Last week’s Tiny Races with their “Getting Steeper” theme turned out to be highly competitive and a lot of (Type 2) fun! Several timezones/categories saw tight competition where the three podium spots were separated by just 10 points – that’s a difference of just one place across the line when you’re in the top 3!
This week we’ve got a new theme on tap with some fresh (yet dirty) routes. But first, here are the winners from last Saturday…
This week’s routes each include key sections which are dirt. Will you use a gravel bike, or a road bike? You’ll want to decide that on a race-by-race basis…
Approaching Flat Route finishFlat Route finishApproaching Volcano Flat Rev finishVolcano Flat Rev finishValley to Mountaintop custom finish at Temple
Race 1: Valley to Mountaintop (3.5km, ends at Temple entrance partway up KOM) This super-attritional route’s key climbs are both dirty. The action begins with the beautiful Golden Forest which will stretch the pack out and create gaps, and the race ends partway up the Temple KOM after a bit of pavement in between.
Powerup: none
Race 2: Watopia Flat Route (5.23km, ends on bridge after Fishing Village) Our first time racing this route, riders will need to decide if they attack early on the ramp out of the ocean tunnel onto the dirt… or sit in and wait for the pack sprint finish.
Powerup: none
Race 3: Volcano Flat Reverse (5.5km, ends atop Dirty Sorpressa) This route is fairly uneventful until the final ~50 seconds, when we hit the snaking Dirty Sopressa climb up to the Italian Village. You’ll have a steamroller – your only powerup of the day – to help make the full gas dash up the dirt a bit faster, but be sure to time it well!
Powerup: Steamroller
Race 4: Jungle Circuit Reverse (6.289km, ending at Jungle Circuit banner) Enjoy zipping through the dusty jungle to wrap up your Tiny Race day! This mostly downhill race covers just the lead-in of the Jungle Circuit Reverse route, which includes the rope bridge.
Zwift displays preliminary race results in game when you cross the line, but points are computed after all four races are finished, with final results on ZwiftPower. (We have to do some data processing on our side to compute results, so if your rankings don’t show up right away, be patient.)
Riders will earn points based on finish position in each of the 4 Tiny Races. The category winner of each week’s series is the rider with the most points across their timezone’s 4 races. Here are the links for each timezone’s results on ZwiftPower:
Tiny Race rules are simple. Four races, four rules:
You must have a ZwiftPower account, because final results are processed by ZwiftPower (learn how to sign up)
No skipping then returning. These races are meant to be raced as a set of 4. If you need to leave early, that’s fine… but once you miss a race in your hour’s set of 4, don’t come back and race another or you’ll be disqualified from that race since you rested while others were racing! (Example: racing only races 1 and 2 is fine. Racing 1, 2, and 4 is not – you will be DQ from race 4. And if you race 2, 3, and 4, you’ll be DQ from all those races, since you skipped race 1!)
Heart rate monitors are required for podium finishers
ZPower/Virtual power is not allowed. Smart trainer/smart bike or power meter required.
Join a Chat & Chill Cooldown
Immediately following each hour’s racing, we’ve scheduled 30-minute “Chat & Chill” events where riders from all categories can spin out their legs together and have some fun chatting about how it all went down. Find them at zwift.com/events/tag/tinyraces.
This update is quite minor – basically two new training plans, some new route badges, and a pile of bug fixes. Word is January’s update will be more substantial, but for today… let’s dive into the details of December’s release!
More Training Plans
Fast Track Fitness
At only 4 weeks long, with two workouts per week building from 16 to 30 minutes, this is a great training plan for newer riders. It’s also a great first training plan, since the short workouts are doable for just about anyone and can fit into any schedule.
Build Me Up Lite
Another 4-week plan with just two workouts per week, this plan provides some education and training guidance while helping you build fitness. Workouts are 30-35 minutes long. A great followup to the Fast Track Fitness plan, or a good plan to jump into if Fast Track Fitness’ workouts are a bit too short for your taste.
The Robopacer Drops Multiplier game now caps out at x2.5, instead of x2.0 where it’s been stuck since October’s update. That means more Drops – especially welcome news for newer Zwifters looking to buy some sweet frames and wheels!
(Inside sources tell us we can expect improvements to AppleTV performance in the coming months, as the latest versions have strong enough graphics to support better visuals.)
More Homescreen Updates: Android Rollout
Android users have been the last to get the new homescreen UI, but today Zwift says, “The new home screen is now on most Android devices.”
More Testing: Pack Dynamics 4
This update includes an updated version of Pack Dynamics 4, but it is far from being rolled out to the general populace. This new version will be tested in specific events in the coming weeks.
More Fixes and Tweaks
A few more fixes were noted in this release. Here they are, with our notes in italics:
Resolved camera issues when changing camera views in Makuri Islands and when joining a RoboPacer. Additionally, some screenshot bugs have been resolved. Since we take hundreds of screenshots per month, this is a welcome fix.
Sending the sound slider to 0 in game will now correctly turn off game sounds. Although, we all know the Zwift game music is a jam. Is it though?
Ambient sounds in New York and Innsbruck are now at the expected sound levels. Our families will miss the blast of sound at the start of our 5am rides!
The Cobbled Climbs route in Richmond was first raced in the 3rd round of ZRL’s inaugural season, back in May 2021. It was a tough course back then, and it’ll be a tough course this time around as well: the longest and most climby race of this round.
