Tiny Race Series – March 14 Routes – Danny’s Crit Week
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Nowhere Fast Episode 64 – The Zwift Influencers Are Afoot
Nowhere Fast Episode 64 – The Zwift Influencers Are Afoot
The latest episode of Nowhere Fast rolls out of the virtual garage and straight into the strange new world of Zwift influencers. The crew takes a deep dive into the growing ecosystem of Zone-2 TikToks, questionable training advice, and the possibility that the next big cycling influencer might just be a guy filming himself pedaling slowly while pointing at text bubbles.
Along the way, the hosts discuss rumors of a revamped version of the Zwift Games, revisit one of the show’s classic bits, and even attempt something rarely heard on this podcast: saying something nice about Zwift. Whether that moment survives editing is another story.
As usual, the conversation drifts somewhere between thoughtful commentary on the evolving world of virtual racing and the kind of chaotic banter that only happens when three people who spend too much time on indoor trainers start talking.
If you’ve ever wondered whether social media cycling fame is just a ring light away, or if you simply want a dose of humor while sweating through your next trainer ride, this episode delivers the usual Nowhere Fast blend of real insights, fake bike racing, and questionable life advice.
About the Podcast
Nowhere Fast is a member of the Wide Angle Podium network. To support this podcast, head to wideanglepodium.com to become a member of the network and help Mike buy the gear he needs to start his Zwift influencing career.
To keep up to date on all our real coverage of fake bike racing, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Rebel Route: Lap It Up (Watopia)
Rebel Route: Lap It Up (Watopia)
I recently took on the project of building out Zwift Insider’s route info data by adding lap leaderboard segments to our route pages. This meant doing a fair amount of legwork to learn which laps in Zwift award leader jerseys, and which routes include those laps.
In the end, after publishing a page listing all of Zwift’s lap segments and linking all the lap segments to routes that contained them, I was left a bit surprised by how few Zwift routes encompass full lap segments.
This is particularly true in Watopia, which has no less than 8 lap leaderboards: the Hilly, Volcano, Jarvis, and Jungle laps, in both directions. It seemed only right to create a route that hit all of these laps, allowing a strong rider (in theory at least) to top all 8 lap leaderboards in one ride. Now that would be impressive!
In the end, I actually created two routes. The first, “Lap It Up”, just covers the laps close to downtown Watopia: Hilly, Volcano, and Jarvis. Then I created an extended afterparty version, titled “Lap It Up + Jungle Afterparty”, which takes you out to the Jungle for forward/reverse laps.
Both routes are described below. Enjoy!
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! Rebel Routes are also included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
Our basic ride plan is to hit the reverse versions of the three lap segments close to Watopia proper, then hit their forward versions, then head to the Jungle for an afterparty to do a forward and reverse lap.
A complete turn-by-turn tour of this route would be too much, so I’ll summarize it instead.
You can set yourself up easily by selecting the Figure 8 Reverse route. This puts you at the route’s start point, riding through the downtown Watopia lap arch, heading toward The Esses.
Our first lap is the Hilly Route Reverse. Finish this, then head over to the Volcano for a lap of the Volcano Circuit CCW.
Note: you may feel like you’re doing lots of laps of the Volcano and Jarvis today, because the lap start line locations mean you have to ride a partial lap to get to the start of the full lap. You will also end up riding a partial lap after your lap is complete!
After your Volcano lap, you’ll head to Jarvis for a clockwise lap, which is officially the “reverse” direction for Jarvis. Finish that full lap (which requires riding two laps of the loop), then we head to the Volcano as a way to “turn around” so we can hit Jarvis in the other direction.
Now it’s time for our forward laps! Jarvis first, replicating “The Classic” (again, two laps), then to the Volcano for a clockwise “Volcano Circuit” lap (which requires 2.5 laps of the Volcano). Then we head to downtown for our last lap in Watopia proper: the classic Hilly Route lap, the very first route Watopia ever had!
