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Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of October 24-25

Eric Schlange
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4
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of October 24-25

While Tour of Watopia is well underway and ever-popular, this is zFondo weekend as well, and there are lots of popular community events happening too! See below for my picks this weekend, including a rare running event.

🤝 zFondo Series: Makuri Pretzel

✅ Bonus XP 　✅ Popular 　✅ Endurance Challenge 　✅ Jersey Unlock

This is the second of this season’s zFondo weekends, and it’s on a route we’ve never fondoed before: Makuri Pretzel (77.6km, 616m). Join whatever pace group you’d like, and hang with that group’s RoboPacer (or try to beat it)! Fondos aren’t official races – some treat them as personal challenges, some as a race. You do you.

Read all about the Zwift Fondo Series >

Multiple timeslots this weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/zfondos

🤝THE FAST LANE

A cyclist in racing gear rides a white Canyon bike on a road through a rocky desert landscape under a partly cloudy sky.

✅ A Category 　✅ Drafting TT 　✅ New Event　✅ Double XP

This new ride from the ZDR squad, in collaboration with WBR500, is sort of a stripped down and fast version of the popular Sunday WOW ride we often feature (see below). That means fast TT bikes and disc wheels, with drafting enabled.

There’s only one category for this ride, though, and the stated pace is 3.5-4.2 W/kg. Spicy! This is 3-hour ride on Watopia’s Tick Tock (double XP!).

Saturday, October 24 at 8am UTC/4am ET/Friday 1am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5747470

🤝WOW – High Speed Ride on TT bikes with draft

✅ Kit Unlock　✅ Upgrade Hack　✅ Popular 　✅ Double XP

Want to rack up miles fast? Join this popular group ride, which puts everyone on a fast TT bike (Canyon Speedmax CFR) with double draft enabled.

Everyone is on Watopia’s Beach Island Loop this week (double XP!), and there are five pace groups to choose from. This is the special monthly kit unlock event, which is extra long (100 miles).

Bike upgrading hack: on rides with forced bikes, whatever bike you’re on when you join the event is the bike that accumulates the distance/elevation/time. So, for example, you could accumulate lots of distance toward a gravel bike upgrade while riding the Canyon Speedmax CFR in this event.

Sunday, October 25 @ 12:30pm UTC/8:30am ET/5:30am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5748895

🤝 MSR Der Club | RUBBER TO THE ALPE

✅ Banded 　✅ Alpe du Zwift 　✅ Kit Unlock

If you’ve always wanted to climb the epic Alpe du Zwift, but find the prospect a bit intimidating, why not try it in a banded ride? The beauty of banded rides is, as long as you keep pedaling, you’ll stay with the group and move along up the road.

This ride is on Watopia’s Tour of Fire and Ice (28km, 1187m)

Saturday, October 24 @ 8am UTC/4am ET/1am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5753677

🤝🥇 Tour of Watopia

Tour of Watopia text centered on a colorful abstract background with overlapping blue, yellow, and green geometric shapes.

✅ Popular 　✅ Unlocks 　✅ Double XP

Zwift’s first big tour of the 2026/27 season kicked off last week, which means we’re on stage 3 this week. You can free-ride the routes whenever you’d like, or race them… but the biggest turnouts are for the group rides. Highly recommended.

Learn all about Tour of Watopia 2026 >

The category you sign up for (A, B, or C) determines the route and length of your ride. This week that means 27.9km, 23.6km, and 15.3km respectively.

Hourly events all weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/tourofwatopia2026

🤝Halloween Chase Costumed Fun Run

Three red tyrannosaurus rex models seen from above walking on an asphalt road next to a sandy area with scattered dinosaur bones and a Halloween Chase circular graphic.

✅ Run　✅ Fun　✅ Double XP 　✅ Costumes

I usually feature 5 events, but wanted to throw a 6th in this week – and it’s a running event!

This is a fun one from the folks at ZwiftHQ. The category you choose determines which costume you wear. Everyone starts together, running two laps of the Volcano Circuit for a total of 11km.

Multiple timeslots this weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/halloweenchase

How We Make Our Picks

We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:

  • Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
  • Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
  • Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
  • Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
  • Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
  • Is it for a good cause?
  • Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
  • Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?

In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!

