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Hot Summer Nights Women’s-Only Racing Series Begins Tomorrow

FemmeCycle Collab
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Hot Summer Nights Women’s-Only Racing Series Begins Tomorrow

Hot Summer Nights Women’s-Only Racing Series Begins Tomorrow

The FemmeCycle Collab is hosting a women’s-only eight-week racing series on Zwift designed to test every facet of virtual racing — from explosive sprints to sustained time-trial efforts to tactical pack racing. And it all kicks off tomorrow (Tuesday, May 19)!

Formats at a Glance

  • Individual Time Trials (Weeks 1 & 5) – solo efforts against the clock.
  • Mini Races (Weeks 2 & 6) – short, sharp multi-heat formats.
  • Points Races (Weeks 3 & 7) – sprint & KOM zones reward the brave.
  • Scratch Races (Weeks 4 & 8) – classic mass-start, first wheel wins.

Timezones

Each week offers two timezone-friendly race slots. Riders may race either slot, but points only count toward the classification of the timezone in which they first raced. Riders may not switch timezones mid-series for IGC classification; the timezone of a rider’s first scoring race is their home classification for the remainder of the series.

  • Slot A – 17:00 UTC (Europe evening / North America midday)
  • Slot B – 23:00 UTC (North America evening / Asia-Pacific morning)

Eligibility & Categories

Open to all riders who self-identify as women. Categories use Zwift Racing Score (ZRS) brackets. Choose your category carefully, as points will not carry over if you upgrade or downgrade categories mid-series.

The Races

All races take place on Tuesdays, with two available slots: 17:00 UTC and 23:00 UTC. Unless noted otherwise, the primary point structure rewards the top five with 100, 95, 90, 85, 80 points, with every subsequent place dropping by 1 point.  Please note: SOME WEEKS HAVE MORE POINTS THAN OTHERS

Week 1 (May 19)

  • Time Trial (“Some Like it Hot”)
  • Route: Makuri Islands Island Hopper (18.1km for A/B/C, 10.8km for D/E)
  • TT bikes only (Cadex Tri assigned, upgrades in effect). No powerups.

Week 2 (May 26)

  • Mini Races (3 Back to Back) (“Dazed and Confused”)
  • Race 1: Crit City The Bell Lap (2 laps, 4km)
  • Race 2: Scotland Glasgow Reverse (2 laps, 7.2km)
  • Race 3: Scotland City and the Sgurr (5.2km)
  • Must complete all three. No TT bikes. Finish points from all three combine. Aero Boost powerups only.

Week 3 (June 2)

  • Points Race (“Fast & Furious”)
  • Route: Makuri Islands Chasing the Sun (35.1km for A/B, 23.6km for C/D/E)
  • Rewards finish points, plus bonus points for First Across the Line (FAL) and Fastest Through the Segment (FTS) on specific segments. Aero and Draft Boost powerups assigned randomly.

Week 4 (June 9)

  • Scratch Race (“Mama Mia”)
  • Route: Watopia Ocean Lava Cliffside Loop (1 lap, 19.2km, 156m)
  • Points awarded at the finish line only. No TT bikes. Aero Boost assigned in pen.

Week 5 (June 16)

  • Time Trial (“It’s Kinda Complicated”)
  • Route: Bologna Time Trial Lap (8 km)
  • You choose TT or Road Bike. Feather powerup assigned in pen (only available if no TT bike is used).

Week 6 (June 23)

  • Mini Races (3 Back to Back) (“The Long and Short of it”)
  • Race 1: Innsbruckring (7.1km for A/B/C, 5.3km for D/E)
  • Race 2: Avon Flyer (1 lap, 5.1km)
  • Race 3: Macaron (1 lap, 2.6km)
  • Must complete all three. Finish points from all three combine. No TT bikes. Random powerups (Feather, Aero Helmet, Draft Boost, Burrito, Ghost).

Week 7 (June 30)

  • Points Race (“Takin’ Care of Business”)
  • France Croissant (3 laps, 31.1km for A/B, 2 laps, 21.8km for C/D/E)
  • Rewards finish points, plus bonus points for FAL and FTS on specific segments. Aero, Burrito, Ghost powerups.

