The History of Bike Racing in Prospect Park, and How It Inspired Virtual Cycling
When Zwift co-founder Jon Mayfield reached out asking if I’d like to consult on the development of a new virtual Prospect Park, I jumped at the opportunity. My history with Zwift and Prospect Park spans decades, so it was a perfect match.
I was Zwift’s former VP of Events — Eric Min (who I raced with as a junior!) invited me to join the company when it was still a scrappy startup. My Zwift ID is 7 — that’s how early I came aboard.
And in the real world? I’ve been racing in Prospect Park since I was 8 years old, and I organized IRL races there for 17 straight years — more than 150 races total.
So yes… this project felt meant to be.
Kissena members handing out race numbers at 5am registration.
Where It All Began: Kissena Cycling Club & Grassroots NYC Racing
Organized racing in Prospect Park has always been a community-driven effort. The sport owes much of its existence to the Kissena Cycling Club — and three individuals who kept NYC racing alive for the last 40+ years.
To honor them, Zwift named three virtual Prospect Park routes after those IRL legends:
Each played a unique role in keeping the heart of Brooklyn bike racing beating.
The People Behind the Pedals
Al Toefield — The Founder of the Movement
In 1963, Al Toefield founded the Kissena Cycling Club in Queens, New York. A former Sergeant in the NYPD, he began organizing races in Prospect Park in the early 1970s.
At the time, the park was surrounded by rough neighborhoods and had a reputation for being unsafe. City officials approached Al with a challenge: Bring life back into Prospect Park. Show the public it can be used for healthy, positive activity.
Al delivered. He built a racing culture from the ground up, keeping events running until he passed away in 1989. His impact still shapes NYC cycling today.
Greg Avon — The Relentless Builder
Greg Avon (the one not in kit) with the Kissena Team.
When Al passed, the baton was handed to Greg Avon, currently a Level 100 Zwifter and still as passionate as ever.
Greg served as Kissena President and Race Organizer through 2005 — a remarkable run that spanned more than 15 years of early-morning races, unpredictable logistics, and unwavering commitment.
He modernized the process, expanded participation, and ensured the scene continued to grow.
Charlie Issendorf — Keeping the Tradition Alive
Me announcing race results on the PA.
After Greg stepped away, I took over as Race Director, and for 17 straight years, I kept the tradition going — adding Sprint and KOM competitions with leader jerseys to give the races a true pro feel.
Those events weren’t easy — yet seeing hundreds of cyclists lap the park at sunrise made every sleepless night worth it. Knowing Zwift has now immortalized those efforts with the Issendorf Express route is truly special.
6am Start in the dark.A view from the Peristyle.
Fun Facts About IRL Prospect Park Racing
Races start at 6:00 AM — sometimes in complete darkness.
Everything must be wrapped up by 8:00 AM before the park becomes crowded.
Race organizers wake up at 2:00 AM — yes, you read that right — to set up the course.
Riders start picking up numbers at 5:00 AM (headlights and coffee mandatory).
At least 25 course marshals are needed for every race, spaced every 100-200 meters for safety.
The IRL course includes a KOM sprint, just like Zwift.
The Kissena Cycling Club still runs these events today — one of the oldest active cycling clubs in the U.S. — and they even have a Kissena in-game kit on Zwift.
Prospect Park racing demands teamwork long before the peloton even clips in.
From Brooklyn to the Metaverse
Indoor cyclists around the world can now experience the spirit of Prospect Park — from the sprint and KOM points to the serenity of sunrise through the trees — thanks to Zwift’s virtual version.
The landscape may be digital, but the heritage is as real as it gets. Zwift has created a living tribute to grassroots organizers, volunteers, and racers who kept the tradition thriving — year after year, lap after lap.
The IRL KOM Finish. Not as pro looking as the virtual arch.
Why it Matters
Cycling culture isn’t built only on WorldTour finishes — it grows in local parks, driven by people who show up before dawn to make the sport available to others.
Prospect Park is proof that big racing hearts beat in everyday places.
From Al single-handedly running races in the 1970s to thousands of riders on Zwift today — the legacy continues to roll.
And if you ever jump on virtual Prospect Park and ride one of those named routes — know that each one celebrates someone who made cycling in Brooklyn possible.