Let’s dig into the race, including tips for bike choice, powerups, strategy, and crucial segments.
Looking at the Route: Richmond’s Cobbled Climbs
Each lap is 9.2 km (5.7 miles), and A/B teams will race over 5 laps (46km), while C/D will race 4 (36.8km). This is going to feel significantly longer than most ZRL races... because it is!
The route is essentially Richmond’s 2015 UCI Worlds Course without the flat first half. What you’re left with are the pitchy parts: KOM intermediates for curvy, cobbled Libby Hill and short, steep, straight 23rd Street, plus the third climb (Governor Street) which isn’t timed, but is perhaps the longest and most painful. Plus it leads into the false-flat finish!
We’ll be contesting the two KOM intermediates for points. They are shown in the profile below:
We begin at the standard Richmond start/finish banner, but make a quick left turn, and another left, onto the descent of E Main St. (This is the longest descent on the route, so enjoy it while it lasts.)
After some flats and rollers along the river the road tilts up and you know what’s coming: our first KOM of the day. Twisty, bumpy Libby Hill!
Hammer your way up this climb (most riders will finish it in 60-110s), then recover for a few seconds as you descend to the start of our next KOM: the short, straight 23rd Street KOM. This is essentially a “sprint-climb” (25-30s), which is why Peter Sagan was able to drop everyone in his famous attack here in the 2015 UCI Worlds race.
Do everything you can to maintain good pack position up and over the 23rd Street KOM, knowing you’ve got a few seconds of recovery just up the road on the Broad Street descent. You can even supertuck the descent like Sagan did (but can’t anymore – thanks for ruining the fun, UCI!)
You’ll need every bit of recovery you can get, because less than a minute after the descent we begin the final climb of the lap: Governor Street! This is not a timed KOM, but it’s where the race-winning final moves are often made, and it feels so long in the final minutes of a race. (Expect riders to conserve their efforts on this climb, until the final lap. Better to save your climbing efforts for the KOMs handing out points!)
Finish this climb then it’s a false flat straightaway to the finish.
Riders will be awarded powerups through the KQOM and lap banners, meaning we’ll get 3 powerups per lap, for a total of 15 powerups for A/B and 12 for C/D. Three powerups will be given out at each banner:
Lightweight (feather) (40%): reduces your weight by 10% for 15 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most.
Aero Boost (helmet) (30%): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use this if you’re contesting a sprint or attacking in the wind at high speed. Great for the finishing straightaway, or catching riders on a descent.
Steamroller (30%): reduces Crr for 30 seconds so you roll as fast as a road tire on pavement regardless of wheels or road surface. Only useful on the cobbled bits of the Libby Hill and 23rd Street KOMs to save a bit of power/gain a bit of speed.
Bike Frame + Wheel Choice
None of the climbs here are long or steep enough for a true climbing bike to be the sensible choice. And yet, going full-on aero with a disc wheel setup probably isn’t your best option, either.
The Tron bike is the best of both worlds, climbing a bit faster than the disc wheel but also performing very well on flats and descents. If you don’t have the Tron bike, go with an all-arounder frame like the Scott Addict RC (or Canyon Aeroad 2021 for lower-level riders) coupled with lighter-weight aero hoops like the ENVE 7.8, Zipp 858, or DT Swiss ARC 62.
Many events are now being planned each weekend on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re unfamiliar with this course, jump into an event and do some recon! Here’s a list of upcoming Cobbled Climbs events.
Looking for a video recon? Check out our favorites:
Si Bradeley
Oli Chi
Strategic Options
Points Distribution, Cobbled Climbs
A/B (5 Laps)
C/D (4 Laps)
These charts show the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in each race.
How will these races unfold, and what strategies will riders employ in the final race of round 8? Here’s what we predict:
The front group will get smaller on each lap, with a small pack of only 5-10 duking it out across the finish line. Some races will even see breakaway wins by just 1-3 riders.
Fastest Through Segment top 10 times will all be set on the first lap. Why? Because the pack draft will be largest then, plus riders will simply be too tired to better their times on subsequent laps.
Chase groups will catch some lone riders up the road at the start of each lap (through the flat/descent portion), but those same riders will attack again on the climbs and get away. Which begs the question: is it even worth chasing? On the other hand…
This is a long race – the longest one of round 8 – and with a lot of climbing! Riders will have a hard time pacing their efforts properly. Some will push hard to make the front selection, but blow up on subsequent laps. Chase groups shouldn’t give up hope, because that front group will keep shrinking, and there may be opportunity for intermediate and significant finish points if you’re in the first chase group.
Some riders who don’t fancy their chances of staying in the front group to the finish will go all-in on the first climb up Libby Hill – then do it again on 23rd Street if they’re still in the front group. These riders may take a few FAL and FTS points, but they’ll get dropped from the front group and miss out on oodles of points over the course of the race. For these riders, recovering then sitting in with a well-paced group is their best hope of a decent finishing position.
With the first 10 riders across the line receiving bonus points on each KOM, we’ve got a huge amount of intermediate points going to a small front group of riders. We predict that the final winning team (in terms of points) will come down to the simple math of how many riders each team puts into that front group.
