Some big events this weekend to try, especially one which was a real favourite for me last year – “Ride Like King”. I’ve also highlighted one which you could consider a little different.
Ride Like King 14
Last year’s event was a real highlight, so I am delighted to see this has returned to Zwift, allowing everyone to participate once again. This year marks Giant Group’s 50th anniversary.
One Buffalo Bicycle from World Bicycle Relief will be donated by Giant Group for every 1,000 km ridden, and there will be a range of Giant Ambassadors along with familiar names from AHDR leading the rides. Learn all about the event here >
There are 3 rides per day, with different routes each day to give you some variety if you want to log extra miles for the cause:
Friday, May 20: Makuri Islands’ Wandering Flats (1 lap, 25.2 km)
Ride with Eric Chon – Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Join Zwift employee Eric Chon in a 45-minute spin around Makuri Island to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Eric is the original Community Support team member and has been at Zwift for over seven years and is the son of Chinese immigrants. He developed a passion for cycling by commuting on the streets of Boston.
The ride will be socially paced between 1.5-2 w/kg.
I am highlighting this event because you get the chance to race on the 2022 Bambino Fondo route, which totals 53.3km. This is the first time that I have seen a Fondo course used for an official race! (It’s possible that this has happened before, but I’ve not seen it, as I would have signed up, given my preference for these longer and hillier routes.)
On 20th May, it’s “National Pizza Party Day” – the things you learn from Zwift!
To celebrate, Zwift are hosting a ride and if you complete this event, it’s one of the rare opportunities to unlock a pair of Pizza Socks! (I’d better tell the Zwift Jersey Hunters group, which I highly recommend following on Instagram “zwiftjerseys”.)
This ride is short: 10.2km on 1 lap of the Park Perimeter route in New York. Note there are also National Pizza Party Day Runs scheduled!
The third race in the first-ever race series hosted by Zwift Insider! Full details can be read here.
There are three events spread over the weekend, two on Saturday and one on Sunday (GTM, at least), giving you the chance to race the “Rebel Routes” which have now made it into Zwift’s official list of courses.
This weekend’s event is hosted on Watopia’s Seaside Sprint route. Six laps of the fairly flat (but a bit rolling) course, with what’s sure to be a fast sprint finish!
Back for another year, Zwift in partnership with adidas and the Parley Ocean School are helping reduce the amount of plastic waste that makes it into one of our key ecosystems – the oceans.
The Mission for runners is now open for registration and runs from May 23-June 8. For every 10 minutes you run, adidas and Parley’s “global cleanup network” will remove the equivalent weight of one plastic bottle (up to 500,000 pounds) from beaches, islands, and coastal communities.
This event also has a “Community Unlock”, which is a really cool idea we haven’t seen before on Zwift. Read below for details!
Getting Registered
In order for your miles to be registered with adidas, you have to link your Zwift run account to the adidas Running app. So before you start, follow these steps to ensure your Zwift run activities count towards the fight to end plastic waste:
Run 20km between May 23-June 8 to complete the mission.
Schedule and New Routes!
Once you’re registered, any Zwift runs you do will count toward your mileage goals. But there are special RFTO activities taking place at multiple times each day for the duration of the mission, and all these RFTO activities take place on two new Watopia Run Only routes!
Run 20km to complete the Mission and unlock sweet in-game gear! Unlocks are progressive:
25% adidas socks
50% adidas Hat
75% adidas RFTO Shorts
100% adidas RFTO shirt
100% Community unlock: this is a fun one! When the Zwift community logs 50,000km, everyone participating will receive adidas Ultraboost 22 shoes in game. According to Zwift, “All registered runners will get notified via email when the community hits each distance milestone.”
About Parley Ocean School
“Inspiring and empowering the next generation of Ocean Guardians” is the mission of the Parley Ocean School. Piloted in the Maldives in 2015, it has since expanded around the globe. To find out more, visit their website.
While Zwift Racing League 2021/22 Season 3 has officially ended, there is one Finals race left this Saturday (May 21). (Officially called the “WTRL Racing Finals”, these races feature a fresh ranking/grouping format which is full explained in this post.)
We’ve put together a complete Finals Guide including tips for bike choice, powerups, and maximizing your performance across 12 (yes, 12!) sprints. Ride smarter… ride harder. Let’s dig in!
Looking At the Route: Makuri Islands’ “Sprinter’s Playground”
Featuring in ZRL for the first time, this route may feel like a Playground across one or two laps. But three? Madness. It all adds up to 12 sprint points across 37km of racing with 207m of elevation gain.
