• Get Started
    • Get Started on Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Kit Unlock Codes
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • RoboPacer Calendar
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Top Wheel-On Trainers
      • Top Direct-Drive <$900
      • Top Direct-Drive >$900
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List of Routes
      • Master List of KOMs
      • Master List of Sprints
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Rebel Routes
    • Speed Tests
  • News
    • Events
    • Game Updates
  • Shop
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Get Started
    • Get Started on Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Kit Unlock Codes
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • RoboPacer Calendar
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Top Wheel-On Trainers
      • Top Direct-Drive <$900
      • Top Direct-Drive >$900
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List of Routes
      • Master List of KOMs
      • Master List of Sprints
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Rebel Routes
    • Speed Tests
  • News
    • Events
    • Game Updates
  • Shop
More
    Sign in
    Welcome! Log into your account
    Forgot your password? Get help
    Privacy Policy
    Password recovery
    Recover your password
    A password will be e-mailed to you.
    ReferenceAchievements & UnlocksTips & TricksZwift Hacks

    8 Ways to Earn More XP and Level Up Faster on Zwift

    Eric Schlange
    By Eric Schlange
    January 24, 2020
    114

    XP (experience) points are what get you to higher levels in Zwift, and higher levels mean access to more virtual equipment and roads. Our calculations show that a rider can typically expect to earn 500-700XP per hour.

    But are there ways Zwifters can earn XP faster? Of course there are! Here are 8 strategies for boosting your XP earnings.

    #1: Ride New Routes

    The first time you complete an official Zwift route you’ll earn the badge for that route, which includes an XP bonus of approximately 20XP per kilometer of route length. Assuming you’re riding around 35kph, that’s a bonus of 700XP per hour if you’re just riding new routes. This means you’re effectively doubling your XP earnings when you’re riding a new route!

    If you tally up the XP bonuses from riding every route on Zwift you get 40,290. That’s a whole lotta XP!

    Check out our “Couch to Route Hero” schedule to help you complete all Zwift routes in 11 weeks >

    #2: Ride a TT Bike

    If you’re on a time trial frame, you won’t receive speed-boosting powerups when you ride through arches. Instead, you’ll receive either the 10XP or 250XP. Every time!

    Combine the TT bike with a short route that includes one or more lap banners and you’ll accumulate XP extra fast. Here are some suggested routes, sorted in order from frequent banners to least:

    • Crit City’s Bell Lap or Downtown Dolphin (event only – 1.2 miles, 1 banner per lap)
    • New York’s LaGuardia Loop (event only – 1.6 miles, 1 banner per lap)
    • Watopia’s Volcano Circuit or Volcano Circuit CCW (2.6 miles, 1 banner per lap)
    • Richmond’s Fan Flats (3.1 miles, 1 banner per lap)
    • New York’s Gotham Grind (event only – 5.8 miles, 2 banners per lap)
    • Watopia’s Flat Route (6.4 miles, 2 banners per lap)

    #3: Ride Flat Routes

    XP is based purely on distance (30XP per mile, or 20XP per kilometer), so you’ll accumulate it faster if you keep your speed as high as possible.

    #4: Use Metric, Not Imperial

    You receive 20XP per kilometer and 30XP per mile, but a kilometer is not 2/3 of a mile – it’s less than that. (1km = 0.62 miles). So you’ll accumulate XP 7% faster if you use metric units instead of imperial. Change this under Menu>Settings in game.

    #5: Participate In Group Rides

    The faster you go, the faster you’ll earn XP. Participate in group rides to enjoy the increased speeds of the group draft, and watch that XP add up!

    #6: Hack Your Workout

    We’ve already written about this thoroughly in “How Zwift Calculates XP for Cycling Workouts“. That post includes some hacks to maximize XP earnings via workouts including changing interval length, doing workouts up the Alpe then free-riding down, and using workouts for your easy rides since you’ll likely earn more XP than free-riding.

    An additional bonus related to doing workouts up the Alpe: the spinner at the top awards XP if it lands on a prize you’ve already received. Including 1000XP if it lands on the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels!

    #7: Enjoy the Downhills

    Any cyclist worth their chamois knows you don’t end a ride at the top of the hill–you earned that descent, so enjoy it! But it’s worth mentioning here: if your ride would have ended atop a hill, go ahead and take that descent: you’ll earn XP for the distance with little or no extra work.