Week 7 (July 7)

  • Scratch Race (Series Decider) (“Show Me the Money!”)
  • Watopia Mountain Mash (5.9km for A/B/C, 3.7km for D/E)
  • Mass-start. Points awarded at the finish line. No TT bikes. Feather assigned in pen.

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

Individual and Team Classifications

Final results will be available on ZwiftPower. Across eight weeks, riders tackle four distinct race styles: Mini Races, Individual Time Trials, Scratch Races, and Points Races.  Your top six weekly results count toward an individual general classification (IGC), and the top 3 finishers per team per week aggregate to the team total. All 8 weeks count for teams (no drops). Riders do not need to participate in all weeks, but must have their race team as their primary team in ZwiftPower to count.

VO2sday Micro Races, Week 3: New Routes, Modified Categories

Eric Schlange
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9
VO2sday Micro Races, Week 3: New Routes, Modified Categories

VO2sday Micro Races, Week 3: New Routes, Modified Categories

Last week’s second running of the new VO2sday Micro Races went well, with over 420 riders participating: a 14% increase from launch week. Let’s gooo! Here are a few videos from the day:

This week, we head to France for a new set of routes, with categories modified to help things feel as competitive as possible. Read on for details…

Compound Score Categories

Last week, for the first time, we categorized these races using Zwift’s Compound Score (CS), which is calculated as (5-min power in W/kg) * (5-min power in W). It was really interesting to see how the use of CS allowed women to be more competitive in their respective fields. Check out these results (taken from ZwiftPower, where I just looked at the top 5 overall, not individual race wins):

  • Zone 1: Diane Bomans took 1st in D, with Sarah Allen in 4th. Emily Vrijsen took 2nd in C.
  • Zone 2: CarlaO took 1st in D, with Vanessa Mora in 5th. Women swept the C podium, with Emma Dooley in 1st, Humerus Fraktur 2nd, Caterina Roncalli 3rd, and Ragna van Rixtel 5th. Maria Marb took 4th in B.
  • Zone 3: Women swept the D podium, with Christine Grant at the top, followed by Megan Grady and Kristin White. Karen Stensrud also took 5th. Sophie C took 1st in C.

This makes sense, of course. CS is more friendly to lighter riders with lower absolute power numbers, compared to Zwift’s traditional pace categories, which favor heavier riders.

This week I’ve tweaked the CS-based categories a bit, because the D groups were too large last week. Here are the new categories:

  • A: 1700+
  • B: 1200-1700
  • C: 800-1200
  • D: 800 and below

May 19 Race Details and Signup

Here are this week’s courses:

  • Macaron (2.6km): 1 lap of this tiny route for a nice, flat start
  • Peaky Pavé (2.6km): another flat one, ends midway through the Dos d’Âne Sprint Reverse
  • Ven-Top (2.1km): the climbiest route for the week, even though we just touch the start of Ventoux
  • Lutece Express (2.5km): starts with a climb up Champs-Élysées, followed by a descent
  • Champs-Élysées (2.75km): finishing with a stroll around the Jardin des Tuileries on the east end of the Champs-Élysées circuit

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

Time-Based GC Results

Final GC winners in each category are crowned based on overall completion time across the 5 races. The leaderboards are available on ZwiftPower:

My dream is still to make these races time-based, so each race would be (for example) 4 minutes long for everyone. This would let us dial in precise VO2 max interval lengths for the races, ensuring that all riders go hard for the same length of time regardless of ability, and (maybe the most fun part of all) it would let us set up a unique GC that is based on overall distance covered in the allotted time.

The problem is, ZwiftPower doesn’t support this. So I’m talking to WTRL and a few other community organizers to see if we can pull it off some other way. Stay tuned.