Is there a place here for non front-group riders to earn some intermediate points? You’d like to think so, but we don’t see it happening. As we’ve already said, most or all of the FTS points will go to the top puncheurs on the first lap. And once that front group is away, all the subsequent FAL and big finish points ride away with them. The stragglers will be left to battle over finish points.
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
Team Fearless 6th Annual Women’s Team Championships this Weekend
Team Fearless has announced they are once again hosting their Annual Women’s Team Championships! Now for the sixth year running, this race can be called a true Zwift December classic.
This highly anticipated endurance event isn’t your average race. Meant to test your resilience and endurance with a longer distance than your average Zwift race, this race is one of a kind. Even better: each category gets to crown its own champions, so this race is for all ability levels.
Last year Fearless hosted 700 participants for this special one-day event. That’s special for ladies, who know it’s not very often you get to race with over 100+ ladies in every single category! This year looks to be bigger and better, racing on Makuri Islands.
New this year is an advanced points system, where sprint and QOM points are not necessarily related to ‘first across the line’. This ensures that ALL team members can contribute to the overall team win.
Date and Time
The race happens Saturday, Dec 10 2:30 PM EST (7:30 PM GMT, 11:30 AM PST, Sunday Dec 11 6:30 AM AEDT).
Route Details
This year’s race will be held on the Neokyo All-Nighter route (Makuri Islands), with a different number of laps based on category.
Cat C/D will be completing 2 laps (48.7km/30.3 miles), with A/B doing 3 (73km/45.4 miles).
Race Categories
A: 3.7 w/kg FTP or higher
B: 3.20-3.69 w/kg FTP
C: 2.5 to 3.19 w/kg FTP
D: 2.49 w/kg FTP and under
The Teams
Teams will consist of 3-5 women working together to get their team across the finish line.
While only the top 3 finishers’ points (per team) are counted, every racer matters as their placements “steals” points from those below them (see the rules for a full explanation.)
If you aren’t already on a team you’re encouraged to be proactive and reach out to a Zwift team of your choice.
Team Fearless will be utilizing WTRL’s RacePass system for the race and all teams MUST be registered in order for their riders to access the event as the races are not joinable any other way.
How the Race Was Won: ZRL Team Tactics On Two Bridges Loop
Some of my favorite articles on Zwift Insider are the “How the Race was Won/Lost” series as I find them ever interesting and focused on what is in my opinion the best thing about Zwift… the racing! I have written a couple of ‘How the race’ articles over the last few years and after a recent ZRL race with my Kirchmair team I was compelled to pen another detailing how we as a group of riders managed to put on the best display of teamwork that I have ever had the pleasure of being part of.
Brief Background and the Route
The first few rounds this season have been a success for the Kirchmair Honey Bees team with us taking the overall team win on Roule Ma Poule in the first round by a handsome points margin followed by victory in the following week’s TTT. This week however, there was a stinging (no pun intended) route in store for us that featured one of the most technical sprints on Zwift followed by the opening steep slopes of the Zwift KOM and we would have to suffer, I mean race, 6 laps of the unrelenting Two Bridges Loop circuit.
On to The Race!
So, the banner dropped and our team consisting of three Germans, one Luxembourger, a Pole and this solitary Welshman set off on our quest around the Two Bridges Loop. As we left the pens all the talk in Discord was about how we felt that either a draft van or aero power-up would be needed to take the fastest through times on the first sprint and one of these power-ups was what we would all be hoping for. Unfortunately I picked up a feather, but thankfully others had faired better with draft vans picked up by Nico and Christian and our resident cycling giant Florian getting the aero.
Lap 1
The pace out of the pens was calm and this continued through the Esses and on to the foot of the hill that leads into the sprint. As the road tilted upwards several feather power-ups were activated by the field as riders tried to ease the pain of the surging group. I activated mine as the gradient neared double figures, knowing it would be hard for me to compete in this first sprint.
But I realized I had a problem. My legs were not feeling it today and with what felt like the beginning of a winter cold hanging in my nose and chest I was finding it harder than usual to put out the power needed to hang with the group. As we thundered down the descent I felt my best option was to put out enough of a sprint to not get dropped and hope for a better showing next time around.
Thankfully some of my teammates fared better with Christian taking 2nd and Nico 4th across the line. They also managed to take 8th and 3rd respectively in the fastest through by timing their sprints well. To add to that Florian, who made us aware of his plan to sit on the very back of the group going into the sprint, came thundering past with an all-out attempt to take max fastest through points. He managed to take 2nd following this attempt and we all hoped that these points wouldn’t be beaten in the remaining sprints as the fastest times are usually set on the first lap (biggest group, freshest legs).
Florian Halstenbach on route to a 3rd FTS segment time on lap one
Following the sprint, the group was extremely strung out and many riders found themselves with gaps opening in front of them. Unfortunately, one of these riders was our teammate Danny, meaning we were down to five Kirchmair riders at the front. Thankfully, my effort during the sprint was enough to keep me on the right side of any splits as the much smaller front pack reformed.
With only a little over 2km between the finish of the sprint and the beginning of the uncategorized climb I said to my teammates over Discord that I was feeling concerned I might get dropped as riders pushed the pace over the double-figure gradients.
Full credit here must go to the man who became our in-race DS, Florian Halstenbach. He really encouraged me to keep pushing and his positive words during this trying time really helped me hang on and find the reserves to keep going when it might have been easier to give up. Thanks Flo!