    The “Just scrape it (You hit 800 watts)” hidden achievement badge

    #8: Earn Achievement Badges

    There are lots of achievement badges in game. Many are visible under Menu>Badges, but there’s a whole list of hidden achievements as well. Every one of those achievements includes an XP bonus, so grab those badges!

    Combining Strategies

    For the ultimate in high-XP riding, combine two or more of the strategies above. Perhaps choose a group ride on a route you haven’t yet completed. And of course, use metric measurements while you’re at it!

    The achievement badges for multiple Volcano Circuit laps earn a big XP boost – you get bonuses for 5, 10, and 25 laps. The 25 lap bonus is 1000XP! Why not do a ride that gets all three, along with the 100km badge. Then keep going and get the 100 mile badge while you’re at it! Do it on a TT bike and you’ll be racking up XP points each time you ride through the lap banner.

    What About You?

    Got more tips for earning XP? Share them below!

    Related Posts

    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    ReddIt
      Eric Schlange
      Eric Schlangehttp://www.zwiftinsider.com
      Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Follow on Strava

      114 COMMENTS

      Subscribe
      Connect with
      Notify of
      guest

      Connect with
      guest

      114 Comments
      Oldest
      Newest Most Voted
      Inline Feedbacks
      View all comments
      Peter Ricc
      Peter Ricc
      3 years ago

      A watched pot never boils. For some reason my trip through level 19 is taking way longer than I wanted, primarily because I have that level 20-unlocked flat/rolling bike you suggest here in my sights.

      1
      Reply
      Mark Larson
      Super Member
      Mark Larson(@marklarson44)
      3 years ago

      Similar to the downhills philosophy I always end my ride right after getting my XP (this morning my group ride ended about 20.3 miles…so 21 miles for me!).

      16
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Mark Larson

      Oh, for sure! Can never leave a partial mile on the table!

      17
      Reply
      Scott Yunker
      Scott Yunker
      3 years ago

      Don’t end your ride until after the next EXP award – always complete the next mile/kilometer.

      10
      Reply
      Brian
      Brian
      3 years ago

      Do you still get a lot of xp to ride 10 and 25 laps in the vulcano?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Brian

      Yep!

      1
      Reply
      Felipe Salum
      Felipe Salum
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      I did 25 laps today and I got 1000XP with 10 laps, and 0 XP at 25 laps. That felt wrong.

      0
      Reply
      Aaron Lipton
      Aaron Lipton
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Brian

      1000XP each, which I maintain is incorrect as the 25 lap badge should give more than the 10 lap badge.

      0
      Reply
      Scott Yunker
      Scott Yunker
      3 years ago

      Last year Zwift had an event where you got massive amounts of XP during the ride. Will they be doing that again this year?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Scott Yunker

      Haven’t heard anything.

      1
      Reply
      Charles Walker
      Charles Walker
      3 years ago

      When you finish a ride, workout, race, whatever, always ride a little but more to round up your distance. If I’m over 0.5 on the decimal, I’ll always grab that extra half mile to get the XP… lower and I’m usually lazy about it depending on how long I had been riding

      0
      Reply
      Laura Young
      Laura Young(@laura-young-9191)
      3 years ago

      Wish I could free ride down hills, but I have a wheel-on trainer (Kicker snap) so no coasting for me……, oh well, it’s good for me, right? 😅

      0
      Reply
      Nick
      Nick
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Laura Young

      You can still coast downhill with the snap

      5
      Reply
      J.Shepard
      J.Shepard
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Laura Young

      I have a Snap as well and I can assure you that you can coast downhill

      3
      Reply
      Steve C
      Steve C(@scasey)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  J.Shepard

      No drops earned if you coast though!

      0
      Reply
      mo h
      mo h
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Laura Young

      You can coast downhill with the Neo2T I often zone out on the wheel spinning for what feels like ever coming down from Alpe.

      0
      Reply
      Ritchey
      Ritchey(@richard-kohler)
      3 years ago

      One more thing – if you’re in the middle of your workout and need to interrupt your workout (answer the doorbell, go to bathroom or whatever), just pause it. This way, you will still get the XPs for that workout segment.

      6
      Reply
      Tim
      Tim
      3 years ago

      One can ride up AdZ. If one has all the gears from the spinning wheel, one can get either 250 or 1,000xp.

      2
      Reply
      Emily
      Emily
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Tim

      What is AdZ?