Once you finish the Hilly Route at the downtown Watopia lap arch, you’ve completed the Lap It Up Rebel Route. But we also have an “afterparty” version which takes you out to the Jungle, to complete a lap in both directions, so you’ve done laps of all the lap segments in Watopia. Are you up for it?
If so, head out on Ocean Boulevard and up to the Jungle, finishing a full Jungle Circuit lap in the forward (CCW) direction first, before taking the Mayan Bridge cutoff to change direction and do a final full Jungle Circuit Reverse lap in the clockwise direction. The Lap It Up + Jungle Afterparty route ends at the Jungle Circuit arch once you’ve finished that full reverse lap!
Turn By Turn Directions
Begin by choosing the Figure 8 Reverse route, which starts you in downtown Watopia, heading in the right direction for at least the first several turns.
- Straight (Left) to Sprint
- Straight (Left) to 360 Bridge
- Straight (Left) to 360 Bridge
- Straight (Right) to Reverse KOM
- Straight (Right) to Reverse KOM
- Straight (Right) to Downtown
- Straight (Left) to Downtown
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right to Jarvis Island
- Left to Jarvis Island Clockwise
- Straight (Right) to Jarvis Island
- Left to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Volcano KOM
- Left to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Right) to Volcano
- Straight (Right) to Volcano
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Jarvis Island
- Right to Jarvis Island Counter
- Straight (Left) to Jarvis Island
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Volcano KOM
- Left to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Right) to Volcano
- Straight (Right) to Volcano
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Right) to Volcano KOM
- Left to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Right) to Volcano
- Straight (Right) to Volcano
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Right) to Volcano KOM
- Left to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Right) to Volcano
- Left to Downtown
- Left to Downtown
- Straight (Right) to KOM
- Straight (Left) to KOM
- Straight (Left) to Bridge
- Straight (Left) to Islands
- Straight (Right) to Italian Villas
- Right to Sprint
- Straight (Left) to Sprint
- Right to Downtown End of “Lap It Up” Route
- Left to Ocean Blvd
- Straight (Right) to Ocean Blvd
- Straight (Right) to Italian Villas
- Left to Jungle/Epic KOM
- Right to Jungle/Alpe
- Right to Jungle/Alpe
- Straight (Right) to Mayan Loop
- Straight (Left) to Jungle Loop
- Straight (Left) to Mayan Loop
- Straight (Right) to Mayan Loop
- Straight (Left) to Jungle Loop
- Straight (Right) to Mayan Loop
- Straight (Left) to Jungle Loop
- Straight (Left) to Mayan Loop
- Left to Mayan Bridge
- Right to Mayan Loop Reverse
- Straight (Right) to Reverse Jungle
- Straight (Left) to Mayan Loop Reverse
- Straight (Right) to Mayan Loop Reverse
- Straight (Right) to Jungle Loop
- Straight (Left) to Mayan Loop Reverse
- Straight (Right) to Reverse Jungle
- Straight (Left) to Mayan Loop Reverse
- Straight (Right) to Mayan Loop Reverse End of “Lap It Up + Jungle Afterparty” Route
Route details (Lap It Up):
Distance: 65.7km (40.8 miles)
Elevation Gain: 505m (1,657′)
Strava Segment
See on ZwiftMap.com
Route details (Lap It Up + Jungle Afterparty):
Distance: 103.5km (64.3 miles)
Elevation Gain: 882m (2,894′)
Strava Segment
See on ZwiftMap.com
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great Rebel Route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Zwift News, The Big Spin, and Parkruns
As we begin to descend from peak indoor cycling season here in the northern hemisphere, Zwift continues to deliver exciting events and updates. Catch up on all the latest Zwifty news in this week’s top video.
We’ve also picked videos on The Big Spin Mystery Spinners, racing after running a parkrun, tackling the Zwift Games, and riding 300km indoors.
