“Race Like a Pro” ZRacing December 2022 Series Details
Zwift’s monthly ZRacing series is now in its fourth round following September’s Get Rolling, October’s Race Like a Champ, and November’s Race Makuri. Each month has brought more and more racers out to compete for the monthly GC.
Today Zwift published event details of December’s ZRacing Series, where the theme is “Race Like a Pro”.Let’s dive into the details!
Race Like the Pros!
With Zwift’s Pro Training Camp now underway, this series gives us the chance to put our training to the test and race like the pros we are training with! December features 4 weeks of racing, and each week racers will wear a different World Tour team kit for the race. (No unlock – pro team kits are for the pros only.)
The ZRacing series consists of monthly sets of weekly races. Each race is scheduled for seven days (beginning 1:10am UTC on Monday and running through to the next Sunday). Timeslots are consistent week to week and month to month.
Races are scheduled ~15 times each day, so there are plenty of available times to find a race.
Each monthly set of races has a time-based GC (general classification) which tracks riders’ best finishing times for each week’s race. The overall winners in each category for the month will be the riders with the lowest overall time for that month’s set of races.
Each month’s series has its own achievement badge which you can unlock by finishing every stage for the month.
One and Done
Zwift has planned these events around the idea of a solid 1-hour workout. So each race should only take around 1 hour to complete, including your warmup and cooldown.
Hey lovely D Cats – welcome to the world of BamBam does Recons. Let’s be honest; this week is as good as it gets for D Cats – it’s relatively flat and will be fast.
As with every start, it will be manic. I can still remember our first ZRL race when the Captain said, “Just do your best.” I didn’t start pedaling 10 secs before the race, slowly ramping up to sprint pace at 0.00; instead, I waited until the big ‘Go’ smug in the knowledge that I was going to be incredible.
I learnt quickly.
Let’s look at how this recon will actually play out for us.
0–1.3km: Holy crap – I cannot keep this up for the next 37km – please slow down. Please slow…ok – sprint coming 320 m. I’m riding through… look for the dancey people and the bus stop – which bus stop.. oh shit… did I miss it? I’m being dropped….I’m being dropped…. Sprint SPRINT.
1.6km: I can’t breathe….I can’t breathe… breathe…breathe…. focus…find group, any group. Don’t be alone. Listen to soothing tones of DS on Discord as she cooes “It will get easier, they will slow” – everyone knows she is lying, but it does soothe and I allow this to become a pretend belief.
Thought pattern – how far to the next sprint – 3.something. Listen – pay attention – pick up lung later – it’ll be there on the 2nd lap.
Turn right at the big shop – then left – then right – there’s the parking – I’m going for this one – get ready – round the bend – GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How far? How far? How far?? Please DS say relax, why is the DS not saying relax…I’ve sprinted about a km now. ‘Relax’ – dear sweet baby Jesus – that was waaaaayyyyy over 320m. I do not trust that DS one little bit – checklist on left-hand side– shit missed it – did you see the time – did anyone see my time? I think I did it – I think that was about 10 secs – 20? Are you kidding me – 20? No way – Just no way – that’s it. I’m done – Getting off now. Ok – I’ll stay – part of a team – not all about me. But 20?
Push up the hill, get ready for the next sprint – was I going for this one? No way – sit with this group. Why are they dropping trucks – oh no! Look for the urinal on the wall on left. They’re sprinting – oh my lordy – I will have to ramp it up again. NOOOOO! I hate this course….
Done – breathe – push – stop bloody sprinting everyone – just stop it. Now we can pootle. Oi you from the other team – stop pushing – this is the pootle bit – POOTLE! Let’s work together – (please let’s work together). That means we all do a turn – not you sit on my wheel and slow down all the time!
Ah – Si Bradeley’s little 800m kicker – let’s be clear here. This is a hill – not a bump, not a kicker. I can tell you exactly where there is a kicker – just before the sprint on the Two (Three) Bridges Loop – that’s a kicker!!! Think nice thoughts about Si Bradeley and his wonderful recons, and try to believe that this is only a kicker.