      0
      Reply
      Victor Solberg
      Trusted Member
      Victor Solberg(@victor_solberg)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Emily

      Alpe du Zwift

      1
      Reply
      Benjapol Piyawanichpong
      Benjapol Piyawanichpong
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Tim

      exactly my strategy while working on tron bike. optimize workout plan and time for maximum XP gain just right end right before the top banner.

      1
      Reply
      curvenut
      curvenut
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Tim

      Hi

      I dont understand what you mean when you say :  If one has all the gears from the spinning wheel,

      I am on a smart trainer .

      tThanks

      0
      Reply
      Matt
      Matt
      1 year ago
      Reply to  curvenut

      @curvenut If you have e.g. the gloves reward already and the spinner would have hit the gloves a second time, you get an XP bonus instead.

      0
      Reply
      Jeff Pregenzer
      Jeff Pregenzer
      3 years ago

      Regarding #2: Would you ever use a TT bike in a race event (and lose drafting)? It looks like that’s what the Bell Lap and LaGuardia Loop events are. I suppose one could enter a race just for the xp?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Jeff Pregenzer

      I never would—that would be a miserable race! And most events don’t allow TT bikes anyway, since they mess up pack dynamics.

      What you CAN do, though, is join the event, ride it if you want, then leave the event but stay on course. Then you can switch to your TT bike and free ride that route all you’d like.

      2
      Reply
      Gunther Martens
      Gunther Martens(@gumarten)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      after reading this, I tried my hand at doing this with “Crit City”: I did not ride it, nevertheless staid on course. Yet, while riding a TT, I get powerups instead of >10 XP (both directions )…

      0
      Reply
      Simon Piniel
      Simon Piniel
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Plenty races have PUs disabled anyway. So, ride a bike in a pack plenty fast and get 10XP at the banners.

      0
      Reply
      JcAFC
      JcAFC
      3 years ago

      Is it possible to see which routes we have already completed? I honestly can’t keep track of which ones I’ve done and which I haven’t anymore lol

      0
      Reply
      Jwiffle
      Jwiffle
      3 years ago
      Reply to  JcAFC

      Go to badges in the menu. You’ll find them under route achievements.

      0
      Reply
      Craig Claussen
      Craig Claussen(@cjcjet)
      3 years ago

      Does the Tron Bike count as a TT bike?

      0
      Reply
      M4rk0
      M4rk0
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Craig Claussen

      No

      0
      Reply
      J.Shepard
      J.Shepard
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Craig Claussen

      A TT bike doesn’t have drop handlebars, it has aero bars.

      0
      Reply
      Ray Morro
      Ray Morro
      3 years ago

      Hi Eric, just a clarification on your statement in Tip #1 “Ride New Routes” above, you state that you can get a total of 43,105 bonus XP for riding every route available in Zwift. I’m the guy who took your “Couch to Route Hero” PDF document and converted it to a very detailed MS Excel spreadsheet, which anyone can use to track their progress on this Zwift fitness goal. Anyway, I totaled the Bonus XP column, and came up with 40,290! The only explanation I can come up with for the 2,815 point difference is that your total includes the… Read more »

      2
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Ray Morro

      Ah, good catch Ray! It was because I had included the running routes, which I shouldn’t have. I’ll update the post to the right number now…

      1
      Reply
      Ray Morro
      Ray Morro
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Thanks Eric! So that begs another question, do the Rebel Routes yield any bonus XPs, or one just gets the satisfaction of completing them because they are there and not that many Zwifters ride ’em?

      2
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Ray Morro

      No bonus XPs, because there aren’t achievement badges for rebel routes.

      0
      Reply
      Stephen Higgins
      Stephen Higgins
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Ray Morro

      And where is this spreadsheet available? 😀

      7
      Reply
      J.Shepard
      J.Shepard
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Stephen Higgins

      He said he made up the spread sheet, which would be pretty easy to do if you know how to use Excel.

      -7
      Reply
      Shewbs
      Shewbs
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Stephen Higgins

      Necropost, but I had a look for the sheet, as I’d like a copy. Ray said he would upload to “Bear Mountaineers Facebook group page” but I don’t know if he did. Anyway, from the original article comments, another chap called Nathan created a Google sheet that he linked: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mbi5yaI3NyFTa1QwwA1hcaRgkvdEEyn4CTJlrWIS3Uc/edit?usp=sharing I tried just now, it’s still accessible. @eric: Would it be possible to link any of these sheets in the original article? @J.Shephard: You’re right, I think anyone with basic sheet skills could make one, but Ray did state “which anyone could use to track…” implying that he would be… Read more »

      1
      Reply
      B B
      B B(@benbliz)
      3 years ago

      “Long time listener / first time caller.” I just bought a watopia poster and it looks great. I’m getting really into Zwift as an ankle problem is keeping me from running.