This course has no real climbs, and with 4 sprints per lap most riders won’t have the legs to push on the uphills anyway. There is one bump heading into the Railway Sprint which some riders may try to exploit in order to get off the front and stay away – but that’s a trick your body won’t let you repeat on a course like this.
The best advice we can give you for success on this route is to ride a recon and learn the layout of each sprint. You need to know where each sprint begins and how long it lasts so you can make smart choices about which sprints you’ll attack and which sprints you’ll surf wheels. With 12 sprint segments across the race, you simply won’t be able to go all-in on each one!
Tower Sprint Rev: 300m long and flat, the first sprint of the lap often gives bonus points to riders who know their route and start early, before the start line is visible.
Castle Park Sprint Rev: 300m long and flat, this is one of the shorter sprints on the course, and one whose start line will surprise you if you don’t know your route.
Alley Sprint: 410m long and flat (Strava segment), this is the second-longest sprint on course. Coming quickly after two previous sprints, expect many riders’ efforts to be blunted. The first sprint on the loop with FTS points, some riders will linger near the back leading into this sprint, then try to power through.
Railway Sprint: 490m long and slightly downhill (Strava segment), this is the longest sprint on course, and it comes just after a bit of an uphill bump. Watch for some riders to go long, while other riders start from the back to chase FTS points.
The finish is a bit tricky here too, since you can’t see it until it’s too late to react. Pre-ride the route, watch your distance to go once you’ve left the Arcade, and good luck on timing it well!
No powerups will be given out during this race. Due to a Zwift bug powerups have been unreliable in ZRL (and other) events lately, so WTRL made the wise decision to just disable powerups for everyone until the bug is fixed in the next Zwift update.
Bike Choice
This is a flat course with no real climbs and only sprint points to be had, so aero is everything.
Grab the fastest frame and wheels out of your garage. You may even consider making a purchase with some of those Drops you’ve got in the bank!
The maximum points a team of 6 could earn in this race.
As the chart above shows, this race is all about the sprint points, and in particular those FAL points. Here are the strategies we predict racers will employ for the finals:
Pick and choose: no rider can put in a max effort for 12 sprints, so smart sprinters will be picking their efforts based on their power profile and how the legs are feeling. Are you a 30-second sprinter, or a 15-second? Can you attack and stay off the front for a bit? Make choices that maximize your strengths.
Tag team: teams, with the help of Discord, will do some coordinated efforts on particular sprints. This can be quite effective when attacking off the front for FAL points, as riders can trade pulls and stay away from the hard-charging pack.
3-sprint breakaway: with the first three sprints of each lap happening within a 2.8 km window, a small breakaway (perhaps 2-3 riders from one team) could potentially gap the peloton and grab top FAL points for three sprints. It’ll take a big effort to stay away, but the rewards will be rich!
Your Thoughts
Care to share your thoughts about Saturday’s Final? Comment below!
About This Series
The Giant Tips ZRL series is sponsored by Giant Bicycles and delivers helpful tips for upcoming Zwift Racing League stages so you can unleash your full potential.
Giant is the world’s leading brand of high-quality bicycles and cycling gear. Part of the Giant Group founded in 1972, the brand combines craftsmanship, technology, and innovative design to help all riders unleash their full potential. Learn more at giant-bicycles.com, or visit one of their 12,000+ retail stores around the world.
All About this Weekend’s “Ride Like King 14” WBR Benefit Events
Celebrate the 14th year of Ride Like King (and its 5th year on Zwift) this weekend with events featuring special contests, product giveaways, and opportunities to get involved with advocacy through World Bicycle Relief, a global charity group that uses bikes to help mobilize people in low-income regions.
What is Ride Like King?
In 2007, at age 73, Giant Group King Liu completed a 15-day, 927km ride around Taiwan. This resulted in a renewed passion for cycling and the benefits it brings to the individual, community, and country. Following this, King traveled to countries and spoke with governments to promote the positive impacts of cycling.
His message resonated within the company as well. ‘Ride Like King’ started in 2009 as a small event within the Giant Group to celebrate their founder’s passion for cycling. But it grew to be an annual event and now is in its 14th edition! Zwift is an active partner and has been hosting the event on its platform since 2018.
The WBR Buffalo Bike IRLAnd in game!
Bring On the Buffalos!