Zwift Teases “Wild Isles” Watopia Expansion Routes

Eric Schlange
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28
Zwift Teases “Wild Isles” Watopia Expansion Routes

Zwift Teases “Wild Isles” Watopia Expansion Routes

Today, Zwift used the Companion app to tease details about the new routes coming to Watopia on Monday, October 26. The expansion is called the “The Wild Isles”, and it’s an archipelago island chain with some nods toward Catalina Island.

The as-yet-unreleased routes are marked “event only” in the Companion app, making them easy to find. Just tap “Routes” from the homepage, then Watopia, then filter the list by Event Only routes:

A list of cycling routes in the Watopia world, each labeled as Event Only with distance and elevation gain statistics.
Route map for the California Roll cycling event, showing a 33.9 km distance, 139 m elevation gain, and an estimated 1-hour duration.

New Route Details

The following new routes are listed in Companion. Click the route name for a few more details. (These route homepages will become much richer once the expansion goes live and we can add photos, text descriptions, videos, etc.)

  • Caldera Coaster (5.9km, 12m): A simple lap of the caldera portion of the expansion, corresponding to the “Caldera Cruiser Reverse” lap segment (below). This is a fairly flat figure 8.
  • California Dreamin’ (21.2km, 106m): Starts in the caldera area of the expansion, but heads over to the Hilly KOM and a few other old-school Watopia proper roads before coming back to the caldera to complete the circuit.
  • California Roll (33.9km, 139m): A flat route the covers all the road of four different Watopia circuits: the new Seafoam Circuit, the Caldera Cruiser, the Volcano Circuit, and the Flat Route.
  • Four Foalsmen (70.2km, 578m): The baby brother of the Four Horsemen still takes on four KOM segments (Titans Grove, Volcano, Jarvis, Hilly), but with much less climbing than its big brother.
  • Laps, Camera, Traction (26.4km, 217m): Starts at the new Seafoam Circuit, then heads through Avalon to the Jungle, where we complete a figure 8 before heading back to complete the Seafoam Circuit.
  • Pacific Pursuit (54.2km, 381m): A scenic route that takes in a diverse set of Watopian biomes. From downtown Watopia to the Wild Isles, into the Jungle and across the Epic KOM Cutoff before heading out to Fuego Flats and returning to downtown via Titans Grove.
  • Seafoam Circuit (4.1km, 18m): A short figure-8 circuit hosted in the bison-friendly Seafoam Circuit island group. This route is analogous to the Seafoam Circuit Reverse lap segment (below).
  • The Watopia 150! (151.6km, 0m): We can all agree this one is just a bit crazy, right? It’s like a drawn-out Cirque du Suffer. 30 laps of the expansion’s “Power Islands” section, which has its own “Lightning Lap” segment (see below). An 0 elevation across 150 km? Move over, Tempus Fugit. There’s a new flat route in town.
  • Watt Goes Up Must Come Down (62.5km, 776m): Start at the caldera, cross the power islands to the Seafoam Circuit, then ride down through the Jungle and out onto the Southern Coast Road. That’s the flat bit done. Now it’s time to climb! Climb The Grade, keep climbing over the Epic KOM, then go out to Titans Grove before returning to complete your big loop.

Leaderboard Segments

Companion app details include a simple map plus route length, elevation, time estimate, and segments, which means we’re able to see the details of the expansion’s segments as well, which include:

The Zwift home screen showing workout options, event banners for The Wild Isles, Tour of Watopia, and Route of the Week, and a row of available group ride robopacers.

That’s Not All…

There are more new routes to come which aren’t yet visible in Companion, including:

  • Lava Legs (4km): Tour of Watopia Stage 4’s run route
  • One Ride to Rule Them All (38.7km, 506m): Tour of Watopia Stage 5’s long ride
  • Molten Momentum (20.8km, 245m): Tour of Watopia Stage 5’s standard ride and race
  • Crit Cross (13.5km, 36m): Tour of Watopia Stage 5’s short ride
  • Run: Lightning Lap (5km): Tour of Watopia Stage 5’s run route

We’ll publish details as they are made available. Until then, here are two recent Insta teasers from Zwift:

Your Thoughts

Share below!

Stonegrinder Series Launched: Who’s fastest when the road pushes?

Eric Schlange
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3
Stonegrinder Series Launched: Who’s fastest when the road pushes?

Stonegrinder Series Launched: Who’s fastest when the road pushes?

