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    EventsFeatured

    Epic Series Announced: Ride and Race Zwift’s Toughest Routes

    Eric Schlange
    By Eric Schlange
    August 14, 2023
    LAST UPDATED September 6, 2023
    56

    One year after we kicked off the hugely successful Tiny Race series, Zwift Insider is spinning up a new series unlike anything you’ve seen before on Zwift.

    In contrast to our Tiny Races (4 races in 1 hour), the Epic Series is all about going big. Tackle Zwift’s toughest routes with us. And do it as a group ride or a race. You choose!

    The Mini Epic will head up the Innsbruck KOM in October…twice!

    Series Structure

    The initial series comprises six 4-week blocks, and each block’s routes are tougher than the previous block. Each 4-week block is structured like this:

    • Week 1 – Mini Epic Ride: a group ride on a challenging 3-bidon route from our Printable List of Zwift Routes by Difficulty.
    • Week 2 – Mini Epic Race: a race on the same route as Week 1.
    • Week 3 – Epic Ride: a group ride on a very challenging 4+ bidon route from our Printable List of Zwift Routes by Difficulty.
    • Week 4 – Epic Race: a race on the same route as week 3.

    The series is structured this way for a few reasons:

    1. Holding group rides and races helps racers and non-racers alike earn the harder route badges and push themselves to new limits.
    2. Mini Epics provide a challenging option for riders who aren’t yet able to take on the full Epic events.
    3. Group rides give racers the option of a recon ride one week before racing.
    4. Routes get more challenging with each 4-week block so you can build endurance and conquer Zwift’s six toughest routes.
    We’ll tackle Watopia’s Epic KOM multiple times during the series…

    Routes and Event Times

    Epic Series events are scheduled each weekend starting August 19th, with six timeslots to choose from:

    • Saturdays: 6:30am, 12:30pm, 6:30pm UTC (11:30pm, 5:30am, 11:30am PDT)
    • Sundays: 9:30am, 3:30pm, 9:30pm UTC (2:30am, 8:30am, 2:30pm PDT)

    See upcoming Epic Series events at zwift.com/events/tag/epicseries

    DateEvent TypeRouteDistanceElevation
    Aug 19-20Mini Epic RideMountain 832.5km677m
    Aug 26-27Mini Epic RaceMountain 832.5km677m
    Sep 2-3Epic RideQuatch Quest46.2km1683m
    Sep 9-10Epic RaceQuatch Quest46.2km1683m
    Sep 16-17Mini Epic RideBigger Loop53.6km678m
    Sep 23-24Mini Epic RaceBigger Loop53.6km678m
    Sep 30-Oct 1Epic RideThe Pretzel72.7km1333m
    Oct 7-8Epic RaceThe Pretzel72.7km1333m
    Oct 14-15Mini Epic RideLutscher24.5km828m
    Oct 21-22Mini Epic RaceLutscher24.5km828m
    Oct 28-29Epic RideMega Pretzel111km1659m
    Nov 4-5Epic RaceMega Pretzel111km1659m
    Nov 11-12Mini Epic RideRoad to Sky17.6km1046m
    Nov 18-19Mini Epic RaceRoad to Sky17.6km1046m
    Nov 25-26Epic RideFour Horsemen90.4km2111m
    Dec 2-3Epic RaceFour Horsemen90.4km2111m
    Dec 9-10Mini Epic RideTour of Fire & Ice28.1km1184m
    Dec 16-17Mini Epic RaceTour of Fire & Ice28.1km1184m
    Dec 23-24Epic RideThe Über Pretzel128.8km2381m
    Dec 30-31Epic RaceThe Über Pretzel128.8km2381m
    Jan 6-7Mini Epic RideLa Reine22.9km1205m
    Jan 13-14Mini Epic RaceLa Reine22.9km1205m
    Jan 20-21Epic RideThe PRL Full173.8km2628m
    Jan 27-28Epic RaceThe PRL Full173.8km2628m

    See upcoming Epic Series events at zwift.com/events/tag/epicseries

    Epic Series Rules

    Epic Series group rides are open-paced events with only one category. Just jump in and find a group going your speed. You do you!