Zwift News: Update 1.108, Big Discounts, Workout Series, Big Spin
Zwift Big Spin: 10,000 Drops Every Lap (Limited Time)
I Did Parkrun then Tried to Win a Zwift Race!
This Zwift Games Race Hurt (But My FTP Went Up)
I Rode 300KM on Zwift for My 30th Birthday | 9 Hour Indoor Challenge
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
FRR Weekend Warrior Series Announced: First Race March 20
FRR Weekend Warrior Series Announced: First Race March 20
Flamme Rouge Racing (FRR), a top community race organizer, has typically hosted “private” race events only accessible once you sign up for an FRR account. But starting March 20, FRR is going public! Their new “Weekend Warrior” series delivers 3 back-to-back days of racing, Friday to Sunday.
In speaking with FRR founder Richard Vale, the hope with going public is to raise more awareness of FRR, increase accessibility to events, and increase participation and competition levels for the Zwift community as a whole.
Series Distinctives
The series will offer events held over three races on a weekend:
- Friday: iTT
- Saturday: Points
- Sunday: Scratch
Each day’s race has multiple timeslots for ultimate accessibility.
Points are tallied for each weekend’s event to form an Order of Merit for the season which ends in September. There are 12 race weekends, and your best 7 count toward the Order of Merit.
Max 30-day ZRS will be used to position all riders over 5 pens, and ZRS groups will start separately. Riders must have smart trainers and HRMs connected to join a race.
The series will run in partnerships with other Zwift clubs, with weekends themed around the partner club, while staying within the same base structure of the Series. The first three Classica events are doing just that: Classica Italia con Team Italy, Classica Belgica met Team ZWB, and Classica Francais avec L’Equipe Provence.
Schedule and Routes
Event times (UK times, may vary by +5 minutes some days):
- Friday:
- 0600 – 0830 – 1000 – 1300 – 1600
- 1800 – 1930 – 2330 – 0200
- Saturday:
- 0600 – 1000 – 1300 – 1600 – 1800
- Sunday:
- 0600 – 1000 – 1300 – 1600 – 1800
The Series kicks off with a trio of Classica events around the monuments of one day cycling – Milan, Flanders, and Roubaix.
March 20-22: Classica Italia
- il vantaggio iTT on Mayan San Remo (22km, 220m)
- la corsa Points Race on Zwift Games 2024 Epic (82km, 870m)
- i’ultimo sforzo Scratch Race on Waisted 8 (21km, 144m)
April 3-5: Classica Belgica
- de leiding binnen iTT on Cobbled Crown (24km, 288m)
- de kasseienrace Points Race on Richmond Loop Around (43km, 556m)
- de laatste ronde Scratch Race on 2015 Worlds Course (49km, 480m)
April 10-12: Classica Francais
- Le leader dans iTT on Hell of the North (20km, 242m)
- Course de transition Points Race on Knights of the Roundabout (54km, 360m)
- Dimanche en enfer! Scratch Race on Sacre Bleu (73km, 410m)
Future event courses are still being determined, but you can see the schedule of events on the FRR website.
Results and Prizes
The Order of Merit will be tracked and displayed on the FRR website, and will reflect riders who have a registered FRR account (free to create).
The top 10 riders in the Order of Merit will win IRL prizes – jerseys, t-shirts, and store discounts. To be eligible for these, registered riders will also need to be an FRR subscriber, which is just £10 per year.
Cycling Esports UK Championship Announced for March 17
Cycling Esports UK Championship Announced for March 17
CE:UK was set up by myself, Dean Cunningham, as a discipline-specific organiser/governing body for Cycling Esports within the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Until 2025, the UK saw no organised regional or national-level racing held in the Cycling Esports discipline, despite it being recognised as a discipline within cycle sport by the UCI.
