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Answering the Bike Swap Question for Zwift’s WhatYumeziWe’reLost? Route

Eric Schlange
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15
Answering the Bike Swap Question for Zwift’s WhatYumeziWe’reLost? Route

Answering the Bike Swap Question for Zwift’s WhatYumeziWe’reLost? Route

The odd-yet-fittingly-named WhatYumeziWe’reLost? Makuri Islands route was recently unveiled for the Makuri Madness ZRacing series, to be raced this week for the first time.

It’s a 17.5km point-to-point route that begins with a short climb, then takes riders over more rolling terrain before finishing on the infamous dirt Temple KOM:

With the route including some dirt sections, riders are asking: does it make sense to swap to a gravel bike for all or part of this race?

The first stretch of dirt on this route comes around 10.7km into the race. Riders begin the Temple KOM, then turn right onto the cutoff road which takes us to the other side of the Temple KOM for a descent back to the Castle area. While this is a dirt section where gravel bikes will be a bit faster than road bikes, it doesn’t make sense to swap from road to gravel when you hit the dirt at 10.7km because you’ll be switching back to tarmac around the 12.9km mark, for a paved stretch just under 2km long.

But then we arrive at the next dirt stretch: the full Temple KOM. The dirt begins around 14.8km into the route, and continues to the finish line (with the exception of some wooden bridge sections near the end). The finish line is the KOM banner in the giant mystical tree atop the Temple KOM:

A wooden bridge crosses turquoise water toward a giant tree with a hollowed trunk. Lush greenery, pink flowers, and an orange sky create a magical, fantasy-like atmosphere.

Does it make sense to swap from a road to a gravel rig for this final dirt climb? The short answer is: yes, if you have the right controller setup. But let’s unpack this, because there are a lot of considerations that go into the bike swap decision.

Key Bike Swap Considerations

Time Savings

This is the first question I always ask when considering a bike swap. All other things being equal, how much faster can you complete the dirt section with a gravel bike vs road bike?

I did a quick test with our standard bot rider (183cm, 75kg, at 300W). Here are the Temple KOM times for a top-spec un-upgraded road bike setup vs a top-spec un-upgraded gravel setup:

That’s a difference of almost 25 seconds – slightly more than the time gap I’ve measured previously, thanks to the new Cannondale frame and Roval wheels being faster than the older gravel setups.

Route Layout

It’s crucial that this route ends atop the Temple KOM. If it kept going and ended on a paved section later, we would need to consider switching back to a road setup, since we would be at a major disadvantage sprinting against roadies on our gravel bike. But the route ending on the dirt tips the scales firmly in the direction of the bike swap.

Brakes Required

Are you able to brake in Zwift? Doing so today requires the older Zwift Play controllers, or the controllers which come on the Zwift Ride.

Because the old “pairing screen brake” hack no longer works (you have to unpair your power source now for the pairing screen to stop your rider), the only truly fast way to stop for a bike swap is via manual braking.

Pro tip: Set “Braking Sensitivity” to 100% (see above), as this will bring you to a stop 2-3 seconds faster than the default 50% setting.

Time Cost and Fast Swaps

Of course, bike swapping has a cost, because you have to stop moving before you can swap. Since the race ends atop the KOM, there’s no need to swap back to the road bike. So the major cost of your bike swap is the time lost while stopping at the bottom of the Temple KOM, swapping, then getting moving again. (Of course, there’s also the cost of losing the draft. I discuss that below.)

Doing it quickly takes a bit of practice. But if you have braking controllers (see above), you can go from full speed racing on your road bike to fully swapped and moving ahead on your fastest gravel bike in less than 5 seconds. In fact, I did it today, on my way to an unimpressive 8th-place finish:

Equipping the Best Wheels

One thing that helps make this swap more effective is last week’s game update that saves wheelsets to frames. Now you can equip your ideal gravel setup beforehand, then race on your road setup. When it comes time to swap, just click that gravel frame, and it’ll have the wheels you last used attached.

Where To Swap

You don’t want to swap on the flat and fast start to the KOM, because your effort isn’t high there, and you’re benefiting from the pack draft at those higher speeds of 40+kph.

Instead, wait to initiate your bike swap until the group slows down around the big right-hand turn where the road pitches up to 5%. This allows you to derive maximum benefit from the pack draft at higher speeds, initiate a faster bike swap, and get back in touch with the pack sooner since they won’t be so far away once you get going again.

