Zwift just announced the details of the upcoming Zwift Grand Prix: a 7-round race series featuring the top men’s and women’s teams in Zwift.
Interested in following this series and marveling at what the world’s best Zwift racers can do? We’ve got all the key details summarized below!
Selected Teams
Zwift has selected 32 elite teams for participation in the Zwift Grand Prix, up from the 24 teams selected last season.
| Men’s Teams | Women’s Teams |
| ABUS – Synergy | Aeonian |
| Beastmode p/b ROSE | ABUS – Synergy* |
| BL13 p/b Level Velo* | Beastmode p/b ROSE |
| Coalition Alpha | BL13 p/b Level Velo* |
| dPAC-ELITE* | Coalition Alpha |
| Foudre Punchers Coalition* | Hexagone* |
| Hexagone | Movistar eTeam |
| Movistar eTeam | NeXT eSports p/b Enshored* |
| NeXT eSports p/b Enshored | Primór RWB esports Femmes* |
| Primór RWB esports* | Rocacorba Collective |
| Restart p/b Alex Coh* | Saris | Nopinz |
| Saris | Nopinz* | Team Castelli p/b Elite* |
| Team Castelli p/b Elite | Team Swedish Zwifters |
| Team Swedish Zwifters | Toyota Elite ECycling |
| Toyota Elite ECycling | Wahoo Le Col |
| Wahoo Le Col | Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24 |
*: new team this season
Season Schedule
Each round uses a different race format (as noted below), with rounds 3, 4, and 5 using the Zwift Racing League (ZRL) race format the community will race the following Tuesday. This makes the Zwift Grand Prix events into a “preview” of the upcoming ZRL events!
All races during the regular season will be scheduled on Thursdays at 6pm/7pm UTC.
| Round 1 – Points Hunter | |
| Men’s Race and Women’s Race | Thursday Oct 19 @ 6pm UTC |
| Round 2 – Mountain Points Race | |
| Men’s Race and Women’s Race | Thursday Oct 26 @ 6pm UTC |
| Round 3 – ZRL Races | |
| Men’s Race | Thursday Nov 9 @ 7pm UTC |
| Women’s Race | Thursday Nov 16 @ 7pm UTC |
| Round 4 – ZRL Races | |
| Men’s Race | Thursday Nov 23 @ 7pm UTC |
| Women’s Race | Thursday Nov 30 @ 7pm UTC |
| Round 5 – ZRL Races | |
| Men’s Race | Thursday Dec 7 @ 7pm UTC |
| Women’s Race | Thursday Dec 14 @ 7pm UTC |
| Round 6 – Epic Points Race | |
| Men’s Race and Women’s Race | Thursday Jan 11 @ 7pm UTC |
| Round 7 – Points Hunter | |
| Men’s Race and Women’s Race | Thursday Jan 18 @ 7pm UTC |
After each race, teams will be awarded series points to determine overall series rankings. The men’s and women’s teams with most series points after round 7 are the overall winners and take home the big prize (see below).
Race Formats
Once again, Zwift is using innovative formats for the Grand Prix races to make them more exciting and engaging. This season’s Grand Prix improves on the winning formats from last season while bringing in a strong tie-in to the Zwift Racing League. We’ve summarized each round’s details below.
Points Hunter (Round 1)
This race requires strategic decision making from the moment riders leave the pens. Teams must determine whether to go for points early or gamble on securing higher points at the end of the race where they risk leaving empty-handed.
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: 2 laps of 2015 UCI Worlds Course (Richmond)
- Distance: 32.7km
- Powerups: Aero Boost at lap arch (2x)
- Intermediate Points Locations
- 8 intermediate points locations (sprint and KOM arches on each lap), with different points available at each
- Once a rider scores points they are removed from the race
- 26 riders eliminated at intermediates
- Finish Line
- 54 riders left for the finish line
- First 8 riders will score points
Mountain Points Race (Round 2)
An all-out battle up the iconic Alpe de Zwift, with a few surprises along the way! This race has a lot of firsts for elite Zwift Racing: the first climbers points race, and the first race with a time cutoff.