Anyway, I managed to survive the climb and was looking forward to supertucking the descent. It seemed that all five of our riders had made it to the top of the climb in the front group but unfortunately Marek, possibly because he is a lighter rider, got distanced on the descent, meaning by the end of lap one we were now down to only four at the front.
Lap 2
All remained fairly quiet as we went through the Esses but as we got onto the hill leading to the sprint a couple of riders from the Eureka RacerD team attempted to go long. This team had a strong showing in the lap one sprint and seemed like real contenders today. The riders did not manage to stay away but we put in a poor showing behind with only two of us scoring points. I managed a better sprint than first lap but could only come 6th. Nico added to this by taking 7th. Not a lot to show from us and we knew that more would be needed if we were to maintain our winning streak this season!
Lap 3 (The Tactics Begin)
As our ever-shrinking group proceeded through the lap banner we all held our breath to see what powerup we had this time. This is when Nico announced to the group that he had a feather and was going to try and go long by attacking next time up the hill leading into the sprint. The other three of us in this lead group had either helmets or a draft van and said that we would let Nico go in the hope he could stay away, taking full points, and we would be able to sprint behind for the remaining positions.
It was great that we were now talking tactics and looking for ways to maximize not only our use of the powerups but how to try and take the most points we could. Furthermore, it seemed that at last my legs were coming back and I hoped that I would be able to feature more in the coming sprints!
As we rolled around the Esses and onto the base of the hill Nico announced that it was time for his attack and he went all in, putting a significant distance into the pack. As we dropped down the descent the sprints and powerups began to fly in the group and whilst I hoped Nico had done enough, I feared the surging of the group could see him caught.
My fears were misplaced, however, as Nico put in a super effort to keep himself clear of the charging pack, taking 1st by a significant margin. Added to this we managed to get the other three of us in the points with me taking 3rd, Flo 5th, and Christian sneaking into the final 10th position!
The rest of the lap passed by uneventfully with the now familiar “hard but not totally insane” effort needed to hold the group up the climb before enjoying the supertuck on the descent towards the lap banner.
Not only did we make a solid points haul this lap, but we now were filled with confidence that we could make a plan work. We wanted more!
Our sprint efforts on lap 3. We got 4 of us in the top 10 and you can just about make out Nico in the distance!
Lap 4
We went under the lap banner and announced what powerups we had collected this time. Nico said he once again had a feather and wanted to try going long again and I told the guys that I had held onto my aero helmet from the sprint banner to use this time around. This is when DS Flo sprung into action and suggested that this time I try to go with Nico on the rise, sitting in his draft as he activated his feather and pushed over the top, then using my aero to go over the top whilst he and Christian sit in the group and sprint behind. I liked this idea and wanted to see how it panned out.
As the pack headed towards the sprint for the fourth time a few riders pushed the pace through the Esses, but we all chose to just sit in the group thinking that it would come back together. This is exactly what happened and as the road tilted upwards on the pre-sprint hill Florian called out time to attack and Nico activated his feather and spiked his wattage. I followed by raising my power to around 700 watts, enough to hopefully follow Nico’s attack but not so much that I shot passed him and spoiled our plan. As we headed downhill and around the left-hand corner onto the sprint segment I must admit I was on my limit just following Nico but I activated my aero as we went on to the bridge, got out of the saddle and started my sprint.
Nico launches his attack ahead and I follow on the left as seen here from Flo’s livestream
With around 120m to the line I came through Nico’s draft and took 1st across the line. Moreover, Nico didn’t only produce a great lead out but his effort was such that there was daylight between us and the following pack meaning we took 1st and 2nd place.
As the pack sprinted behind we were overjoyed to learn that Christian and Flo had managed to also take 4th and 5th, meaning we had put four of our riders in the top 5 on this lap for a big haul of points! Luckily, I had picked up a draft van powerup at the banner so used this to aid my recovery in the group as the pack reformed to take on the climb, finish the lap and do it all again!
Lap 5
As we rolled through the lap banner buoyed by our successes in the previous two laps, our Discord chat lit up with discussions of how we could attack the sprint segment this time around. That was when Flo announced that he would like to play the role of lead-out man and go hard up the pre-sprint hill in the hope that the other three of us could follow him, get a gap on the field, and take the top spots in this sprint segment.
As the road headed upwards on this now all too familiar hill Flo put down the power and surged through the pack. As he hit the front with a 1000w+ pull we all brought our power up to try and catch his draft and in team time trial format we headed over the crest and down the hill. This time, however, it seemed that some other teams were wise to our plan and a few other riders managed to insert themselves into what was briefly our neat paceline.
We headed down the descent and readied ourselves for the right time to sprint through the draft. With Christian and myself both holding aero helmets we planned to try and sit in as long as possible could before unleashing our sprint as we crossed the bridge. As the road turned leftwards some of those who had infiltrated our little group lit up their sprints and I hit my aero and let out what was now becoming an increasingly labored sprint. Thankfully, it was enough and by timing it right I was able to pop through the draft of the group just in time to take 1st place again on this sprint and we had another 1/2 with Christian taking 2nd.
Nico, despite his huge efforts in the previous two laps, managed another good showing (6th) and Florian who had set the whole move up held on the tail of the group to come across the line in 7th, meaning the four of us were in the top 10 again!