Losing the Draft

Assuming you’re in the front pack when you initiate your bike swap, you can plan on most or all of the pack going up the road without you as you stop to change bikes. (In today’s race, I think I was the only rider who stopped to swap!) This means you’ll lose the draft benefit of the pack until you catch them again.

This is an added “cost” to bike swapping, but there are two things worth mentioning that reduce this cost:

  1. You’re on a climb traveling at 15-20kph for most of the remainder of the route, so you’re not saving a lot of power in the draft.
  2. As mentioned above under “Where To Swap”, timing your swap smartly lets you stay in the draft when it’s most helpful and get back in touch with pack riders more quickly once you get moving again.

Bike Upgrade Status

This isn’t actually a key consideration, but I know people will ask, so I’m including it!

Many riders have a fully-upgraded road bike, and a partly-upgraded or un-upgraded gravel bike. Does it still make sense to swap in this case?

Short answer: yes! As shown in our Performance Improvements and Power Savings at Each Stage charts, a fully-upgraded road bike gains ~37 seconds on the un-upgraded version across an hour of climbing the Alpe.

Using some approximate napkin math, we can say that the Temple KOM is ~6 minutes long, or 1/10th of an hour, which means the fully-upgraded bike would be 37/10=3.7 seconds faster up the Temple KOM than its un-upgraded version.

So if you have a fully upgraded road bike and an un-upgraded gravel bike (using the frames and wheelsets I used in my tests above), the gravel bike will still outclimb the road bike by over 21 seconds.

Conclusion

Given all the considerations above, I’d say bike swapping on WhatYumeziWe’reLost? is a no-brainer, assuming you’ve got braking controls and access to quick menu navigation (best done on a Mac/PC keyboard).

Your Thoughts

Have you tried a bike swap on this route? Do you agree or disagree with my conclusions above? Chime in below!

Tomorrow Is VO2sday! 5×4-Minute Mass Start Time Trials on Zwift Shorts

Eric Schlange
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6
Tomorrow Is VO2sday! 5×4-Minute Mass Start Time Trials on Zwift Shorts

Tomorrow Is VO2sday! 5×4-Minute Mass Start Time Trials on Zwift Shorts

It’s been ten weeks since I last posted about Zwift Insider’s VO2sday races, so I figured it was time for an update. Keep reading to learn all about our “Structured Workout Races”!

The VO2sday concept is simple, but not easy: 5 all-out 4-minute efforts, with 6 minutes of recovery between each race. If you do it correctly, you’ll accumulate 5×4=20 minutes of quality VO2 max work by the end of the last race. But it’s done in a motivating and engaging race setting, which makes the suffering much more bearable. Here are two live streams from last week’s races:

August 25 Race Details and Signup

Tomorrow’s races feature the first 5 routes of the new Zwift Shorts challenge. As long as you complete a full lap of the route, you’ll get credit toward the challenge, which means bonus XP! (Pro tip: most riders cover around 3km of distance in a 4-minute VO2sday race on flat roads. So you may need to keep spinning after the race ends in order to finish the lap and get credit toward the Zwift Shorts challenge.)

Races are held at three different times each Tuesday:

  • Zone 1: 11am UTC/7am UT/4am PT
  • Zone 2: 5pm UTC/1pm ET/10am PT
  • Zone 3: 11pm UTC/7pm ET/4pm PT

Click the banner to sign up:

Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/vo2sday >

Time-Based Races, Distance-Based Results

VO2sday Micro Races aren’t your typical Zwift race. These are time-based races finishing at the 4-minute mark instead of finishing at a particular point on the course.

The win goes to whoever rides the furthest in 4 minutes. And the overall rankings across the 5 races are based on the total distance you cover across all 5 races.

ZwiftPower can’t handle time-based race results, so our results are hosted by our friends at LeadoutEsports.com. This week’s results will be found at https://leadoutesports.com/vo2sday/17.

Be sure to register at Leadout and link up your Zwift account so your name is included in the race results (here’s a shot of last week’s B category leaderboard):

Cycling leaderboard showing top riders for Week 16. Sven Bröcker is first, Cyrus Macaigne is second, and Per Bäckström is fourth. A podium with cycling photos is displayed above the rankings.