Structured Workout Racing

The VO2sday Micro Races are nothing like your typical Zwift scratch race. Here’s how these races are distinctly structured to be engaging and fun while delivering a proper VO2 max session:

  • 5 races in less than an hour – that’s 5 hard VO2 max intervals
  • Very short efforts: Each race is very short, with a target completion time of 3-5 minutes, just like a good VO2 max interval
  • Recovery time: Races are 10 minutes apart, so a 5-minute race leaves you with 5 minutes of recovery before the next interval
  • Mix of courses: Each week’s race courses feature a mix of flat, climb, rolling, and even downhill parcours. Riders with lots of pure watts have the advantage in some races, while riders with strong w/kg have the advantage in others.
  • Compound Score categories: Since results will be driven by your power numbers, riders will be categorized based on compound score, not Zwift Racing Score. This takes into account your 5-minute power and body weight.
  • 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, not to sit in the pack and conserve so you can sprint to victory in the last 15 seconds!)
  • Drafting is disabled, so these are effectively time trials. (Yes, you’ll want a fast TT setup.) Hopefully this forces you out of the “sit in then sprint” mindset, and into “hold steady high power for the duration” mode.
  • GC-Based final results: overall rankings are based on your cumulative time across the 5 races (see links above).

Questions or comments?

I’d love to hear your feedback after you’ve completed the latest set of VO2sday races. Share it below, along with any questions or comments you’ve got beforehand!

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.

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

A Complete List of Zwift Wheelsets

Eric Schlange
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21
A Complete List of Zwift Wheelsets

A Complete List of Zwift Wheelsets

Zwift has lots of wheels from various makers in its virtual Drop Shop, making decisions on what to purchase and ride a bit daunting! But never fear, we’ve got your back. Here’s a list of all available wheelsets including their Drop Shop price, level requirements, and aero/weight star ratings.

Just looking for the fastest wheels? Check out our Fastest Wheelsets and Fastest Wheels for Climbing posts. Want to dig into the data to see how each wheelset performs? See our speed test charts. 

Wheelsets

Make Model Price Level Req Aero Weight Type
Bontrager Aeolus5 150,000 11 3 2 Road
CADEX 36 375,000 29 3 4 Road
CADEX 42 425,000 17 3 3 Road
CADEX 65 450,000 33 3 3 Road
CADEX AR 35 154,500 14 2 2 Gravel
Campagnolo Bora Ultra 35 350,000 35 2 4 Road
Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50 450,000 12 3 3 Road
DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 62 500,000 40 4 2 Road
DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65 650,000 29 4 3 Road
DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc 1,000,000 40 4 1 Road
DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT Disc 750,000 39 4 1 Road
ENVE G23 241,800 23 2 2 Gravel
ENVE SES 2.2 400,000 26 2 4 Road
ENVE SES 3.4 525,000 27 3 4 Road
ENVE SES 4.5 PRO 675,000 29 4 4 Road
ENVE SES 6.7 525,000 22 3 3 Road
ENVE SES 7.8 550,000 36 4 2 Road
ENVE SES 8.9 550,000 28 4 1 Road
FFWD RYOT55 200,000 18 3 1 Road
Giant SLR 0 450,000 21 3 4 Road
HED Vanquish RC6 Pro 175,000 17 3 2 Road
Lightweight Meilenstein 0 0 3 4 Road
Mavic Comete Pro Carbon SL UST 200,000 13 3 2 Road
Mavic Cosmic CXR60c 150,000 7 3 1 Road
Mavic Cosmic Ultimate UST 525,000 18 3 4 Road
Novatec R4 150,000 8 2 2 Road
Princeton CarbonWorks Alta 3532 685,000 35 3 4 Road
Princeton CarbonWorks Mach TSV2/Blur Disc 1,100,000 42 4 1 Road
Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560 685,000 32 4 4 Road
Reserve 25 GR 83,900 5 2 2 Gravel
Roval Alpinist CLX 550,000 38 3 4 Road
Roval CLX64 525,000 16 3 3 Road
Roval Rapide CLX 500,000 15 3 3 Road
Roval Terra Aero CLX 650,000 38 3 3 Gravel
Roval Terra CLX 330,800 32 2 2 Gravel
Shimano C36 150,000 6 3 4 Road
Shimano C40 300,000 6 3 3 Road
Shimano C50 250,000 10 3 2 Road
Shimano C60 325,000 12 3 2 Road
Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 550,000 28 4 3 Road
Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 850/Disc 900,000 39 4 1 Road
Zipp 202 350,000 20 3 4 Road
Zipp 303 XPLR SW 550,000 35 3 2 Gravel
Zipp 353 NSW 600,000 24 3 4 Road
Zipp 404 425,000 19 3 3 Road
Zipp 454 600,000 30 3 4 Road
Zipp 808 425,000 25 3 2 Road
Zipp 808/Super9 650,000 34 4 1 Road
Zipp 858 600,000 31 4 3 Road
Zipp 858/Super9 750,000 37 4 1 Road
Zwift 32mm Carbon 100,000 3 2 3 Road
Zwift 50mm Carbon 125,000 9 3 2 Road
Zwift Baseline 0 0 2 3 Road
Zwift Buffalo Fahrrad 0 40 1 1 Road
Zwift Classic 0 1 1 1 Road
Zwift Gravel 0 1 2 2 Gravel
Zwift Groovy Time Trial 0 0 3 1 Road
Zwift Mountain 0 1 1 1 MTB
Zwift Pride On 2025 0 0 3 1 Road
Zwift Safety 0 44 2 1 Road
Zwift Tri Spoke/Disc 0 0 3 1 Road