The UK is a cycling nation, and there is no more accessible way to race on a bike than to do so at home on platforms such as Zwift, where hundreds of people across the UK are already racing week in, week out. It seems fair and sensible that we capture and give the opportunity of a Championship race each year. This is what Cycling Esports UK set out to do in 2025, and what it continues to build and deliver in 2026.
With CE:UK, we want to build a positive movement. It’s not just about an annual Championship race. We want to build a supportive community of racers in our country. What we are doing here is trying to bring everyone of all abilities and outlooks on Cycling Esports together, within the UK. We have spent too many years disjointed and frustrated. Let’s all come together, support this community in its build phase, and see what we can achieve together!
Championship Race 2026
The second annual Cycling Esports UK Championship will take place on Tuesday, 17th March 2026. Women race at 1830 UTC, and men race at 1930 UTC.
The course and format for the race are inspired by classic town centre crits of times gone by in the UK. Fun to race. Fun to watch!
It’s a straight scratch race consisting of 12 laps of Duchy Estate on Zwift’s Yorkshire world (37.7 km distance with 492m of elevation gain).
Every lap will see racers have to punch out of corners and kick up short, steep climbs. It will be attritional and will truly highlight the best all-around riders.
All race information and registration can be found on Leadout Esports: leadoutesports.com/events/uk-2026
The race will be fully broadcast on YouTube here by Leadout Esports at youtube.com/watch?v=uruuh5GyFA0.
Age Group Winners
One of the critical things for us at CE:UK, is giving something for everyone to race for, whether that is to become a Champion, to win your age group, or to have fun racing with your friends.
As well as crowning our Cycling Esports UK Champions for 2026, the race will also determine who our winners are in the following Age Group categories:
- 18-29
- 30-39
- 40-49
- 50+
As always, male and female races will feature the same categories and the same course over the same distance.
Performance Verification
All participants are required to submit a weight video prior to the race and to submit a dual recording after their race has finished.
We totally understand that some riders will see these requirements as a hurdle. But within CE:UK and within participating riders/their teams, we have incredible amounts of knowledge and willingness to help people comply with these requirements. We promise, they are not as difficult as they seem. After you have done them once, it is super easy going forward!
Zwift, at its core, relies on rider weight and input power being correct. The dynamics of the peloton in game are directly dictated by these factors. So, it is only fair that we ensure everyone racing is doing so at their correct weight and utilising a power device that is both accurate and fair to their fellow competitors.
Performing a weight video or submitting a dual recording is not “elite.” These are simple tasks that anyone of any level of capability can do. Even if not for race accuracy/fairness, it confirms to you that your equipment is working well. It verifies the numbers you are riding/training/racing with are a true representation of your capability, which is very beneficial to all riders who are training/racing indoors. The more people we have doing means better, fairer and more legitimate racing in general for everyone.
If the Performance Verification requirements are deterring anyone from entering, we absolutely welcome them to come and have a chat with us. Reach out in the Discord server, email the race organiser or speak with your team mates. There is so much support out there for anyone who is unsure about the PV requirements. Don’t let it stop you from racing!
A full list of PV requirements can be found by hitting the “Download Race Book” button on Leadout Esports at leadoutesports.com/events/uk-2026.
CE:UK Ambitions
A Championship race is just the beginning. The intention is to grow Cycling Esports within the UK. But we need the support and the strength that comes from an established community.
Region-Specific Racing
The momentum of a strong community will allow us to deliver league structures, regional and national rankings, and host further Championship events.
For Winter 2026, we would love to establish regionalised racing and region-specific leagues/leaderboards. To establish this, we want to integrate with local clubs throughout the UK. This will allow riders to compete with their local clubmates and rivals during the winter months.
This naturally then leads us to hosting Regional Championships, which lead into the annual CE:UK Championship race.
As an example, Scotland North region hosted a Winter Chase League series on Zwift during January/February this year. It saw 110+ riders enter every single week for six weeks across six categories. All abilities, showing up racing for their local club on Zwift and having fun! It was a great success and shows that this model can be utilised in more regions within the UK, all under our Cycling Esports UK umbrella.