Structured Workout Racing

I’ve set up these races with a very unique structure, with the goal of delivering an event that is engaging and fun while delivering a proper VO2 max session:

  • 5x 4-minute V02 max efforts: That’s 20 minutes of solid VO2 max interval work in just 44 minutes.
  • Recovery time: Races are 10 minutes apart, so a 4-minute race leaves you with 6 minutes of recovery before the next interval.
  • Drafting is disabled: These are effectively time trials, so you’ll want a fast TT setup. Turning off the draft moves us from the “sit in then sprint” mindset to “hold steady high power for the duration” mode.
  • Mass start: While riders are broken into categories for results, these are mass-start events with all categories starting together, so everyone has riders ahead to chase. (Remember, the goal is to push as hard as you can for the duration of the race. There is no “sitting in the pack and conserving” on VO2sday!)
  • Mix of courses: Each week we mix up the courses a bit to keep things interesting, but they’re all some mix of flat, rolling, and even downhill parcours.
  • Compound Score categories: Since results are driven by your power numbers, riders are categorized by compound score, not Zwift Racing Score. This takes into account your 5-minute power and body weight.

Questions or comments?

Share below!

Zwift Course Calendar – Current Guest World Schedule

Eric Schlange
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13
Zwift Course Calendar – Current Guest World Schedule

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.

< August 2026 >
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
          1ParisParis FranceFrance 2ParisParis FranceFrance
3ParisParis FranceFrance 4ParisParis FranceFrance 5ParisParis FranceFrance 6ParisParis FranceFrance 7ParisParis FranceFrance 8ParisParis FranceFrance 9ParisParis FranceFrance
10New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 11New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 12Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 13Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 14YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 15YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 16LondonLondon RichmondRichmond
17LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 18RichmondRichmond InnsbruckInnsbruck 19New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 20New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 21Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 22Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland 23RichmondRichmond InnsbruckInnsbruck
24LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 25LondonLondon RichmondRichmond 26YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 27YorkshireYorkshire LondonLondon 28New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 29New YorkNew York Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands 30Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland
31Makuri IslandsMakuri Islands ScotlandScotland            
Categories
 France
 Innsbruck
 London
 Makuri Islands
 New York
 Paris
 Richmond
 Scotland
 Yorkshire

Keep in mind the guest course changeover happens at midnight Eastern/9pm Pacific (4am UTC the following day).

If you’d like to ride an off-schedule course, see How To Access the Route You Want. 

See archived calendars (November 2019 and older)

Zwift Climb Portal Schedule

Eric Schlange
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165
Zwift Climb Portal Schedule

Zwift Climb Portal Schedule

Zwift’s Climb Portal gives Zwifters access to a growing library of famous real-life climbs in a gamified environment where roads are colored based on gradient. Learn more about the Climb Portal >

While the library of climbs continues to grow, only three climbs are accessible on a given day:

  • Climb of the month: the first climb listed on the calendar below rotates monthly. This climb is available only in France, and you can ride it by clicking the appropriate card at the bottom of your home screen under “Just Ride”.
  • Featured daily climb: the second climb listed rotates daily and is only available in Watopia. Ride it by clicking the appropriate card at the bottom of your home screen under “Just Ride”.
  • Climb of the week: the last climb listed rotates weekly and awards bonus XP upon completion. This climb is only available in France, and can be accessed via the “Climb of the Week” card on your homescreen.

Learn more about a climb by clicking it in the schedule below.