See you on the Issendorf Express. 🚴‍♂️✨
Today, Zwift launched a new “Big Apple Badge Hunt” mini-challenge featuring four routes from the New York map expansion that also launched today. Ride all four routes to complete the challenge and earn XP bonuses! Read on for details…
Challenge Requirements
The Challenge features four routes from today’s New York map expansion. The routes are sorted by length on the challenge screen, but you can do them in whatever order you’d like:
Green to Screen (28.4km, 207m): perhaps the best route for seeing most of NYC’s new roads within an hourlong ride, as it covers nearly every bit of new tarmac from Times Square south.
Watts the Limit (31km, 219m): an out-and-back course that begins in Central Park and travels south to loop around Grand Army Plaza and return by the same roads.
Spinfinity Ultra (35km, 291m): almost like two laps of Spinfinity, except you cross the bridges in a different direction on the second lap.
Double Parked (42.2km, 330m): begin with an almost complete lap of Prospect Park, then head all the way up to do a lap of Central Park before coming back down to finish that Prospect Park lap.
Challenge Rewards
You will receive a 500 XP bonus for each route you complete in the challenge. (Keep in mind, if this is your first time riding each of these routes, you’ll also receive an XP bonus for earning that route’s achievement badge.)
To join the Challenge, just click its card on the home screen. If you return to the home screen after doing this, you’ll see the card now shows your progress. If it’s showing your progress (0/4, 1/4, etc) you know you’re signed up!
Not signed upSigned up!
Once you’ve joined the Challenge, completing one of the Challenge routes in any sort of activity (free ride, workout, group ride, race) will mark the route as completed and earn your bonus XP.
Stacking Rewards
Pro tip: “stacking” mini challenge requirements lets you earn bonus XP even faster. For example, you could ride The Ultimate Warmup from the FTP Check Challenge on one of the routes for this challenge and get credit for finishing both!
Deadline
This challenge is live from October 27-December 31. (We recommend finishing before the final day, though, as the Challenges sometimes end at an unexpected time on the last day.)
Prospect Park, Times Square, Power Segments: Zwift Releases New York Map Expansion
Today, Zwift released the much-anticipated New York map expansion. With ~30km of new roads, this is Zwift’s largest expansion ever of an existing map, more than doubling New York’s existing ~20km.
Zwift has kept the “future NYC” theme, reimagining how New York City may exist 100 years in the future. But they’ve also included many references to present-day NYC, so native New Yorkers should feel right at home. Read on for a tour of the Big Apple’s new tarmac and surrounding sights…
A Tour of the New Roads
Zwift’s expansion adds ~30km of new roads south of the existing Central Park area. Most of the new surface roads are located in the same places as their real-life counterparts, including 6th Avenue exiting Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza, and Prospect Park.
The subways and Times Square, on the other hand, take plenty of liberties in their layouts. While they are roughly located in the same place as their present-day counterparts, their layouts don’t match what exists today.
Below you’ll find a “clean” version of Zwift’s updated New York map, and a marked-up version showing each of the new sections:
Subway 1
The first of three subway sections as you travel north to south, this subway feels most like a traditional New York station. Its distinctive visual feature is a plethora of advertising billboards, which include cheeky throwbacks to other Zwift maps and features. You’ll see a sign advertising “Fuego Fizz” soda as well as “Fuego Flat”, a Robopacer (dating?) ad, and more.
You’ll also see the first bits of graffiti, including a “jmX” tag you’ll find elsewhere in this expansion. (It’s a nod to Jon Mayfield, original creator of what would become Zwift, who named his software “jmX Trainer Coach”.)
This subway, like the other two, includes Power Segments in both directions. Traveling south, you’ll hit a 5-second Power Segment, while north contains a 20-second segment. These sections of road are one-way, meaning you cannot u-turn.
To exit this and the other two subways, you’ll ride up a steep ramp. Good news, though: there’s a bit of an “escalator” built into the ramp to help you to the top! Here’s what it looks like:
Escalator photo taken from the third subway, in Brooklyn
Times Square
The Times Square section is a 3.5km glass road circuit with a leaderboard that awards an orange jersey to the current fastest man and woman on course, in both directions. There are also new start pens located on this circuit.
While the idea of more glass roads in New York may strike fear in the heart of non-climbers like myself, in talking to Tony Yruegas, Zwift’s Game Art Director, he explained that they pulled a bit of a visual trick in this section by sinking the ground-level roads so the glass roads could appear elevated without much climbing being needed to reach them. “Overmuscled” cyclists everywhere salute you, Tony and team!