      This is great info, and something I’m working with. It looks like the list of circuits in the “Ride a TT Bike” section is a little out of date. Specifically, the Watopia Flat circuit does not seem to exist.

      Any chance you can refresh this list and extend the length of the ride covered? There may be a few slightly longer circuits with multiple banners

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  B B

      It’s called… flat route, I think, in the list. Or even “Prefer flat roads”. I don’t recall offhand, but it’s there.

      Extending the list doesn’t get you more banners, as far as I can figure. But if you discover one that does, comment here and I’ll add it!

      1
      Reply
      B B
      B B(@benbliz)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Thanks! I guess they changed the name slightly — Watopia Flat to Flat Route. If I find something w more banners I’ll let you know. After trying a bit, I feel like riding in a full course w lots of people gives you more draft -> speed benefit -> faster rate of XP vs riding a TT bike and directly converting powerup to XP… the powerups seem to add 10xp on 4-5k laps (10/80=12.5% to 10/100=10%) while the draft moves me more than 12.5% faster… I guess I feel like I never seem to hit the 250XP jackpots though. To… Read more »

      1
      Reply
      Lewis
      Lewis
      2 years ago
      Reply to  B B

      Yeah, those 250xp bonuses are really jard to get, I’ve been Zwifting for 5 yrs. and haven’t yet gotten one. 😔

      1
      Reply
      Lewis
      Lewis
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      The “Prefer Flat Roads” route has also been changed, it was changed to “Fan Flats”. (2019)

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Lewis

      Updated, thanks!

      0
      Reply
      Victor Solberg
      Trusted Member
      Victor Solberg(@victor_solberg)
      3 years ago

      If you don’t have a set route you want to ride… look for someone in Watopia who’s been riding for ca. 12km in more than 80 minutes – and join them! Chances are you’ll join them at the top of the Alpe and can bank almost 250XP on the decent before putting in any real effort. You could always double check their location as spectator before joining.

      The ethics of joining at the summit may be questionable, but ethics aside it would be easy XP.

      12
      Reply
      Victor Solberg
      Trusted Member
      Victor Solberg(@victor_solberg)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Victor Solberg

      Actually, 17-19km, not 12km. I can’t see how to edit this.

      1
      Reply
      J.Shepard
      J.Shepard
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Victor Solberg

      I follow Mark Cavendish on Zwift and saw he was on the other day, so I clicked on “join”. Turns out he had just climbed some monster mountain in Innsbruck I think it was and I joined as he started the descent. It was pretty sweet picking up the free xp and riding along with him as he was doing a recovery paced ride.

      1
      Reply
      B B
      B B(@benbliz)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Victor Solberg

      Interesting (maybe a little sketchy, but it’d be too boring to do more than once a ride) strategy — or you could use time and distance to screen for people you’d like to ride with for other reasons — similar speeds etc.

      0
      Reply
      Gary Keeley
      Gary Keeley
      3 years ago

      Eric couple of things.
      Do you have to ride the 50k all in one go to get the tron bike ?
      Also, as an idea, could a distance count down on inclines be incorporated in the info box at the top of the screen? Think it would help pace your approach also whether to get into rhythm of just out the saddle and hump it ?

      Just a thought cheers Gary

      0
      Reply
      Kevin
      Kevin(@47rusty)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Gary Keeley

      You COULD ride the 50,000 meters all in one go, but it’s not recommended for most people. The 50k is a cumulative number, and can be accomplished over weeks or months, depending on the routes you choose and how often you ride.

      1
      Reply
      J.Shepard
      J.Shepard
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Gary Keeley

      Yes, yes you do. All 50k meters in one go. Let me know how that goes.

      7
      Reply
      Nadjie BUTLER
      Nadjie BUTLER
      2 years ago
      Reply to  J.Shepard

      😂

      1
      Reply
      Ray
      Ray
      3 years ago

      Regarding #2, I’ve tried this and have yet to see a 250XP award at a banner. Any idea what the distribution rate for that bonus is?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      3 years ago
      Reply to  Ray

      Large bonus is only 1%!

      https://zwiftinsider.com/distribution-of-zwift-powerups/

      0
      Reply
      Eric Sundquist
      Eric Sundquist
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      I’ve also hit banners that don’t give any bonus. Did Mega Pretzel today and got 10 for the KOMs going one way but not the other, and nothing for downtown or inside the volcano.