Notes:

Wheelsets with a price strikethrough are retired, meaning they are no longer available in the Drop Shop but remain in the garage of any Zwifter who owns them.

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of May 16-17

Eric Schlange
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0
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of May 16-17

This weekend’s notable events include a very popular annual “ride for cause” plus a popular stage race, a Ven-Top chase challenge, a stupidly long group workout, and more! See our picks below…

🤝 Ride Like King Legacy Rides

✅ Good Cause 　✅ Unlocks + Giveaways

Ride Like King is back for its 9th year on Zwift, and every 500km ridden by the Zwift community means one more Buffalo bike donated to World Bicycle Relief – up to 927 bikes. 

Learn more about Ride Like King 18 >

This weekend, you’ll find “Legacy Rides” all over the calendar. Join one, enjoy the good vibes, unlock the RLK18 in game kit, and get entered into a giveaway to win an IRL one (3 winners from every event).

Multiple timeslots this weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/series/ride-like-king

🤝Pretzels, Epics and Afterparties p/b Velos

Velos logo on a blue gradient background with four cyclists in blue and green uniforms riding in formation.

✅ Unique Event　✅ Endurance Training

The Velos squad has been riding a variety of epic routes in May, and this Saturday, they’re taking on Ven-Top – with a twist!

A strong A+ rider will be joining the ride and starting well after everyone leaves the pens. The goal? Try to avoid being caught by him! Hopefully, this will spur riders on to a time or power PR on the climb.

Saturday, May 16 @ 11am UTC/7am ET/4am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5581785

🥇 SISU Pinkki Stage 3

✅ Popular 　✅ Stage Race

SISU’s 7-stage Pinkki race series runs across the 3 weeks of the men’s Giro d’Italia, and riders are taking on Stage 3 this Saturday! This stage is on Watopia’s Watts of the Wild (42.2km, 308m), and there are several event times to accommodate everyone’s schedules.

Read all about the SISU Pinkki Series >

This is the most popular race happening this weekend. Even if you haven’t raced the earlier stages, you’re welcome to jump in!

Multiple timeslots on Saturday, May 16
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/sisu

📊 Endure IQ Training Squad Session

✅ Endurance Challenge 　✅ Kit Unlock

You can always count on Endure IQ to host a crazy long weekend workout session! This Saturday, it’s a 256-minute (not a typo) workout focused on “building your tolerance to intensities similar to those during an Ironman triathlon.” (See event description for workout details.)

The ride is on Watopia’s Four Horsemen (89.9km, 2111m).