While this section doesn’t have many distinctive visual features beyond the glass roads, Tony tells me it will be the site of future celebrations (parades, confetti, etc.), including a possible NY-style Ball Drop on New Year’s.
Subway 2 (City Hall Station)
Continuing south, we descend into the second subway section, which is a throwback to New York’s City Hall station. This station opened in 1904, but has been closed since 1945, although you can still tour it today. It features distinctive brick archways, which Zwift has replicated in game:
This section includes 10-second Power Segments in both directions:
Manhattan Bridge
Traveling north to south, the first bridge you’ll encounter is the Manhattan Bridge. For non-NYC natives, the Manhattan Bridge is easily distinguished from the Brooklyn Bridge by its ironwork towers and grey steel girders. (The Brooklyn Bridge, in contrast, has stone/concrete towers and horizontal iron beams which block the skyline views.) The Manhattan Bridge also includes a huge stone archway at the entrance to the Manhattan side:
Looking for your best skyline view from a bridge? It’s found on Manhattan Bridge, heading toward Manhattan.
Manhattan Bridge has 250-meter sprint segments in both directions. Both sprints are slightly uphill, since the bridge arches a bit:
A large stone arch marks the bridge’s exit on the Manhattan side, while a corkscrew road is the exit on the Brooklyn side.
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge includes a KOM section (Brooklyn Bridge KOM, 2km, 1.7%) which runs in only one direction, from the Manhattan side to the center of the bridge. It’s an interesting KOM, too, because it actually begins with a descent! (So don’t let that 1.7% number fool you, as this is really more like 1.5km at 3.6%.)
Subway 3 (Brooklyn)
Almost to Prospect Park! After crossing the East River via the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges, you’ll descend into the third and final subway section. This is the only one located on the Brooklyn side.
This subway is the “greenest” of the three, with more open skylights and windows to let the sun shine on the trees and plants in the station. This is also the most graffiti-heavy of the three stations, especially as you exit out the Prospect Park side.
The Brooklyn subway includes two Power Segments. Traveling southeast toward Prospect Park you’ll hit a 20-second Power Segment, while northwest includes a 5-second segment.
Prospect Park
Exiting the subway, you’ll travel south down Flatbush Avenue (which is actually a climb), arriving at a ring road that takes you around Grand Army Plaza to the entrance of Prospect Park.
Grand Army PlazaThe BandstandThe Peristyle Sprint
This park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux 8 years after they collaborated to design Central Park. Zwift’s layout matches the IRL park roads, including a 5.5km loop and a central road (aptly named Center Drive) that offers a shortcut to the other side.
Prospect Park includes 2 sprint banners and one KOM:
The Hill KOM Reverse (length and gradient unknown – while it shows on the leaderboard, there is no visible start line on course)
As you make your way around the circuit counterclockwise, you’ll notice various sites: the lap banner, which comes just after the new Prospect Park start pens. The Bandshell, which has received significant upgrades in Zwift’s reimagining. The Peristyle, which hosts the banner for a sprint that runs in both directions. And the Prospect Park Zoo, here much more visible than the real-life zoo, which is hidden behind a high gate!
Lots of dogs, with their humansLap bannerKOM banner
There are lots of nods to real-life Prospect Park layouts and features, too. The Peristyle Sprint is where the original sprint finish of Prospect Park’s IRL bike races was located. You’ll see lots of people chasing their dogs in the northwest portion, because dogs can be walked off-leash before 7am IRL. And you’ll pass Prospect Park Lake and the ballfields, whose real versions I saw when riding through the park with Jon Mayfield a few weeks ago.
Detailed List of New Routes
Here’s a complete list of the new routes Zwift released today, including short descriptions from me:
Avon Flyer (5.1km, 30m)*: named for Greg Avon, level 100 Zwifter and Prospect Park race organizer, this simple loop takes in the southern half of Prospect Park.
Double Parked (42.2km, 330m): begin with an almost complete lap of Prospect Park, then head all the way up to do a lap of Central Park before coming back down to finish that Prospect Park lap.
Double Span Spin (12.6km, 120m): a CCW circuit of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.
Fuhgeddaboudit (79km, 838m): the new longest route in NYC, this doozy covers all the roads on the map, including some in both directions!