Ok – I’m up, I’m up – look for hotel – which hotel – lots of hotels – can’t read my notes – sweat in my eyes – ouch – ouch– get ready – start sprinting – push – why is that green banner not getting any nearer? Why do I have a ghost? What use is that to me? Why is everyone else overtaking me? Why do I still have 200m to go? NO. Not happening- sit down. Roll through …
And so down to the arcade – look at the pictures – don’t look at the carpet – too late – looked at the carpet – think I’m going to vomit or have some sort of fit. Why does it make me think of dodgy nightclubs where my shoes used to stick to the carpet? Get through this as quickly as possible.
“Well done, BamBam – two laps to go” seeps through my headphones. I leave Discord.
Zwift’s annual fondo series is a popular tradition where thousands of riders push themselves to finish long rides. The series kicks off this weekend, and Zwift has made some fun changes this year:
A new schedule
Kit unlocks based on which route distance you complete
Bi-weekly “Fondo Friday” workouts tailored toward fondo training
A rotating route schedule
Here are all the details about this year’s fondo series…
Zwift Fondo Schedule
Fondo weekends are the first weekend of each month, starting December 2, 2022 (UTC) and ending in April 2023:
December 2, 2022 – December 4, 2022
December 30, 2022 – January 1, 2023
February 3, 2023 – February 5, 2023
March 3, 2023 – March 5, 2023
March 31, 2023 – April 2, 2023
Fondo Routes
Zwift has two “sets” of fondo routes. First, their original three routes:
Each month of this year’s series rotates between these two sets of routes. December will use the original routes, while January will use the 2022 routes, and so on.
December Fondo Schedule
The first series kicks off at midnight December 1 GMT, which is 7pm EST/4pm PST.
Events repeat every 3 hours until midnight December 4 GMT.
New this year, each fondo length has its own unique kit unlock. Here’s a shot of all three kits:
These kits are exclusive, meaning they will never be available anywhere else. A true badge of honor!
You have five months to unlock all three, but if you are up for the challenge, see if you can ride all three distances in one weekend.
Is this a race?
Officially, no. But hundreds (possibly thousands) of riders will turn out for each of these popular “fun race” events, and the front of each category will certainly be filled with strong riders going all out.
How the Categories Work
Unlike other Zwift events, the A, B, and C groups don’t refer to rider strength or fitness. Instead, they correspond to route and distance options:
A Group (~90 km Gran Fondo)
B Group (~70 km Medio fondo)
C Group (~50 km Bambino fondo)
Fondo Fridays
Zwift says “Fondo Friday” workouts will begin December 9 and run through March 24 (presumably not on fondo weekends).
“Fondo Fridays include a selection of workouts from the Gran Fondo Training Plan, designed to take you from couch to gran fondo distance before the series ends. Fondo Friday weekly workouts are around one hour and occur every three hours, beginning December 9 and concluding on March 24. Workouts are also available on-demand in the workouts training plan folder.”
It didn’t use to be this way. I used to be a regular kind of healthy. I could walk for miles, but that was the extent of my cardio work. I had some weights at home, but I never saw the inside of a gym. Then my life got flipped, turned upside-down, and I’d like to take a minute, just sit right ‘ere, I’ll tell you how I became a puncheur in a place called Watopia.
Breaking Bad
I was being literal about the flipped, turned upside-down thing. Five years ago (20 Nov 2017) I was hit by a car going over 50kph (I would give you the mph but you’ve already changed your Zwift setting to kph to maximize your XP so you should be used to this by now). It’s what is typically called a sideswipe injury. My left tibia and fibula were shattered. In my right knee, my LCL, PCL, Popliteus, and biceps tendon were ripped. My ACL was merely a bone avulsion. Oh, and I had complete fractures of my lumbar and cervical spine. To say I’ve had better days would be an understatement.
