Zwift is turning 10 years old this autumn (tempus fugit, right?) and they’ve organized a slate of events and initiatives to celebrate with the community. The big cornerstone event is Zwift’s Big Birthday Bash weekend, which lands on the first weekend of October. Come ride at your pace to celebrate with community teams and big names in cycling world!
Schedule and Route Details
Rides are (for the most part) scheduled every two hours beginning October 3 at 4am UTC and running through October 7 at 2am.
Ride titles explain who is leading the ride. Some are led by community teams, while others are led by big-name Zwifters. Here are some stars we spotted (click for event details):
- Sir Chris Hoy
- Jan Frodeno & Lionel Sanders
- Mathieu van der Poel
- Lucy Charles-Barclay
- Eric Min
- Matt Stephens & Victor Campenaerts
- Shane Miller
- Ayesha McGowan
See upcoming Big Birthday Bash events at zwift.com/events/tag/birthdayrides2024 >
All rides are 45 minutes long and rubberbanded so riders will stay together regardless of effort level. Rides are rotating through four different flattish Watopia routes:
Kit Unlock(s)
Finishing any of the Big Birthday Bash events will unlock the 10-Year Anniversary Kit:
Many of the community rides will also unlock a second kit for the team leading the ride.
Is there a good way to view which rides have a second jersey and what that jersey is? The third ride at 8am UTC shows the Canyon/Sram jersey in the companion app but many others do not. Jersey hunters would like to know 🤓
I assume riders will unlock the jersey shown in ZCA and (if it is not the Zwift Anniversary Kit) in addition to that the 10-year Anniversary Kit.
Just did the 0900 UK Canyon/Sram ride and unlocked both team and birthday jerseys.
If the club/team jersey is listed in the event, then you will get both according to Zwift. So look at the event description to see if it lists the club jersey or the anniversary kit.
“A select number of Zwift clubs have chosen to showcase their club kit for these rides. Rest assured, if you join an event where you are not wearing the 10th-anniversary kit during the ride, you will unlock both that Zwift Club kit AND the 10-year Anniversary kit! If you are in a ride where you are wearing the 10th-anniversary kit, that is the sole unlock for the event.”
I was hoping for 10x XP 🤣 instead of a kit.
What happend to the Jersey vote?
There were some complaints from a few of those shirts owners so that got cancelled as far as I know
I was surprised some of those were on the list, but I was hoping to get a Ride with Reggie… I had to leave like 2/3rds of the way through the original ride. Seemed like it was a much longer ride than I expected. 😉
I am wondering why they just didnt remove those who complaint from the event and let us pick 10 other ones who didnt mind.
I was interested until I saw they were rubber banded. It’s a hard no from me I’m afraid.
Rubber banded is indeed kinda lame.
Just don’t ride them if not interested. It’s a community ride and meant more as a social event, so keeping people together no matter what their speed can be viewed as a nice touch by those not wanting to be riding on their own at the back all the time. If you want to be powering off there’s plenty of races available where you can do that.
I don’t like rubberbanded rides because they rob me of any agency in the event, not because I want to ride away. On the contrary I spend that effort trying to help people stay with the group or joining a sweeper team. Anyway I don’t mind if people enjoy rubberbanded rides, it’s OK but it’s just not something I would want for myself because it’s boring. Just don’t ride them isn’t a solution when there’s no alternative events in this series – that’s like saying the anniversary stuff is for other people.
Think of it like motorpacing
Except its the opposite as it would slow me down. You put in the effort and your reward is going sloooow. I hate rubber banding, its another feature aimed to help make slow riders feel better just like the racking categories.
Colin: Not to be snarky, but have you ever motor paced IRL?
Friday, Oct 4, USMES’s ride is Cat C with no rubber band,
Think a few of the rides are no longer rubber banded. Some of the groups leading the rides made the point that rubber banding is unrepresentative of their own rides and give ppl wrong impression of that group’s rides.
Just did GIant’s Big Birthday Bash ride. There was a jersey give away. How do I see the results?
Completed ZNL group birthday bash ride, unlocked the club kit but not the 10th anniversary kit.
Same for me. Got the Club kit, but nö anniversary.
Same for me too, no anniversary kit, just the club kit ZNL. 🥲
Is there a way to still get the birthday kit? Asking for a friend
There actually is. I’ll be writing a post about it once Zwift sends me the info.
My friend thanks you – hopefully, see you on Zwift soon!
I missed the Birthday rides, would like to get the jersey though. Any updates on this?