Green to Screen (28.4km, 207m): perhaps the best route for seeing most of NYC’s new roads within an hourlong ride, as it covers nearly every bit of new tarmac from Times Square south.
Issendorf Express (7.3km, 53m): named for Charlie Issendorf (NYC racer, Prospect Park race organizer, and former head of events at Zwift), this route is a figure 8 of Prospect Park and Center Drive.
Prospect Park Loop (5.5km, 37m)*: a good place to chase the orange jersey, this is a simple CCW loop of the Prospect Park circuit.
Spinfinity (19.3km, 155m): start and finish in Times Square, with a jaunt down to ride across the two bridges.
Spinfinity Ultra (35km, 291m): almost like two laps of Spinfinity, except you cross the bridges in a different direction on the second lap.
Stay Puft Pursuit (31.2km, 416m) event-only until November 3: starting in Times Square and traveling south to turn around at the bridges, this is the only route in the expansion that takes on the NY KOM in Central Park, both ways.
The Double Borough (17.9km, 147m) event-only until November 3: starts in Central Park and travels directly south, turning around by way of the Manhattan Bridge after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Greenway (36.8km, 292m): ride the northern half of Prospect Park, then up to the two bridges. Then do it again, hitting the bridges in the other direction this time.
Toefield Tornado (10.3km, 53m)*: named for legendary Prospect Park race organizer Al Toefield, this route matches Issendorf Express, apart from three cheeky loops of Grand Army Plaza thrown in near the end.
Watts the Limit (31km, 219m): an out-and-back course that begins in Central Park and travels south to loop around Grand Army Plaza and return by the same roads.
* While all 12 routes listed have achievement badges and accompanying bonus XP for riders, only those marked with * have an achievement badge for runners.
But starting today, Club events and Meetups can be scheduled on any of the routes listed above, using the Companion app. So you’ll start seeing events popping up on the expansion roads this week, including Zwift Insider’s 100km Pizza Burner and Tiny Races!
Free Rides and Workouts
New York is one of the guest calendars through the end of Zwift Unlocked (November 17), so from your home screen you can just click “Routes”, select New York, then choose the route you want to ride. Easy!
Prospect Park entrance, with Grandy Army Plaza in the background
New Feature: Power Segments
“Power Segments” are a new feature rolling out in this expansion, only available on these fresh New York roads. (Zwift has told me that, if feedback is positive, Power Segments will make their way to other roads throughout the game.)
The big idea behind power segments is to compete (against yourself and/or others) based on power instead of time. Whereas all the game’s sprint, KOM, and lap leaderboards are based on who finished a certain segment the fastest, Power Segments are sorted by who had the highest average power across the segment.
Each segment is a particular length of time: 5, 10, or 20 seconds. For best results, have you power high when you cross the start line, then hold the highest power you can all the way to the finish.
Leaderboards are sorted by pure wattage (not w/kg), and the game shows your personal leaderboard before showing how you rank against others, since this is (mostly) a feature where you’re competing against yourself.
There is also a leader’s jersey, just like with timed segments! Here’s what it looks like:
Upcoming Routes Releases
Zwift says, “Over the coming months, an additional five routes will be unlocked, allowing Zwifters to explore more.” I don’t have any further details on these new routes at this time.
I’ll wrap up with a gallery of images Zwift sent over, since these are the only shots available that show multiple riders, giving us a better feel for what things will look like when it all goes live:
The one image still missing? The Statue of Liberty. Or should I say… the Scottie of Liberty. Yup. They did it!
Watopia is available every day while the other maps rotate as “Guest Worlds” according to the calendar below. This gives Zwifters access to three worlds (Watopia + two guest worlds) at any given time.
Zwift Extends Partnership with Tour de France Femmes Through 2029
This week, as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 route was presented, Zwift announced a 3-year extension of their TdFFaZ presenting partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.). Read yesterday’s press release below…
Zwift, the global online fitness platform for cyclists, is today proud to announce the extension of its sponsorship of Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, continuing as Presenting Partner until at least 2029. The deal marks a continuation of a long-term partnership with A.S.O. that saw the introduction of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to the UCI calendar in 2022.
“This is much more than a sponsorship for Zwift, it’s a part of our identity, underpinned by our mission to make more people, more active, more often.” Says Eric Min, Zwift CEO and Co-Founder of Zwift. “Growing women’s participation in cycling is a critical mission. We truly believe that to be successful, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is essential. The first four years of this partnership have been incredible. The excitement is tangible and the impact is clear. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve over the next four years and beyond.”
