Looking to make some upgrades to your setup? In this week’s top video, hear from one rider as he evaluates his indoor-cycling-related purchases.
We’ve also included videos about Zwift’s Tour Fever series, a rundown of the SISU Tour, and an entertaining race recap.
The Best and Worst Zwift & Rouvy Indoor Cycling Purchases I’ve Made
Chad Rides shares a guide to his best and worst indoor cycling purchases to help you determine what items will actually improve your experience.
How I Paced the new Zwift Tour Fever Stage 1 TT
RidewithGerben rides stage 1 of the new Tour Fever series on the new Loop de Loop de Loop course in Paris. Get a first look at the new roads and watch as Gerben masterfully paces this time trial.
The Zwift Tour You Shouldn’t Ignore
Bike Bonk Biff shares information about the SISU Tour 2026 and provides a brief breakdown of each stage.
I Raced a 7-Stage Tour… and My Racing Score Collapsed
Is it possible to race too much on Zwift? Liam Shaw races the SISU Pinkki and shares how this experience impacted not only his racing score but also his body.
Zwift Tour Fever 2026 Is Bigger Than It Looks
Typically, I try to avoid featuring two videos from the same creator. However, I thought that both videos addressed exciting events, with the SISU tour catering more toward racers and the Tour Fever offering something for riders of all sorts. In this video, Bike Bonk Biff gives riders the rundown of Zwift’s Tour Fever.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below, and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Zwift version 1.117 begins its phased rollout today. This minor update includes a new Canyon road bike, some UI tweaks, and bug fixes. Read on for details!
New Bikes: Canyon Aeroad CFR Alpecin Premier-Tech
The version 1.116 update that dropped two weeks ago included four new bike frames that are all being raced at the Tour de France. Today’s release includes yet another TdF frame, the Canyon Aeroad CFR in Alpecin Premier-Tech colorway. Presumably, this frame didn’t quite make it into the previous release. Better late than never!
The new Canyon Aeroad CFR is rated 3 stars aero, 4 stars weight, and requires level 30+ and 1,750,000 Drops.
As always, watch this space for complete speed test results for the new frame.
Release Notes
Zwift supplied these additional release notes:
The Challenges section in the Home Screen is now renamed to “This Week on Zwift”.
After completing a Challenge, it will move to the end of the This Week on Zwift section in the Home Screen.
Challenges on the Home screen now show the number of remaining days until the Challenge ends when within one week of ending.
Zwifter using cycling speed sensors can now change their tire size under Settings → Hardware.
Increased the size of the Target Watts field in the Workout HUD.
Fixed an issue that could cause an incorrect level to be displayed above a nearby rider as they level up.
Windows: Fixed a crash that could potentially occur after finishing an event.
This page includes basic details for all routes on Zwift’s Paris world. For additional route details, click the corresponding link to be taken to that route’s detail page.
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Animated map provided by ZwiftHacks
As the final stage of first-ever Virtual Tour de France, Zwift’s Champs-Élysées route was designed to mimic what may be the most recognizable road in the world: the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. While the avenue is known for its theaters, cafés, luxury shops, and annual Bastille Day parade, it’s best-known among cyclists as the finish of the Tour de France!
Route Basics
Length: 6.6 km (4.1 miles) Elevation: 39 m (128‘) Lead-In: 3.1 km (1.9 miles) Map: Paris
Restriction: none
Achievement Badge: 130XP
As the final stage of first-ever Virtual Tour de France, Zwift’s Champs-Élysées route was designed to mimic what may be the most recognizable road in the world: the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. While the avenue is known for its theaters, cafés, luxury shops, and annual Bastille Day parade, it’s best-known among cyclists as the finish of the Tour de France!
The shortest of the new routes added in Zwift’s 2026 Paris expansion, Loop de loop de loop covers all the new Paris roads except for the Montmartre section. It includes three tiny loops within its large loop, hence the name.
Route Basics
Length: 7.2 km (4.5 miles) Elevation: 36 m (118‘) Lead-In: 3.1 km (1.9 miles) Map: Paris
Restriction: none
Achievement Badge: 145XP
The shortest of the new routes added in Zwift’s 2026 Paris expansion, Loop de loop de loop covers all the new Paris roads except for the Montmartre section. It includes three tiny loops within its large loop, hence the name.
Paris’ Lutece Express route is simply the reverse version of the iconic Champs-Élysées route created for the first-ever Virtual Tour de France. It runs in a clockwise direction, giving riders a chance to experience a virtual version of the most recognizable avenue in the world: the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
While the avenue is known for its theatres, cafés, luxury shops, and annual Bastille Day parade, it’s best-known among cyclists as the finish of the Tour de France race!
