How the Race Was Lost: Going Long On Innsbruckring (ZRL)

Zwift Racing League is underway, and while I missed last week’s race (which turned out to be a good thing, since it was annulled) I was ready to hop on and “give it the beans” for race 2. This would be my first race on a new squad – still under the overall Coalition banner, but now on the “Perception” team racing in the Open Dev Cobalt Division B1.

I’ve raced this route (Innsbruckring) many times, never winning but usually at least surviving to contest the final sprint. I thought I had a pretty good idea how the race would unfold, and it did indeed work out the way I’d imagined… until I hatched my own last-minute glycogen-depleted ill-fated plot.

The Warmup

Before kitting up, I did my standard “this is an important race” prep: chewing caffeine gum and rubbing PR Lotion into my legs. Then I headed up to the pain lab, where I found myself on the bike with plenty of time to spare before the race. I picked Beach Island Loop so I could earn the Route of the Week XP bonus while spinning up my legs. As I made my way around the loop I set up my avatar, changing my screen name and swapping my Zwift Insider kit into the new 2026 Coalition kit (certainly an eye-catching number).

I also set up my bike for the day: the Specialized S-Works SL9 with DT Swiss 85/Disc wheels. My SL9 is only upgraded to level 4, but I did the math, and it’s as fast (or slightly faster) than my fully-upgraded Pinarello Dogma F 2024.

With everything set and my legs warmed up, it was time to join the pens. Let’s race!

Lap 1

Our league has 7 teams listed, but only 30 riders started. The pace was super tame out of the gate, making me wonder if everyone had the same plan as me: to put out as little effort as possible, so I could (hopefully) survive all four Leg Snappers, so I could be in a position to sprint for the win.

I only averaged 224 watts during the first 3 minutes, surfing the wheels. Riders started showing their hands early, including Kristian Miller from TBR, who went off the front for a bit and was easy to track because he was wearing a cowboy hat.

The first Leg Snapper of a multi-lap race is always a bit of a wild card, because you don’t know how strong everyone else is. That was the case in this race, too, since it was my first ride in this league. Would I struggle to keep up? Be able to push the pace on the front? Or something in between?

As it turned out, the first climb wasn’t bad. Sure, the Leg Snapper is always a hard effort. But it’s only 50 seconds long, which is right in my sweet spot. 519W for 53 seconds got me over the top just a few wheels from the front, then I recovered as we descended. I took some time to look around, and noticed that only one of my Perception teammates, Susanne, had survived in the front group of 18. Not a good sign. But there wasn’t much I could do about it, either, apart from not pushing the pace on the front.

Lap 2

A group of 4 riders chased back on, and Perception teammate Jonathan Baker was in that mix, bringing us to 3 riders in the front pack of 23 as we spun our way around the flat portion of the second lap. Susanne was sitting on the front of our group, so I figured she was feeling fresh and confident in her ability to survive 3 more Leg Snappers.

This time up the Leg Snapper was a bit spicier than lap 1. I finished in 51 seconds, averaging 533W, nicely positioned in the top 10 riders. The group had shrunk to 19, and we descended to the flat and finished out the lap, it became clear that nobody was chasing on this time around. Susanne and I were still in the front group.

Lap 3

Kristian from TBR asked how my legs were doing as we headed into the third lap. “Terrible,” I said. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t stand a chance.” I added a ;P to the message to make it clear I was doing the classic cyclist thing, then asked him how his legs were. “Pretty terrible,” he said.

Turns out, we’re both liars.

A few different riders kept popping off the front, and Susanne would often chase them down. I just sat in the pack. No reason to chase down attacks a teammate had already followed, plus most attacks on Innsbruckring’s flat roads are ill-fated anyway. They don’t stick.

I was suprised to see a group of three rejoin us as we neared the bricks leading to the Leg Snapper. The group included teammate Jonathan – nice!

Our third Leg Snapper was the tamest of the race. Nobody attacked hard this time around, but once again the group shrunk, from 23 to 19. I timed my feather a bit later this time, so it finished just before the arch. Averaging 497W for 54 seconds put me just a few wheels from the front. One lap to go!

Lap 4 + Finish

JW Be (Velos) attacked just before the last lap started, but I wasn’t going to chase. (Susanne was putting in some good work at the front to keep the group’s speed high and keep JW in sight, but I was content to leave the chase to the teams with more numbers/strength in the front group.)