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was born from a shared vision between Zwift and A.S.O. to elevate women’s cycling to the global stage it deserves. The partnership began with the Virtual Tour de France in 2020, launched during the pandemic with equal fields for both men and women, to keep racing alive and connect fans around the world. The success of this event cemented the co-determination to bring back a Tour de France for women. That vision became reality with the launch of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, a milestone moment that continues to inspire, engage, and grow the sport globally.
“The Tour de France has always been the most famous race in cycling and it has been fantastic to have it added to the calendar for the women’s peloton,” says Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto rider and 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner. “Winning the iconic yellow jersey has been the highlight of my career and it is so exciting that the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will continue to be the biggest race on the calendar and show off the excitement of women’s cycling to people around the world.”
Central to Zwift’s mission to grow women’s cycling is the Watch The Femmes campaign. Over four years, the call to action has evolved into a movement, inviting everyone who supports women’s cycling, from media and industry partners to brands and fans, to unite around a shared goal: growing the sport and ensuring women’s cycling receives the visibility and recognition it needs to continue thriving. The impact of this united effort is clear in the rising visibility and audience engagement around women’s cycling. There is no race on the women’s calendar that has helped bring more attention to the sport. 2025 brought an average audience of 2.7 million viewers per stage, in France alone, with the coverage accounting for a 31.6% audience share. The final stage with Pauline Ferrand-Prevot storming to victory brought a peak audience of 7.7 million. Since the introduction of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2022, Zwift has also seen an increase in the number of women joining the platform. Currently, 23% of new subscribers are women – a notable increase since the first edition of the race in 2022, where women accounted for 18% of new subscribers.
“The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift continues to break records and exceed even our own expectations,” says Marion Rousse, Director of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. “It’s a pleasure to work alongside a partner that helps amplify the race and women’s professional cycling in the way that Zwift does. We’ve achieved a lot already and I’m excited that we can continue this journey together.”
For more information on the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, head to www.letourfemmes.fr/en
This weekend’s notable events are headlined by Zwift’s Fondo Series, but we’ve also got a popular community race series kicking off, a unique women’s team chase event, a massive charity ride, and more. See details below!
Note: European clocks change on Sunday, so some of the times for Sunday events below may shift by an hour depending on where you’re located!
On the heels of last week‘s 24-hour charity ride, BMTR is holding their annual Breast Cancer Awareness 500km event! There are four events set up which you can choose from if you aren’t able to ride the full 500km, or join all four and stick around afterward to finish the full 500km.
In all four events, the yellow beacon will ride at a C category pace, averaging 2.4-2.8 w/kg. However, BMTR encourages riders to form groups that work for your pace.
This event benefits Metavivor, whose mission to offer hope for those with metastatic breast cancer. Donate here >
✅ Ladies Only 　✅ Popular 　✅ Unique Event
This interesting women-only event is a chase race… with a twist! This is truly a team chase race designed to encourage all riders in each category to work together to the end, because the final time for each rider is taken from the 4th rider in your category who crosses the line. (So your solo breakaway off the front isn’t going to help… you’ve got to work together!)
The race is on Scotland’s The Muckle Yin (23.7km, 282m) and groups are based on Zwift Racing Score.
✅ Popular Series 　✅ Mass Start 　✅ Long-Running Event
The popular HERD Winter Racing Series kicks off this weekend! This is a 20-week series of weekend mass-start races. The series has a mix of flat, rolling, short climb, and even some long climb courses, so there’s something for everyone. It also visits all Zwift worlds.
A GC on ZwiftPower tracks series results, with your best 16 finishes counting (so you can miss a race or four if needed). This week’s race is on France’s Gentil 8 (25.8km, 258m).
This popular group ride from Morning Glory Cycling Club returns this weekend after a summer break. The club describes this as “not an easy ride, but a friendly don’t get dropped type of ride.” A Discord channel for voice chat is available, which always helps pass the time on longer group rides.
Pacing notes: warm up ~2.0 for 7 minutes. The rest of the ride will be at around 2.3-2.5w/kg, and the hills will be max at 3.2w/kg. There’s also a finishing sprint!
This week’s event is held on Watopia’s Big Foot Hills (69.9km, 714m).
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!