    Each Epic Series race event is a standalone event (no series GC) using the following rules:

    • Only Feathers: only feather powerups will be given. Because mountains.
    • Zwift’s category-enforcing pace groups are used. All categories will start together and be visible to each other, to give riders a maximum chance of having others to ride with on the long routes.
    • Heart rate monitors are required.
    • Smart trainer/smart bike or power meter required. ZPower/Virtual power is not allowed.

    Questions or Comments?

    Share below!

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      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

      56 COMMENTS

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      56 Comments
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      Jim
      Jim
      1 month ago

      Sounds interesting! Why not have these rides and races during the week also? Due to frequent weekend traveling, I regrettably miss a lot of Tiny Races too.

      1
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Jim

      We might try it at some point, but typically people save long rides for weekends. The Tiny Races would be a better candidate for midweek times, I suppose…

      8
      Reply
      Sean Leary
      Sean Leary
      1 month ago

      On one hand, my legs hurt just looking at this lineup. On the other hand, I’m already daydreaming about the baked goods I will be refueling with over the holidays…

      8
      Reply
      Ben Finesilver
      Ben Finesilver
      1 month ago

      Sounds fun, longer rides are great.
      Is there any possibility to remove the 199.9km limitation on rides? There are ultra cyclists who would like to put longer rides into the schedule.

      Thank you.

      3
      Reply
      Will M
      Will M
      1 month ago

      Brilliant idea. These are going to really hurt but already excited about the prospect.

      3
      Reply
      Carsten Re. from Germany
      Carsten Re. from Germany
      1 month ago

      Bye bye legs 🙈🥵 … see you next year again 😉 … perhaps from February on 🤣

      1
      Reply
      Martin Björgvik
      Martin Björgvik(@martin)
      1 month ago

      Where do I report that Iám sick and won´t be able to do any of them.. 😉

      5
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Martin Björgvik

      You’ll need to call the Wambulance for that report! 😆

      8
      Reply
      Mark
      Mark
      1 month ago

      I think I’m washing my hair on those last two weekends.

      2
      Reply
      Bobby
      Bobby
      1 month ago

      Great idea. Hope these are popular. Lately Zwift races have been getting shorter and shorter, hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

      1
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Bobby

      Yeah, I think short races are great, but you need longer ones too. There are some long-running longer races (KISS 100, DBR Sufferfest) but I think we could use more. We’ll see who turns out!

      6
      Reply
      Consistent Frank
      Consistent Frank
      1 month ago

      Eric, you and the OverTheEdge club are thinking on the same wavelength! They have a similar series called The Buildup that just finished Stage 3 of 8. The eight longest routes in Zwift over 8 weeks. https://www.zwift.com/uk/events/tag/ote

      Good to see this longer form racing taking off!

      0
      Reply
      J L
      J L
      1 month ago

      Hopefully the PRL Full route bring in a lot of riders. That’s the only one I don’t have the route badge for, and I just can’t get the motivation to suffer through that one alone.

      3
      Reply
      Hybrid Noob
      Hybrid Noob
      1 month ago
      Reply to  J L

      There was thousands of riders the last time Zwift Insider organised a badge ride a couple of years ago, so should get plenty of draft to make it a little less painful. The laps still totally grind you down though…

      1
      Reply
      Jimbo
      Jimbo(@jimbo_jim007)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  J L

      I got up at 2am local to do that zinsider ride last time. There were people all over the course, it was an awesome way to get it done!

      1
      Reply
      Martin Gill
      Martin Gill
      1 month ago

      Am I right in saying that although the Four Horsemen ride will start from the Pens it will still count for the Veloviewer Leaderboard? But the Mountain 8 Epic Ride still won’t because the Veloviewer segment is from the spawn point rather than the Pens?

      1
      Reply
      Tim
      Tim
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Martin Gill

      Yes, I believe you are correct.