Route Basics
Length: 6.6 km (4.1 miles) Elevation: 39 m (128‘) Lead-In: 3.6 km (2.2 miles) Map: Paris
Restriction: none
Achievement Badge: 130XP
Paris’ Lutece Express route is simply the reverse version of the iconic Champs-Élysées route created for the first-ever Virtual Tour de France. It runs in a clockwise direction, giving riders a chance to experience a virtual version of the most recognizable avenue in the world: the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
While the avenue is known for its theatres, cafés, luxury shops, and annual Bastille Day parade, it’s best-known among cyclists as the finish of the Tour de France race!
Added in Zwift’s July 2026 Paris expansion, this route is tailor-made for Zwift racing, with a flatter start on the front half and back-to-back Montmartre efforts near the finish!
Route Basics
Length: 25.1 km (15.6 miles) Elevation: 190 m (623‘) Lead-In: 3.1 km (1.9 miles) Map: Paris
Restriction: none
Achievement Badge: 505XP
Added in Zwift’s July 2026 Paris expansion, this route is tailor-made for Zwift racing, with a flatter start on the front half and back-to-back Montmartre efforts near the finish!
Today, Zwift launches a Paris map expansion, and a big Tour Fever ride series to go with it! Read on to learn all about the new roads, routes, and real-life sites you can find in Zwift’s expanded Paris…
New Roads
The addition replicates the expanded finishing circuit which debuted at the 2025 Tour de France, while also adding a stretch of the Boulevard Malesherbes and Rue Royale, and a quick circuit around La Madeleine. All of the roads in the expansion are replicas of IRL roads, and many IRL landmarks can also be seen.
Here’s a full map of Zwift’s updated Paris, so you can get your bearings:
Notably, the three new sprints and the new Montmartre KOM are all one-way segments. There are also significant stretches of one-way road, including the full Montmartre climb/descent loop.
All in all, if we include usable lanes in our calculations (so a 2-way road counts as twice the length of a 1-way road), this expansion adds ~13.4 kilometers of road, which more than doubles the rideable roads in Zwift’s Paris.
New Routes
Today’s launch includes 10 new routes: 8 for riders+runners, and 2 which are run-only. Here’s the full list (click route name for details):
The centerpiece of Zwift’s Paris expansion is the Montmartre climb, and the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre perched at its peak:
As you ride along the road below Sacré-Coeur, look right for a panoramic view of Paris, and understand why this is the second-most visited tourist site in the city after the Eiffel Tower (which you can see over your right shoulder).
There are many distinctive buildings, monuments, and other features that will feel familiar if you’re a regular in this part of Paris. Key sites include Église Saint-Augustin, the venerable Église Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, La Madeleine, Parc Monceau, and more:
Today, Zwift kicks off a series of Tour Fever events that will run throughout July and August, highlighting both the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. It’s all centered around Zwift’s much-anticipated Paris expansion, which adds the Tour’s new finishing circuit, including the iconic cobbled climb to the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre (below). Read on for details!
Stage Details
The first three stages are themed around the Tour de France, which happens July 4-26. The final two stages are Watch the Femmes themed, since the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift happens from August 1-9.
Each stage has hourly group rides and regular race events scheduled, or you can get credit for completing the stage on-demand as a solo effort if you complete the route once its stage has begun. To be clear: new Paris routes (denoted with a * below) can be ridden whenever you’d like, but will only award stage completion credit once their stage begins.
If you missed a stage, you’ll be able to ride any of the routes above as on-demand free rides to earn stage credit.
Unlocks and Rewards
Various kits and accessories will be rewarded as you progress through the stages (details above). Click images below for a closer look:
Tour Fever and Watch the Femmes KitsL’Etape Femmes kitTour Fever socks, gloves, helmet, and bucket hat
The Ultimate Challenge
“The Ultimate Challenge” is a newish feature Zwift has added to recent major tours. The challenge? Ride all the featured routes, typically for a reward that falls laughably short of justifying your effort.
For Tour Fever 2026, riders who complete 7 of the 10 featured routes will receive a 500 XP bonus. Complete all 10 routes and you’ll earn… drumroll please… the Tour Fever 2026 bucket hat (shown above).
Tour Fever Drops: New Bikes and Wheels
Several new (and fast) bikes and wheelsets have arrived in game along with Tour Fever! These are some of the bikes and wheels pros will be racing in the Tour, including:
All About the New Roval Rapide Sprint CLX Wheelset in Zwift
Yesterday’s Tarmac SL9 launch included a new wheelset to match the new bike – the Roval Rapide Sprint CLX:
These are the first road wheels from Roval to be added to Zwift since 2021, so we expected them to perform strongly against the older Rovals in the Drop Shop. Here’s how the Roval Rapide Sprint wheelset is described in the Drop Shop:
Meet the Roval Rapide CLX Sprint – built to get to the finish line first. Since 90% of aero benefit comes from the front wheel, we went all-in with a 63mm deep front rim to slice through the wind, paired with a lightweight 58mm rear wheel with carbon spokes for blistering acceleration when it counts. Charge full gas with confidence: Roval is shifting the aero paradigm – depth redefined for absolute speed.