Esports as a Development Pathway
Establishing Cycling Esports within the UK itself doesn’t just help existing racers. It also opens up doors for young talent to use Cycling Esports as a pathway to professional sport. We absolutely can and should be using Cycling Esports as talent identification, since it is easily the most accessible form of cycle sport we have.
The commitments required of young athletes to make cycling a career are currently unfeasible for the vast majority. The monetary requirements alone for young riders and their families are simply unachievable, and we feel that Cycling Esports can play a very important role in lessening that burden.
Please support this community and help us achieve together!
Zwift Update Version 1.109 (159238) Released
Zwift version 1.109 begins its phased rollout today. This is a very minor update, so all we’re doing is showing the release notes from Zwift…
Launcher Update
Not technically directly tied to the version 1.109 game release, but noteworthy nonetheless, is a launcher update Zwift rolled out today. Notes from Zwift:
Windows
- Reduced incidence of blank or white window when launching Zwift.
- All Zwift files moving forward are written to
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Zwift\by default, instead of My Documents. Look for your FIT files and ZWO workout files in the new location. - Includes a workaround for those impacted by Windows system freezes introduced by a Microsoft security patch. See this thread for details.
- Improved tracking of launcher app issues.
macOS
- Zwift Installer now runs natively on Apple Silicon, without requiring Rosetta for the installation process
- Fixed the “full storage” message so it appears if installing the game app while storage is full.
- Improved tracking of launcher app issues.
Release Notes
Zwift supplied the following release notes:
- Fixed an issue where Zwifters could potentially lose bike upgrade progress when performing multiple teleports.
- Fixed an issue that could cause estimated route completion time to be inconsistent between route cards on the home screen and the route details sidebar.
- Fixed an issue that could cause flickering colors in Makuri Islands.
- Mobile only: Fixed an issue where Zwift would let you log in with your old password after a password change.
- iOS: Stability improvements.
- tvOS: Improved stability when loading Zwift
Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >
Questions or Comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
Zwift Racing League 2025/26 Round 4 Details: Routes, Rules, Registration + More
Zwift Racing League 2025/26 Round 4 Details: Routes, Rules, Registration + More
Table of Contents
Now in its 19th round, Zwift Racing League continues to take racing to the next level on Zwift! Registration is now open for the fourth round of the 2025/26 season, which begins on April 7.
This page contains everything you need to know about the current ZRL round, and is updated as WTRL announces new details.
Intro to ZRL
Zwift Racing League (ZRL) is team-based racing for all abilities. It’s also the world’s largest virtual cycling competition, with over 30,000 riders of all abilities participating in each of the past two seasons!
Organized by WTRL, this is a team-based points competition spanning multiple weeks, with teams divided into divisions based on time zones and ability. Races take place every Tuesday, and the season is divided into distinct rounds with brief breaks in between.
ZRL is Zwift racing at its highest level. Its unique structure and varied race formats drive serious Zwift racers to show up week after week while providing a place for new racers who jump in and find their first team home.
Key Changes this Round
Zwift + WTRL continously collaborate to modify ZRL’s structure and rules with the aim of engaging as many racers as possible. Heading into this final round of 2025/26, no rules have changed according to WTRL. But it is worth noting that this final round has only 4 races!
For details on ZRL rules, see the ZRL Rules page >
Routes and Dates
Each ZRL round comprises weekly races which are either scratch races, points races, or team time trials (TTT). Scratch Races and Points Races are both actually points-based in terms of final results, but Points races include intermediate segments while Scratch Race points are all earned at the finish line. TTT winners are the teams who complete the race course fastest, with team time taken from the fourth rider across the line.