All that was left now was surviving the climb again before heading around for one final lap…
Florian initially surging out of the group to set the move upHe begins to push the pace more towards the crest as we try to get onto his wheelMy view as the last rider as we begin heading down the descent. You can see others joining us this time!
Lap 6 and the Finale!
We crossed the start/finish banner once more and began discussing our tactics not only for the final sprint segment but also for the final finishing sprint itself. We all felt that the pace up the climb on this last lap would be much harder than any of the previous laps as riders would try and get away there and stay away until the finish.
Both Flo and I were now beginning to struggle and said that we didn’t feel like we could both sprint and survive the climb a matter of 2km afterward, so decided we would both commit 100% to getting maximum sprint points and would then just do what we could at the finish. As we headed towards the sprint hill another rider tried to go long. We all sat in the group and hoped he would not have the legs to stay away this late into the race. I did the minimum I could up the climb to hold good position and as we headed down the descent and swung left I activated my aero and began to empty the tank with a final sprint effort.
As we went over the bridge and onto the segment proper I along with teammate Florian broke through the pack and the final 150m were a side-by-side slogfest to the line. Through gritted teeth I managed to hang on to take a third 1st place in a row. Flo had faded a little in the last 40m and came across in 3rd. Christian had managed yet another solid showing by taking 6th so it was only Nico this time who was surprisingly absent. Maybe he was planning something…
Flo and I come clear of the pack and have a friendly duel to the line!
The pack reformed after the sprint segment and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hold on. All I could do was bury myself and try to recover as best I could in the short time we had until the climb and finish. Mercifully, nobody in the pack wanted to push the pace after the sprint and we made our way to the bottom of the climb.
As the road reared its ugly head Florian announced he was out and there was no way he could hang on. I thought I’d try my best but could see the main group slipping ever so agonizingly away from me as we rounded the right-handed bend at the steepest part of the climb.
However, up the road, something was unfolding. Nico, who had kept his powder dry on the sprint, launched an attack on the climb and had put some distance into the field. Florian leapt into the role of DS extraordinaire and he quickly switched into fan view mode and watched the race unfolding around and behind Nico. Florian was giving Nico constant info about what was happening behind him and encouraging him to bury himself to the finish line.
Against all the odds Nico managed to stay away, taking the win much to his delight! (As he said to us over Discord, his neighbors probably know about that win.) Well done Nico!
Nico establishing his gap through the KOM bypass roadAnd holding on to the finish line!
As for me, I found myself at the top of the climb in 20th place with a little group of 3 who had been distanced from the field by 4 seconds. I continued to push hard on the descent and with 800m to go to the finish and the gap between myself and the main group still at 3s I activated my draft powerup and just decided to bury myself in the vain hope of making up the ground and getting a better finishing position.
Much to my surprise, the gap closed and I managed to pass many riders, taking 6th place at the line. With Christian taking 7th we had put three of our riders in the top ten for good finish line points to add to our sprint haul. Florian rolled in a minute or so after us. With the points of Danny and Marek who held their own to finish in the chase group, we put almost 100 points into the second-placed team!
Our results table from round 3
Some Takeaways
This race really highlighted to me how ZRL racing is so different to many of your standard Zwift races. The need to work together made us make racing choices and tactical decisions you would not make during solo racing, such as leading teammates out. We chose to play a bold hand that could have backfired but thankfully for us, it worked out. By taking the race to the opposition and not sitting back we were able to succeed.
This was quite possibly the most enjoyable Zwift race and best display of team tactics that I have ever been part of, and I feel honored to have shared it with my teammates. It has made me think about how I approach racing in the future, and I would now feel more confident in executing an aggressive attacking approach.
Finally, it also showed how you can use the terrain on Zwift as your launch pad. Considering the course in front of you and how best to use its features can pay dividends!
What About You?
Do any of you have any examples of using team tactics for success in Zwift racing? If so I am sure the community would be keen to hear it! Thanks for reading and Ride On!
Rapha’s Festive 500 began in 2010 as a simple challenge: brave the winter elements and ride 500 kilometers between December 24-31.
Thanks to Covid lockdowns, 2020 became the first year that virtual miles were allowed to count toward the challenge. This continues into 2022, where once again Zwift+Rapha have jumped in with both feet to make this fun challenge a blast for riders on the platform.
The Challenge
Your task is to ride 500 kilometers (310.7 miles) in eight days, from December 24-31, 2021. Outdoor bike and handcycle rides count toward the total, and so do virtual rides, as long as you upload them to Strava.
This is all tracked through Strava, so you’ll need to sign up for the Strava Challenge and upload your rides to Strava if you want to be considered an official finisher.
Zwift Events (RoboPacers and Ambassadors)
Zwift has promised a full slate of RoboPacer-led Festive 500 events during the week of the event. Rapha ambassadors (who aren’t robots) will also be leading group rides. And of course, you can also rack up the miles by free riding, riding with the regular (always on) RoboPacers, or any other type of ride on Zwift or IRL.
Complete any of the official Zwift Festive 500 rides and unlock the Rapha Festive 500 kit in game:
Prize Drawing
Details of the Strava challenge say those who finish will earn the following upon completion:
Entry into the prize draw to win a brand new OPEN U.P. bike equipped with Campagnolo Ekar groupset and Levante wheels.
