Watopia’s “Figure 8” route covers the entire hilly and flat routes in both directions. If you’re looking for a ride around an hour long that includes some short climbs and a nice mix of flats and rollers, this is a solid choice.
This route is popular with racers since its nice mix of punchy climbs, flats, and rollers keep the race interesting and allow for strategic attacks from a variety of riders.
Route Basics
Length: 29.8km (18.4 miles)
Elevation Gain: 234m (770′)
Lead-In: very short
Start & Finish
Starts and ends at the downtown Watopia start/finish banner. Lead-in to start is minimal.
Achievement Badge: 580XP
Leaderboard Sections
(in order of appearance)
Hilly KOM Reverse
Sprint Reverse
Hilly KOM Forward
Sprint Forward
Strava Segments
Bike Selection
Despite this route’s two KOMs, aero is the clear choice. Use the most slippery frame and wheelset in your garage.
Route Description
Begin in downtown Watopia and head out Ocean Boulevard for a nice flat warmup before the first climb. Enjoy the ocean tunnel, wave to the whale, then head up to dry land for a dusty trip through the fishing village and a short, snaking climb up to Watopia’s main “Hilly Route”.
You’re now on the Hilly Route in the reverse direction. You’ll cross the 360 Bridge then pass Hank’s Gas Station, where the reverse KOM begins. Give that first pitch a good hard kick, then try to hold some speed for the rest of the climb, which isn’t nearly as steep.
Drop down from the KOM banner, ride through downtown Watopia again, then it’s over the Esses and a quick descent onto the timed reverse sprint over the JWB (Julynn Washington Bridge).
Catch your breath after the sprint as you hit the cobbles of the Italian Villas, then turn right and head down the snaky descent to the fishing village once more. You’re on Ocean Boulevard, but in the reverse direction. As you climb out of the ocean tube, take a deep breath and get ready: the forward KOM is just up the road!
The forward KOM is shorter and steeper than the reverse. Go as hard as you’d like, keep that power up over the flat top, then enjoy your descent. You earned it!
Over some rollers and past the noisy waterfall you’ll ride through the Italian Villas once more, hit the forward sprint section, cross the JWB, then hit the short, straight kicker into the Esses.
Keep your speed up through the Esses by modulating your power just right, then it’s one final kick to the finish in downtown Watopia. You did it!
Here’s a video tour of this popular race route:
Changelog
- Mar 19, 2020: upgraded the page to our new, richer layout. Added more details including a full route description.
- Oct 31, 2018: Zwift’s 1.0.31423 update included a “Figure 8 Reverse” route which varied from the original reverse route which could be reached by a u-turn on the forward route. (This routing was corrected sometime in the summer of 2019.)
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