The new Stonegrinder Series has just hit Zwift’s race calendar, bringing eight weeks of short races featuring Sprint or KOM segments on Zwift’s brick and cobble surfaces. It’s a unique series in several ways, and the fun begins November 4. Let’s dive into the details!

No Stone Left Unturned

Each round features just one designated segment. Some efforts will be over in around 20 seconds, while others will take several minutes. Only your fastest valid time through that selected segment counts towards the league, and the increased rolling resistance of Zwift’s brick and cobbles will add little extra punishment beneath the wheels.

Drafting is disabled, powerups are off, and TT bikes are not allowed. Bike and wheel choice is otherwise completely open.

Most rounds use a custom finish shortly after the selected segment. The finish itself doesn’t count toward the standings. It simply makes sure the full timed effort is completed and recorded.

How the League Works

Each round has four start times spread across the day so riders around the world can take part:

  • Wednesday at 5:30am UTC/1:30am ET/Tuesday 10:30pm PT
  • Wednesday at 8:30am UTC/4:30am ET/1:30am PT
  • Wednesday at 6:30pm UTC/2:30pm ET/11:30am PT
  • Thursday 1:30am UTC/Wednesday 9:30pm ET/Wednesday 6:30pm PT

View all Stonegrinder events at zwift.com/events/tag/stonegrinder >

You can race more than one time slot in the same round, with only your fastest valid segment time counting.

The standings are ranked first by the number of rounds completed, then by lowest cumulative segment time. Complete all eight rounds and you will always rank ahead of someone who completes seven.

Live results and series standings will be available through the Stonegrinder Series on ZwiftPower.

Season 1 Route/Segment Details

Season 1 runs every Wednesday from November 4 through December 23, 2026.

DateRouteSelected SegmentFinish
November 4CroissantDos d’Âne Sprint Reverse @ 2.4 kmCustom @ 4.0 km
November 11Cobbled ClimbsLibby Hill KOM @ 5.0 kmCustom @ 6.0 km
November 18Temple TrekStoneway Sprint @ 7.7 kmCustom @ 9.0 km
November 25Neokyo Crit CourseCastle Park Sprint Reverse @ 3.2 kmCustom @ 4.0 km
December 2Downtown DolphinDowntown Dolphin Prime @ 0.9 kmCustom @ 2.0 km
December 9Chain ChomperCastle KOM @ 3.9 kmCustom @ 7.0 km
December 16MacaronSprinteur Sprint @ 2.2 km1 lap (2.6 km)
December 23La BoucleMontmartre KOM @ 8.1 kmCustom @ 10.0 km

Tiny Race Series – October 24 Routes – Tour of Double XP

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – October 24 Routes – Tour of Double XP

Tiny Race Series – October 24 Routes – Tour of Double XP

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

Zwift Racing League Week 6 Guide: Spiral Summit (Points Race)

Eric Schlange
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19
Zwift Racing League Week 6 Guide: Spiral Summit (Points Race)

The sixth (fifth? fourth?) and final race of Zwift Racing League 2026/27 happens Tuesday, October 27, and we’re in Watopia for a points race on Spiral Summit – a new route created just for ZRL! It’s gonna be a spicy one, too, with a mix of sprint, climb, and event a lap segment being contested for points.

Don’t understand how ZRL points races work? Read our explainer >

There’s much to discuss, including crucial course sections, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options. Let’s go!

Looking at the Route

The Spiral Summit route is 24km (14.9 miles) long, with 283m (928′) of elevation. All riders are racing a full lap of the route:

This is a points race, and WTRL (as usual) is awarding FAL and FTS points on every timed segment on the route. That’s a total of 6 segments: 3 climbs, 2 sprints, and a rare lap. Let’s break the route down…