To honor 14 years of Ride Like King, Giant has made it easier than every for the community to earn Buffalo Bicycles for World Bicycle Relief by increasing the number of Zwift events to nine and donating a bicycle for every 1,000km ridden collectively (versus every 1,300km from the previous year). Giant will also match the total number of bikes donated by the community, doubling the impact.
Past Performance
Last year nearly 5,000 people participated, accumulating close to 200,000 km and providing 300 bikes to people in need. These purpose-built bikes are engineered for heavy loads, long distances, and rugged terrain. They are manufactured by Giant and assembled by World Bicycle Relief employees in local regions around the world.
Event Schedule and Details
This year there are nine Zwift ride events over three days with open and women’s-only options for each event. The Zwift rides will be supported/led by Giant and Liv pro racers from affiliated teams including Team BikeExchange-Jayco, Liv Racing Xstra, the Giant Factory Off-Road Team and Liv Racing Collective, along with other athletes and ambassadors representing the brands.
Everyone will be assigned RLK14 kits during their rides, unlocking those kits upon completion of a ride. Riders will be assigned Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc bikes for the open rides or Liv Langma Advanced SL bikes for the women’s rides. Alternatively, three of the rides (one per day) will use WBR Buffalo Bicycles for both the open and women’s rides.
There’s a fresh route each day, encouraging riders to complete more than one RLK14 event. Each day features three timeslots, with different times each day for ultimate availability. The route schedule is:
Friday, May 20 Makuri Islands’ Wandering Flats (1 lap) Total Distance: 25.2 km Total Elevation: 145 m
Saturday, May 21 France’s R.G.V. (1 lap) Total Distance: 25 km Total Elevation: 133 m
Sunday, May 22 Watopia’s Waistband (1 lap) Total Distance: 27.8 km Total Elevation: 101 m
Completing one of the events will unlock the RLK14 jersey!
Riders who finish any of the stages are eligible to win IRL prizes. Five randomly-chosen riders from each event will win a limited-edition Ride Like King 14 jersey, signed by King Liu.
You’ll want to grab your gravel bike for this one, because it’s all dirt. This short loop takes you up repeated partial climbs of the all-dirt Temple KOM. With approximately 1.5km of continuous climbing each lap, it’s a great route if you’re looking to do some VO2 intervals!
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
This route begins with a tough lead-in from your Sea to Tree spawn point to the top of the Temple KOM. Use this climb as your warmup, so you can smash out a lap of the Rebel Route!
Once you ride through the KOM banner in the giant mystical tree the Dirty Temple KOM Loop begins. Descend for 1.6km then hang a right onto the bypass trail. This 1km stretch of trail is rarely covered by official in-game routes (only Spirit Forest uses it, and that’s going in the other direction), but it’s a nice flat lead in to the upcoming climb.
Turn right to head up toward the KOM at the end of the bypass trail. Your finish line is the KOM banner where you began. Then you can decide if you want to do it all over again!
Profile
This route is essentially a short descent followed by a flat, finishing with a short climb. Repeat as many times as you’d like!
Getting Started + Lead-In
The easiest way to get onto this loop is to choose “Sea to Tree” from your Makuri Islands route options. This will properly route you up the Temple KOM in the correct direction.
Once you’ve passed through the Temple KOM banner in the giant mystical tree, the Dirt Temple KOM Loop route (and the need for manual navigation) begins!
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete the Dirty Temple KOM Loop once you’ve begun by selecting Makuri Islands’ “Sea to Tree” and riding up to the KOM banner:
After a successful trial run series, Team DIRT Racing has announced the global launch of DIRT Racing Series, Season 1. Held on Tuesdays beginning May 31 (after Zwift Racing League wraps up), it looks to be an exciting, competitive series with rules and structure that make it extra fun.
Here’s how they describe it:
DIRT Racing Series is open for everyone, all Zwift Racers (new and experienced), all Zwift Clubs and all genders. Whether you’re a sprinter, a climber or a diesel – we think you should always be able to contribute to your team. With our balanced points structure ALL points will be valuable so you’ll have to push hard wherever you are in the race!
DRS Basics
Here are some key things we spotted that make the DIRT Racing Series special:
Split categories (A & A+, B+, B-, C+, C- & D) so the competition is tighter
Team Electric Spirit Co. Tour De La Rive Gauche Announced
Team Electric Spirit Co. is known for their unique, competitive races. But their latest event may be their most audacious endeavor yet!