As our pack of 18 neared the final Leg Snapper, we were also slowly closing the gap to JW. I was mulling over the finish in my mind, wondering how to best execute it to achieve the highest placing. Should I just sit in and sprint, like I’ve done in the past? Go earlier?

That’s when I realized something: I could launch a double powerup attack in the final 2km by using my aero just before riding through the sprint arch, then using the feather from that arch soon afterward. Did I have the legs for a hard 3-minute final attack?

I wasn’t sure that I did. But I also knew my team wasn’t going to win this race with only two riders in the front group.

Up and over the last Leg Snapper, we set our fastest time of the day: 49s, averaging 549W. Then I spun my legs out and rested as much as I could, knowing I needed every ounce of strength I could muster, whether I was going to sit in and wait for the final sprint, or execute my double powerup attack.

As we neared the sprint banner, I could see that only 12 riders had survived the final Leg Snapper. That was a good thing if I wanted to launch my long attack – fewer riders to chase me. I was still on the fence about whether or not I should do it, but with the sprint banner just up ahead, I made the call: let’s go!

I pushed hard on the pedals and triggered my aero powerup. Not the smoothest, most well-timed launch. But I was all in now! I quickly accelerated from ~38kph to ~50+kph, then steered to the inside of the hairpin with 1.4km to go, my feather now activated, making me lighter and just a bit faster for another 30 seconds.

Unfortunately, as I settled into what I thought was a sustainable breakaway pace, I saw that three riders had gone with me: cowboy Kristian and his “terrible legs”, his teammate J Mahot, and JW Be (Velos). We had a 3-4-second gap to the chasers, but I wasn’t going to turn myself inside out to pull 3 opponents to the podium, so I eased slightly. The TBR boys hesitated on the front, JW Be put in a bit of a pull, then Kristian jumped hard from second wheel and was gone. (He’s got a killer sprint.)

I got out of the saddle and died a thousand deaths just trying to keep the power high as riders from behind began to pass me. Crossing the line, I looked up to see I’d finished 5th.

Watch the Video

Takeaways and Team Result

While it wasn’t the result I wanted, it was fun to be in the position to make the race interesting. Could I have played it differently for a better result? Perhaps. My guess is I would have been somewhere in the top 10 if it came down to a typical short sprint. Or perhaps if I’d waited, I could have followed someone else’s wheel when they went early. Who knows?

What I do know is, I used all my weebles in that final attack. Check out my Intervals.icu W’ chart:

It’s wild how precise this stuff is. W’, if you’re not familiar, is your anaerobic work capacity (AWC) – basically your energy tank for anaerobic work (those extra hard efforts like a Leg Snapper or final sprint). As you ride at lower aerobic power, your W’ refills. And as you ride at higher power, it empties.

So you can see my W’ dipping at each Leg Snapper, then refilling over the easy portion of the circuit that followed. Wash, rinse, repeat… until that final ill-fated attack, which began with my W’ already depleted by ~45%. I really felt like I gave it everything I had in those final seconds, and according to the charts, that’s exactly what happened. I “used up all my weebles,” as Zwift racers like to say! (I actually set a 2026 power PB in the final 5.5 minutes of the race, starting with the Leg Snapper and going to the finish line…)

My Coalition Perception team finished fourth overall:

How about you?

How did race 2 go for you? Did you or your team execute any interesting tactics? Share below!

The third race of Zwift Racing League 2026/27 happens on Tuesday, October 6, and it’s a points race in Makuri Islands.

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

If you’re on an C or D team, you’ll be racing one lap of Urumaze, a course ZRL hasn’t used before. This guide is for you. A and B teams will be on Makuri 40 (read that race guide here).

Most riders will be unfamiliar with the Urumaze route, since it only launched in game August 2026. Let’s look at crucial course segments, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options!