The day went by in a drug-induced blur. I had an 18-hour surgery the following morning, then had doctors sticking needles in my toes every morning to test if I’d been paralyzed. This period isn’t the point of the story, so to cut a long story short, the doctors told me it would take a year to be walking normally again. Three months bedridden, three more months in a wheelchair, a few dark days where my arms were paralyzed, and a lot of arduous work later; I was back on my feet without crutches in 9 months.
Lost
When faced with long-term rehab you need to find something you love. There are days you just don’t want to do any more, and those are the days you have to do something to prove to yourself you can. I am not a natural runner, and I didn’t fancy the impact nature of pounding the streets or treadmill. My spine is held together by a series of metal pins (see above), so rowing seemed to be out. I was spending more time in the gym, and increasingly I was gravitating toward the exercise bikes.
I was walking again, had returned to work, and got back to something resembling my new normal. Things were looking up. Then the pandemic hit. While others were getting into the shape of their lives, what progress I had made was quickly lost through lack of access to the gym, and easy access to my fridge. My mood and weight both spiraled, just in different directions.
Enter Zwift. I had plenty of time on my hands and did a lot of research into the best smart bike and training app combination for someone who hasn’t been on a real bike for years. I settled on the Wattbike Atom and Zwift.
Orange is the New Black
I remember my initial sessions. They were disastrous. I didn’t know what I was doing in Watopia, nor on the bike. My fitness levels had also taken a dive. My first ride was 20 minutes of struggling to do 6km on the rolling roads of Harrogate and I was done. It was demoralizing but if there is one thing the last five years have taught me it’s perseverance.
I dove into the structured training programs available on Zwift, starting with the Zwift 101 and moving on to a couple of runs through the FTP Builder. I was starting to get a handle on this new world and, much more importantly, I was starting to enjoy myself.
Outside of workouts I was doing free rides, exploring, and generally badge hunting. I remember seeing turning signs to the Epic climb and thinking, “one day but not now.” The Alpe could not have been further from my thoughts. My first attempt up Hilly KQOM took me 5:48. At my then ~110kg, I was not built for climbing.
Happy Days
I enjoyed some of the surface-level social aspects of Zwift. On every free ride I would hammer the multiple Ride On button as much as it would allow me, following Zwifters who gave me a Ride On and gaining followers of those who returned the favor. I tried some group rides, but the outcome was always the same. Either I wildly overestimated my ability, or the group did not stick to the advertised pace. Irrespective, I was often left riding by myself, so I kept on with my free rides.
As my strength and ability grew, I decided to try racing. Down to 92kg at this point, I created my ZwiftPower profile and signed up for Haute Route Watopia 2021 as a Cat D. Although there were riders ahead of me as I finished, according to ZwiftPower I won the stage. It’s difficult to describe the levels of elation I felt, but all signs point to my real addiction starting that day.
(Of course, unbeknownst to me, I had sort of sandbagged the race. I entered stage 2 as a Cat D and got a UPG. Stage 3 I entered as a Cat C and came 203rd. It didn’t matter, I had caught the racing bug.)
I also started to drop the free rides and embrace the group rides. If there was a Tour of Watopia, I was on it. Off the MAAP? I’m signed on! The Tour de Zwift was a particular highlight. As I found more fun groups on Zwift, my weekly time and distance on the bike steadily increased.
The Amazing Race
I was still keeping up with my racing. I would occasionally dabble in iTTs, but I preferred group races with shorter, punchier climbs. A Friday 3R race on Greater London 8 became a regular fixture, and I enjoyed seeing myself creep up the leaderboards as the weeks and months passed. It took me a year from that debut Cat D win to eventually get my first Cat C triumph. That was in February this year.
A couple of things happened at this point. Someone at TBR Racing spotted my results and approached me about joining the team, and Zwift introduced Category Enforcement racing. No sooner was I part of the TBR team, I was classified a Cat B rider and thrown into the bear bit of the Zwift Racing League (ZRL) EMEA West Div. B2. I was terrible and hopelessly outclassed, but I loved every minute of it. Despite my performances, the team got promoted and I just wanted to be better. I needed to be better.
