let’s discuss the four key pinch points of this route.

First, the Watopia Sprint Reverse (aka “JWB Sprint Rev”). Located 2.5km into your ride, this short, straight sprint is super fast thanks to a downhill lead-in. With no aero powerups this week, winning this sprint will require a good sense of timing and, of course, strong 15s power.

Second, the start of the Hilly Reverse KOM. Starting at 4.9km, you have a short ramp up and around the giant statues before taking a left onto the cutoff road to the Hilly KOM descent. Mind your position in the pack, give it a little gas to stay in the right spot, and you should make it over this hump unscathed. Then you can supertuck the descent!

Third, the Titans Grove Reverse KOM. At 11.9km you’ll begin the first KOM intermediate. Only 900m long and 4.3%, this quick climb can be done in under 75s by top riders. (The rest of us mortals are looking at more like 90-150s, though.)

The effort shouldn’t be high after the Titans Grove KOM, but watch that you don’t get gapped in the rolling, twisting hills of Titans Grove (before or after the KOM). Recover as much as you can, because the big effort is just up the road.

Finally, the Epic KOM Reverse. Beginning 21.7km into the race, this is the longest climb of our ZRL season at 6.2km and 5.9%! It’s really a series of three ~2km climbs, with short flats/downhills separating each. Draft the fast parts, hammer the steeps, and give it all you’ve got to the line, because the race ends at the KOM banner.

PowerUp Notes

Riders will be awarded powerups through each banner, meaning we’ll get 3 powerups during the race (at the downtown start banner, the sprint banner, and the Titans Grove KOM).

These powerups will be randomly given out at each banner:

Anvil: makes you 50kg heavier for 30 seconds, so you can descend faster.
Useful this on downhills only. And since it lasts for 30s, which means you’ll only want to use it on downhills at least 30s long… so it’s really only useful on the Hilly KOM descent and Titans Grove KOM descent on this course.

Burrito: turns off draft effect for riders within a 2.5m radius for 10 seconds.
Use when attacking off the front so opponents have to work harder to follow you, or use it in the group to make nearby riders work harder for a bit. Be careful to avoid suicide by burrito!

Feather: reduces your weight by 10% for 15 seconds.
Best used on climbs, when weight matters the most.

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

Scott Addict RC + ENVE 7.8, Tron, and Specialized Aethos + Lightweight Meilensteins

For most riders, a climb-friendly all-arounder setup is your best bet here. You want something decently fast for the sprint, but light enough to help you a bit on the two key climbs.

The Tron bike is a good all-arounder. We also like the Scott Addict RC + ENVE 7.8 wheels – a combo that climbs 2-3s faster than the Tron on the Epic KOM Reverse. See our Tron vs Top Performers chart for details on the performance of various top frames and wheels.

If you aren’t worried about getting dropped on the flats and descents, but also aren’t chasing sprint points, a pure climber will get you the best finishing result. The Specialized Aethos + Meilenstein or Alpinist combo will trim ~10s off your Epic KOM time compared to the Tron bike.

More Route Recon

Many events are now being planned each weekend on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re not familiar with this course, jump into one of these events and do some recon! Here’s a list of upcoming Climber’s Gambit events.

Looking for a video recon, with lovely British commentary to boot? Check out Si and Sherpa’s recons below:

Si Bradeley

Sherpa Dave

Strategic Options

Points Distribution, Week 6

Maximum points a team of 6 could earn in this race. Since the race ends at the Epic KOM banner, we’ve added those KOM FAL points to the finishing points total in the chart.

As you can see from the chart above, segment points make up a large majority of the overall points. With 79% of the points being earned atop the two climbs, winning teams will be those whose riders have high VO2 and 20-minute watts per kilo.

So what strategies will riders employ in race 6? Here’s what we predict:

Big Eases Between Segments: smart climbers will know that sprinters won’t be contesting their KOM points, and sprinters won’t be able to drop the climbers on the flats or descents. So it doesn’t make sense for either set to push in between the intermediates… not with a 20-minute FTP test up the road.
Targeted Efforts: more than any other route featured in ZRL, Climber’s Gambit lends itself to particular riders targeting particular segments. Watch for sprinters and puncheurs to target the sprint and Titans Grove KOM. But the climbers will have their day on the Epic KOM Reverse!
Sag that Start: first across the finish line earns at least 50 points (40 finishing + 10 KOM FAL). But cagey, confident climbers will sag at the start, sitting in the back of the group across the start line then pushing to the front in order to earn FTS points as well. Do it perfectly and the Epic KOM Reverse could earn you 70 points!
Small Powerups: the feather, burrito, and anvil won’t prove terribly significant in this race. They certainly won’t affect the race like the steamroller or aero have in past events.