Tour De La Rive Gauche uses an exciting new format creating a 4-stage time-based GC race… over the course of a single evening of racing!
Schedule and Routes
The racing kicks off at 19:00 BST in true Grand Tour style with a prologue iTT on the flatter section of Bologna, before heading to the Queen Stage on Alpe du Zwift where the climbers will battle it out on a shortened version of the famous Alpine stage. The sprinters get their chance to shine with a short crit in Yorkshire for stage 3 before a testing finale back in France. By this point the fatigue will really be starting to show in the legs, so this will make for an exciting battle between the puncheurs and the Grand Tour endurance specialists.
It all happens Tuesday, May 24. (All times below are BST.)
19:00 – Stage 1, Prologue ITT** on Bologna’s Time Trial Lap (flat only)
A+: 5.9km
A: 5.9km
B: 5.9km
C: 5.9km
D: 4.9km
19:25 – Stage 2, Mountain on Watopia’s Road To Sky
*Women’s category to race distance of the next mixed category down. **TT mode, draft off.
GC, Points, and Team Races
The winner will be the rider with the lowest combined time over the course of the 4 stages, we’ll also be running a points and team race alongside the main GC.
We will have 9 separate categories for A+ through to D in mixed and separate A to D women’s categories. For each category we have some prizes on offer from Electric Spirit Company.
The tour will be based on a Grand Tour GC format, with the winner being the rider in each category with the lowest total time over the 4 stages.
Race organizers are also running a points competition as a secondary competition, scored as follows:
Finish line points: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Prime Points: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Finishing points will be allocated for all stages, prime points will be allocated for first over the line in all recognized sprint and KOM segments in stages 3 & 4.
A team competition will run along the GC format, with the lowest combined time for the best 4 racers in each team to count. (Teams will be based on your Zwiftpower team, there is no way for race organizers to override this with another team. You can temporarily change your Zwiftpower team for these events only.)
10 Features Zwift Could Add Today To Make Us Smile
Last week was a big one at Zwift as they announced a restructuring and “right-sizing” of the business, eliminating ~200 positions in a company of 700+ employees (read more here).
Zwift says the move away from hardware will let them focus on improving what really matters: Zwift’s software. “We are committed to increasing the development of the core Zwift game experience, increasing the speed of new feature releases, and making the platform more accessible than ever before.”
When will we see the fruits of Zwift’s refocused efforts? Zwifters hope it’s soon, and not zoon. Some Zwifters doubt that the restructuring will actually move the needle when it comes to Zwift’s ability to improve Zwift.
As I thought about it over the weekend, I decided if I was in charge at Zwift, I would want to make some quick, easy improvements to show the community we’re listening and have the ability to roll out useful updates quickly.
With that theme in mind, here is my list of 10 easy upgrades Zwift could implement to help meet the goal of “making the platform more accessible” and “increasing the development of the core Zwift game experience”. Some of these upgrades are so easy they could go live by simply changing a line or two of code or an entry in a database. Others may take a programmer or designer a few hours of work. Some have already been developed internally, but never released. But they are all easy wins for Zwift which the community would love to see. So without further ado…
We’ve written about this in the past, more than once. Zwift has had the same three Challenges since early days, with an image that seems to show a 4th Challenge can be unlocked.
How is that Challenge unlocked? By Zwift’s team getting around to creating a 4th Challenge and putting it into the game.
The ideation has already been done – by Zwift (internal sources tell me additional Challenges have been conceived and even partially designed), but also by the Zwift community itself, which has come up with a pile of Challenge ideas (including this lovely bit of artwork).
There should always be a Challenge for every Zwifter to be working toward, even if it’s a crazy one like riding to the Moon (238,900 miles).
Zwift added levels 26-50 back in December 2018, but hasn’t added additional levels since. Many of Zwift’s most dedicated long-term users have been stuck at level 50 for years. Myself included.
Sure, level 50 Zwifters represent a small slice of the overall community. But they’re the super users. The evangelists. Zwift should want to keep them engaged and excited.
Adding a new set of levels is one easy way to do it. And it would take so little on Zwift’s part. Can I let you in on a little secret? Level 50 Zwifters don’t really care about unlocking new socks at the next level. We’ve got plenty of socks. But we do enjoy working toward new levels.
Zwift could add the new levels with nothing unlocked at each level and Zwift veterans would rejoice. Then Zwift could come in and back-fill those new levels with some simple unlocks (socks, hats, new glasses, etc) in the coming months. Easy peasy.