A digital roundel for your Strava Trophy Case.
The chance to win more top prizes in the Rapha Spirit of the Festive 500 awards.
More Events from the Community?
Last year community teams created special events to help riders hit the 500km goal by riding in group rides and even races. And at least one crazy group did the entire 500km in one event!
Learn all about this year’s community-organized Festive 500 rides in this post.
Questions or Comments?
Are you up for the challenge? I know I’m in, just like last year. Share below!
How the Race Was Won (and Lost): Utter Confusion in Neokyo
It was Thanksgiving morning, and my brother Steve was visiting from SoCal. He’s a cyclist, but an outdoor one exclusively (weirdo). We decided it would be fun to put in a long Zwift ride together here in the Zwift Insider Pain Lab before sitting down for the big family meal. Because pumpkin pie.
The plan: a Z2/warmup spin for ~90 minutes, followed by a 30-minute race and cooldown. I poked around the event schedule until I found a race that looked like it would be fun for Steve: the right length, a flatter course, a good number of signups. Then we headed out and rode with different RoboPacers so Steve could get the feel of riding in a pack. (He’s done some Zwifting in the past, but it’s been a couple of years.)
As we spun around Fuego Flats I pulled up the race details to make sure we knew what we were getting ourselves into. The “Week 6” in the title indicated this race was part of a series, so we already knew the real race was for the overall series. But this would be a one-off effort for us.
The race covered 6 laps of the Neokyo Crit Course. Reading further I discovered this was actually a points race. Hmph. Not exactly what I was shooting for, as I was trying to keep it simple for Steve. But this was still the best race in our time window, so we stuck with it.
Digging into the points structure, I was struck by the complexity of it. Here’s what the text said:
Alley Sprint – laps 2 and 4 FAL (25,20,18,16,14,12,10,5,3,1)
Castle Park Sprint – laps 1, 3 and 5 FAL (25,20,18,16,14,12,10,5,3,1)
It was the primes that seemed extra-confusing. How were our oxygen-depleted race brains supposed to remember which sprints counted on which laps? All part of the challenge, I guess. “Alley Sprint on even laps, Castle Park on odd laps.” That’s how I locked it into my mind.
Steve’s group (C) started 1 minute behind me (B), so I would be able to give him previews of course features before he hit them. Time to race!
The First Half (Laps 1-3)
67 B riders started from Neokyo’s harbor pen. The pace wasn’t frantic, which was great news for me since we had 5 sprints and a finish to contest. As the pack calmed down through the Alley Sprint, Steve spun up his watts and started his C race.
We entered the parking lot which delivers you to the Castle Park Reverse Sprint start line and I revved up the watts for the first sprint of the day. I wasn’t pushing 100% (we had too many sprints left) but I wanted to give it a good go and see how competitive these sprints would be.
4th place. Not bad.
The Alley Sprint and lap 2 were just up the road, and the pack was not slowing down. We hit the start line of the Alley Sprint and I pushed the effort, coming over the line in 4th. Then we got to take a break, since the next Castle Sprint wasn’t awarding points (it was an even lap after all) and neither was the next Alley Sprint (since that would be lap 3).
But something unexpected happened as we hit the Alley Sprint: the group revved up and riders went hard! I had to push just to hold the wheels, and in my hubris I thought, “Some riders got the confusing points/laps structure mixed up. Poor schmucks!” This was lap 3, after all. Alley Sprint on even laps, Castle Park on odd.
“Why are we sprinting on lap 3?”
We hit the Castle Park sprint and I finished 9th, thanks to having no powerup. Let’s talk about this for a moment…
Suggestion: Please Kill the XP Bonus
If race organizers don’t ask Zwift to manually set up a custom powerup mix, riders get the standard randomized mix of powerups at each banner:
Here’s the problem: no racer wants an XP bonus during a race. Especially when the race has primes!
My suggestion for Zwift: remove the XP bonuses from race events.
The Second Half (Laps 4-6)
My sprints weren’t feeling great, and I kept getting friggin XP bonuses instead of the aeros I desperately wanted. So on the lap 4 Alley Sprint I got 6th, then on the lap 5 Castle Park Sprint I got 10th. It wasn’t looking pretty.
At the same time, there was clearly plenty of confusion in the B peloton, which (again, in my hubris) I figured would work in my favor. Riders were messaging and asking, “When is the next sprint prime?” I thought about sowing more confusion, but decided that, having closely studied the race description, I would chime in with my trustworthy knowledge.
Steve, next to me on Boone’s Wahoo KICKR Bike, had been dropped from the front group of C’s after a tough Castle Park Sprint. But he was wisely sitting in the chase group and saving his legs for the final push.
The Finish
As we rode easily through the final Castle Park Sprint, a rider attacked off the front with 1.5km to go. I sat in the wheels, waiting for others to pull him back. But nobody was doing it!
I had an aero powerup (finally) that I’d saved for the finishing sprint. I’m not sure if it was brilliant racecraft, my brother looking on, or my ongoing hubris problem. But I decided now was the time to jump and try to go long for the win.
As the brick path tilted upward after the sprint banner, I hit the watts hard, jumping away from the group quickly. I reached the attacker within a few seconds and blew past him. Somewhere in all of this I activated my powerup.