Saturday, May 16 @ 12pm UTC/8am ET/5am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5581799

🤝 JETT Endurance Ride 100km 2.5~3.3w/kg

✅ Endurance Challenge　✅ Pace Options

Here’s a popular, spicy long ~100km ride with two pace options: B group at 3-3.3 W/kg, or C at 2.5-2.9 W/kg. Both groups will be on Makuri Islands’ Shisa Shakedown (53.9km, 557m) for 102.9km, and both groups have optional efforts on some of the intermediate segments if you’d like.

Choose your desired pace, listen to the ride leader, and get that endurance work done! Both categories have a leader (yellow beacon) and sweepers.

Saturday, May 16 at 8:05pm UTC/4:05pm ET/1:05pm PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5581919

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 – May 16 Routes – Getting Pitchy

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – May 16 Routes – Getting Pitchy

Tiny Race Series – May 16 Routes – Getting Pitchy

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

All About the New Van Rysel RCR-X TT Frame on Zwift

Eric Schlange
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3
All About the New Van Rysel RCR-X TT Frame on Zwift

All About the New Van Rysel RCR-X TT Frame on Zwift

Zwift’s latest update includes three new bike frames from Van Rysel. We’ve already covered the RCR-F and RCR Pro road frames, so let’s wrap it up with a look at Van Rysel’s TT rig, the RCR-X:

On Zwift, you’ll need to be updated to game version 1.113+ to see this bike in the Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 40+ with 1,200,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:

“Built for sustained speed. Developed with SwissSide, the RCR-X is shaped to minimize drag and maximize efficiency over long efforts. It holds momentum at race pace and stays composed when the pressure’s on — a bike designed to stay fast, all the way to the line.”

See our master list of all frames in Zwift >

It’s rated 4 stars for aero and 1 star for weight, like all of the TT bikes on Zwift. But how does it actually perform? Since Zwift’s 4-star system clearly isn’t the most granular of performance measurements (it rates all of the TT frames equally, after all), we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at 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

The RCR-X turns in a strong aero performance, coming in just behind the two long-time kings of Fuego Flats: the Cadex Tri and Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc.

The frame’s time puts it 39.6 seconds ahead of our baseline TT frame across an hour of riding, which means it’s ~6 seconds behind the fast TT frame in game, the Cadex Tri.

Climb Performance

The RCR-X is a bit heavy, though, and turns in mid-pack climbing performance compared to other TT frames in game.

The frame’s climb test time puts it 18.5 seconds ahead of the baseline TT frame after an hour, which is ~12 seconds slower than the best climbers in game (the Scott Plasma RC Ultimate and
Felt IA 2.0).

Upgrading Your Van Ryself RCR-X

Like all frames in Zwift, the RCR-X can be upgraded in five stages. It uses the Duration, 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 (Duration, High-End)

Stage12345Totals
hrs67891040
cost100,000200,000350,000500,000750,0001,900,000
upgradeAeroWeightDrivetrainWeightAero
  1. 6 hrs: Aero Upgrade for 100k Drops
  2. 7 hrs: Weight Upgrade for 200k Drops
  3. 8 hrs: Drivetrain Upgrade for 350k Drops
  4. 9 hrs: Weight Upgrade for 500k Drops
  5. 10 hrs: Aero Upgrade for 750k Drops

Conclusions

The Van Rysel RCR-X earns a 93.4/100 aero rating in our ZIMetrics, so it’s fast, but not quite as fast as the best TT frames on flat roads. And it earns a 78.2/100 climb rating, which means there are plenty of TT frames that climb faster.

With its high level lock (40+) and price (1.2M Drops), I don’t see a lot of riders buying this frame, since the Cadex Tri is just slightly more expensive, better on the flats and the climbs, and available at the same level. And that’s OK – not every bike added to Zwift can be the new fastest bike, right?

We’ll be adding this bike to the following posts soon:

Questions or comments?

What do you think of Van Rysel’s new RCR-X TT frame? 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.