The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 29 and above, for 650,000 Drops. They are rated 4 stars for aero and 3 for weight, like other strong all-arounder wheelsets. But how do they compare? Since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our tastes, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets.
Let’s dive in and learn all about the in-game performance of these new Rovals!
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
Roval’s Rapide Sprint CLX hoops turn in a strong aero performance on our flat tests, coming in alongside the new Miche Deva RD 62 tied for 3rd overall among non-disc hoops.
The Rapide Sprint CLX puts 43 seconds into our stock wheelset across an hour of flat road, which puts them behind the Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 (46.8 seconds) and Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 (44.3 seconds) but ahead of all other non-disc wheels.
Climb Performance
The Rapide Sprint CLX wheelset is a bit heavier than the newer super “aero all-arounder” wheelsets we’re seeing come to Zwift lately, turning in a time that puts it just behind the new Miche Deva RD 62 and well behind the lightest wheels.
Roval’s Rapide Sprint CLX puts 6.7 seconds into the stock wheelset, while the Miche Deva RD 62 gain 7.2 seconds and the best climbing wheels in game, the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532, gain 14.5 seconds.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.
Conclusions
The new Roval Rapide Sprint CLX wheelset greatly outperforms other in-game Roval wheels in aero performance, and loses only to the Roval Alpinist CLX in climbing. So they’re a strong upgrade for Roval fans who haven’t seen any new road wheels on Zwift for ~5 years.
That said, when compared with pure aero wheels, they fall a bit short. And compared with aero all-arounders, they’re edged out by the new Miche Deva RD 62, and handily bested (like everyone else) by the Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 super wheels. So it’s hard to recommend them, especially priced at 650,000 Drops with a level 29 unlock, since they’re not much easier to unlock than other wheelsets with better performance.
These wheels have been, or will soon be, added to the following posts:
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
There are 10 or more time slots for each stage, so everyone can find a time that works for them. Combining signups across the time slots, this is by far the most popular race happening this weekend!
Lots of riders are already signed up for this 2nd annual running of a popular 4th of July race organized by Ben Rizzo of RIZZRL. This year, Americans are celebrating 250 years of freedom. But all nations are welcome, and riders are even encouraged to break out their national kits to represent their home countries!
On the first Saturday of every month, Wobble Cycle Club holds the Alpe du Zwift challenge. As they say, “This event isn’t about crossing the line before the person next to you, it’s about being better than you were last month.”
Join the great communities of the Torturefest Cult and Team Giant, who are collaborating to help you get stronger! Everyone is riding Watopia’s Road to Sky route (17.6km, 1044m), which features the famed Alpe du Zwift climb.
Each pen has a target time (read event description), and the stronger pens leave later, so they are working to catch the slower group ahead.
The USMeS Team holds a 100km ride every Saturday, but on the first Saturday of the month it’s a 100 mile event! This month they’re riding on France Classic Fondo (146.9km, 1099m), and all paces are welcome.
If you’ve been wanting to knock this route out, this is a great way to do it… because long rides are always better with friends!
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!
All About the New Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 Frame on Zwift
Today, Zwift released a rare out-of-cycle game update (v1.116.2) for the sole purpose of unveiling one of the most anticipated new road bikes of 2026: the S-Works Tarmac SL9 from Specialized:
The S-Works SL8 is already the most popular bike in the Zwift race peloton, with an impressive real-life WorldTour palmares to match. But how does the new model compare to other bikes on Zwift?
You’ll need to be updated to game version 1.116.2+ to see this bike in the Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 40+ with 1,900,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in game:
The all-new S-Works Tarmac SL9 is the fastest road bike ever made. Not just because it’s the lightest. Not just because it’s our most aero. But because it delivers the lowest real-world Time to Finish of any road bike. Validated across real race courses, terrain, and riders. When the goal is to cross the line first, no road bike gets you there faster.
It’s rated 3 stars for aero and 4 stars for weight, like other top all-arounders on Zwift. But that’s actually a sizeable group of bikes at this point. So how does it actually perform? Since Zwift’s 4-star system isn’t the most granular performance metric, we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance in nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!
Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm Carbon wheelset on the un-upgraded version of the frame, unless otherwise noted.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
Across an hour of flat riding, the new Tarmac trims around 1 second off the S-Works SL8’s flat time, making it the new fastest all-arounder in game.
The frame’s time puts it 63 seconds ahead of our baseline frame across an hour of riding, which means it’s just 0.5 seconds behind the current aero king, the new Cervelo S5, which was also released this week.