But the meters were counting down so slowly. I had a 10s gap at one point, but the pack began eating into that as the distance counted down to 600 meters, 500 meters…
With 150 meters to go, I wasn’t sure how I was even pedaling. Steve was yelling, “Keep pushing, keep pushing! You’ve still got this!” My arms and legs felt like they were flopping all over the place in the final 10 seconds as the pack bore down on me and I did whatever I could to turn the pedals over.
As I crossed the finish line another rider flew past. I thought I’d been pipped! The results screen popped up, but that didn’t answer my question, because it wasn’t showing the results for the B race (a repeated problem I’ve seen recently). I would have to check ZwiftPower.
Lo and behold: ZwiftPower showed me finishing first. Hurray!
Of course, this was a points race, not a scratch race. I may have crossed the finish line first, but I didn’t think I had enough points for the win. I knew I would have to wait for F365 to tabulate the scores using their funky prime setup, so I hit the showers and joined the family downstairs.
Later that day I was poking around Facebook and noticed a discussion in the F365 group. Riders were asking about the Alley Sprint – which laps counted for points?
“Laps 2 and 4, obviously,” I thought. Then I read further, and someone explained that the Alley Sprint start line comes before the lap banner, while the finish line is after the banner. Here’s my helpful illustration:
So does “lap 2” mean the Alley Sprint starts on lap 2, or ends on it?
Uh-oh. I was basing my sprints on the finish line, not the start line. But clearly many riders were basing them on the start line (hence the confusing hard sprints on laps I thought were supposed to be easy).
F365 admins confirmed it was the lap count at the start, not the finish, which they were using. And with that, I gave up any hopes I had of winning!
In the end, I finished third in points. Steve was a respectable 28th across the line (out of 85), but didn’t get a final points result since he’s not on ZwiftPower.
Takeaways
This was my first long finish attack in quite a while, and I’m stoked with how it turned out. In fact, I set new 2022 power bests between 60-120 seconds with that final effort! Stoked with that, and stoked that my brother got to see some full-on Zwift racing action.
While I’m generally good at pre-race recon, I’m constantly amazed at the details my brain misses mid-race. (I’ve sprinted for the wrong finish linemore than once, for example.) And in this race the fact that the lap banner came mid-Alley Sprint didn’t even phase me. I never considered the possibility that I was sprinting on the wrong laps! Pure hubris.
Lastly, I’ll say this: there’s a fine line between creating a race with strategic elements that make it more interesting, and creating a race that takes so much research and thought that it’s actually less fun. I think the points setup for this was a bit more complex than the average Zwifter can take on, given the weird Alley Sprint setup. That said, I applaud F365 for creating an event that’s different from what others are doing. That takes a lot of thought and effort, and small mistakes will be made along the way because you’re doing things nobody has done before. No big deal, I say. Learn and ride on!
They say that Zwift racing is the hardest in all of cycling. And after three years on the platform, racing everything from Wednesday Night Worlds to the Zwift Racing League to the UCI eSport World Championships for Team USA, I can confirm that Zwift racing is harder than anything I’ve ever done.
There’s a whole new level of suffering you can unlock when you are riding a stationary trainer, because you don’t have to worry about crashing. You can sprint with your eyes closed and ride so hard that it feels like you’re about to pass out. I’ve done both of those before in an attempt to win a professional-level Zwift race.
Somewhere in between casual pedaling and eye-crossed sprinting, Zwift racing is fun. Thousands of Zwifters compete on the platform every week, and the numbers keep on growing.
In this post, I’ll give you my top Zwift racing tips for everyday cyclists. Whether you’ve been on Zwift for three years or three days, I can almost guarantee you will learn something new today.
These are my Top 5 Zwift racing tips from me, a professional Zwift cyclist, who went from Zwifting on a dumb trainer to the UCI eSport World Championships.
Tip #1: Know The Race Course
Regardless of your Zwift level and experience, you should always know the course that you are riding or racing. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone complain that the course was longer than they thought, that they had no idea there was a dirt climb, or that the course ended with an uphill sprint.
There are so many ways to recon the course including the Zwift app itself, the Zwift Companion app, or right here on Zwift Insider. In my vast experience, Zwift Insider provides more detail than any other platform, including maps and graphs of the entire course, plus the sprint and KOM/QOM segments along the way.
When you are starting out with course recon, you should first look at the distance and elevation of the course. Know if there are any major climbs, and how long and steep they are. Also find out if there are any surface changes such as gravel, dirt, or cobblestones.
Zwift races always start with a hard effort. Sometimes it’s a full-on 20-second sprint, and sometimes it takes five minutes at threshold before the pace finally settles down. Whatever it is, the start will always be hard, and you need to be ready for it.
I recommend riding for at least 15 minutes before the start of a Zwift race, and 20-30 minutes is best for most riders. If you have a standard warm-up protocol that includes hard efforts to prime your muscles before the race, make sure you leave yourself enough time to get that done. You never want to sprint off the line on cold legs.
Crucially, you should practice your start timing before the flag drops. Before every Zwift race, you will see a countdown, and when that clock hits 0:00, the banner drops and the race is on. It’s best practice to start winding up your power with a few seconds to go, and then hit it hard as the clock hits 0:01. This will give your trainer time to spike when the banner drops, and launch you off the line at nearly your sprint speed.
