“Castle to Castle” Route Details (Makuri Islands)
Released in Zwift’s January 2022 update, Castle to Castle draws its name from the two castles you’ll pass along the way – first the castle area in Yumezi, then the imperial palace in the Neokyo’s Castle Park.
Route Basics
Length: 22.4 km (13.9 miles)
Elevation: 140m (459′)
+0.8km (0.5 miles) lead-in with 1m (3′) elevation
Map: Makuri Islands
ZIMetrics
Rating: 10.9/100 🛈
Time Estimates 🛈
lead-in + first lap
4 W/kg: 32 minutes
3 W/kg: 36 minutes
2 W/kg: 43 minutes
Start & Finish
Begins and ends at a virtual arch near the Neo Arcade
Format: Loop
Ride Achievement Badge: 460 XP
Run Achievement Badge: none
Strava Segments
Bike Selection
With only one 2.8%, 2.3km climb on this route, aero rules the day. Grab the fastest bike available at your level.
Route Description
We begin in Neokyo, just before the Clifftop Shrine circle. Passing the shrine we go through the tunnel to Yumezi, blinking as we enter the daylight!
A flat run in through the rice paddies brings us to the route’s big climb, up to the castle area then through the market before descending the Castle KOM segment.
Take a breather – the climbing is finished. Now it’s just a flat country road back to the tunnel into Neokyo, where we’ll hit the Alley Sprint Reverse, Castle Sprint Reverse, and Tower Sprint before heading back to the virtual start/finish banner where we began.
Ridealong Video
… and just as you complete all the route badges….
Best bike to use for this route?
An aero due to all the flat but climbs well for the castle climb.
Actually you need no climbing, if you’re alone TT bike is the best, in a group, fastest possible frame
The climb to the village/temple is only a little over 1.5 miles long with a max 11% grade for only a very short distance near the bus stop. I didn’t even notice I was riding with the Zipp 858 on the S-Works Venge frame for the climb — and gravity is not my friend.
The 858s made no difference for this short of an effort.
This could become a classic racing route, if the heavier power riders can hang on enough on the Yumezi Castle climb, then it’s a chase down or holding on in the remaining 3/4 lap, generally flatish return.
Is this route available for events yet?
Standard ride for tour de Zwift stage 7, don’t know if there is any other events with it
It’s available to select on events through the companion app but oddly not through the edit event web interface https://www.zwift.com/events/view/2724382
It took 16.6 miles to complete the route this morning, glitch?
good route though.
will the veloviewer leaderboard be expanded to include this route?
I was wondering the same thing along with Twilight Harbour, hopefully soon.
This feels like it would be a good race route if run in reverse too with the climb coming close to the end
So I did the Group FTP at 1000 BST, I couldn’t see anyone in the group, so wasn’t sure of the point. Also, and this is probably me, why is there a downhill in an FTP? I cannot generate power without resistance. My result was lower than usual. Drop from 145 to 129. I know neither are staggering but I do my best 🤣 Also should the end of the workout show the FTP?