Race #1: Hell of the North
April 7, 2026 (TTT)
The round begins with a team time trial on a route we’ve never TTT’d before. Despite starting on Les Intestins, Hell of the North is quite flat… until the final 2.7km climb up the Petit KOM! New this round, WTRL says we’ll get a Draft Boost powerup in the pens and at all arches, for a total of 5 Draft Boosts.
- 1 Lap of France’s Hell of the North (20.1km, 241m elevation)
- PowerUps: Draft Boost in start pen, and at all arches 🛈
Race #2: The Classic
April 14, 2026 (Points Race)
The first points race of Round 4 finds us racing CCW loops of Jarvis Island, which is basically uphill for the first half, and downhill for the second! Points will be contested on the KOM and sprint segment each lap, with a flat finish.
- A/B: 6 Laps of Watopia’s The Classic (32.3km, 310m elevation)
- C/D: 4 Laps of Watopia’s The Classic (22.9km, 212m elevation)
- Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
- PowerUps 🛈
- Aero Boost at Jarvis KOM arch
- Feather at Jarvis Sprint arch
- Draft Boosts at any other arches
Race #3: Croissant
April 21, 2026 (Scratch Race)
The only scratch race of round 4 is on a flat French circuit with a slightly uphill long sprint finish. Who will sit in the pack and trust their sprint, and who will try to go long?
- A/B: 4 Laps of France’s Croissant (40.4km, 219m elevation)
- C/D: 3 Laps of France’s Croissant (31.1km, 170m elevation)
- PowerUps 🛈
- Feather (33%)
- Draft Boost (33%)
- Aero Boost (34%)
Race #4: Double Span Spin
April 28, 2026 (Points Race)
The final race of the round takes us onto repeated CCW loops of New York’s Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, where both the sprint and KOM sections are draftable uphill efforts.
- A/B: 5 Laps of New York’s Double Span Spin (40.6km, 531m elevation)
- C/D: 3 Laps of New York’s Double Span Spin (26.6km, 371m elevation)
- PowerUps 🛈
- Feather at Manhattan Sprint arch
- Aero Boost at Brooklyn Bridge KOM arch
Race Timeslots
Some divisions and start times are adjusted between rounds. Use the table below to find a time slot that works for your team. Please note that time slots may shift a bit – we will update the table below once WTRL publishes it for round 4.
Teams/Registration
Team registration is already open (go to wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/participants/ and click “Register a Team”). Registration closes April 4, 2026 at 05:00 UTC.
ZRL is a team-based competition – you cannot sign up as an individual rider. Teams can roster up to 12 racers, but only 6 can race in each event. Teams must have at least 4 riders on their roster, and a rider can join as many teams as they’d like, but only a maximum of two teams per league category.
Want to race, but don’t have a team? Here are seven ways to find a team:
- Recruit friends onto a new ZRL team, then sign up your team at wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/participants/.
- If you’re already a member of a larger Zwift Club, contact a senior Club representative to see if you can join one of your Club’s ZRL teams.
- Join an official team-lead ZRL Group Recon Ride (see below) where several teams can be found looking for more riders. These run several times a day, starting two weeks before the first race.
- Join the ZRL Facebook Group and post preferred race times/league, Pace Group Category, and any other preferences under the #zrlteamhunt tag where many teams are eagerly waiting.
- Reply to one of the #zrlrecruiting posts that teams make in the ZRL Facebook Group if you don’t want to post your own request.
- Reach out directly to WTRL and they can match you to a team based on race times, category, and team preferences.
- Use the new “WTRL Team Finder” tool once it becomes available at wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/teamhunt/.
First-Timer Tips
If this is your first time racing on Zwift, here are a few tips to get you started fast:
- You must create a WTRL profile linked to your Zwift account – do so at wtrl.racing/registration
- The minimum category you’ll race is determined by your power history on Zwift. See this post for details.
- Riders must use a power sensor to transmit power to the game – this would be a smart trainer, smartbike, or power meter. (You’re allowed to race C and D categories with a “classic” trainer and virtual power, but your points are cut in half.)