Right now you can tap your location arrow in the Companion app during a free ride/run and give a Ride On to the 5 closest Zwifters. But you can’t do that in an event. (I’ve written about this more here.)
It used to be possible, so we know the functionality already exists. But it was disabled in events for unknown reasons after being in game for several months.
Bring it back, Zwift, and let us be more encouraging and social with our friends!
Status: Climb limits have been increased multiple times over the years. As of March 2026, you can join us to 50 Clubs, and Clubs can have at least 100k members (not sure if there is a member limit at this time).
Currently, Zwifters are allowed to sign up to a maximum of three Clubs, and that includes Clubs they own. Additionally, Clubs are limited to just 100 members.
This is just silly, and it has hamstrung the rollout of Clubs. Consider this:
We have a Zwift Insider Club (join it here), but I haven’t shared it because I know we’ll hit the 100-member limit within hours.
My team (DIRT) has a Club that existed before today’s Clubs tools. It is capped at 500 members, which again is silly given that our team has several thousand members.
I personally know of several IRL Clubs who haven’t started using Zwift’s Clubs tools because their Club has a few hundred members.
A partial Club is no Club at all. If you’re using Zwift’s Clubs tool to unify a group that already exists, and you can’t get all your members into the Club, the Club is useless. If Zwift should have learned anything in the past 5 years, it’s to stop playing gatekeeper and let Zwifters make their own choices.
There’s good news here, though: according to this forum post, Zwift is actively working on letting us have more than 100 Club members, and join more than 3 Clubs.
#5: More Missions
Status: Zwift did roll out more missions, but these have been effectively replaced in game by various “mini Challenges” which show on the homescreen, but don’t award badges.
Missions are those short-term events (usually a month long) challenging Zwifters to ride 250 km, climb 20,000 feet, burn 10,000 calories, etc within a given timeframe. While we didn’t see many Missions in 2021, Zwift has hosted Missions in January and April so far for 2022, so that’s a good sign.
I would love to see monthly Missions become a standard on Zwift. It shouldn’t be tough to come up with compelling ideas as there’s an abundance of Mission fodder floating around between partner product launches, new Zwift features (ride all the former Rebel Routes, perhaps?), and personal challenges.
#6: Saved Logins/Pairings
Status: the pairing screen has seen some updates, but saved logins and pairings still aren’t a thing.
Many Zwifters share their Zwift computer/device with others (the family that Zwifts together stays together, right?) Zwift should be able to optionally remember recent account logins so starting up Zwift under the correct account is quick and easy. (It can already do this on AppleTV and iPad, but not on PC, Mac, Android, or iPhone.)
Additionally, paired devices should be remembered based on account, so when I’m signed in as a particular user my devices automatically and quickly pair up. (Currently paired devices are remembered for all accounts which have used that computer, which gets confusing when multiple users have different bikes, heart rate monitors, even trainers!) When we all basically use the same equipment for each session, pairing should be automatic and fast, unless a problem occurs.
#7: Show Routes for Events
Status: events still lack route details in game.
I love that Zwift’s new homescreen UI places more emphasis on events, and lets you see the event description and other details more easily than the old UI.
But I have one big complaint, as a route guy: where is the route name?
The Companion app shows the route name and a map. But it’s missing in the new homescreen UI and also missing on the Zwift.com events calendar (zwift.com/events).
I never sign up for an event without knowing which world/map it’s on. Zwift, tell us the world and route so we know what we’re signing up for, please. Bonus points if you can link that world/route name to a simple popup window showing the route’s animated map and an elevation profile!
#8: Annual Plan
Status: rolled out November 2023. Paying annually effectively gives you 2 free months, at least for US$ pricing.
A longtime request, Zwifters want Zwift to do what’s become the standard in the industry: give us a discount if we pay for 12 months. Wahoo’s recent acquisition of RGT focused in on this pain point, with Wahoo offering a $50 discount for annual memberships.
I think many Zwifters would be happy with 2 months free, and this would probably convince a lot of riders to just pay for a full year instead of pausing their accounts in the summer.
Status: the power curve can still be wonky at times.
Why are the lines separated if the number is the same?
I love checking out my critical power curve on Strava after hard races, to see if I set any recent power bests. Zwift’s power curve on the Ride Report screen offers a taste of the same capabilities, but it’s a very rudimentary and buggy version of what’s become standard in the industry.