Tip #3: Maintain Your Focus Throughout the Race
Staying focused is one of the most underrated difficulties of virtual racing. It’s actually quite easy to get distracted when you are listening to music, riding a stationary trainer, and staring at a screen. That’s because there aren’t many things grabbing your attention – outside, your focus is on the pavement in front of you, the upcoming corner, the wind, your speed, and your position in the pack. But on Zwift, those distractions are gone.
It takes practice and repetition to keep your focus during a Zwift race. Keep your eye on the minimap in the top right-hand corner of the screen, and watch the riders’ names just below that. In those graphics, you can see the pack – whether it is stringing out or bunching up – and the riders immediately surrounding you. If their numbers turn red, that means someone is probably attacking.
Don’t beat yourself up if you get dropped whilst not paying attention. It happens to the best of us, and I’ve seen pro-level Zwifters get dropped on a descent because they were scrolling on their phone trying to find their next song.
Tip #4: Practice Riding Efficiently
You should never finish a Zwift race with the highest average power in the peloton. All that means is that you wasted more energy than everyone else, yet you all finished together. Unless you win using a solo breakaway, there’s no reason you should be expending more energy than everyone else.
Riding efficiently also comes from having a good training plan. Better fitness equals better efficiency, and the best way to get fit is by following a structured training plan.
Practice saving energy in the draft by holding your position in the peloton without drifting too far forward or back. This is an art as much as it is a skill, and it takes time to perfect. Keep an eye on the right-hand side of the screen to see what w/kg other riders are doing. If everyone is riding at 2.5-3w/kg, there’s no reason you should be doing more than 3w/kg unless you’re attacking.
If you do start to drift too far back, keep an eye on the screen – remember, maintaining that focus – which will show “CLOSE THE GAP”. That means you are drifting out of the draft from the riders in front of you, and you need to up your power output to close the gap. It doesn’t take a full-on sprint to accelerate back into the draft, but this is a very common mistake amongst beginner Zwift racers.
Tip #5: How to Win a Zwift Sprint
When it comes to the final few kilometers of a Zwift race, it most often comes down to a sprint. With 1km to go, you need to be near the front of the peloton (20-30th wheel) and watch the riders around you carefully.
Maintain your position as best you can without drifting too far forward. Remember that you don’t need to be 3rd wheel with 250 meters to go like in real life. You can ride through the peloton in Zwift – you don’t have to swerve around riders in the final sprint, so it’s easy to go from 15th to first in less than 100 meters.
In terms of sprint timing, 200-250 meters to go is the best time to launch in a flat, all-out sprint. But if the gradient changes – in an uphill sprint – or the surface is dirt rather than pavement, the speeds will be much lower and you should wait to launch your sprint.
The best thing you can do is – coming full circle – know the course. If you know the course, that means you know the finish, and you should know when to launch your sprint.
Lastly, the size of the peloton will affect your sprint timing. The bigger the peloton, the earlier you should launch your sprint because the pace will be high and there are likely to be last-second attacks. In a smaller peloton, you can afford to wait until the last 200 meters to open up your sprint. Or, you can try attacking with 1km to go and solo to the win.
Don’t be afraid to try something new, especially if you’re unsure of your strengths. Who knows – maybe you’ll find out that you have exceptional one-minute power and that becomes your go-to move at the finish.
The Top 5 Zwift Videos this week feature two great tutorials on sprinting and racing. You’ll also meet a pair of Zwifters that took on challenges to ride every day for 30 days. Finally, get a look at a running workout with Zwift Academy Tri.
How to maximize your indoor sprinting, and win Zwift sprint races!
Take your indoor sprinting to the next level with this in-depth advice from Chris Watt (WattsWheelhouse).
Zwift Racing 101 – Everything you NEED to know to WIN your next Zwift Race!
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or experienced racer, Jarrod Mower has some tips that could help you out.
I Completed the 30 Longest Routes on Zwift Over 30 days, Here’s What Happened
Mark Ferguson, also known as Maven, took on a challenge to ride the 30 longest Zwift routes in 30 days. It wasn’t easy!
I Started A 30 Day Zwift Challenge & This Is What Happened | Part ⅓
Cycling Weekly set up a different – and much more forgiving – 30-day challenge for their video manager, Sam Gupta. He must complete at least 45 minutes of riding on Zwift per day, including at least one race.
Is this the solution to boring treadmill running? My first Zwift Run (Zwift Academy Tri #1)
After a good experience with the road cycling academy, Alex Reader decided to join Zwift Academy Tri. See what he thought of his first Zwift run.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
The Wrap, Episode 20: Christopher Schwenker from Zommunique
Anna and Nathan trigger each other on whether it’s fair play to drop during races to gain FTS points when fresh. We all mourn one of our own with the sad passing of Mandy Hagman (http://gofund.me/a986bea4).
Guest Christopher Schwenker, founder of news site The Zommunique, comes on the show to talk about his why, a great interview with a great human!
Anna drops the fashion awards part 1 of 2022, the team jerseys: Team Velos, Team TT1D, Team PTz, and Team Rhino Racing.
The Wrap is all about showcasing the awesome Zwift community, from upcoming events to must-have tech to community guests to the all-important avatar fashion segment. The live nature of the show means that hosts Nathan Guerra and Anna Russell can interact directly with those watching, gaining valuable insights and opinions across a wide range of topics.
