Today, Zwift launched a four-climb challenge centered around the 2026 L’Étape du Tour event. This may be a “mini challenge”, but that doesn’t mean the climbs are small! Read on for details…
Challenge Requirements
The Challenge features four iconic French climbs, listed in the order riders will encounter them in the IRL L’Etape du Tour event held on the Queen Stage (stage 20) of this year’s Tour de France.
You can complete them in any order you’d like, though, or even join a group for extra motivation! Here’s the list, along with dates group rides will be held on each climb:
- Climb 1: Col de la Croix de Fer
- Length: 27.1 km (16.8 miles)
- Elevation Gain: 1558 m (5,112‘)
- Scheduled events: June 6/7
- Climb 2: Col du Télégraphe
- Length: 11.9 km (7.4 miles)
- Elevation Gain: 844 m (2,769‘)
- Scheduled events: June 13/14
- Climb 3: Col du Galibier (Valloire)
- Length: 18 km (11.2 miles)
- Elevation Gain: 1224 m (4,016‘)
- Scheduled events: June 20/21
- Climb 4: Col de Sarenne
- Length: 12.8 km (8.0 miles)
- Elevation Gain: 923 m (3,028‘)
- Scheduled events: June 27/28
Completing the Challenge
Everyone is automatically signed up for this challenge. As long as you’ve got version 1.114 or higher installed, and you’re within the challenge date window, you can ride the four climbs above in any way you’d like (in an event, as a free ride, for a structured workout, etc) and get credit for completion.
Click that challenge card to access the climbs and see reward details.
Pro tip: Want to double up on bonus XP? Tackle one of the new Quickfire 30 Challenge workouts on a weekend in June when one of the climbs above is scheduled (see June portal schedule). To do this, you’ll need to pick the workout first, from your homescreen. Then choose any route in Watopia (Volcano Circuit CCW is a good one, as it gets you close to the climb portal). You’ll get credit for completing the workout as well as the climb!
Challenge Rewards
You will earn an XP bonus for each climb you complete in the challenge, with a total of 2250 XP available. You will also unlock the L’Etape 2026 Kit if you complete all 4 climbs!
- 1 climb: 500 XP
- 2 climbs: 750 XP
- 3 climbs: 1000 XP
- 4 climbs: L’Etape 2026 Kit
Deadline
This challenge goes live on June 1, 2026 at 09:00 PT, and ends July 5, 2026 at 23:59 PT.
(I recommend finishing before the final day, though, as some past Challenges have ended earlier than expected, and you don’t want to be caught out if that happens.)
Questions or Comments?
Post below!
do we have to complete the climbs at 100%, to get the jersey?
Haven’t tested but… I doubt it.
I just did one at 50% and it counts. 1/4 it says now. So no need for 100%
Good to know! I started the first one at 100% and it was a struggle for me. I’ll try the rest at 50%. If im not mistaken, I think there is a 25%? not sure.
50% is the lowest [Source: https://zwiftinsider.com/climb-portal/ ]
Fixed!
Missed opportunity for the L’Etape Challenge! A legendary, highly coveted updated 2026 Didi the Devil kit would have been the ultimate reward for completing this challenge. The standard event kits are okay, but bringing back a refreshed version of the iconic superfan gear would give us a real badge of honor to hunt down on those massive Alpine climbs!
I’m so changing my kit to the Didi kit before riding the Croix de Fer tonight! Thanks for the idea.
Looks like we get “bonus km” on Zwift compared to the climb profiles on the TdF stage 20 site haha
is there any way to combine multiple ascents of these in a single ride? not sure if they are accessible via the climb portal from a free ride or if you can only access them from the launcher. think all four would be pushing it for me but the telegraphe/galibier combo at least is crying out for it
No way to do it, unfortunately. You’ll have to break it into separate fit files/activities, even if it’s all in the same ride.
dang. thanks for the reply.
So maillot is white
Do you have any estimates on times to complete at various watts/kg?
Yea. Just click the climb links above… estimates are on each climb’s homepage here on Zwift Insider.
Sweet – thanks!
Why it didn’t appear in my home screen?
I have been making 2 climbs without getting the xp… I enter each climb through the challenge directly, as usual. Is it because I initiated training during the climbs? Thanks for your help!