If Zwift could let me change which time window the power curve represents (past 6 weeks, all of 2022, all time, etc) and fix the bug that sometimes makes the two lines appear very separated even though they should overlap, the power curve window would become much more useful.
#10: Clean Up My Garage
Status: fixed… sort of. Zwift rolled out automatic garage sorting in October 2024. It’s not a full garage organization capability some users want, but it at least puts your most used items at the top of the list!
Happy to toss this bike to the curb!
A common request from racers, it would be nice if we could delete items in our garage. Heck, if it’s too much hassle then we won’t even ask for some of our Drops back when “returning” items. Just let us delete the stuff we’ll never use, so we can more quickly find the bikes we want!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of my list? Do you have an easy change you would add to it? Share your thoughts below!
Zwift’s May update included the two new “triathlon-specific” TT frames: the Felt IA 2.0 and the Scott Plasma RC Ultimate. Both are upgrades to existing frames in game (the Felt IA and Scott Plasma), and both are rated at 4 stars for aero performance, 1 star for weight – just like every other TT frame in Zwift.
Normally we do separate posts for each new frame and wheelset, but it turns out these frames perform identically, are priced identically, and are level-locked almost identically… the Felt is available to level 34+ Zwifters, while the Scott is available at level 33+.
Here’s how each is described in the Drop Shop:
Felt IA 2.0:The IA 2.0 is the latest incarnation of Felt’s venerable IA platform. Entirely redesigned, the exciting new silhouette, smart integrations, and massively adjustable riding position is purpose-built for triathlon. If solo speed is your thing, you’ve got to try the IA 2.0.
Scott Plasma RC Ultimate:With the Plasma RC Ultimate, Scott really decided to flex their “Aero Muscles”. This triathlon-specific bicycle features fully integrated cables, a hydration system, and storage boxes. They’ve also made it versatile, making sure that anyone can find their most efficient cockpit position on the bike. If you thought the last Plasma was the fastest in the world (it was) then you ain’t seen nothing yet.
We ran both frames through our normal testing procedure in order to discover exactly how they stack up against other frames in the Zwift universe.
Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC Ultimate frames in Zwift.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
Both the Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC Ultimate turn in very fast flat times. In fact, they’re tied for 2nd place in the universe of TT frames on Zwift, only slower on the flats than the Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc.
Both frames are faster than their older versions in Zwift, but while the Felt IA 2.0 trims just 1 second off the Felt IA, the Scott Plasma RC Ultimate trims 15 seconds off the older Scott Plasma.
The Felt and Scott both turned in a test time of 49:43. By comparison, the Canyon Speedmax CF SLX Disc is 2 seconds faster, while the slowest name-brand TT frame (Pinarello Bolide TT) is 16 seconds slower on our test course, which is two laps of Tempus Fugit totaling 34.6km.
Climb Performance
The Felt and Scott both turned in a matching Alpe du Zwift test times, and those times were faster than any other TT frame in the game.
Both frames are faster than their older versions in Zwift, but while Scott Plasma RC Ultimate trims just 2 seconds off the older Scott Plasma, the Felt IA 2.0 trims 8.5 seconds off the Felt IA.
Their Alpe time was 50:01, which is 41 seconds faster than the slowest TT frame in Zwift (Trek Speed Concept SLR 9) and 1 second faster than the previous best climber, the Specialized Shiv S-Works.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
Conclusions
On a pan-flat TT course like Tempus Fugit, the zippy Canyon Speedmax CF SLX disc is still the best frame. But if the course includes hills, you’ll want to be riding the Felt IA 2.0 or Scott Plasma RC Ultimate. That’s because they outclimb the Canyon (and every other TT frame in game), and are only 2 seconds slower than the most aero frame over a 50-minute flat test!
So which of these new frames do you pick? Whichever one looks the best to you! Be warned, though – as has been the case with other frames lately, the color slider shows up but doesn’t actually work. So what you see is what you get:
The Felt IA 2.0 and Scott Plasma RC Ultimate are now listed on our Master Zwift Frames List. We’ll also be adding them to the following posts:
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike's performance relative to others may also change. We don't always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
In the newest iteration of the Kiwi Crew Ride, a podcast with a Kiwi guest will automatically play when the ride starts, then as the ride transitions into the sprint, Greg Henderson will stick around to DS riders whilst heart pumping techno music blasts.
This episode features New Zealand road and track cyclist Aaron Gate.
About the Podcast
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features training tips from host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson, Rahsaan Bahati, Dani Rowe, and Kristin Armstrong.