      0
      Reply
      ndr
      ndr
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Sundquist

      Yeah, something has broken recently and there are no PUs in downtown/volcano.

      0
      Reply
      Bahzob
      Bahzob
      2 years ago

      I’ve gained bonus 1000xps at the top of the Alpe. I think this happens when the spinner lands on something you have already gained

      Not done the maths but once you have picked all the low hanging route fruit I’d guess the quickest way to earn xp is workout your way up the Alpe, hope to get lucky with the reward then hurtle down on TT bike and repeat.

      I’m pretty much at this stage having just ticked 40 and only the full PRL and Uberpretzel undone so will be giving it a try.

      1
      Reply
      Lewis
      Lewis
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Bahzob

      Sometimes, you can go faster down a mountain with the same bike you got up it with, whenever I try to go fast down the Alp, I can’t go faster than 80 kph on a TT bike, but with my Tarmac Pro, I can get up to 100 kph

      0
      Reply
      Kevin
      Kevin(@47rusty)
      2 years ago

      Is there also a bonus for completing 5/10/25 laps of the Volcano Circuit CCW, or does just the clockwise Volcano Circuit earn you those bonuses?

      1
      Reply
      Kenneth Ballard
      Kenneth Ballard
      2 years ago

      “#4: USE METRIC, NOT IMPERIAL
      You receive 20XP per kilometer and 30XP per mile, but a kilometer is not 2/3 of a mile – it’s less than that. (1km = 0.62 miles). So you’ll accumulate XP 7% faster if you use metric units instead of imperial. Change this under Menu>Settings in game.”

      Is it?

      10 miles x 30xp = 300XP is equal to
      6.2 kilometers x 20xp per km = 120XP

      I don’t see the advantage but I’ve not had coffee

      -1
      Reply
      Victor Solberg
      Trusted Member
      Victor Solberg(@victor_solberg)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Kenneth Ballard

      You may want to drink that coffee.
      10 miles = 16.1km, which gives you 322XP.

      7
      Reply
      Kenneth Ballard
      Kenneth Ballard
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Victor Solberg

      Yeah I inverted… Way before coffee infusion..

      2
      Reply
      Luc Van Holsbeeck
      Luc Van Holsbeeck
      2 years ago

      Had a nasty experience on Zwift today.
      Was 60km away from my upgrade to level 33, which I did. Normally you get the sworks venge but instead I got a pair of fluorescent gloves. Afterwards I determined that I could only buy the sworks venge. Has this changed during the week then?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Luc Van Holsbeeck

      You don’t get the Venge at level 33. See unlocks list here: https://zwiftinsider.com/points-levels-unlocks/

      It’s been this way since the Drop Shop released more than a year ago. You don’t get bikes or wheels when you level up, but you unlock them so you can purchase them.

      0
      Reply
      David Barndollar
      David Barndollar(@barnwani)
      2 years ago

      I can’t seem to find this tidbit anywhere, so I’m putting the question to the folks who are most likely to know (and it’s a question that might get asked a bunch now that we are in full sequestration mode): what is the XP bonus for the Unemployed (14 days in a row) achievement badge?

      3
      Reply
      Gordi
      Gordi
      2 years ago

      I rode Richmond today and got bonus XP FOR THE Worlds route and the climbs, but not for the flat route. I even did it twice…

      0
      Reply
      Clemens
      Clemens(@cakyllmann)
      2 years ago

      Do double XP events over and over again. You will get credit for the event only the first time you finish it, but you can continue getting double points if you repeat the event. For example, the recently concluded Tour of Watopia offered double XP points for every stage. I repeated several stages many times and got double XP points on all of them. Want to do a long ride and get double xp points? No problem, just schedule a double XP point event every hour or so. You will get double points even if you start the next event… Read more »

      3
      Reply
      J.B. Pepper
      J.B. Pepper
      2 years ago

      Just keeps getting better. Great work.

      0
      Reply
      mattyP
      mattyP(@matt_droid)
      2 years ago

      very useful tips, thanks Eric!!

      0
      Reply
      Ryan Odell
      Ryan Odell
      2 years ago

      You can get a little extra XP by switching to metric units after you complete your first mile. So, you get +30 for the mile, switch to metric, get +20 when you hit 2km. That’s +50 instead of +40 over your first 2 kilometers. I happened upon this by accident and thought I’d share.