  • Start: We begin from the Jungle start pens with ~2.5km of descent to the Marina… possibly the easiest race start ZRL has ever had, although the burrito powerups we all receive in the start pens may change that. Then it’s up the snaking climb to The Esses and through the Volcano to the Jarvis loop, where we’ll complete almost 2 laps and most of our points segments.
  • Jarvis Lap @ 10.2km (4.7km, 0%): This loooong points segment begins at 10.2km, and contains two other points segments, the Jarvis KOM and Sprint. Interesting! Feather powerup at lap arch.
  • Jarvis KOM @ 10.9km (1.8km, 1.8%): This is the climb that started it all – the first KOM on Zwift! Don’t let that average gradient fool you – this is really a two-part climb, starting with a 1km push, followed by 500 meters of flat/downhill before the final 300-meter push. Aero powerup at KOM arch.
  • Jarvis Sprint @ 14km (200 meters, -0.1%): The pack will be carrying speed, chasing FAL by pushing the descent from the ride-through KOM tree, so this sprint will be fast. Aero powerups will make a big difference at these high speeds. Feather powerup at Sprint arch.
  • Jarvis Lap ends at 14.9km. Expect riders to sit up after this arch, as everyone will be desperate for a bit of rest before the KOM begins again. Feather powerup at lap arch.
  • Jarvis KOM @ 15.7km (1.8km, 1.8%): Expect another pair of hard pushes here, with front riders keeping the pressure on up and over in a bid to grab both KOM and Sprint FAL points. Aero powerup at KOM arch.
  • Jarvis Sprint @ 18.8km (200 meters, -0.1%): Mind your position heading into this sprint, as speeds will be high and it will be hard to move up. Use your aero to move forward when needed. Feather powerup at Sprint arch.
  • Volcano KOM @ 20.2km (3.8km, 3.2%): The final effort on the day! This is a 6-8 minute effort for most riders at race pace, and far from a steady, “whoever has the highest w/kg wins” effort. Instead, it’s a low-grade climb you can ride strategically for maximum results. See further notes below. 250 XP bonus at Volcano KOM arch, which is also the finish line.

Volcano KOM Notes

Let’s look a little closer at the Volcano KOM, since it’s the biggest climb in the race and effectively counts for double FAL points because the race finishes at the KOM arch.

While the average gradient is 3.2%, if you look closer, it’s more like 4-5% with a few flat spots and one steep section at the finish. It roughly breaks up like this:

  • 1st climb (4-5% for 1.3km): Includes a few short downhills where you’ll want to be on a wheel for maximum draft benefit.
  • Flat section (500m): the longest flat section of the climb, going through the heart of the mountain. Again, drafting is key here.
  • 2nd climb (1km): ends in a short flat section
  • 3rd climb (500m): ends in a short flat section
  • Final effort (400m): begins flattish, but ends with a kick up to 10%. Sit in the wheels on the flat portion, hold your position, then put in your final dig and use your powerup (if you still have it) as the road kicks up to the finish!

This climb isn’t a steep one, and that’s so important to understand because it means two things:

  • Aero over lightweight: The gradient is low enough that speeds stay high, and aero wins over lightweight when it comes to bike choice. This is particularly true in A and B races, where speeds are higher.
  • Drafting makes a big difference: Hold a wheel if you can, and drop anyone hanging onto your wheel if you’re able.

Read more about the Spiral Summit route >

Powerups

For this race, everyone receives a burrito boost powerup in the pens. We’ll also receive feather powerups at the Jarvis Lap and Sprint arches, aero boost powerups at the Jarvis KOM arch, and a 250 XP bonus at the Volcano KOM arch.

Burrito: turns off the draft effect for riders in a cone-shaped window behind you for 20 seconds. Use when attacking off the front so opponents have to work harder to follow you, or in the peloton to make others work harder.

Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. This will be best used on the Jarvis and Volcano KOMs.

A simple white helmet with a visor, shown in profile with three lines behind it to indicate speed, centered on a turquoise circle with a gray and white border.

Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting). Deploy this during the Jarvis Sprints.

Bike Recommendations

With all the race’s points hidden behind draftable climbs, “aero all arounders” are the choice of the day. That means the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 or SL8, or Cannondale Supersix EVO Lab 71 Team Edition as the top picks.

For wheels, I ran a 4 W/kg test up the race’s two key climbs, to see where exactly we fell on the teeter-totter of aero vs lightweight. Here are the KOM timings of the three wheelsets who lead their categories:

WheelsetJarvis KOMVolcano KOM
Cadex 4-Spoke/Disc3:20.968:17.67
SwissSide 650 3:20.898:17.16
Princeton Wake 65603:20.888:16.75

So it looks like the climbing-friendly (but still very aero) Princetons win the day for race 6.

Of course, your frame’s upgrade status should impact your decision.

Related: All About Zwift’s New “Bike Upgrades” Functionality >

See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance.

More Route Recons

Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

Additionally, riders in the Zwift community do a great job every week creating recon videos that preview the courses and offer tips to help you perform your best on the day. Here are the recons I’ve found (comment if you find another!)