< August 2026 >
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
          1Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine La Turbie + Col d'EzeLa Turbie + Col d'Eze Cheddar Gorge (250 XP)Cheddar Gorge (250 XP) 2Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Col du Galibier (Lautaret)Col du Galibier (Lautaret) Cheddar Gorge (250 XP)Cheddar Gorge (250 XP)
3Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Col de la Croix Saint-RobertCol de la Croix Saint-Robert Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP) 4Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Col de la CouilloleCol de la Couillole Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP) 5Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Pas de Peyrol/Puy MaryPas de Peyrol/Puy Mary Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP) 6Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine La Super Planche des Belles FillesLa Super Planche des Belles Filles Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP) 7Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Col du PlatzerwaselCol du Platzerwasel Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP) 8Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Pla d'AdetPla d'Adet Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP) 9Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Col de Peyresourde (Avajan)Col de Peyresourde (Avajan) Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)Col du Platzerwasel (500 XP)
10Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Old La HondaOld La Honda Poggio (250 XP)Poggio (250 XP) 11Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Oude KwaremontOude Kwaremont Poggio (250 XP)Poggio (250 XP) 12Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine CipressaCipressa Poggio (250 XP)Poggio (250 XP) 13Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Crow RoadCrow Road Poggio (250 XP)Poggio (250 XP) 14Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Old Willunga HillOld Willunga Hill Poggio (250 XP)Poggio (250 XP) 15Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Mt FujiMt Fuji Poggio (250 XP)Poggio (250 XP) 16Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Bealach na BàBealach na Bà Poggio (250 XP)Poggio (250 XP)
17Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Alto de PatiosAlto de Patios La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP) 18Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine KoppenbergKoppenberg La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP) 19Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Norton SummitNorton Summit La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP) 20Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Hardknott PassHardknott Pass La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP) 21Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Montée du ChinaillonMontée du Chinaillon La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP) 22Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine RocacorbaRocacorba La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP) 23Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine TrollstigenTrollstigen La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)La Super Planche des Belles Filles (500 XP)
24Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine La Laguna NegraLa Laguna Negra Cote de Domancy (250 XP)Cote de Domancy (250 XP) 25Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Côte des ForcheCôte des Forche Cote de Domancy (250 XP)Cote de Domancy (250 XP) 26Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Mûr de BretagneMûr de Bretagne Cote de Domancy (250 XP)Cote de Domancy (250 XP) 27Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Cheddar GorgeCheddar Gorge Cote de Domancy (250 XP)Cote de Domancy (250 XP) 28Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine PoggioPoggio Cote de Domancy (250 XP)Cote de Domancy (250 XP) 29Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Mt. HamiltonMt. Hamilton Cote de Domancy (250 XP)Cote de Domancy (250 XP) 30Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Lagos de CovadongaLagos de Covadonga Cote de Domancy (250 XP)Cote de Domancy (250 XP)
31Col de la MadeleineCol de la Madeleine Cote de PikeCote de Pike Col de Peyresourde (Avajan) (500 XP)Col de Peyresourde (Avajan) (500 XP)            
Categories
 Climb of the Month
 Climb of the Week
 Climb Portal - Blue
 Climb Portal - Dark Blue
 Climb Portal - Light Blue

Access the currently featured monthly and daily climbs from the bottom of the Zwift homescreen under “Just Ride”:

Access the Climb of the Week from the “Climb of the Week” card:

A Zwift dashboard showing events, routes, and workout options, including Route of the Week, Climb of the Week, Indoor/Outdoor, and completed events. User stats and navigation options are visible at the top.

“We Ride Paris” Challenge Launched on Zwift In Partnership with Paris Saint-Germain

Eric Schlange
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3
“We Ride Paris” Challenge Launched on Zwift In Partnership with Paris Saint-Germain

“We Ride Paris” Challenge Launched on Zwift In Partnership with Paris Saint-Germain

This week, Zwift rolled out the We Ride Paris “connected cycling challenge” as part of a unique initiative spearheaded by the Paris Saint-Germain football club. Powered by the support of pro cycling team Groupama-FDJ UNITED plus WHOOP, Zwift, and Wilier, We Ride Paris aims to “bring as many people as possible together around a fun, sporting and collective challenge.”

Completing the Challenge

Completing the challenge is quite simple – all you have to do is ride at least 16.4 kilometers, either on Zwift or out on the road. This needs to be done between August 18, 2026 at 9am PDT and September 13, 2026 at 23:59 PDT.

While you can technically get entered into the prize giveaways managed by PSG (see below) by riding any 16.4km+ session on Zwift or outside, Zwifters will probably want to click and free ride the Crêpe Escape route via the We Ride Paris card on their home screens, or take part in one of the special We Ride Paris events (see below), since doing so unlocks the special We Ride Paris kit and socks, and triggers an automatic email with more info on entering the prize giveaway.

A digital screen shows We Ride Paris, with an activity completion message, confetti, and a reward for a We Ride Paris Kit. A cycling route is displayed on the left with stats.

Special Events

A number of events are taking place as part of this initiative – some on Zwift, and some IRL.

Virtual group rides will be held on Crêpe Escape with professional Groupama-FDJ UNITED riders (see upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/werideparis, or click the banner below).