Looking at the Route

The Urumaze route is 26.8km long, with 202 meters of elevation. It’s a figure 8 with two key climbs and a flat sprint finish:

This is a points race, and all 5 intermediates are flat sprints. Apart from those key intermediates, there are also two key climbs. Let’s talk about each key segment in order of appearance:

1. Tidepool Sprint Reverse @1.7km (0.31km, 0%): this pan-flat sprint signals the end of the route’s lead-in. It’s the first points segment of the race, and will be hit twice more!
2. Pain Cavern @3.2km (2.1km, 3%): although this isn’t an official points segment, it’s a crucial callout since riders will be dropped on this hard effort. This is our first and longest climb on the day, and it comes at us in three sections separated by short flat stretches. The pack typically stays together on the first section – it’s the second section (the longest and steepest!) through the figure 8 where things really break up. The final section is your last chance to close the gap to riders ahead (or keep pushing to drop riders struggling to hold on). See the Strava segment for details >
3. Tower Sprint @7.7km (0.32km, 0.4%): another flat sprint, although in this direction it has just a bit of an uphill to its start. If you want to top the FTS leaderboard, you’ll need to push extra watts up that false flat to begin the segment fast!
4. Tidepool Sprint Reverse @15km (0.31km, 0%): our second go at this sprint.
5. Festival Harbor Climb CW @18.5km (2.5 km, 2.1%): our second climb of the day, and another crucial non-points section where riders will be dropped. Expect stronger riders to attack this climb hard to grab FAL points on the Shisa Sprint Reverse and/or form a breakaway that may survive to the finish. See the Strava segment for details >
6. Shisa Sprint Reverse @20.2km (0.28km, 0%): this longish sprint comes just after the Festival Harbor Climb, so expect tired legs and a strung out pack.
7. Tidepool Sprint Reverse @26.4km (0.31km, 0%): one final sprint, but this one carries extra weight as your FAL points are effectively doubled, since you’re getting FIN points based on your position as well! All the more reason to go all-in in this final effort.

Read more about the Urumaze route >

Powerups

Powerups for this race are… confusing. Don’t blame WTRL – it’s really an issue with how Zwift has set up visible and invisible arches in game. As it stands, WTRL has confirmed that certain powerups are assigned to certain arches, while other arches award random powerups, and still other arches are invisible and will award aero powerups!

Everyone will receive an aero boost powerup in the pens. Use it as quickly as you can, because another aero powerup awaits less than a minute down the road at an invisible arch. If you use your powerup before the Tidepool Sprint arch, you’ll get a 250 XP bonus there. Or save the aero for Pain Cavern or the Tower Sprint up the road!

In fact, you’ll get a 250 XP bonus each time through the Tidepool Sprint arch, as long as you aren’t holding a powerup when you go through the arch.

This is how the powerup situation should unfold, according to WTRL. (But don’t shoot the messenger if it turns out differently – there’s no way for me to test this on my end):

• Aero Boost given in start pens
• Mech Isle virtual start/finish: aero boost
• Tidepool Sprint Reverse @1.7km: 250 XP bonus
• Tower Sprint @7.7km: aero boost, draft boost, or feather (equal probability)
• Virtual start/finish for Castle to Castle @9.3km: aero boost
• Tidepool Sprint Reverse @15km: 250 XP bonus
• Shisa Sprint Reverse @20.2km: aero boost, draft boost, or feather (equal probability)
• Mech Isle virtual start/finish @22.5 (approximate): aero boost
• Tidepool Sprint Reverse @26.4km (0.31km, 0%): 250 XP bonus

Every physical arch you ride through that is not the Tidepool Sprint Reverse will give you a lightweight (feather), draft boost (van), or aero boost (helmet) powerup. Probabilities are equal for each.

Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting).

Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most.

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

Bike Recommendations

Bike recommendations for this race are simple, thanks to how Zwift has set up the current crop of in-game road bikes. You’ll want to pick one of the top “aero all-arounders”, the best of which are:

• Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 or SL8
• Cannondale Supersix EVO Lab 71 (Team Edition is even faster)

Wheel choice feels a bit trickier here, because we have the option of the most aero wheels (disc wheelsets), better climbing wheels (to help you survive the twowo climbs), or something in between. Zwift has strong options in each of those categories, so I’d say take your pick, depending on whether you want a bit of an edge on the climbs, on the flat sprints, or strike a balance between the two:

• Shimano DURA-ACE C99/Disc: the most aero wheels in game, but a bit heavy compared to non-disc wheels
• Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560: very lightweight wheels which also feature strong aero performance
• SwissSide HADRON Ultimate 650: a compromise between light weight and strong aero performance. A bit heavier than the Wake 6560, but also a bit more aero.