      1
      Reply
      Hybrid Noob
      Hybrid Noob
      1 month ago

      Love this, thanks Eric! Great to have longer rides and races with bigger fields and where half the field won’t drop out after an hour, given the added publicity and motivation this will provide 👍🙏

      0
      Reply
      Hybrid Noob
      Hybrid Noob
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Hybrid Noob

      I still “fondly” remember the PRL Full event a couple of years back and the (just about) successful battle with cramp for the last hour of it 😆

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Hybrid Noob

      That was a great ride. My best time on the PRL Full… just under 5 hours! Kept really consistent ~25 minute laps with a good group.

      1
      Reply
      Martin Gill
      Martin Gill
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      It certainly was a great ride – being on the course with several thousand other riders was amazing (and very helpful in completing it!)

      0
      Reply
      Jimbo
      Jimbo(@jimbo_jim007)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Martin Gill

      I also did it that time, got up in the dark, finished by lunch. Think averaged under 2wkg, but with all the people it was a great way to draft and get that badge! Only have 2 more badges to go 🙂

      0
      Reply
      Ronald
      Ronald
      1 month ago

      Great initiative and looking forward to join them.

      but especially the longer racers it would be great if all other categories would be visible. Because when I’ve paced it wrong in the first hour (what is very common in a race by clamping on) it is a long solo to the finish. And when all other categories are visible there are bigger chances of multiple groups. (And hopefully there are enough A’s joining?)

      0
      Reply
      Hybrid Noob
      Hybrid Noob
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Ronald

      I would normally agree but I suspect there will be a VERY high turnout for theses events and so it should work well as your cat only being visible but from a hardware performance stand point and not having to contend with C’s drafting B’s etc etc.

      0
      Reply
      Hybrid Noob
      Hybrid Noob
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Hybrid Noob

      these* and both* need an edit button 😳

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Ronald

      Yeah… I’m pondering making all categories visible (and maybe even having them all start together). It will depend on race signup numbers. Thanks for the feedback!

      4
      Reply
      Jimbo
      Jimbo(@jimbo_jim007)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Would help lower grades a lot on the routes with multiple laps especially. Not aware that having anyone drafting you actually slows you down if you are the lead rider? Could only see it being issue for ‘serious’ racers in lower grades. Maybe have the ‘rides’ mass start and see everyone, and the ‘races’ grade only?

      1
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Jimbo

      Rides are mass start, and races are grade only, currently. The question is whether all the categories should be able to see each other and/or start together for the races.

      0
      Reply
      Reverz
      Reverz
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Maybe it’s also worth considering making open world riders visable to all for the rides? (If that still possible at all today, it used to be possible a few years ago) Especially for a ride like the PRL full this could be beneficial as this way people could pretty much join in 2 hours after the group ride started and complete at least some laps with the pack before finishing the event on their own, or with others that joined in later. Maybe I’m just underestimating the amount of people that would show up for that one and dreading getting… Read more »

      0
      Reply
      M.L10
      M.L10(@mlenzenhuber)
      1 month ago

      Love it! I just wish it didn’t overlap with CX season…

      0
      Reply
      jmpennarun
      jmpennarun
      1 month ago

      Will double draft be activated, as was case for badge hunting ? Or has this become irrelevant since PD4/4.1 were introduced ?

      1
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  jmpennarun

      PD 4 has dd built into it, so it’s not needed as a separate setting any longer.

      2
      Reply
      Lars Rathje
      Lars Rathje
      1 month ago

      Really good initiative. I’m also dreaming of doing my first 100K. But all these longer Epics seem to involve a lot of climbing. Maybe that’s what is the idea by Epics?.. but could something similar be done for flat distances to be able to ride 100, 150 and 200K?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Lars Rathje

      Maybe, but I’m more into epic routes, not just many laps of flat stuff. There are quite a few group rides that do that already on a regular basis.