Paris Saint-Germain logo with We Ride Paris text and sponsors on a blue background with red and blue stripes and subtle graphic drawings.

An IRL finale will be held at the Parc des Princes and an auction of exclusive bikes, with proceeds donated to the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund – PSG For Communities and the Xana Foundation.

Prize Giveaways

Complete the challenge for an opportunity to enter for a chance to win prizes including attending an exclusive in-person event at Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain. Six winners will be chosen to take part in the event at the Club’s iconic stadium. The event will include a unique group ride on Zwift alongside Club personalities and professional riders from Groupama-FDJ UNITED.

Other prizes include a Zwift Ride, annual Zwift memberships, VIP experiences at professional cycling races with FDJ UNITED, official We Ride Paris IRL cycling kit, WHOOP wearables and monthly memberships, and vouchers to spend at the Paris Saint-Germain online store.

Important note: to be entered into the prize giveaway, you must register at the PSG website here after completing your qualifying ride.

Kit Unlock

Completing the Crêpe Escape route via the We Ride Paris home screen card or via a special We Ride Paris Zwift event unlocks the We Ride Paris kit and socks:

Two animated cyclists in blue and red uniforms stand back-to-back, with one facing forward and the other facing away. The background features blue and red vertical stripes and abstract sketches.

Fundraising

Paris Saint-Germain commissioned internationally renowned artist Edgar Plans to create the distinctive visual identity for We Ride Paris. His design has been applied to a cycling kit, Zwift Ride smart bikes, and Wilier bicycles, bringing together the worlds of Paris Saint-Germain, PSG For Communities, and the Xana Foundation.

Wilier and Zwift will provide five Filante SLR ID2 bikes and five Zwift Ride smart bikes respectively, all customized in the We Ride Paris colors. These exclusive pieces, created especially for the occasion, will be auctioned by Paris Saint-Germain. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to PSG For Communities, through the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund, and the Xana Foundation to support their work.

Questions or comments?

Share below!

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of August 22-23

Eric Schlange
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0
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of August 22-23

This weekend is headlined by a memorial ride – the sort of event we never want to see, but nevertheless must be held. RIP Finlay Tarling.

That event is followed by the kickoff of SISU’s popular stage race series, and we finish up with three popular weekly community rides of varying difficulty.

🤝 WCC Ride for Fin

A cyclist in race gear and helmet poses with a bike, surrounded by a crowd. The Wobble Cycle Club logo appears on the left, featuring a cyclist on a penny-farthing. Background shows a bridge over water.

✅ Good Cause 　✅ Popular

On August 14, the cycling world lost Finlay Tarling in a tragic accident during Stage 8 of the Volta a Portugal. This Sunday, we come together to remember Fin, celebrate his life, and honor his memory by doing what he loved most — riding our bikes together.

Led by the Wobble Cycling Club, this is a 60-minute open-paced ride on Watopia’s Tair Dringfa Fechan route.

Participants are invited to donate to the fundraiser at gofund.me/526400d3f. “This fund can hopefully serve as part of a legacy project providing an opportunity to help future generations of young Welsh riders discover the freedom and confidence that a bike can give a child.”

Sunday, August 23 starting @ 3:45pm UTC/11:45am ET/8:45am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5676711

🥇SISU Punainen – Stage 1 (iTT)

✅ Popular 　✅ Stage Race

This weekend SISU’s Vuelta-Inspired “Punainen” race series kicks off with an individual time trial on Watopia’s Hilly Route (9.3km, 109m) – the very first route ever created in Watopia! Bring your fastest TT rig and be ready to go all-in. These are by far the most popular races this weekend, so if you’re looking to compete with lots of riders, look no further.

Learn more about the SISU Punainen series >

Multiple time slots Saturday and Sunday
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/sisu

🤝 The BMTR Fundo

Top-down view of three cyclists in matching black BMTR jerseys riding on a road, with the BMTR logo featuring a bear on the left side of the image.

✅ Popular Ride　✅ Legacy Leaders　✅ Endurance Challenge　✅ Kit Unlock

A regularly featured event here on Zwift Insider, the BMTR Fundo consistently draws lots of joiners because it’s well led and run week after week, year after year.

This week’s ride is on the London Calling route (31.2km, 207m) and you have four distance groups to choose from, all the way up to 100 miles!