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

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

For more info on bike and wheelset performance in Zwift, check out:

• Wheel Charts: For precise performance data on all wheelsets. and wheel performance.
• Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers for head-to-head comparisons of various frame and wheel combos.
• Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level: Determine the fastest setup available to you.
• Bike Frame Charts: For precise performance data on all road frames.

More Route Recons

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

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

J Dirom

John Rice

Nathan Krake

Strategic Options

Points Distribution: Urumaze, 1 Lap

Chart shows the maximum points a team of 5 could earn in a race with 60 participants. Note that we designed the final sprint’s FAL points as FIN points, since that’s what they effectively are. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.

How will the race unfold, and what strategies will riders employ in the first points race of the season? Here’s what I predict:

• First Time Tidepool Sprint FTS: with most riders holding an aero powerup heading into the first tidepool sprint, and the pack at its largest and freshest, expect most or all top 10 FTS times to be set on the first go-around.
• Pain Cavern Attack: got a team full of stronger climbers but weaker sprinters? It would make sense to push hard up the Pain Cavern climb to drop some sprinters so you stand a better chance of grabbing FAL points on the four sprints up the road.
• Selective Sprints: almost 60% of the race’s points are from sprint FAL (even more if you include the finishing Tidepool Sprint), but the powerups we receive from some arches are (somewhat) random. Riders will approach each sprint differently based on which powerup they’re holding, but make no mistake: riders will be targeting those sprint points, because that’s how you’ll win this race.
• Chasing It Back On the Flats: from the top of the Pain Cavern climb, you have ~5km of flat road followed by ~4.3km of descent. Expect riders dropped in Pain Cavern to work to rejoin during this section. Riders ahead will need to decide if it’s worth pushing the pace on what is otherwise a “recovery section” to hold onto higher FAL points.
• Punch Into the Final Sprint: the last sprint segment (Shisa) offer punchy climbers opportunities to attack off the front and take high FAL points by keeping the power/speed high through the sprint arch. It also offers a chance for a reduced front group to stay away for the final 6km if they can work together.

Your Thoughts

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

The third race of Zwift Racing League 2026/27 happens on Tuesday, October 6, and it’s a points race in Makuri Islands.

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

If you’re on an A or B team, you’ll be racing one lap of Makuri 40, a course we haven’t raced for three years. This guide is for you. C and D teams will be on Urumaze (race guide coming soon).

We haven’t raced this course in three years, and much has changed since that time, including the race setup itself. Let’s look at crucial course segments, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options!

Looking at the Route

The Makuri 40 route is, unsurprisingly, 40km long (40.3km to be exact). Along the way, you’ll cover 317 meters of elevation as you pass through major portions of each Makuri Island section: Yumezi, Neokyo, and Urukazi.

This is a points race, and all 5 intermediates are flat sprints. Apart from those key intermediates, there are also four key climbs. Let’s talk about each key segment in order of appearance:

1. Starting Climb @0km (1.5km, 3.2%): right out of the pens, riders will have to go all in for a few minutes as the first selection is made on the climb up to the Village Sprint. Keep your W/kg high enough, and you may just grab some FAL points on the Village Sprint!
2. Village Sprint Reverse @1.6km (0.15km, 0.8%): this sprint is short and flat, but comes after what is sure to be a tough starting climb. Who will have the punch to grab FAL, and who will be brave enough to save their legs and go for FTS?
3. Country Sprint Reverse @7.3km (0.15km, 0%): riders will grab some recovery and speed on the downhill after the Village Sprint, so expect this short and flat sprint to have high speeds and big power numbers!
4. Alley Sprint Reverse @16.1km (0.38km, -1.2%): after 8km of flat road following the Country Sprint, riders should once again have fresh legs to tackle the longest sprint of the race.
5. Castle Park Sprint @18km (0.22km, -0.7%): just 2km after the Alley Sprint, FAL points on this one may just go to some riders who are brave enough to attack on the Alley Sprint and stay away for a few minutes.
6. Festival Harbor Climb CW @25.8km (2.5 km, 2.1%): after a recovery descent through the cavern, expect riders to attack this climb hard in an effort to grab FAL points on the Shisa Sprint Reverse and/or form a breakaway.
7. Shisa Sprint Reverse @27.4km (0.28 km, 0%): this longish sprint comes just after the Festival Harbor Climb, so expect tired legs and a strung out pack. Same question as the Village Sprint: Who will have the punch to grab FAL, and who will be brave/crazy enough to save their legs and go for FTS?
8. Slot Canyon Climb @33.4km (2.8 km, 2%): the climb through the Slot Canyon is beautiful, but don’t get distracted by the visuals. Expect big attacks and the hardest sustained work of the day here, as this is the longest climb of the day and it finishes only ~4km from the finish line!
9. Finishing Climb @39.6km (1.3km, 2%): don’t get fooled by the lap banner near the start of this climb – this route ends at the virtual banner further up the hill!