J Dirom

TacticalWatts

Strategic Options

Points Distribution, Spiral Summit

FAL points from the Volcano KOM have been classified as FIN points, as that is what they effectively are. Chart shows the maximum points a team of 5 could earn in a race with 60 participants. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.

How will these races unfold? What strategies will teams employ? Here’s what I predict:

  • A BIG Push Up the First Jarvis KOM: With legs at their freshest, points on the line, and the Jarvis Lap in play, there’s good reason to believe this KOM will be an all-out effort for many riders.
  • FTS Set On First Jarvis KOM and Sprint: With legs at their freshest and lap segment points on the line, the first time through these segments will surely be the fastest. I predict all or most the FTS slots will be taken by riders the first time around.
  • Dropped Riders Will Stay Dropped: The first Jarvis KOM is effectively the “gateway” to the rest of the race, and if you get dropped, you probably won’t come back on, because the pack will be pushing to keep speeds high through the Jarvis Sprint and Jarvis Lap banners just up the road.
  • Slower Second Jarvis KOM: With legs sapped and the points-heavy Volcano KOM up the road, riders won’t want to push the effort the second time up this KOM. Most riders will be happy to go as slow as possible, while maintaining a good position in the pack.
  • Attack Near Volcano’s End: This climb is so draftable that smart riders will probably try to conserve energy in the wheels before going all-in in that final minute or so. Teams with a mix of strong climbers and puncheurs may want to send their climber off the front early, forcing other teams to chase while teammates sit in the draft.

Your Thoughts

Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!

Three rides, the Same Carbohydrate: Why Intensity, Not Time on the Trainer, Sets Your Fueling

Gregory Cinto
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2
Three rides, the Same Carbohydrate: Why Intensity, Not Time on the Trainer, Sets Your Fueling

Three rides, the Same Carbohydrate: Why Intensity, Not Time on the Trainer, Sets Your Fueling

You finish a 3-hour endurance ride in Watopia, and the screen says you burned well over 2,000 kJ. A week earlier you did an 84-minute group ride that left you wrecked, and the kJ number was much smaller. Which ride needed more carbohydrate?

Most of us would say the long one. In real ride data, the answer was: about the same.

Looking at Three Different Rides

Here are three recent rides from one rider (myself) with a reference power (FTP) of 350 W, recorded on a Garmin Edge (the two indoor rides on Zwift, with the Edge recording the same ride):

A table comparing three cycling rides—Hard pacer, Easy endurance, and Long zone 3—by their duration, total energy in kilojoules, and estimated carbohydrate demand in grams.

The easy ride did 57% more work than the hard one, and both came to roughly 250 g of carbohydrate.

Why Kilojoules Do Not Answer the Question

Kilojoules tell you how much work went into the pedals. They are a good guide to total energy: with typical cycling efficiency, 1 kJ of work costs roughly 1 kcal of food energy. But they say nothing about where that energy came from.

Your body runs on a mix of fat and carbohydrate, and the mix changes with intensity. At an easy pace, a large share of the energy comes from fat. As you push closer to your threshold, the share of carbohydrate climbs steeply, until almost everything you do comes from carbohydrate. Research on cyclists shows this clearly, and it also shows that the curve is personal: at the same watts, a well-trained rider burns less carbohydrate than a less-trained one.

So two rides with very different kJ can ask for the same carbohydrate, and two rides with the same kJ can ask for very different amounts. Time on the trainer matters, but intensity matters more.

Same Total, Different Rates

The totals match, but the rates do not. Per hour, the three rides respectively demanded about 180 g, 80 g, and 100 g of carbohydrate:

Bar chart comparing carbohydrate intake rates for three different rides: hard pacer (180 g/h), easy endurance (80 g/h), and long zone 3 (100 g/h), with thresholds for glucose-only and glucose plus fructose intakes indicated.

That changes how you fuel. Your gut has limits of its own: the guidance for long rides is usually up to about 60 g per hour from glucose alone, and up to about 90 g per hour from glucose and fructose together, with some trained riders going higher. On the easy 3-hour ride, 60 to 80 g per hour of drink mix or gels covers most of the demand. On the hard 84-minute ride, no stomach can keep up with 180 g per hour. That ride runs mainly on the glycogen you already have, which is one more reason to start hard sessions well fed and to refuel properly afterward.