Not long after, I joined a ZZRC Saturday Social Ride on Three Little Sisters. It’s the perfect route for me, with three short climbs of increasing length. More than the route, it was the group I fell in love with. The humor, encouragement, camaraderie; everyone immediately made me feel at home. The ZZRC Saturday and Sunday Social Club became a staple of my weekends and, before I knew it, I was sweeping the rides.
Band of Brothers
Several months removed from the height of the pandemic and it is fair to say that I am now in the shape of my life, even if my family insists I could do with gaining a few kilos. Don’t they know my scales are linked to Zwift?! What I didn’t expect, when I started this journey, is that it wasn’t about the fitness gains: the real treasure was the friends I made along the way…
I have raced with so many great and impressive people riding for TBR. They’re fiercely competitive, and yet know when to make light of the situations that arise in Zwift racing and just have fun. The highlight of my week is now ZRL Tuesday nights, when I try and push myself to my limits just to grab a few extra points for a team I feel honored to be part of.
Every day I get to ride with amazing people. Can you imagine riding 750km in 24 hours? What about riding 450km just to support a friend doing 750km? Or climbing the height of Everest in 17 hours? How about doing 100km every day for over 30 days straight? Or someone who will drop everything with less than 24 hours’ notice when a friend’s team is a person short for a brutal ZRL TTT? And that’s just stuff that has happened in the past month, not to mention the countless people that give up their time to organize, lead, and sweep all those group rides and races that you love riding in every day.
The Good Place
So, where am I now, besides hopelessly addicted? I average 12+ hours a week on the bike, riding 450km with 4,500m climbing. I’m down to around 80kg and can do a sub-60-minute Alpe without thinking. I’ve finally won a Cat B race and TBR have promoted me to 48t in ZRL EMEAW Central Div. B1, where I can just about hold my own against B+ riders. I now view Hilly KQOM as a sprint, and I have shaved over four minutes off my first time up there. These are all things I scarcely thought possible when I started Zwifting in September 2020.
What can you take from all this? I know it’s a cliché but, if I can do this, with a bit of time and application, you can too. It took me taking an all-too-literal kick up the ass, but not only have I found something I love doing, I’ve also met some incredibly inspirational people.
The Wrap, Episode 19: DIRT’s Kevin Hamer & Justin Milligan
Nathan and Anna delve into why riding less can equal faster racing. The new GP reverse eliminator format is epic and awesome, why? Tune in to find out. The camera angle debate rears its head again as the latest Zwift update has made camera angle 1 a bit strange.
Women’s participation on Zwift, does it matter if race numbers are low, or should we care more about overall participation? An ongoing debate.
Guests Justin Milligan and Kevin Hamer from team DIRT talk about being an OG club and how they are using their influence to create a kick-arse race series and helping guide those new to the scene.
Garage pick is the Diamondback hot pink TT bike, Jersey is the Voxwomen, and fashion in the field was a lovely Rapha festive500 kit paired with the pink Tron and Makuri accessories.
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.
The KISS 100 is likely one of the most competitive races on Zwift. Every week, some of the best riders in each category come to compete in this ~100 km race! The organizers at KISS like to keep the race spicy by featuring a different route every week. Some weeks riders tackle 2000+ meters of elevation gain, and others, the course is relatively flat. This week features a rolling course with 10 laps of the new Fine and Sandy course in Urukazi.
Two time zones are available for this event. Riders should expect to be racing for 2-3 hours depending on the category. Because this is a highly competitive event, category A podium finishers are required to dual record. The rest of the riders must follow the rules listed below.
Rules: Category Enforcement, Power Meter Required, Heart Rate Monitor Required
ZHCC is hosting a 60-minute group ride with Zwift’s rubber band mode which keeps all riders together no matter how hard riders are pushing. This ensures that no riders get dropped along the ride. Using the rubber band feature makes this a perfect ride for beginners and riders who are looking for a higher pace.
Before joining this ride, it is important to note that riders will likely cover significantly less distance because of the rubber band mode. Zwift is working on improving it to make sure that the speeds are realistic relative to the effort that riders are putting in.