Saturday, August 22 @ 12:10pm UTC/8:10am ET/5:10am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5675864

🤝 Vikings Valhalla Sunday Skaal Ride

✅ Endurance Challenge　✅ Legacy Leaders

It’s been a while since we’ve featured this event, but it’s always well-attended and well-led at a pace that helps everyone stay together. Experienced leaders and sweepers do their best to keep the groups together so everyone can work together to knock out a long ride!

This week’s ride is offered at a D pace of 1.6-2.0 W/kg, and is on Greater London Flat for 8 laps. That’s a total length of 99.1km and 468 meters of climbing.

Sunday, August 23 @ 7:05am UTC/3:05am ET/12:05am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5676548

🤝 Phoenix Rising Tronathon (Banded)

A group of cyclists ride closely together on a road lined with sunflowers, under a blue sky with scattered clouds. A white logo with a phoenix and the text Phoenix is visible in the upper left corner.

✅ Climbing　 ✅ Beginner Friendly　 ✅ Banded

If you want to take on Alpe du Zwift but find it a bit intimidating, join the Phoenix Rising crew on this banded ride. They’re taking on the Road to Sky route, which features the Alpe. Even if that is a bit too much for you to handle, the beauty of banded rides is that as long as you keep pedaling, you’ll stay with the group and keep making progress!

Sunday, August 23 @ 1:15pm UTC/9:15am ET/6:15am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5676666

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!

Tiny Race Series – August 22 Routes – Zwift Shorts

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – August 22 Routes – Zwift Shorts

Tiny Race Series – August 22 Routes – Zwift Shorts

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

“Spiral Summit” Route Details (Watopia)

Eric Schlange
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0
“Spiral Summit” Route Details (Watopia)

“Spiral Summit” Route Details (Watopia)

See zwiftinsider.com/route/spiral-summit/

All About the New Shimano Dura-Ace Wheelsets in Zwift: C36, C50, C60, and C99/Disc

Eric Schlange
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10
All About the New Shimano Dura-Ace Wheelsets in Zwift: C36, C50, C60, and C99/Disc

All About the New Shimano Dura-Ace Wheelsets in Zwift: C36, C50, C60, and C99/Disc

Back on July 29th, Shimano announced the details of their new DURA ACE wheelsets. Keen eyes had already spotted these wheels in the WorldTour peloton, including Mathieu van der Poel riding them to multiple victories, including his epic TdF stage 21 win on Champs-Élysées!

The new wheelsets include the C99/Disc combo, the C60, the C50, and the C36. These wheels currently show as “coming soon”, with Shimano saying they’ll be available to consumers beginning in September:

Grid of six Shimano Dura-Ace bicycle wheels with prices, five labeled COMING SOON. Center image shows a close-up of a bike disc brake rotor above text: Rotors, Shop Disc Brake Rotors..

The new C36, C50, and C60 are effectively replacing the wheelsets of the same name that have been in Zwift for years (but you’ll need to buy the new wheels to get the upgrade). The older C36, C50, and C60 have been removed from the Drop Shop, but will remain in your garage if you’ve already purchased them. (Currently, the older wheels include “DURA-ACE” in the name, while the new wheels do not. Zwift says this will be changed soon, as all of Shimano’s wheels in Zwift come from their DURA-ACE line.)

Here are the ratings of the new wheels, along with level unlocks and pricing:

  • Shimano DURA-ACE C36: 3 stars aero, 4 stars weight, requires level 6+ and 600,000 Drops
  • Shimano DURA-ACE C50: 4 stars aero, 4 stars weight, requires level 10+ and 650,000 Drops
  • Shimano DURA-ACE C60: 4 stars aero, 3 stars weight, requires level 12+ and 650,000 Drops
  • Shimano DURA-ACE C99/Disc: 4 stars aero, 1 star weight, requires level 28+ and 900,000 Drops

The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop. But how do they compare with the previous versions, and how fast are they compared to other wheels on Zwift? 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 Shimano DURA-ACE wheels!

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

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

Shimano’s wheels have always been rather lackluster performers in game when compared to the full Drop Shop list, but they’ve been top performers if you look at wheels available at lower levels (like 12 and below). These new wheelsets continue the trend of being available at low levels, but are sped up so much that they effectively erase the need to purchase anything else!