Read more about the Makuri 40 route >

Powerups

Everyone will receive a draft boost powerup in the pens. If you use it quickly before the virtual banner, you’ll get a 250 XP bonus at the virtual lap banner. Or save it for the sprint up the road!

You’ll get a 250 XP bonus at each “lap arch” you ride through, but here’s a little insider secret for you XP farmers: there are invisible lap arches all over Makuri Islands. In fact, WTRL tells me you’ll receive a total of 5x 250 XP bonuses in the race, as long as you aren’t holding a powerup when you go through the arch! Here’s where those bonuses occur:

• Virtual start/finish line, just ~100 meters from the start pens
• Virtual start/finish for Sea to Tree, ~4.6km into the lap
• Virtual start/finish for Castle to Castle, ~11.8km into the lap
• Lap arch for Flatland Loop, ~39.9km into the lap
• Virtual start/finish line

Every arch you ride through that is not a lap arch (so, each of the five sprint arches) will give you a lightweight (feather), draft boost (van), or aero boost (helmet) powerup. Probabilities are equal for each.

Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting).

Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most.

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

Bike Recommendations

Bike recommendations for this race are simple, thanks to how Zwift has set up the current crop of in-game road bikes. You’ll want to pick one of the top “aero all-arounders”, the best of which are:

• Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 or SL8
• Cannondale Supersix EVO Lab 71 (Team Edition is even faster)

Wheel choice feels a bit trickier here, because we have the option of the most aero wheels (disc wheelsets), better climbing wheels (to help you survive the key climbs), or something in between. Zwift has strong options in each of those categories, so I’d say take your pick, depending on whether you want a bit of an edge on the climbs, on the flat sprints, or strike a balance between the two:

• Shimano DURA-ACE C99/Disc: the most aero wheels in game, but a bit heavy compared to non-disc wheels
• Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560: very lightweight wheels which also feature strong aero performance
• SwissSide HADRON Ultimate 650: a compromise between light weight and strong aero performance. A bit heavier than the Wake 6560, but also a bit more aero.

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

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

For more info on bike and wheelset performance in Zwift, check out:

• Wheel Charts: For precise performance data on all wheelsets. and wheel performance.
• Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers for head-to-head comparisons of various frame and wheel combos.
• Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level: Determine the fastest setup available to you.
• Bike Frame Charts: For precise performance data on all road frames.

More Route Recons

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

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

J Dirom

John Rice

Nathan Krake

Strategic Options

Points Distribution: Makuri 40, 1 Lap

Chart shows the maximum points a team of 5 could earn in a race with 60 participants. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.

How will the race unfold, and what strategies will riders employ in the first points race of the season? Here’s what I predict:

• Selective Sprints: over 71% of the race’s points are from sprint FAL, but the powerups we receive are random. Riders will approach each sprint differently based on which powerup they’re holding, but make no mistake: riders will be targeting those sprint points, because that’s how you’ll win this race.
• Punch Into the Sprints: the first and last sprint segments offer punchy climbers opportunities to attack off the front and take high FAL points by keeping the power/speed high through the sprint arch.
• Breakaway for Castle Park Sprint FAL: with the Castle Park Sprint coming just 2km after the Alley Sprint, a coordinated breakaway could gap the field after the Alley banner and stay away to grab FAL points on the Castle Park Sprint.
• Slot Canyon Attrition: over 84% of the race’s points will already be locked up before riders hit the final Slot Canyon climb. Riders who believe they may get dropped on this climb may go all-in for those sprint points, then get dropped on the Slot Canyon climb, leaving a reduced back to fight over the FIN points table scraps.

Your Thoughts

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