      4
      Reply
      Darryll Harding
      Darryll Harding
      2 years ago

      How do I pause Zwift for a barthroom break or a fan switch?

      0
      Reply
      c andy b
      c andy b
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Darryll Harding

      a. stop pedalling. avatar slowly is moved to the side of the road.

      b. via the companion app physically tap the icon to pause

      0
      Reply
      Ronald Naistadt
      Ronald Naistadt
      2 years ago

      Are awards ever based on age. For example how could this work for a subscriber 70+ years old. Thanks Ronnie Naistadt

      0
      Reply
      DocCarlos140. 6
      DocCarlos140. 6
      2 years ago

      Can we earn those XP during meet ups?

      0
      Reply
      Duncan
      Duncan
      2 years ago

      If you acquire a bunch of XP just before you level up, are they carried forward?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Duncan

      Your XP is always growing – it never goes down. And when you hit particular XP levels, that’s when you level up.

      1
      Reply
      Duncan Clarke
      Duncan Clarke
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Thanks Eric!

      0
      Reply
      Heiko Schultz
      Heiko Schultz
      2 years ago

      The 5 times Alpe du Zwift badge is missing but I did that climb 5 times. Just a single time I took the distance for the free descent.
      On Strava I can see the different segments and how often I did it. So tell me please: When does it count?

      0
      Reply
      Heiko Schultz
      Heiko Schultz
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Heiko Schultz

      oh, there is one single ride, but twice in this counter. So maybe I just need to do it once again 😉

      0
      Reply
      NickBird
      NickBird
      2 years ago

      How do you turn on the helicopter view with a iPad

      0
      Reply
      Nadjie BUTLER
      Nadjie BUTLER
      2 years ago
      Reply to  NickBird

      You do that through the camera view (eye symbol) on the zwift companion.

      0
      Reply
      Jon Goerke
      Jon Goerke
      2 years ago

      I have custom workout times from 1 to 2 minutes. Then depending on how hard I want to workout on a given day I choose my workout time so I complete JUST less than 1km. So for an easy zone 2 day I pick my zone 2 custom 1:30 (17xp) or 1:40 (19xp) interval. After interval is done I wait for the km bonus (20xp) then do the interval again, and again… (the keyboard shortcut “e” is useful). I adjust my speed using the 90-110% so I can JUST finish the interval before the km bonus, then immediately start the… Read more »

      0
      Reply
      Alex Ayoub
      Alex Ayoub
      2 years ago

      Hey Eric,

      As an update to this, I suspect the new Paris courses are probably some of the best XP per km. Although it is not always available and there is a slow climb in one direction for each lap, there are two banners per lap.

      At 6.6 km (4.1 miles), this should average more XP per lap on a TT than volcano circuit has in the past. With the increased elevation gain however can these may be quite close in the end.

      Thoughts?

      1
      Reply
      Neil G
      Neil G(@neil-glessner)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Alex Ayoub

      They’re very close: Volcano circuit is 4.1km w/ a 2.8km lead in and 17m of climbing and 1 banner. Champs Elysees is 6.6km with a 3.2km lead in and 34m climbing.

      Ignoring the lead in, the volcano is 4.1km and 17m climbing per banner versus 3.3km and 17m per banner on the Champs. So yes, it looks like the Champs Elysees is a better route for riding the TT bike to rack up XP.

      1
      Reply
      Alex Ayoub
      Alex Ayoub
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Neil G

      Appreciate the confirmation. I had my suspicions simply due to the additional banner. Naturally, if it is not available, that makes it a less appealing option. When it is, however, I think this is a clear winner!

      1
      Reply
      Bono
      Bono
      11 months ago
      Reply to  Neil G

      What about riding through the arch, getting the XP, u-turn and going through the arch again from the opposite side? Could lead to about 200 XP or more per kilometer, if you keep going and turning?

      0
      Reply
      Missy Place
      Missy Place
      2 years ago

      I have done 14 consecutive days but not received the achievement badge, does it matter that some of the rides were meet ups? I got the three day and the seven day badges months ago.