Here’s how much faster the new versions of these DURA-ACE wheels are on the flats, compared to the older models:

  • C36: 11.2 seconds faster
  • C50: 21 seconds faster
  • C60: 17 seconds faster

Those are huge leaps! And the new C99/Disc pictured above is basically as fast as the best discs on the flats (and slightly faster on the climbs), while being available at a lower level (28). This has led to a major shakeup in our “fastest bike setups by level” tables, as shown below:

Fastest Wheelsets By Level (Pre 8/18/2026)

LevelFastest WheelsetTime
Savings
1Zwift Classic (Free)0s
3Zwift 32mm Carbon (100,000)6.2s
12Shimano C60 (325,000)31.6s
15Roval Rapide CLX (500,000)33.4s
16Roval CLX64 (525,000)40.1s
25Zipp 808 (425,000)42.1s
28Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 (550,000) fastest non-disc53s
37Zipp 858/Super9 (750,000)54.7s
39Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 850/Disc (900,000) fastest disc156.2s

Fastest Wheelsets By Level (New Table As Of 8/18/2026)

LevelFastest WheelsetTime
Savings
1Zwift Classic (Free)0s
3Zwift 32mm Carbon (100,000)6.2s
6Shimano DURA-ACE C36 (600,000)33.4s
10Shimano DURA-ACE C50 (650,000)46.1s
12Shimano DURA-ACE C60 (650,000)48.6s
28Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 (550,000) fastest non-disc53s
28Shimano DURA-ACE C99/Disc (900,000)158.2s

Climb Performance

A cyclist rides uphill on a sleek road bike through a vibrant, colorful cityscape with palm trees, modern buildings, and rainbow murals under a bright, partly cloudy sky.

As mentioned in the Flat Performance section above, Shimano’s wheels have been top performers among those unlocked at lower levels. These updated DURA-ACE hoops climb significantly better than their predecessors.

Here’s how much faster the new versions of these DURA-ACE wheels are on the climbs, compared to the older models:

  • C36: 3.5 seconds faster
  • C50: 12.6 seconds faster
  • C60: 13.1 seconds faster

This has led to a revision of our “Fastest Wheels by Level” list. While not as radical a revision as the aero performance list referenced above, it’s worth a mention.

Fastest Climbing Wheelsets by Level (Pre 8/18/2026)

LevelFastest WheelsetTime
Savings
1Zwift Classic (Free)0
3Zwift 32mm Carbon (100,000)11.4s
5Shimano DURA-ACE C36 (150,000)18.7s
24Zipp 353 NSW (600,000)21.2s
29CADEX Max 50 (680,000)22.5s
32Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560 (685,000)24.1s
35Princeton CarbonWorks Alta 3532 (685,000)25.9s

Fastest Climbing Wheelsets by Level (New Table As Of 8/18/2026)

LevelFastest WheelsetTime
Savings
1Zwift Classic (Free)0
3Zwift 32mm Carbon (100,000)11.4s
6Shimano DURA-ACE C36 (600,000)22.2s
29CADEX Max 50 (680,000)22.5s
32Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560 (685,000)24.1s
35Princeton CarbonWorks Alta 3532 (685,000)25.9s

Not reflected in these tables but worth mentioning, the new C50 wheels come in just behind the C36 in climbing performance, putting them 5th overall. But the C50 are much better aero performers.

The new C99/Disc wheelset, while of course not a strong climber compared to non-disc wheelsets, is actually a bit lighter than the top disc wheels, meaning it climbs better than the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc and Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 850/Disc. And when I say “a bit,” I mean less than 1 second faster – within our margin of error, but a measurable difference nonetheless.

Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.

Conclusions

With the release of these updated DURA-ACE wheelsets, Shimano’s wheels are finally truly strong performers. This is particularly true when you look at their very low level unlocks, but it’s even true compared to the overall landscape of wheels available to upper-level Zwifters. Our Wheel Ranking Charts show this clearly:

  • The C60 and C50 are in the 3rd and 4th slots in the Time Savings, Stacked (300W) chart
  • The C99/Disc is ranked above all other disc wheels when sorting by climb performance in the Time Savings Over 1 Hour (300W) chart, while the C36 and C50 are in the 4th and 5th slots

More experienced Zwifters may not pull the trigger to purchase the new DURA-ACE wheels (although I would bet many TT racers buy the new C99/Disc). But beginning Zwifters will surely be adding the non-disc DURA-ACE hoops to their garage early in their progression, since they’re the fastest wheels available below level 28.