- Heart rate monitors are required. (You’re allowed to race without a HRM, but your points are cut in half.)
- Cadence monitors are required.
- You’ll want to have at least a few races under your belt before you try to join a team, so you are confident that you’re in the correct category. It causes a lot of hassle if you join a team and are forced to upgrade to a new category mid-round!
Race Recon Events
If you’re unfamiliar with a particular week’s race course, join a ZRL recon ride! These happen multiple times per day and are led by experienced racers who may share route info and racing tips as you ride.
Find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon >
2025/26 ZRL Dates
- Round 1: September 16-October 7, 2025
- Round 2: November 4-December 9, 2025
- Round 3: January 6-February 10, 2026
- Round 4: April 7-28, 2026
Questions or Comments?
We recommend checking out WTRL’s Zwift Racing League page for rules, team registration, results, and more. They also have a Help Center with lots of useful info, and their Facebook page is the place to go for discussion of all things ZRL.
You may also share questions or comments below!
“Zwift Spring Classics” Challenge Launched
“Zwift Spring Classics” Challenge Launched
Today, Zwift launched an eight-climb challenge featuring legendary climbs of the Spring Classics. The series runs from March 9 to May 1, and features three new Climb Portals. Read on for details!
Challenge Requirements
The Challenge features eight climbs, including three that are brand-new:
- Cipressa (6.4km, 228m, 3.5%)
- Poggio (4.3km, 136m, 3.2%)
- Oude Kwaremont (1.5km, 64m, 4.3%)
- Koppenberg (0.6km, 63m, 10.8%)
- Paterberg (0.4km, 45m, 11.9%)
- Cauberg (0.8km, 57m, 7.1%)
- Mur de Huy (1.3km, 124m, 9.8%)
- Côte de La Redoute (1.5km, 153m, 10.2%)
Finish all eight climbs to complete the Challenge!
Joining the Challenge
Everyone is automatically signed up for this challenge. As long as you’ve got version 1.108 or higher installed, you’ll see a progress bar in the challenge card on your homescreen.
Click that card to access the climbs and see reward details.
Challenge Rewards
You will earn 500 XP for every two climbs you complete in the challenge, which means you will earn a total of 2000 XP if you complete the full Challenge.
Read more about Zwift levels and unlocks >
Deadline
This challenge goes live at 9:00 PT on March 9, 2026, and ends May 1, 2026, at 23:59 PT.
(I recommend finishing before the final day, though, as some past Challenges have ended earlier than expected, and you don’t want to be caught out if that happens.)
Questions or Comments?
Post below!
Surviving a Terrorist Attack – Stephen and Cara Lockwood
Surviving a Terrorist Attack – Stephen and Cara Lockwood
It was March 2017, and Cara and Stephen Lockwood had been married six months. Stephen’s 40th birthday was coming up on the 22nd, and Cara wanted to do something special for him. “I wanted to plan something fun to do.”
What could be more fun than swimming with sharks at the London Aquarium? “You basically get into a shark cage made of string and have sharks swim at you,” she says. Stephen quickly corrects her, “Rope! Not string. It was something we always wanted to do.”
They both laugh. It’s a subdued laugh, though, because that special day would turn into a nightmare.
After swimming with sharks, they planned to go to The Berkeley, a high-end hotel with an amazing restaurant. Cara, who has always been a bit sociophobic, was nervous about taking the London Tube because of all the people. Plus, there had been terrorist scares recently, so the city was on high alert, which really ramped up her anxiety. They decided to take a stroll across Westminster Bridge and get a taxi on the Big Ben side.
She remembers walking with Stephen up the steps onto the bridge, feeling a bit off. It was a fairly nice day, and there were a few other people farther across the bridge, and four or five behind them. She and Stephen were halfway across the bridge when she heard a vehicle accelerating behind her. At first, she thought it was one of the smaller maintenance vehicles that buzz across the bridge occasionally. But why was it accelerating?