      0
      Reply
      Michel v. Demelza
      Michel v. Demelza
      2 years ago

      Just doing 100km for nothing, at the end of the workout ,no XP at all

      0
      Reply
      Filomena
      Filomena
      2 years ago

      Hi @eric.Concerning the combination of strategies, can one get more points by riding for example the volcano circuit 10 or more times, until 25, WHILE doing a workout? I’. m not sure if it counts in workout mode, never seen additional XPs appearing for having done 10 or more tours of the volcano. Would appreciate a clarification. Thanks

      0
      Reply
      clasher
      clasher
      2 years ago
      Reply to  Filomena

      With the roads added to Watopia at the end of 2020, there’s a little loop through the Italian Villas, basically this segment: https://www.strava.com/segments/10898888 It’s got the sprint banner ever ~2km and just a bit of climbing. You can get there pretty easily from any downtown start which give you another banner to hit at the start which is nice. Just have to be ready on the manual navigation, at least going clockwise it doesn’t default to taking the loop.

      3
      Reply
      Mike Tighe
      Mike Tighe(@mbdtighe)
      2 years ago
      Reply to  clasher

      Yup, that’s a great little route, and once you have done a few laps, Zwift remembers it apart from the last turn into the new Sprint-360 Bridge connector. I was going anti-clockwise, so the same requirement for manual navigation. Still though it’s a 25 XP/km little route so will rack up the points very quickly. Also, as it’s in Watopia, it’s always available.

      0
      Reply
      Mike Tighe
      Mike Tighe(@mbdtighe)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Filomena

      @Filomena, XP points while doing a workout are time-based only, i.e. XP points per minute. Therefore they are independent of distance or route or route elevation. You don’t get more XP points in a workout for doing a specific route like the shorter volcano route. As XP points are time-based, the speed at which you ride does impact whether you get more XP points for doing a workout or not. If you ride a TT bike you need to ride BELOW approx 33 kph average to get more XP points from a workout than a non-workout ride. For a non-TT… Read more »

      0
      Reply
      Peter Higgins
      Peter Higgins(@ibddoctor)
      1 year ago

      On combining strategies – if you ride a TT bike on a short, flat course during a workout, do you still get the lap XP? or does the workout XP trump the lap XP? So that you only get workout XP?

      0
      Reply
      Mike Tighe
      Mike Tighe(@mbdtighe)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Peter Higgins

      No, you don’t get banner (lap) points when you are doing a workout. You also don’t get km XP points. You only get workout XP points, irrespective of the bike.

      0
      Reply
      Mark Baxter
      Mark Baxter
      1 year ago

      Eric, just tested a hack that looks like it works. You may be able to enhace this with closer sprints. Get on the TT bike in Watopia Flat, immediately perform a u turn and go to the sprints. Go thru the reverse sprint and when you get through it keep going. When you get past the start of the fwd sprint do a u turn. It doesnt give u a power up xp when you finish the fwd sprint but when you get thru the reverse sprint start point if u perform another u turn u get xp at the… Read more »

      2
      Reply
      Mike Tighe
      Mike Tighe(@mbdtighe)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Mark Baxter

      So 30XP points/km. That’s an excellent hack, but lots of U turns!

      0
      Reply
      Mike Tighe
      Mike Tighe(@mbdtighe)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Mark Baxter

      I just tested your hack on Makuri Islands on the Village Sprint loop. You get XP points every third pass of the banner but it’s only 0.9km for the three passes so slightly shorter than the Watopia sprints. Lots of turn arounds though!

      0
      Reply
      Mike Tighe
      Mike Tighe(@mbdtighe)
      1 year ago

      There’s a way to get 27.1 XP/km (43.7 XP/mile) if you do the Village sprint loop on a TT bike in the new Makuri Islands World. It’s a 1.4km loop, with 5 laps giving you 7km and 190 XP, or 27.1 XP/km. The World isn’t available all the time but it’s another option, and the highest XP earner so far.

      0
      Reply
      Mike Tighe
      Mike Tighe(@mbdtighe)
      1 year ago

      The ride new routes tip is an excellent one. With the route XP points plus the distance XP points, doing all the routes (inc the latest Makuri Islands routes) gives you 98,518 XP points (rounding down assuming you only rode the lead-in and route itself). If you started out at Level 1 and just went through the routes that would bring you to Level 23 and 2,557km. It would also get you 37,545m of climbing so well on the way to getting the Tron bike (50,000m). You just have to build up to doing the 12 rides longer than 50km… Read more »

      0
      Reply
      Mike
      Mike
      1 year ago

      Don’t see how it’s fair to offer more XPs for riding in KMs than it does in Miles. Will this be fixed to make it even?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Mike

      Highly doubtful. Zwift did it this way to keep XP numbers simple. Generally, Zwift opts for simplicity over precision (see star ratings for bike and wheel weight/aero).