These wheels have been added to the following posts:

Questions or comments?

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.

Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level

Eric Schlange
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25
Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level

If you’re racing on Zwift, upgrading your frame and wheels can cut crucial seconds off your efforts. But figuring out where to spend your hard-earned Drops can be confusing! So we’ve put together this table which lists the best climbing frame and wheelset available at every Zwift level.

Keep in mind this list applies only to bigger climbs. If your race is flat or only has short, rolling climbs you’ll probably want to go with a more aero setup.

Fastest Climbing Frames by Level

LevelFastest Frame Time
Savings
1Zwift Steel (Free)0
3Zwift Carbon (55,000)31.1s
8Liv Langma Advanced SL 2025 (1,000,000)72.1s
10Canyon Aeroad 2024 (1,100,000)73.9s
12Canyon Ultimate CFR (350,700)74.2s
17Scott Addict RC (660,200)77.8s
21Van Rysel RCR Pro (1,400,000)79.4s
30Specialized Aethos S-Works (966,300)*85.8s
40Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 (1,900,000)87.7s

* The un-upgraded version of the Specialized Aethos S-Works climbs a bit slower than the un-upgraded Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9, but if you compare the fully-upgraded versions of both bikes, the Aethos is a much stronger climber. This is due to how Zwift’s upgrade system is structured. See charts/data >

Fastest Climbing Wheelsets by Level

LevelFastest WheelsetTime
Savings
1Zwift Classic (Free)0
3Zwift 32mm Carbon (100,000)11.4s
6Shimano DURA-ACE C36 (600,000)22.2s
29CADEX Max 50 (680,000)22.5s
32Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560 (685,000)24.1s
35Princeton CarbonWorks Alta 3532 (685,000)25.9s

Total time savings of fastest frame and wheelset over stock Zwift setup (Zwift Steele frame and Zwift classic wheels): 87.7+25.9=113.6 seconds

Times above are based on our climbing speed tests, done with a solo 75kg, 183cm rider at 300 watts on Watopia’s Alpe du Zwift.

Strategic Shopping

It may seem simplest to just purchase each frame or wheelset on the list as soon as you level up, but if you want to maximize performance you also need to take Zwift’s Bike Upgrade functionality into account, since it rewards riders who stay on the same frame long enough to fully upgrade it. Simply put: it doesn’t make sense to buy each frame/wheelset on this list, since you won’t be able to fully upgrade it before having access to buy the next fastest frame. So you’ll need to choose your purchases/upgrades wisely.

There’s another factor to consider here as well, when you’re looking strictly at climbing performance. Zwift’s upgrade system is structured so that, if a bike is classified as a climbing bike, the upgrades it receives are more climbing-focused. All-arounders and aero bikes, on the other hand, receive more “balanced” upgrades between aero and climb performance.

Specialized Aethos + Roval Alpinist CLX

So while the table above shows the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 outperforming the Specialized Aethos S-Works on climbs, this is only true if the frames aren’t upgraded. If you compare fully-upgraded versions of those frames (the toggle on this Tron vs Top Performers chart may help), the Aethos is actually a much better climber, putting ~21 seconds into the S-Works Tarmac SL9 over an hour on a climb.

A close-up side view of a cyclist riding a road bike, focusing on the legs, pedals, wheels, and part of the frame against a white background.
Trek Emonda SL + Lightweight Meilensteins

The Trek Emonda (unlocked by completing the Climb Mt Everest Challenge) earns a mention here as well, because it is classified as a climbing bike and will outclimb all bikes except the Aethos when fully upgraded.

Don’t have enough Drops? Keep riding – you’ll get them soon enough! (Learn how to earn more Drops here.) And if you’re wanting to level up faster, check out How to Earn More XP and Level Up Faster on Zwift.

Improvement by Level

Even more so than our list of most aero frames and wheels by level, the biggest performance gains for climbing come very early in a Zwifter’s level progression. Over 83% of total gains are attainable by just level 8!

Your Thoughts

Hopefully this helps you select a bike for your next race, no matter your Zwift level. Got questions or comments? Post 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.
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