Note: these results will change when Zwift gives the SL9 a “polish” in an upcoming release… more on this below.
Climb Performance
The SL8 was a very strong climber – the best climbing road bike in game, in fact, when comparing un-upgraded bikes. (The Specialized Aethos S-Works at stage 5 is far and away the best climbing bike in game, though, handily beating the S-Works Tarmac SL8 at stage 5.)
While the new SL9 weighs essentially the same as the S8, we expected the SL9 would perform at least as well as the SL8, if not a bit better due to aero improvements. And it does!
The frame’s climb test time puts it 57.7 seconds ahead of the baseline frame after an hour, which is basically the same time as the Tarmac SL8 and ~2 seconds ahead of the lightweight new Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71 Team.
Upgrading Your Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9
Like all frames in Zwift, the Tarmac SL9 can be upgraded in five stages. It uses the Distance, High-End upgrading scheme, giving it the following characteristics:
Performance At Each Upgrade Stage
This chart shows how many seconds this frame will save across 1 hour of riding compared to our stage 0 baseline frames (Zwift Carbon or TT). This is based on a 75kg rider, 183cm tall, at 300 watts, riding on tarmac.
Upgrade Stages (Distance, High-End)
Stage
1
2
3
4
5
Totals
km
200
260
320
380
440
1,600
cost
100,000
200,000
350,000
500,000
750,000
1,900,000
upgrade
Aero
Weight
Drivetrain
Aero
Weight
200km: Aero Upgrade for 100k Drops
260km: Weight Upgrade for 200k Drops
320km: Drivetrain Upgrade for 350k Drops
380km: Aero Upgrade for 500k Drops
440km: Weight Upgrade for 750k Drops
Conclusions
The S-Works SL8 was already the most popular bike among Zwift racers. I predict the SL9 will supersede it in popularity, although Zwifters will have to put in some significant miles to upgrade their new SL9 so it beats their fully upgraded SL8.
Specialized claims a 3.8-watt savings for the SL9 vs the SL8 when riding at 45kph. That may not sound like much, but it’s actually quite massive in Zwift terms. Specialized says that savings translates to 14 seconds saved across an hour of riding. In our tests at 300 watts, which works out to around 40kph on flat ground, we’ve found that a 3.8 watt difference works out to around 23 seconds saved on Zwift.
But Zwift can’t exactly set up the SL9 so it trims 23 seconds (or even just 14 seconds) off the SL8’s flat time, can they? It would blow away their game design, which has a handful of top frames performing within 1-3 seconds of each other. So instead, Zwift is looking to make the SL9 just 1-2 seconds faster than the SL8 on flats, while keeping it the same weight so its climbing performance isn’t much different from the SL8.
One interesting related tidbit: the SL9, as it appears in game today, is actually a touch slower than Zwift wants it to be. Sources within Zwift tell me the bike will be receiving a slight “polish” in the coming weeks, which will be noted in the release notes. This should make the bike approximately 1 second faster on the flats.
The long and short of it is: the new Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 beats the S-Works SL8 on Zwift, and it will even get a bit faster in the coming weeks. With the SL8 already ranked #1 in our list of Top 10 Road Bikes, the SL9’s performance is big news for Zwift racers. And I, for one, am glad to see it. Because I’m tired of seeing so many white bikes in the peloton!
We’ll be adding this bike to the following posts soon:
What do you think of Specialized’s new Tarmac in Zwift? Share below…
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
New to Zwift? In this week’s top video, hear from an experienced Zwifter as he shares 6 years of Zwift learnings.
Also included in this week’s top videos are picks covering a first ride for weight loss, an inside look at the Zwift x Bravur watch, riding the breakaway as a sprinter, and leaving Zwift.
5 Things I Have Learned From Riding on Zwift Since 2020
Over the last 6 years, Rough Draft Cycling has learned a lot about the platform. In his latest video, he shares 5 things in particular that he has learned from riding on Zwift.
Is Zwift Actually Made For Bigger People? | Honest First Ride
After recently receiving a Zwift Hub, Devrin Bradford rides on Zwift for the first time and shares his first impressions.
They Built A Watch With Every Zwift Easter Egg Hidden In The Dial | Bravur X Zwift
Hear from Casual Watch Reviews as he sits down with the founders of Bravur to get the inside scoop on the latest Zwift collaboration.
I Smuggled a Sprinter Into a 4-Man Mountain Breakaway
Watch as Liam Shaw fights to stay in the breakaway and battles for the win. Can he hang on with the breakaway as a sprinter?
I’m Leaving Zwift and I Need Your Help!
Cycling with Russ explains why he is rethinking his Zwift subscription and shares what he is looking for in an indoor cycling platform.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below, and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