Just done the biggest one and low and behold, no bonus XP points
Moi non plus
I’ve seen bonus points getting awarded but usually 1-2 minutes after I have started the decent. They did not get awarded at the summit finish line.
Can you do them all back to back in one ride? I’m doing IRL so would like to as training.
You have to save your session and exit to the home screen to pick the next climb. So… you can keep pedaling the whole time, but it’ll be recorded as separate Zwift activities.
Ok thanks. Feels a miss from Zwift.
I was thinking the exact same thing. Climbing the Croix de Fer, descending it. Free riding for a while then ascending the Telegraphe and Galibier. Descending afterwards only to finish it off with the Alpe d’Huez (Alpe du Zwift).
That’s La Marmotte for you.
do you just have to make it to the top of the climb or do you have to do the climb and then exit the portal and finish the route back through the lead-in where you started?
Just to the top.
In my case, I’m seeing bonus points awarded 1-2 minutes after crossing the summit finish line after I have started the decent. There seems to be a lag in when those bonus points are awarded. I have done 3 of 4 climbs so far and all three had the same lag.
Same happened to me too.
does anybody know how the expected time duration for such kind of rides is calculated? is this calculated individually by my profile data or is this derived from a kind of defined standard rider?
Using your FTP setting. See https://zwiftinsider.com/route-time-estimates-updated/
For the work that goes into it, I’m sorry to say but this kit is garbo
Agreed. From the pics here it just looks boring but got a closer look today, someone wearing it in a pacer bot ride and now I realize its just ugly. So, just doing the climbs for the challenge I suppose… 🙄
I am only riding 3 climbs for the XP.
Did you get the kit? I’ve done all four and every time I open the challenge it pops up with the message that the challenge is complete. No kit in the garage. Does it arrive in July?
It seems that even if you reach 100% of these portals, 125% will not be unlocked.
Just checked, they are all unlocked for 125% for me.
It was released after I switched screens a few times.
Joined one of the group rides to ride the first Col, but despite the portal entrance saying i was riding Col de la Croix de Fer, the climb was actually Mount Fuji.. the banner the top with my time also said Col de la Croix de Fer, but the elevation profile clearly wasn’t that climb and i have not received any challenge credit! Not exactly happy with this state of affairs
Omg That would be horrible!!
Now all the events seem to have disappeared. I signed up for one in half an hour, but it no longer seems to exist.
Take a look here: https://forums.zwift.com/t/climb-portal-challenge-wrong-route-06-06-26/668991/4
So is it just the group rides that have the wrong climb, or is it also messed up if we just free ride from the challenge?
Just the group rides. And just this weekend. My guess is Zwift will fix the issue well before next weekend! (Hopefully they can fix things for this weekend today as well.)
Any idea why this isn’t showing up for me as a challenge?
Make sure you’re running the latest version of Zwift. If you are… reach out to Zwift support I guess!
I wanted to double up on the Quick Fire 30 and using the portal for the Col de la Fer Croix over the weekend. Tried to follow the advice of the post and started on Volcano Circuit CCW. The portal schedule for the weekend said Col de la Fer Croix but it was Mt. Fuji. I gave up on the idea and just did the work out then one of the one hour ext, Telegraphe climb. Doubling up was the only way I was going to commit more than an hour and a half to that climb for a jersey. Fine with the XP climbs.
Yeah, Zwift screwed up the Portal schedule last weekend. My guess is upcoming weekends will be fixed!
Unfortunately these doesn’t seem to work towards the portal climbing achievements. Just did 2 of these and have now done the 10 required but it didn’t give me the achievement badge.
Hi,
Does anyone know if its possible to do these clims as a group workout?
Basically we would like to create an event some friends and ride these but we cant figure out how to find the stages in then terrible zwift-app/companion-app jungle?
(it is still unbelievable to me that zwift doesnt make the system more intuitive.
Ex. why aren’t alle stages available for rides and why after around 10 years it it still not possible to search for workouts? sorry to many old frustrations just popped up 🙂
I share that frustration. No way to do these as a group workout, unfortunately.
Ok, thanks for info. Its weird why Zwift doesnt just fix these low hanging fruits that everybody thinks is so irritating. I know its probably not that easy. Maybe the workouts are hardcoded into the app in some way.
I’ve done 2 of the 4 and will do #3 for the XP, but that kit….no thanks.