All About the New Van Rysel RCR Pro Frame on Zwift

Eric Schlange
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1
All About the New Van Rysel RCR Pro Frame on Zwift

All About the New Van Rysel RCR Pro Frame on Zwift

Zwift’s latest update includes three new bike frames from Van Rysel. We’ve already covered the RCR-F frame, so now let’s dig into the in-game performance of the RCR Pro, Van Rysel’s aero all-arounder racing frame:

On Zwift, you’ll need to be updated to game version 1.113+ to see this bike in the Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 21+ with 1,400,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:

“Developed in collaboration with the French Office National d’Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA), the RCR makes no compromises. It is designed for a single purpose: to win. Give it WATTS, and it’ll take you to the next level.”

See our master list of all frames in Zwift >

It’s rated 3 stars for aero and 4 stars for weight, like the top road racing bikes on Zwift. But how does it actually perform? Since Zwift’s 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at 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

The RCR Pro turns in a solid aero performance, but trades a bit of Van Rysel RCR-F‘s aero capabilities for improved climbing.

The frame’s time puts it 58.7 seconds ahead of our baseline frame across an hour of riding, which means it’s 2 seconds behind the new RCR-F and <5 seconds away from the fastest road frames in Zwift after an hour.

Climb Performance

The RCR Pro is Van Rysel’s “aero all arounder” race bike, and that shows in game, as it handily outclimbs the RCR-F!

While it’s a strong climber, it’s not a top climber. The frame’s climb test time puts it 49.4 seconds ahead of the baseline frame after an hour, which is ~8 seconds slower than the best climbers in game (frames like the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, Specialized Aethos S-Works, and Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71).

Upgrading Your Van Ryself RCR Pro

Like all frames in Zwift, the RCR Pro can be upgraded in five stages. It uses the Distance, Mid-Range 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, Mid-Range)

Stage12345Totals
km1602002402803201,200
Cost50k100k150k200k250k750k
UpgradeAeroWeightDrivetrainAero5% Drops
  1. 160km: Aero Upgrade for 50k Drops
  2. 200km: Weight Upgrade for 100k Drops
  3. 240km: Drivetrain Upgrade for 150k Drops
  4. 280km: Aero Upgrade for 200k Drops
  5. 320km: 5% Drops Earning Upgrade for 250k Drops

Conclusions

The Van Rysel RCR Pro earns a 95.7/100 aero rating in our ZIMetrics, so it’s fast, but not quite as fast as the new Van Rysel RCR-F, on flat roads. It beats the RCR-F on climbs, however, earning a 74.4/100 climb rating (vs the RCR-F’s 65.7). Solid numbers, but not good enough for this frame to break into the list of top all-arounders.

We’ll be adding this bike to the following posts soon:

Questions or comments?

What do you think of Van Rysel’s new RCR Pro 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.

Happening Now: Ride Like King 18 WBR Benefit Events

Eric Schlange
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3
Happening Now: Ride Like King 18 WBR Benefit Events

Happening Now: Ride Like King 18 WBR Benefit Events

Now in its 18th edition (and 9th appearance on Zwift), the Ride Like King event carries profound new meaning following the passing of Giant Group founder King Liu (1934–2026) earlier this year.

Every 500km ridden by the Zwift community means one more Buffalo bike donated to World Bicycle Relief – up to 927 bikes. This year’s theme – “Ride the Legacy. Ride Like King” – reflects a commitment to carry forward King Liu’s lifelong belief that cycling has the power to change the world for the better. Zwifters are invited to join events scheduled through the end of this weekend featuring celebrity leaders, product giveaways, jersey unlocks, and Giant/Liv bikes!

Read on for details…

The Buffalo bike IRL
And in game!

What is Ride Like King?

In 2007, at age 73, Giant Group King Liu completed a 15-day, 927km ride around Taiwan.  This resulted in a renewed passion for cycling and the benefits it brings to the individual, community, and country.  Following this, King traveled to countries and spoke with governments to promote the positive impacts of cycling. 

His message resonated within the company as well. ‘Ride Like King’ started in 2009 as a small event within the Giant Group to celebrate their founder’s passion for cycling. But it grew to be an annual event and is now in its 18th edition! Zwift is an active partner and has been hosting the event on its platform since 2018.

