Happy holidays Zwifters! For most of us cyclists, we know that the week of Christmas is not only a time for family and celebrating, but also the start of the iconic Rapha Festive 500. This week, we have outlined some of the top Festive 500 related events.
Looking for more F500 events? Check out this recent post >
🤝 Buddy’s Christmas Cruise p/b Ascenders Team
On Christmas Day, Buddy the Elf will be leading a social ride around Watopia. The event is the last of the 7-day Countdown to Christmas series that Ascenders has been hosting. Throughout the event, there will be some Elf-related trivia to keep riders engaged and festive during the ride. And of course, all riders will automatically be kitted up in Zwift’s Ugly Christmas Sweater.
The ride is going to be paced at a steady 1.8-2.0 w/kg on the climbs and ~36 kph (22 mph) on the flats. This event is 60 minutes long on the Downtown Titans course in Watopia, meaning riders will likely complete just over one lap of the course.
Sunday, Dec 25 @ 2:05pm UTC/9:05am EST/6:05am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/3351186
🤝 ZZRC Festive Fun
Over the course of the Rapha Festive 500, ZZRC will be hosting group rides to help riders rack up distance quickly. The distance of the rides will differ from day to day, and the first event is on the 25th. ZZRC tries to keep a nice and tight group to ensure that minimal riders are dropped, but they do not have sweeps in these group rides.
The ZZRC group rides are a bit quicker than the typical group ride with a pace range of 2.5-3 w/kg. For riders who are comfortable at this pace, this is an extremely efficient way to get those miles in. Sunday’s ride will take place over 2 laps of Watopia’s Waistband. Note: riders now get route badges and XP for completing this course!
Special settings: double draft
Sunday, Dec 25 @ 3:25pm UTC/10:25am EST/7:25am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/3338766
🤝 PACK1.5 F500 Fun
Team PACK will be hosting several group rides over the course of the next eight days, all Festive 500 themed. Within these events there will be several different pace options including a sub 1.5, sub 2, and a PACK Social (1.9-2.1). PACK is well known for rolling around the virtual roads of Zwift with extremely large packs and a very steady pace. Sweepers will be present in these events to help the riders who do happen to fall off the back.
The courses of these events will vary to keep the series fun and interesting. The events are all 90 minutes long as opposed to the traditional 60 minutes for the Festive 500 to help riders get some extra distance.
Dec 24-31 with multiple time slots
Browse all PACK events zwift.com/events/tag/pack
🤝Rapha Festive 500 Group Ride
Rapha is hosting their own group rides to help riders get mileage quick by riding with a group. With nearly 1000 riders already signed up, this is likely going to be the biggest event of the weekend! These group rides will be happening over the course of the next 8 days with RoboPacers leading the events. These Rapha-branded rides are also the only opportunity for riders to unlock the coveted Rapha Festive 500 jersey in-game.
In these events there will be five different categories, each with a different pace. The paces range from 1.5-3.2 w/kg. These rides will be over ~2 laps of the new Island Hopper course in the Makuri Islands.
Special settings: kit unlock
Dec 24-31 with multiple time slots
Browse all Rapha Festive 500 events zwift.com/events/tag/f500
🤝 Cycle Nation Xmas Endurance Ride
Start the Rapha Festive 500 out strong with Cycle Nation! The organizers at Cycle Nation are offering a double draft endurance event, perfect to knock some miles out of the Festive 500. In this event there are two categories available – 100km (62 miles) and 160km (100 miles). However, if you plan to complete both this event and the Festive 500, be sure to recover properly in between sessions and pace yourself over the course of the 8 days.
Each category will be riding a different course for this event. Category C (100km) will be on Tempus Fugit at a pace of 2.5-3.2 w/kg. Category D (100 miles) will be on R.G.V. at a pace of 1.6-2.4 w/kg.
Special settings: double draft
Sunday, Dec 18 @ 5am UTC/9pm PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/3351250
Your Thoughts
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!
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