What to Do With This on Zwift

  • Judge a session by its intensity, not its length. A one-hour race or a hard group ride can cost as much carbohydrate as a long, easy spin.
  • Plan intake for the long, steady rides. That is where eating on the bike pays off most, because your intake can match a big part of the demand.
  • Arrive fueled for the short, hard ones. You cannot eat fast enough to cover them, so what matters is what you ate before and after.
  • Use kJ for total energy, not for carbohydrate. It remains a good number for daily food. It is the wrong number for determining carbohydrate demand.

How I Got These Numbers

Disclosure: I developed the tool that produced them. GC Demand & Fueling is a Garmin Connect IQ data field, available on the Garmin Connect IQ Store with a free 7-day trial, that estimates, second by second, how much carbohydrate a ride demands, from power, body weight, and a personal curve. Zwifters can use it by running an Edge head unit or a Garmin watch recording the same ride you do on Zwift. It is an estimate, not a measurement, and it shows demand, not what you ate. Intervals.icu now reads the ride total from the app automatically, into its “Carbs used” field.

Whatever you use, the main point stands without any app: look at how hard the ride was before you decide how much to eat.

Questions or comments?

Share below!

Zwift Update Version 1.124 (167630) Released

Eric Schlange
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131
Zwift Update Version 1.124 (167630) Released

Zwift version 1.124 begins its phased rollout today. The update delivers the Watt Lock feature, nerfs Coffee Stops, and brings Zwifty Pinarellos to our garages. Read on for details!

Watt Lock Arrives

Watt Lock has arrived, allowing you to lock in a target wattage while free riding or in group rides. Essentially, it’s a simple toggle that swaps you out of “Sim mode” (where your trainer resistance replicates the gradient) to Erg mode, where your trainer changes resistance to help you hold a target wattage:

Give it a go and you’ll quickly see how it works. Enable Watt Lock via the lock icon in the action bar, then use your keyboard (+ and – keys) or virtual shifter controllers to change your power target:

A first-person view of a cyclist on a snowy mountain road in a virtual cycling game, featuring an on-screen dashboard showing power, speed, elevation, and a list of nearby riders.
A first-person view of a cyclist in a blue jersey riding a blue road bike in a virtual cycling game, with digital HUD overlays displaying performance metrics, a course map, and a race leaderboard.

Here are some ways Watt Lock may be useful:

  • Specific zone work without loading a workout: Want to stay in zone 2? Recovering from injury and need to keep stress low? Set your target and spin away.
  • Distracted riding: Would you rather watch the latest Tour stage or Ryan Condon video than your Zwift screen? We’ve all been there. Set your power target and enjoy your videos.
  • Build an ad hoc interval session: Work a set of VO2 max or sweet spot intervals into your free ride, just like you’d do outside.

There are some situations where Watt Lock cannot be used:

  • You cannot activate Watt Lock in time trials, group workouts, or races.
  • You also cannot use Watt Lock at a wattage below 50.

Additionally, Watt Lock will automatically turn off if you drop to 25 RPM cadence or less. (This is typically a sign that you’re deep into the “spiral of death,” so Zwift is doing you a favor by turning it off.)

After testing Watt Lock just a bit, I’d say it works quite well and Zwifters will find it useful. There are a few improvements I’d suggest:

  • Let us adjust power in larger increments by holding down our virtual shifters or the +/- keyboard keys. Currently it only adjusts power by 1 watt at a time, and it moves a bit slowly when using the Ride controllers.
  • If Watt Lock gets turned off, return us to the virtual gear we were in when we enabled Watt Lock. (Right now it returns to the default gear 8, which just means I have to shift up several times to get some resistance on the trainer.)
  • Zwift’s QA department probably needs to test what happens when you set Watt Lock at 1000+ watts. At least in my one test, my trainer (KICKR CORE 2) sort of went crazy (see end of video above).

Discuss Watt Lock on Zwift’s forum >

No More Progression for Coffee Stoppers

As mentioned in the latest Wattage Cottage episode, today’s update nerfs the Coffee Stop feature. Starting with game version 1.124, Zwifters no longer accumulate progression of distance, elevation, XP, Drops, or bike upgrades while coffee stopping.

A group of cyclists riding together on a virtual road, with floating coffee cup icons and player name tags visible above them.

Nothing changes in terms of Coffee Stop timings or usage: you can still use them to stay with nearby riders in group rides and free rides. (See our Coffee Shop post for details on usage limits, etc.)