      0
      Reply
      Perich
      Perich
      10 months ago

      After 50 arches in Volcano CC, i always get 10xp bonus in the TT bike. Is 250 xp bonus deactivated?

      Usually, when you go through an arch, you can see the all the badges icons spinning(in this TT case, + big or + small), but every time i went through the arch, only the + small stayed fixed and the + big didn’t appear like before. Thank you

      0
      Reply
      Fabian
      Fabian
      10 months ago
      Reply to  Perich

      I never got the 250XP, even if its appearing it just switches to the small + and I get 10XP. And I ride on Zwift for 4 years now… SInce when do you have this?

      0
      Reply
      Fabian
      Fabian
      10 months ago

      Hey!
      Yesterday I participated in an EVO CC Sprint race, did 16k warmup and 5k cooldown. The race was 14,5km long. In total I only got 430XP, which is a bit confusing. First of all is 430 not divided by 20, so that does not make any sense, and second is it equal to 21(.5)k, which is about the warm up and cool down.
      Did Zwift change anything about XP in races? Dont you get them anymore? Or only 10XP per 10k race distance? Pretty weird I think…

      0
      Reply
      kylebredesky
      kylebredesky(@kylebredesky)
      10 months ago

      Hi! With the event only routes beign released for ToW 2022 I’m worried I’m not going to be around my trainer for the last stage! I thought I could hack in with zwiftpref to do the “Eastern Eight” on the route selector… But… My homescreen just updated to the new version and I can’t find any way to start riding without being forced into a different route than what’s set by zwiftpref! I’ve tried about every way possible of “starting ride” that I can think of- future event, workout, different worlds… No luck for the event only route to stick!… Read more »

      0
      Reply
      Ole
      Ole
      10 months ago

      Hey Eric, thanks for your amazing work!
      What about new Route “Sprinters Playground” on Makuri Islands? (https://zwiftinsider.com/route/sprinters-playground/)
      There are 4 Banners to cross. it’s pretty flat with 67m elevation. 12,3km.
      So 1 round get’s you 12km x 20xp + 4 x 10 xp -> 280xp/round.
      I do a round with tt bike in about 20mi. So 3 rounds per hour -> 840xp/hour

      1
      Reply
      Douglas C Kubler
      Douglas C Kubler
      9 months ago

      On the Flat Route you get 10XP at the start banner, 10XP mid loop, and 10XP at the same banner, 30XP for one loop.

      0
      Reply
      Maria Monica
      Maria Monica
      9 months ago

      On downhills, what about free wheeling off the bike. I did it by accident once before I knew it was even possible?

      0
      Reply
      Fred
      Fred
      3 months ago

      Most consistent method over the long run is to always join in on pace partner rides for the flat terrains (do NOT join the hilly/mountainous ones). The draft over a long period of time makes a significant difference in distance covered per given power output.

      0
      Reply
      wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

      Free Zwift Trial

      Create Account

      Newest Featured Posts

      Zwift Racing League Week 5 Guide: France’s R.G.V. (TTT)

      Racing

      Zwift Course Calendar – Current Guest World Schedule

      Reference

      Tiny Race Series – Results and February 4 Routes

      Events

      Support This Site

      Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. See how you can support Zwift Insider!

      This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs.

      This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts.

      Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy

      Privacy Policy

      [email protected]

      Latest articles

      “Loch Loop” Route Details

      “City and the Sgurr” Route Details

      “Glasgow Crit Circuit” Route Details

      Popular Categories

      • Racing984
      • News738
      • Training & Nutrition581
      • Events507
      • Interviews440
      • Routes & Maps311
      114
      0
      Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
      ()
      x
      | Reply
      Comment Author Info
      :wpds_smile::wpds_grin::wpds_wink::wpds_mrgreen::wpds_neutral::wpds_twisted::wpds_arrow::wpds_shock::wpds_unamused::wpds_cool::wpds_evil::wpds_oops::wpds_razz::wpds_roll::wpds_cry::wpds_eek::wpds_lol::wpds_mad::wpds_sad::wpds_exclamation::wpds_question::wpds_idea::wpds_hmm::wpds_beg::wpds_whew::wpds_chuckle::wpds_silly::wpds_envy::wpds_shutmouth:
      ‹ Back to Categories
      You are going to send email to

      Move Comment


    • Related Posts