Suddenly, both she and Stephen were hit from behind by an SUV. She flew up into the air and fell to the ground. She was stunned, but realized she was okay; she could still walk and run. But where was Stephen? She scanned the bridge. He was lying in the road, not moving. She ran to him.
Stephen has no memory of what happened.
From news reports, Stephen was scooped up onto the hood of an SUV that was barreling down the bridge, flew into the air, thrown into the back end of a bus, and was dumped onto the road, hitting his head, fracturing his skull, neck, back, ribs, puncturing his lung – and shattering bones in his left leg, ripping part of his calf open.
This was the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack. The aftermath of the attack is well-documented in a BBC series called Hospital as the victims, including Stephen and Cara, arrive at St. Mary’s Hospital. You can watch it here.
Recovery: “It was heartbreaking.”
Recovery was long and slow, taking years of physical therapy for Stephen to be able to walk again. He had seven operations on his leg. They had to keep repeating the surgery in order to get the bone to grow properly. A skin flap had to be taken from his right thigh to reconstruct his calf, which was completely ripped open.“The repetition was heartbreaking,” says Stephen. “We’d get our hopes up and then have to go back into surgery over and over again.”
That was just the physical side. “The mental side was torture,” says Cara. “We were completely unprepared for this, both individually and as a couple. Trying to move back to normalcy. You feel different in the world. How do you reconnect?”
“Watching people pass away and your husband nearly dying,” says Cara. “Steve would sometimes say that he had it better than me. All he’s got to do is lie there, medicated, and get operated on.”
Husband and wife became Patient and Nurse. Cara had to lift, carry, and wash Stephen during his long recovery. She had no background in this. To add to the immense pressure, within a few months of the attack, Cara’s father was diagnosed with cancer and was slowly dying. He sadly lost his battle in February 2018.
“We lost our identity. We went to therapy to help deal with the ordeal. To understand this new normal. And to try to realize there is a future.”
Finding Zwift
In September of 2021, after Stephen’s last operation and recovery, they decided to move to the French countryside.
One day in France, Stephen was watching YouTube and Zwift popped up. Because of the incident, they both struggled to be in crowded places. They had tried running, but with the high impact on Stephen’s leg and the increasing anxiety of hearing vehicles coming from behind, they felt it wasn’t the right fit. But Zwift looked interesting to him. He investigated it a bit more and thought it looked safe. He started watching Zwift streamers. He asked Cara if it was okay for him to invest some money into it. Cara checked it out and said, “Only if I can do it too!” So, in January 2024, they went to the local bike shop, got the cheapest bikes they could afford, and started Zwifting.
“Zwift is a big part of our lives now,” says Stephen.
They Zwift together five to six times a week. “We love it! Especially the epic races. It feels so good to work your butt off and finish – and maybe have a bit of a cry when you achieve a big goal.”
Over Christmas 2025, Cara joined Christoffer Wikman’s charity ride for cancer and helped raise funds by riding 100 km a day. The ride was also a personal connection for Cara to remember her father who had passed away from cancer.
They love racing and doing the long rides and challenges, like riding Zwift’s 30 longest routes in 30 days.
“It’s helped build up strength in my legs,” says Stephen. “It gives me a mental lift – a sense of fulfillment. I’ve lost weight and I’m eating right. We haven’t had a drink of alcohol in over a year.”
They have dark days. “Zwift and the wonderful community give you a sense of goodness, camaraderie. If I drop out of a group, people come back and help me get back in. That’s kindness. It’s encouraging,” says Cara.
“We can’t tell you how important Zwift is to us. We are so grateful. So full of gratitude. It has helped us reconnect and have hope again.”
Ride on, Stephen and Cara! We are grateful for you two as well.
You can follow them on Zwift at:
- Cara: CaraLockwood
- Stephen: LookMumNoHands