My take: this is a good change. It keeps the core functionality of the Coffee Stop intact while removing incentive for the freeloaders who have been rejoining the Constance RoboPacer group repeatedly to accumulate tiny gains without turning a pedal.

Workout Collections Re-Org

Today’s release “updates the Workout collection images and removed retired collections.” The total number of collections has been reduced from 23 to 15, but all the workouts from retired collections remain available. (We tested to confirm: there were 806 workouts in the library before the update, and 806 afterward.)

If you’re curious, here are before and after screenshots of the Workout collections:

A grid of twenty-four workout program thumbnails, each labeled with titles like Zwift Camp, Daily Fit, Endurance, and FTP Builder.
Old Collections List
A grid of 15 square tiles representing different cycling training categories, each with an icon and a text label including: 30 to 90+ minutes to burn, Recovery, Endurance, Sweet Spot, Threshold, VO2 Max, FTP Tests, Zwift Academy, Climbing, and others.
New Collections List

Bring on the Zwifty Pinarellos

The Zwift-inspired pink/orange colorway for the Pinarello Dogma F 2024 was only unlocked in a single event series: September 2024’s ZRacing. (I know this because that’s the only month where I completed every ZRacing stage, so I could unlock the colorway that matches my IRL bike!)

A cyclist in virtual gear leans on an orange and purple road bike in front of the Arc de Triomphe in a Zwift simulation.

Beginning today, that colorway is now available for all Zwifters who own the Pinarello Dogma F 2024:

Some bikes may be faster than the 2024 Dogma in Zwift, but few can rival the looks of this fun Zwifty colorway. Hopefully this brings some variety to the virtual peloton!

ROUVY Rides Earn Zwift XP

A late addition to the release notes says, “Ride on ROUVY, earn XP in Zwift. Connect your ROUVY account to Zwift to earn 5 XP for every kilometer you ride on ROUVY.”

Zwift rides have been counting on ROUVY for about a month now, but now it officially works in both directions. As long as you’ve connected your accounts on both platforms, riding on one will give you XP on the other (albeit at a reduced rate, the same rate as outdoor rides).

Release Notes

Zwift supplied these additional release notes:

  • Fixed an issue that could cause events Zwifters signed up for to disappear from the homescreen early.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause an incorrect number of cycling and running achievements to be shown in the Badges screen.
  • macOS, Windows: The mouse/trackpad cursor is now automatically hidden during your activity after being idle for 5 seconds, and re-appears after interacting with your mouse or trackpad.
  • macOS: Zwift launcher version 1.1.19 is now the minimum required version and will be installed automatically.
  • Windows
    • Improved Bluetooth device discovery reliability if Bluetooth was enabled after discovery started.
    • The Ultra graphics profile is now enabled for Zwifters with the following graphics cards: AMD Radeon RX 7700S, AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT.
    • Fixed a rare crash that could occur when using multiple Bluetooth devices paired via a trainer’s Bluetooth bridge.
    • Fixed a crash that could occur when closing Zwift while Bluetooth devices were being discovered.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or comments?

If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, or have comments about this release, please share below!

Top 5 Zwift Videos: Racing Tips, Zwift RIDE, and Zwift Challenges

Oli Chi
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Top 5 Zwift Videos: Racing Tips, Zwift RIDE, and Zwift Challenges

Struggling to keep up in Zwift races? In this week’s top video, an experienced Zwift racer shares tips and tricks for sticking with the pack.

Also included in our list of picks: long-term challenges on Zwift, training tips for building fitness, and hardware reviews.

Why You Keep Getting Dropped in Zwift Races

Bike Bonk Biff shares his advice for staying with the group during races.

Is the Zwift Ride Worth It? 1 Year Later

After one year with the Zwift Ride, Project Fit Daddy reflects on the purchase and shares a review of the setup.

Which Zwift Challenge Should You Do First? (And What Do You Unlock?)

New to Zwift? Make sure you have the right challenge selected! Chad Rides shares details on each of Zwift’s long-term challenges and shares advice for which challenge to complete first.

The Simple Training Plan That Made Me a Better Indoor Cyclist

Dan Smithson shares how he has managed to go from a beginner on Zwift to a category A racer.