      1
      Reply
      Andrew
      Andrew
      1 month ago

      I wish the Epic Series race had a GC overall. Good to see longer races 🙂

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Andrew

      I’m not a fan of GC-based series when the series has multiple timezone events. It really just becomes a question of “which timezone has the fastest group” (which is often “which timezone has the largest group”). If we had just one event each week, a GC would feel better… to me, at least.

      2
      Reply
      Paul O'Keeffe
      Paul O'Keeffe
      1 month ago

      The La Reine link takes you to “Lutscher” Route Details (Innsbruck)

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Paul O'Keeffe

      Fixed!

      1
      Reply
      Paul O'Keeffe
      Paul O'Keeffe
      1 month ago

      I do like this idea. I plan to tackle each one but if I can, do the reccy and race. I think 52kms is my longest race but some of these are barbaric 🙂

      0
      Reply
      Veloj
      Veloj
      1 month ago

      Cool, I can finally check off my last 3 routes (Quatch Quest, Über Pretzel, and PRL Full). Though I will not be doing those again twice in a row!

      0
      Reply
      Stephane Staelens
      Stephane Staelens
      1 month ago

      Why are these events not showing on my event calendar in the app? How do I register for this event?

      0
      Reply
      Cody
      Cody
      1 month ago

      I was hoping for another PRL Full event of some kind this winter. It’s the only badge I lack. Maybe I’ll see you on Jan 20! That gives me plenty of time to slowly lose my mind enough to give it a go.

      0
      Reply
      Mr. Glass
      Mr. Glass
      1 month ago

      Did you decide if categories will be visible to one another? I understand the rationale for and against…but I am cheering for the former. 🙂

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Mr. Glass

      For now, categories start separately and aren’t visible to each other. That may change for future events, though.

      3
      Reply
      Mr. Glass
      Mr. Glass
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      10-4

      0
      Reply
      Mr. Glass
      Mr. Glass
      22 days ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      I see tomorrow’s Quatch Quest Epic Series Race has combined all categories. Thank you kindly Eric the Wise.

      3
      Reply
      Umer Javed
      Umer Javed
      1 month ago

      It will be great if pace partners can also be deployed on the route in the event which will make it much easier to follow and complete the route. Is that something that is possible?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 month ago
      Reply to  Umer Javed

      I haven’t asked, but I highly doubt it, since that would be a custom setup on Zwift’s side. They’ve never done that for a community-run event.

      1
      Reply
      Harry Legs
      Harry Legs
      29 days ago
      Reply to  Umer Javed

      If you’re talking about pacing and ignoring the pointy end of the race… for example for Quatch Quest, then do it yourself at least once (e.g. this weekend) and then you’ll have a Holoreplay available for the race (next weekend).

      If you’re worried about completing at all, or are talking about being on a wheel to help complete… finding a buddy ‘on the road’ is usually easier than you might think particularly for longer rides. As with so many things, the trick is to be a bit patient and respectful when you find someone and to do your part too.

      1
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      29 days ago
      Reply to  Harry Legs

      HoloReplays will only show up during free rides. They are not visible in workouts, Meetups, Club Events, races, or any other “official” event.

      0
      Reply
      Harry Legs
      Harry Legs
      29 days ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      No go for my own cunning plan then! Better to know now though, thanks!

      0
      Reply
      Umer Javed
      Umer Javed
      29 days ago
      Reply to  Harry Legs

      It was the latter for me. Thanks for the advice, I am normally a good company 🙂 Will definitely test myself out

      0
      Reply
      Paul
      Paul
      1 month ago

      Wow! if i get a couple of these in, it will make Zwift Grand Fondo easy (or a little bit easier) Any talk of when the grand fondo will be this year?

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      29 days ago
      Reply to  Paul

      Haven’t heard anything. I bet it starts in November, though.

      1
      Reply
      Paul
      Paul(@psouthworth)
      28 days ago

      Just FYI – the group rides also require HRM to get a result, not just the races

      0
      Reply
      Paul
      Paul
      26 days ago

      when doing the group rides are we going to be able to see the riders in the world not in the group ride? I just don’t want to be riding alone for most of it because I’m slow!?!?!?!

      2
      Reply
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