This Thursday, MAAP+Zwift launch the Down Under Crit Series, an 8-week series of unique “neutral start” crit races aimed at bringing fun to the Aussie winter.
These events are structured differently from any major series we’ve seen on Zwift. Every race is three laps long, with the first two laps fenced so the group stays together, and the final lap being an unfenced, all-out race!
Unique Event Structure
These races are mass-start events modelled after the iconic Donny Chaingang format. It’s unclear just how fast these two fenced laps will be, and ultimately that will be up to the rider leader (beacon). Based on the event description, the first two laps will be fast, but not race pace. (Think tempo, not full gas. Of course, “full gas” is different from one rider to another.) Ride leaders will control the pace using the fence, which will “zap” riders (remove them from the event) if they ride ahead of the fence for too long:
The final lap of each event is where the race happens. The ride leader will turn off the fence, and it’s an all-out effort to the end.
(Note: these rides are technically classified as group rides, which means they won’t modify your Zwift Racing Score or count toward race rankings on ZwiftPower.)
Event + Route Schedule
Events are scheduled in two time slots each Thursday for 8 weeks:
- 6pm AEST (8am UTC/4am ET/1am PT)
- 7:30pm AEST (9:30am UTC/5:30am ET/2:30am PT)
Each week features three laps on a fresh route, rotating between several Zwift maps:
- Week 1 (June 19): Champs-Élysées
- 3 laps (23km, 130m)
- Week 2 (June 26): Two Bridges Loop
- 3 laps (21.5km, 240m)
- Week 3 (July 3): Farmland Loop
- 3 laps (23.5km, 171m)
- Week 4 (July 10): Innsbruckring
- 3 laps (26.6km, 231m)
- Week 5 (July 17): Electric Loop
- 3 laps (26.9km, 123m)
- Week 6 (July 24): Croissant
- 3 laps (31.1km, 170m)
- Week 7 (July 31): Gotham Grind
- 3 laps, 27.8km, 288m)
- Week 8 (August 7): Flat Route
- 3 laps (31.3km, 183m)
Paced/neutralized starts are a headache IRL but it may be a cool idea for Zwift racing (because there are no risks involved). It’s the kind of novelty that I find welcome!
So a Keirin, with the beacon as the derny…sort of? Except you can stick your nose into the wind slightly ahead of the beacon depending on fence placement…but why would you.
Great! another race event full of bad actors with no regard for basic sportsmanship. happy weight doping!
Might be worth adding some context from down Under.
Aus cycling for the past few years has run an eSports series on zwift. This year they have moved the series to mywhoosh. Which is running at the exact same time as this series. So this seems to be either a, look what you’re missing out on or an attempt to pull riders from the official auscycling series as more of an f you. The series a non elite just national club based teams points league, where top club won in game jersey added to zwift.