I Finally Bought A Zwift Ride – Was It Worth It? | Installation & First Impressions

The Mercurial Cyclist sets up his new Zwift Ride v2 bundle ahead of the long winter months. Watch as he sets up the Zwift Ride and shares his initial impressions.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below, and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

The JOIN x Lanterne Rouge Indoor Series Is Back

Eric Schlange
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The JOIN x Lanterne Rouge Indoor Series Is Back

The JOIN x Lanterne Rouge Indoor Series Is Back

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:

  1. Download JOIN from the App Store or Google Play and create an account.
  2. Connect Zwift: tap the gear icon, go to Connected Accounts, and switch on Zwift.
  3. Follow the Indoor Series in JOIN and set your availability.
  4. 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.

DateEventRouteDistanceElevation
Thursday,
Oct 22		RaceMakuri 4040.2 km308 m
Thursday,
Oct 29		Workout: reversed steigerungsRoule Ma Poule23 km155 m
Thursday,
Nov 5		RaceInnsbruck KOM After Party36.9 km656 m
Thursday,
Nov 12		Workout: 2 and 1 min VO2maxLondon Classique5.5 km16 m
Thursday,
Nov 19		RaceTides and Temples36.5 km460 m
Thursday,
Nov 26		Time trial raceBologna Time Trial8 km236 m
Thursday,
Dec 3		RaceHarrogate Circuit, 3 laps41.4 km735 m
Thursday,
Dec 10		Workout: Rønnestad intervalsLoch Loop8 km71 m
Thursday,
Dec 17		Workout: cadence pyramid2015 UCI Worlds Course16.3 km127 m
Saturday
Dec 19		Fondo (09:00 CET, 08:00 UTC)Three options (see below)41-88.7 km1153-2113 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.

DistanceRouteLengthElevation
GranFour Horsemen88.7 km2113 m
MedioQuatch Quest46.7 km1710 m
BambinoAccelerate to Elevate41 km1153 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.

Wattage Cottage Episode 7: A New Smartbike, Race Annulments, and Coffee Controversy

Eric Schlange
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Wattage Cottage Episode 7: A New Smartbike, Race Annulments, and Coffee Controversy

Wattage Cottage Episode 7: A New Smartbike, Race Annulments, and Coffee Controversy

Indoor season is spinning up, bringing as always fresh hardware announcements and big races, coffee controversy and… magpies?!

We begin with a deep dive into Stages Cycling’s new SB200, the first complete smartbike to hit the market in quite some time. Stages are clearly looking to make a splash with their first big announcement since bankruptcy and acquisition. So how does the new bike feel? Shane and Eric flew to Colorado for a first look, and now they’re riding it in their pain caves. We chat about its unique features, and how it stacks up against the competition, especially Zwift’s new Ride version 2.

Next: we’re not a racing podcast, but the first race of Zwift Racing League was annulled due to a combination of problems, and that’s worth talking about. Who allowed TT bikes into the inaugural Race of Truth, and why were teams shuffled around in the final hours? We chat about the relationship between WTRL and Zwift, and like everyone else, hold out hope that it’ll go smoother next round.

We head down under for a quick magpie report from Shane, who says the birds are smarter and faster than ever. Is it time for magpies to come to the game? And the bigger question: how is “indoor season” experienced by riders in the southern hemisphere, when all the big events get scheduled during prime outdoor riding weather?

Lastly, it’s a coffee break hot take. Shane and Eric weigh in on one of Zwift’s more controversial features, the Coffee Stop. Is it OK to use one at the front of a fast group ride? Eric says, “Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD.” But do the Constance Couch Potatoes agree? And will Zwift ever do anything to discourage riders who are gaming this feature?

And that’s a wrap. Join us next time to learn about the Watopia expansion, how Zwift Racing League’s first round shook out, and much more.

Thanks for listening! Leave a review if the show is landing for you, and share us with your cycling friends. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.

Listen On:

Meet the Team

  • Dave Towle: The voice of American cycling, having called some of the biggest races in the country for decades. Find him @davetowleannouncer.
  • Shane Miller (GPLama): Based in Australia, Shane is one of the most followed and trusted cycling tech reviewers in the world. Find him at @gplama.
  • Eric Schlange: Founder of Zwift Insider, the internet’s most comprehensive and reliable resource for Zwift routes, updates, and platform intelligence. Find him @zwiftinsider.

Share Your Thoughts!

This is just an early episode of what we hope is a long-running and useful community Zwift podcast. Share your thoughts below. We’re listening!

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