Event Details

“Ride to Raise” warm-up rides are scheduled hourly from May 11-14. These rides are 45 minutes long, rotate every other hour between two routes (Castle to Castle and Scotland Smash), and are banded so everyone stays together. Open Category D will ride Giant TCR Advanced SL 2025 bikes with CADEX 65 wheels, while Women-Only Category E will ride Liv Langma Advanced SL 2025 bikes with CADEX 65 wheels.

Finishers will unlock the RLK18 kit (see below), and the distance from these rides counts toward our community distance goal to earn Buffalo bikes.

“Legacy Rides” are scheduled from 4am UTC Friday, May 15th to 6am UTC Monday, May 18th and are full laps of the selected routes led by ambassadors and athletes. These rides are not banded. Finishers will unlock the RLK18 kit (see below), be entered to win an IRL jersey (see below), and have their distance added to our community distance goal to earn Buffalo bikes.

The schedule rotates through three blocks of events, with each block hosting at least 7 event time slots:

See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/series/ride-like-king >

Giveaways and Prizes

Finish any of the RLK events and you’ll unlock the exclusive Ride Like King 18 kit in game.

Also, each Legacy Ride you complete earns you an entry to win a limited-edition RLK18 jersey! Three winners will be drawn per main event, meaning 69 winners will be drawn overall. See giveaway rules >

Questions or Comments?

Post below!

All About the New Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 Wheels in Zwift

Eric Schlange
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All About the New Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 Wheels in Zwift

All About the New Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 Wheels in Zwift

This week’s game update includes two new wheelsets from Swiss Side, long-term collaborators with DT Swiss, whose in-game wheels are familiar to any Zwift racer since they’re fast! Swiss Side helps optimize the aerodynamics of DT Swiss’ high-end wheel lines, while DT Swiss provides manufacturing capabilities and hubs for Swiss Side.

Swiss Side has also partnered with Van Rysel to optimize the aerodynamics of their bike frames, so it’s no coincidence these new wheels dropped at the same time as three new Van Rysel frames arrived in Zwift’s Drop Shop.

Here’s how the Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 wheels are described in the Drop Shop: “Engineered at the limit. The HADRON Ultimate 650 hits the UCI depth cap with a 65mm profile optimized for aero efficiency and stability. A refined rim shape reduces crosswind sensitivity while keeping drag low – built to hold speed and control when conditions aren’t perfect.”

The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 28 and above, for 550,000 Drops. They are rated 4 stars for aero and 3 for weight, which indicates they are strong performers. But just how strong? 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 Swiss Side’s first wheelset in Zwift!

Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance

Swiss Side’s HADRON Ultimate 650 wheels are very close to the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65 wheels in terms of performance. And this makes sense, since they’re basically the same wheel IRL, with different branding.

The DT Swiss 65 are very fast wheels – basically the best aero-focused all-arounders in game and #2 on our Top 10 Wheelsets in Zwift list. The Swiss Side version has the same aero capabilities, while being slightly lighter. This leads to the Swiss Side wheels having a slight performance edge in both our flat and climb tests, although the weight difference is so small that the performance improvement, particularly on the flats, is within our test’s margin for error. Less than half a second!

Climb Performance

The slightly lighter weight of the Swiss Side 650 is more apparent in our climb test, with these wheels beating the DT Swiss 65 by 1.5 seconds across an hour of climbing Alpe du Zwift.

These aren’t climb-focused wheels, so they’re best used on flat and rolling races where speeds stay high. That’s not to say they’re terribly heavy – but there are better wheels for more climby races. The Swiss Side 650 improves on our baseline climb time by 5.7 seconds across an hour, while the fastest wheels, the Princeton Carbonworks Alta 3532, improve by 14.1 seconds.

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

Conclusions

The Swiss Side HADRON Ultimate 650 is the new top “aero-focused all-arounder” wheelset in Zwift, since it edges out the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65 while being available one level lower for a slightly reduced price.

With that said, it’s worth mentioning that the Princeton Carbonworks Wake 6560 is only 2.5 seconds slower on the flat, while being 6.6 seconds faster on the climbs. So if you’re in a race with any significant climb, the Princeton hoops are probably a better bet.

These wheels have been, or will soon be, 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.

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