The weekend’s theme is centred around “climbing” as there are several big events with that focus. It’s almost like Zwift planned it! (I know I did, as one of the events I am highlighting is the launch of my new “Mountain Massif” race, but more on that in a moment…)
ToW Stage 3: The Queen
The Tour of Watopia has been excellent so far, made special by the new routes to ride and badges to collect. Like many, I have treated these as an opportunity to undertake some nice group rides and until now, I haven’t been tempted to race any of the routes. However, this weekend sees us head to the mountains, and I take the opportunity to push myself and race one of the routes.
The three routes on offer are Tour of Fire and Ice (28,1km), Road to Sky (17.6km) which is one of my favourite routes in Zwift, taking you straight up the Alpe, and Downtown Titans which is a Rebel Route that has now made its way onto Zwift after being created by Shawn McAfee and published by Zwift Insider in 2020.
Multiple dates/times
Sign up at zwift.com/tour-of-watopia
Mountain Massif – The Race
Would you believe that the “Mountain Massif” event I created solely for the purpose of a Zwift Insider article is now approaching its 1 year anniversary? In that time, the event has been well received and resulted in me expanding the concept so my “Mountain Massif” races now tackle all the major climbs in Zwift.
Because of this, it felt like the right time to expand my offering still further. So on Saturday I am hosting my first non time trial weekly race and am inviting you all to attend. The event is still very much keeping to theme as the race takes place on the Climber’s Gambit course which has my favourite climb on Zwift, the Epic KOM reverse, which is featured in my “Monday’s Mountain Massif TT”. Like my other events, there are no PowerUps and the race has a mass start with categories and is fully inclusive. In this race, there is drafting, which is the only change in format to my other events.
Unlike the launch of my other events, where I have invited Pro riders along and done a big marketing campaign, I decided not to do that this time and just simply invite my fellow Zwifters, who I ride with and race with day in, day out, to enjoy the race with me. Sometimes, less is more and on this occasion, it felt like this was appropriate.
There are two different time offerings to cater for the global audience and I look forward to seeing you on the start line.
Saturday, March 19th @ 8:30am GMT/4:30am EDT and 3pm GMT/11am EDT/8am PDT
WRRS NGNM VenTop Challenge
I am very much keen to highlight the 2022 Women’s Ride and Run Series. This is a “Women’s Only” event and looks like it will be a lot of fun, and I will certainly be recommending this to someone close to home as it looks like an excellent way to tackle the hardest and biggest climbs in Zwift – the Ven-Top and Alpe du Zwift. As the event description states:
“March 19: Alpe du Zwift or Ven-Top Challenge — Flex your climbing skills as you hunt for badges alongside the global community. Rise to the challenge with an epic climb that takes you from feeling like a mountain goat to the G.O.A.T.”
Saturday, March 19th, multiple time slots
Sign up at zwift.com/womens-ride-and-run-series
Herd of Mountain Goats Climbing Race
This race is 24.6km in length and tackles the Bologna course. Having raced this distance on the course, I can tell you that it is brutal. So if you want a tough, hard race, this is the one to try. The reason why it is such a hard race is twofold. Firstly, the flat section is fast, really fast, so you find yourself close to your limit. Secondly, the climb is steep and leg-sapping. It’s exhausting doing it one time, but to do it for the second time is seriously challenging. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 20 @ 10am GMT/6am EDT
Sign up at https://www.zwift.com/events/view/2887794
Your Thoughts
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!
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