This weekend features the return of Zwift Insider Tiny Races and the finale of the Rapha Rising series… but there’s much more happening on Zwift. Our notable event picks include long races, a group ride for the ladies, and even a long workout!
🥇 Team SZ Crit iTT
✅ Innovative Format ✅ Women-Only Option
The Team SZ Crit iTT takes an innovative approach to Zwift racing, and it’s a bit of a combination of a time trial and the Zwift Insider Tiny Races. Something that is very interesting about this series is that it contains the shortest Zwift race on the event calendar. The fourth race of this series is less than half a kilometer long and it is mostly downhill! This series uses a time-based GC, so the rider with the shortest total time is the winner of the event.
The set of 5 back-to-back races takes place in Zwift’s futuristic New York route, with the first 4 races on the Laguardia Loop and Laguardia Loop Reverse. Note: the men’s version of this series begins on the 5th of March.
Special settings: women-only, drafting disabled, no power-ups
Sunday, Feb 26 @ 4pm UTC/11am EST/8am PST
See all Crit iTT events on ZwiftHacks
🥇 A Sunday in Hell with DZR
✅ Innovative Format ✅ Extra Tough
This set of four back-to-back races put on by DZR is designed to create a very hard race series. Each of the races favors a different type of rider: time trial, sprint, after party, and climb. All of these races add up to ~60 kilometers and ~1000 meters of climbing, making it a very tough series. The team DZR website does have information about points, which is how the series is scored. This series happens once every month.
This week’s series takes riders through four different courses in four different worlds, with the final race taking place on the Big Loop course. Ouch!
Sunday, Feb 26 @ 8:45am UTC/3:45am EST
See all A Sunday in Hell with DZR events on ZwiftHacks
🥇 Norseman Race Series / NORSEMAN
✅ Unlocks/Prizes ✅ Popular Event ✅ Extra Tough
The Norseman Race Series features a pretty tough format on Sundays, with two endurance courses to choose from. The Norseman race takes place later on in the year IRL, and this is an exclusive opportunity to win an entry to the iconic Norseman Xtreme race—a race that is often regarded as the ultimate triathlon. Completing a “longer” race (category A) this weekend will unlock the exclusive Norseman Black Jersey. One male and female winner will be chosen at the end of the series.
This weekend’s longer race takes place on the Four Horseman course, with the Ven-Top route being used for the shorter race.
Multiple time slots throughout the weekend
Browse all Norseman events at zwift.com/events/tag/norseman
🤝Catrina’s Endurance 100k
✅ Women-Only Option ✅ Extra Tough
Join longtime Zwifter Catrina Weiss for a women-only endurance group ride. The goal of this event is to provide a supportive ride to help ladies build their endurance. Riders are encouraged to socialize and have fun while ticking off the kilometers. The organizers will aim to ensure that riders do not get dropped from the group, and if they are notified in time, the organizers will try to help them get back to the peloton.
This group ride takes place on the Triple Flat Loops course in Watopia. Over the course of the 100 kilometers (62.1 miles), riders will complete nearly three laps of this route.
Saturday, Feb 25 @ 2pm UTC/8am PST/6am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/3527616
📊 Triathletes on Zwift Saturday Endurance Workout
✅ Innovative Format ✅ Extra Tough
Looking to start the weekend off strong? The Triathletes on Zwift group workout is part of a 30-week series to help riders build their strength and endurance, ultimately leading to stronger bike/run time in a long-distance triathlon. Even better, the workouts are designed by a very experienced professional triathlete, AJ Baucco. AJ coaches lots of athletes, manages triathlon teams, and is part of a very accomplished triathlon team. Several leaders will be present in the ride to make the experience more fun for everyone.
This is a pretty long workout, as it is aimed toward endurance athletes. The 138-minute workout will take place on the Makuri 40 course. This ride does have workout mode on, so riders will stick together no matter how many watts/wkg they are putting out.
Saturday, Feb 25 @ 1:35pm UTC/8:35am PST/5:35am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/3546033
How We Make Our Picks
We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:
- Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
- Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
- Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
- Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
- Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
- Is it for a good cause?
- Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
- Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?
In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!
Your Thoughts
Got other events that stand out this weekend? Share below in the comments!