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Zwift’s “ZRacing” is the platform’s most popular ongoing race series, with over 60,000 riders participating in January 2025’s races!
In February the series takes on some punchier routes to help racers prepare for the Zwift Games in March. Zwift is partnering with Shimano for the “Find Your Fast” series which includes in-game unlocks and an IRL wheelset giveaway.
Read on for details about this month’s race routes, the prize giveaway, and much more!
February’s Routes
Here are the routes we’ll be racing in February:
- Stage 1 (Feb 3–9): The Classic
- 4 laps (22.9km, 212m)
- Powerups: Feather, Aero 1
- Stage 2 (Feb 10–16): Outer Scotland
- 2 laps (22.4km, 208m elevation)
- Powerups: Feather, Anvil
- Stage 3 (Feb 17–23): Loop de Loop
- 2 laps (25km, 288m)
- Powerups: Feather, Draft
- Stage 4 (Feb 24–Mar 2): Jurassic Coast
- 1 lap (19.7km, 212m)
- Powerups: Draft, Aero
See upcoming “Shimano Find Your Fast” events >
Unlocks + Prize Giveaway
Complete all four Shimano Find Your Fast stages to unlock the upgraded Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheelset in game. Read about this updated wheelset >
Additionally, everyone who finishes at least one Shimano Find Your Fast stage will have a chance to win one of three IRL Ultegra C50 wheelsets! Eligible riders will be emailed entry instructions once the series has concluded on March 3.
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Category Reminder
In January 2025, Zwift implemented major changes to the category ranges used in ZRacing events. Tose changes will stay in effect for February. This includes “Advanced Category” races for riders with a Zwift Racing Score of 650+ and an alternating set of tighter category ranges (“Range 1” and “Range 2”) for riders with scores of 700 and below.
Advanced races occur at the following times:
- 08:15 UTC/3:15 ET/00:15 PT
- 10:15 UTC/05:15 ET/02:15 PT
- 12:15 UTC/07:15 ET/04:15 PT
- 17:15 UTC/12:15 ET/09:15 PT
- 18:15 UTC/13:15 ET/10:15 PT
- 19:15 UTC/14:15 ET/11:15 PT
- 00:15 UTC/19:15 ET/16:15 PT
Range 1 and 2 races alternate hourly around the clock.
Monthly GC
Each month’s series includes a time-based GC (general classification) on ZwiftPower tracking riders’ best finishing times for each week’s race. Just like a Tour de France-style stage race, the rider with the fastest combined time across the month’s stages wins!
See February’s GC on ZwiftPower >
New to Zwift Racing? Three important GC-related notes:
- You must be signed up for ZwiftPower to be included in the GC results. Need help? Read How to Sign Up for ZwiftPower (and Why Every Zwifter Should Do It).
- To be included in the final ZwiftPower results, you must use a heart rate monitor as well as a smart trainer, smart bike, or power meter.
- You can race each stage multiple times to improve your finishing time.
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Get the Badge
Each month’s ZRacing series has a unique achievement badge, which you can unlock by finishing every stage for the month. There are no makeup events, so if you miss a stage, you miss out on the badge and competing in the GC.
One and Done
Zwift has planned these events to deliver a solid 1-hour workout, so each race should only take around 1 hour to complete, including your warmup and cooldown.
Questions or Comments?
Post below!
Februari looks much more fun than Januari, finaly some little hills.
Regarding this comment: “To be included in the final ZwiftPower results, you must use a heart rate monitor as well as a smart trainer, smart bike, or power meter.” These events use hardware enforcement so everyone is using a smart bike or power meter. Without that they can’t start.
Seems like Shimano missed an opportunity here. The only in-game prize is a mediocre set of wheels? How about a kit, or shoes, or an upgraded derailleur…?
S-phyre shoes are already in the game (I think).
How about a blue bike from the “Shimano neutral services”?
I really like those ranges 1 and 2 where we can choose from now. The gap when you enter a new cat isnt as big as its used to be.
So I really hope this isnt temporarely but here to stay.
I just got a new score of 462 and that puts me over the 330 – 450 I ws racing but instead of being stuck in the bottom in 450 – 570 I can also pick the 380 – 510 range which puts me in the middle of the group.
The new system has been pretty frustrating for me as a so-called “Advanced” racer living in the Pacific timezone, with races no longer being available during the lunchtime timeslot.
Would 21:15 UTC/16:15 ET/13:15 PT work for you?
https://zwifterbikes.web.app/route/the-classic predicts ~64mins24secs for the Dogma ’24 and Dicut Disc wheels at 180W average, 20% pacing and 48% drafting at 96Kg.
3 laps with lead-in should have been the distance, at least for pen E in both ranges!
Must admit I was expecting forced Shimano wheels for the series, whichever was most suitable for each route.
A forced frame would be nice too, using a Zwift frame model would avoid any real brand bias.
I wouldn’t put much stock in that time estimate, it’s way off.
The reality is that at about 180W at 96kg you’d be looking at completing Stage-1’s “The Classic” in about 40mins
As proven it takes just over 40min for pen E
Closest I’ve seen for ~180W ~1.9W/Kg is just over 47mins. Nothing proven at all.
So it is 47min or less, not 64 as you wrote initially?
My mistake regarding time prediction at zwifterbikes, looks like I multiplied one lap time by 4, instead of moving the lap slider!
Predicts ~48mins37secs using Dogma ’24 and DT disc wheels.
Zmonthly races are supposed to be designed for 40mins racing, allowing time to change; warmup; cool down; change within an hour.
My point still stands, this stage at The Classic should have been 3 laps.
Completing all four races adds the C50 wheel-set to the garage without having to pay 165,000 drops? Or is the ‘unlock’ an exclusive C50 colorway like September 2024?
You get the wheels in your garage, no charge!
Okay, I’ll have to skip at least one stage then. Don’t want to get my garage cluttered 🙂
At least you can hide things at the back of the garage now. It’s not quite the decluttering that was asked for but it’s a start
For stage 1 “Powerups: Feather, Aero 1”
Is that 1 a typo or something else?
Typo. Fixed!
This is wildly annoying – with a racing score of 800+ I’m basically unable to join most Zwift races now because I can’t make the timings work.
Same story here. I’m just barely in the “Advanced” category (score 707) and this system has basically forced an end to my racing on Zwift due to the time limitations.
I’m not an advanced racer but it seems the same guy that schedules the WTRL events had a hand in the ZRS 700+ race start times. Speaking for myself, I can race between about 5:30am Pacific and 8:00am Pacific. This falls right into the FIVE HOUR hole between the 4:15am and 9:15am. Then there’s three races ONE HOUR apart. Come on ZHQ, you can do better than this. For once I’m glad to be slow…
Is using this wheelset automatically enforced? If not, I’m surprised.
You can use any wheels you’d like in these races. Surprise!
Is HRM not a requirement for entering the pens in this series? It really ruins these races if that is not the case.
3 of the top 4 in the race I took part in last night were without HRM: https://www.zwift.com/eu/events/view/4786025
One was a bot/cheater with 300W avg. power at 15rpm cadence. 🤣
What is the difference between range 1 and 2? Besides from different intervals…
Nothing. It’s just different ZRS bands, so riders can choose between being near the top or bottom of their category. (I guess the schedule is also different, between range 1 and 2…)