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: Road to Sky (Watopia)
- Distance: 17.3km
- Powerups: none
- Intermediate Points Locations
- 6.5km, 9.1km, 15.2km
- Finish Line
- All finishing positions scored
- Time cutoff
- 5 minutes from the 1st placed rider
ZRL Races (Rounds 3-5)
New this season, Grand Prix riders will race a “preview” of the next week’s Zwift Racing League event, giving ZRL participants a chance to watch the race and recce the course! Here are the details for all 6 Grand Prix x ZRL races:
- ZRL Race 1: Scratch Race (Men’s Race, Thursday Nov 9 @ 7pm UTC)
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: 2 laps of London Loop Reverse
- Distance: 29.3km
- Points: Only at the finish
- ZRL Race 2: Points Race (Women’s Race, Thursday Nov 16 @ 7pm UTC)
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: 6 laps of Glasgow Crit Circuit (Scotland)
- Distance: 15.3km
- Intermediate Points: every lap, top 10 FTS and FAL at Clyde Kicker and Champions Sprint
- ZRL Race 3: TTT (Men’s Race, Thursday Nov 23 @ 7pm UTC)
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: Watopia’s Waistband
- Distance: 27.8km
- Points scored based on finishing time of each team’s 3rd placed rider
- ZRL Race 4: Scratch Race (Women’s Race, Thursday Nov 30 @ 7pm UTC)
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: 2 laps of Suki’s Playground (Makuri Islands)
- Distance: 36.8km
- Points: Only at the finish
- ZRL Race 5: Points Race (Men’s Race, Thursday Dec 7 @ 7pm UTC)
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: The Muckle Yin (Scotland)
- Distance: 23.7km
- Intermediate Points: top 10 FTS and FAL at Breakaway Brae, Sgurr Summit, and Clyde Kicker
- ZRL Race 6: TTT (Women’s Race, Thursday Dec 14 @ 7pm UTC)
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: Triple Flat Loops (Watopia)
- Distance: 36.3km
- Points scored based on finishing time of each team’s 3rd placed rider
Epic Points Race (Round 6)
Taking on the PRL Half course, in London, the Epic Points Race is the longest race ever featured in the Zwift Grand Prix! It features 877m of climbing over 69.7km and is aimed squarely at endurance riders. Intermediate points will be available at the top of Box Hill each lap.
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: The PRL Half (London)
- Distance: 69.7km
- Powerups: Draft Boost at each arch (8x)
- Intermediate Points Locations
- 9.9km, 24.8km, 39.6km, 54.5km
- Finish Line
- All finishing positions scored
- Time cutoff
- 5 minutes from the 1st placed rider
Points Hunter (Round 7)
Same format as Round 1, but on a different course. Once again, teams must determine whether to go for points early or gamble on securing higher points at the end of the race where they risk leaving empty-handed!
- Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
- Course: Royal Pump Room 8 (Yorkshire)
- Distance: 27.5km
- Powerups: Feather at lap arch (1x)
- Intermediate Points Locations
- 4 intermediate points locations (sprint and KOM arches), with different points available at each
- Once a rider scores points they are removed from the race
- 14 riders eliminated at intermediates
- Finish Line
- 66 riders left for the finish line
- First 6 riders will score points
Prize Money/Start Money
Zwift has significantly boosted the Grand Prix’s prize and start money this year!
- Each participating team will receive $2,500USD as start money for the season.
- Both the men’s and women’s competitions will award a winner-takes-all $10,000USD prize to the 1st place winner.
Add it all up and the prize money + start money totals $100k… a big jump from last year’s $57k!
Watch the Race Broadcasts
All Zwift Grand Prix events will be broadcasted live on Zwift’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Questions or Comments?
Post below!
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