Heading into Christmas weekend, we’re seeing lots of long rides being spun up. So this weekend we’re featuring five of the most popular, each of which is special in its own way. See our picks below!
🤝 Rapha Festive 500 Begins
✅ Popular Event ✅ Cool Unlocks
The Rapha Festive 500 challenge is simple, but not easy: ride 500 kilometers (310.7 miles) in eight days, from December 24-31, 2023. Outdoor bike and handcycle rides count toward the total, and so do virtual rides, as long as you upload them to Strava.
This year, as in years past, Zwift is working with Rapha to host events and give unlocks to finishers. It all begins Sunday. Are you in?
Read all about this year’s Festive 500 on Zwift >
Every 2 hours starting Sunday 8am UTC/3am EST/12am PST
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/f500
🤝 XpMas Madness with Tepi!
✅ Endurance Challenge
Teppo Laurio is a top Zwift racer known for doing crazy things on the bike around Christmas (including earning the Tron bike in 7 days back in 2021). This year he’s trying to reach Zwift’s new level 100 before 2024 arrives, and you can join his XP farming quest with this 200km ride on Crit City’s Downtown Dolphin. Join for all or part and level up with Tepi!
See him on last week’s The Wrap episode talking about XP farming >
Saturday, December 23rd @ 8am UTC/3am EST/12am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4032059
🤝 Zwift Insider Epic Ride – The Uber Pretzel
✅ Jersey Unlock ✅ Endurance Challenge
We’re getting into the big stuff with Zwift Insider’s Epic Series, a progressive series tackling Zwift’s toughest routes as group rides and races. This weekend we tackle The Uber Pretzel as a group ride. Next weekend we race it!
Read more about the Epic Series >
Multiple timeslots this weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/epicseries
🤝 ENJOYYOURBIKE @ ZWIFT – The Pretzel
✅ Popular Event ✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Jersey Unlock
The Germany-based ENJOYYOURBIKE squad is hosting the most popular community-hosted ride this weekend based on current signup numbers. A group ride on Watopia’s The Pretzel, and the ride includes a Discord channel to help pass the time.
Saturday, December 23rd @ 10pm UTC/5am EST/2am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/3943619
🥇 Gran Fondo The Breakaway by SPSD
✅ Worthy Cause
Want to go long… and hard? Here’s a race on Watopia’s Zwift Gran Fondo route, with a cool twist: the ride description says “And we have some guests with team “The Breakaway” ( a group of Belgian prisoners).”
Read more about The Breakaway project on Zwift >
Saturday, December 23rd @ 8am UTC/3am EST/12am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4007049
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!