It’s Rapha Festive 500 weekend, and you know what that means: long rides! We’ve picked the most popular big rides and races coming up Saturday and Sunday, including events on Zwift’s two longest routes, plus a 500-kilometer group ride!
🤝 Eric Min’s PRL Full Badge Hunt Ride
✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Special Guest ✅ Route Badge ✅ Kit Unlock
Zwift CEO Eric Min is an avid Zwifter, reaching level 100 a few months ago after riding more than 80,000 km on the platform. But do you know what he hasn’t done yet? London’s The PRL Full – the longest route in Zwift.
That’s going to change soon, though. On Saturday at 4pm, Eric aims to cross this final route off his list. And he’s inviting the Zwift community to ride it with him, because long days in the saddle are always better with friends!
Saturday, December 28 @ 4pm UTC/11am T/8am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4691206
🥇 The TFC Epic Christmas Race 2024
✅ Route Badge ✅ Endurance Challenge
Most races on Zwift are quite short (under 1 hour). Some are a bit longer (1-2 hours). But very few touch the challenge of this one-off event from TFC! Held on Watopia’s The Uber Pretzel, this race is 128.8km long, with 2381 meters of climbing.
Riders are categorized based on zFTP, and each category starts separately.
Saturday, December 28 @ 1pm UTC/8am EDT/5am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4690072
🤝Tugaz Festive 500
✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Unique Event ✅ Good Cause
Tens of thousands of riders are working toward completing the Rapha Festive 500 this year. But some (crazy) riders are doing it all in one ride!
The TugaZ team has scheduled a 500km ride on Watopia’s Tick Tock, but they’ve set it up so you will be able to see the riders in the event even if you’re not in it. Join the event from the start if you can, or hop onto Tick Tock and find the group if you join later!
There’s also a fundraising angle to this ride, in support of World Bike Relief. Learn more here >
Saturday, December 28 @ 6am UTC/1am ET/Friday 10pm PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/tugaz/view/4576219
🤝 Hour of Power with Team CRYO-GEN
✅ Unique Event ✅ Teamwork
Team CRYO-GEN has organized a TTT record attempt for Saturday, and all are invited to join! All riders will be on draftable Cadex Tri TT frames with disc wheels, so you’ll have the fastest setup available. Four categories are available, each aiming to set their own records. Work together to hit your target distance in one hour!
- A – 50K
- B – 46K
- C – 42K
- D – 38K
All events are held on Watopia’s Tempus Fugit, the flattest/fastest route in game.
Saturday, December 28 @ 2pm UTC/9am ET/6am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4686393
🤝 Endure ES sub 2 hours 100km Christmas Special
✅ Unique Event ✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Teamwork
This event has one goal – riding 100km in under 2 hours. Held on Tempus Fugit, (of course), all riders will be on draftable Cadex Tri TT frames with disc wheels, and there will be powerups at every arch!
Saturday, December 28 @ 3:20pm UTC/11:20am EST/8:20am PST
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4600056
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!