The Super League Triathlon Championship Series started on Monday and features multiple time zones throughout the week. The goal of the series is to race against other community members in an open paced race. The event features five different categories with different kits that can be unlocked with the completion of the event. (Note: categories are not pace-based, riders are free to join whichever category they would like.)
Every week for the next few weeks, Super League Triathlon will be offering these races on different courses. This week, riders will race one lap of Greater London 8 while runners cover one lap of London’s Classique.
The Rhino Crash Chase Race began as a private event a few years ago. It has since grown to be one of the most popular chase races on Zwift! The Rhino Racing organizers are very good about altering the time gaps based on the course to ensure a tight finish between categories. Chase races are a great opportunity to work with other riders and compete against each other at the same time. This week’s race takes riders along just over two laps of Sprinter’s Playground, which happens to be the course of this week’s ZRL!
The race is great for riders in Europe who fancy an evening race and riders in North America who want a mid-day race. As with most competitive races, there will be good ZwiftPower ranking points available at the finish!
Many avid Zwifters know that HERD is easily one of the most popular and prestigious event organizers. The HERD Saturday Doughnut Ride is a great group ride for riders who aim to be in the 1.5-2 w/kg area. Riders will be rolling around the Park Perimeter Reverse course this week.
This group ride is one of the most popular rides later in the day on Saturdays for North Americans, so expect a large blob and lots of fun chatter! HERD recommends that riders join their Discord server to interact more easily with other riders.
Rad Race x Pushing Limits Workout Series Announced
November 30 sees the first workout in a weekly series from the global Rad Race + Pushing Limits community. Group workouts happen each Wednesday, with a total of 12 workouts extending the series through February 15, 2023.
Kit Unlock(s)
Completing an event will unlock either the Rad Race or Pushing Limits kits on Zwift. (See Companion app event details to learn which events unlock which kits.)
Diverse Routes
Each workout in the series is hosted on a different route.
Since their release in August 2020, RoboPacers have become a popular part of the Zwift landscape, providing always-on group rides/runs at a consistent pace. (Originally called “Pace Partners”, in November 2022 they were renamed “RoboPacers” to differentiate them from HoloReplay ghosts.)
Here’s a quick snippet of one of the original Pace Partners in action:
Nowadays, RoboPacers look like robots, instead of the hologram-human look of the original Pace Partners. As the name says, RoboPacers are bots, not real people. They ride at a consistent pace on a particular route, and you can easily join them if you’re looking to ride with others.
This page contains everything we know about RoboPacers. Let’s dive in!
Meet Your RoboPacers
Here’s a complete list of running and riding RoboPacers, along with each of their paces:
Note: all cycling RoboPacers weigh 75kg and are 175cm tall.
Running RoboPacers (currently turned off)
Billy – 6.0 kph
Louis – 6.7 kph
Maggie – 7.5 kph
Dean – 8.0 kph
Lizzy – 8.6 kph
Roger – 9.2 kph
Audrey – 10.0 kph
Jesse – 10.9 kph
Kat – 12.0 kph
Carl – 13.3 kph
Joan – 15 kph
Uses for RoboPacers
Zwifters use RoboPacers in a variety of ways:
Warmups and Cooldowns: getting ready for a race or tough group ride? Get your legs spinning with a pack of friends. It’s more fun than dropping into a map alone, and it helps get you into that group ride mode.
Group practice: still learning how to stay in the draft and ride efficiently on Zwift? RoboPacer packs are the perfect place to practice. Move around in the group, noting how it gets harder or easier depending on if you’re off the front, tailgunning on the back, or sitting somewhere mid-pack.
Steady training or long distance: looking for a steady effort? You always know what the RoboPacers will be doing.
Intervals: interval training with a RoboPaced group is more fun than doing it alone. Try riding off the front for X minutes, or dropping off the back then sprinting on.
Fitness Testing: want to push yourself? Choose a RoboPacer that rides above your race pace, and see how long you can hang on. Then come back and do it again!
Pyramid Workouts: try starting with an easy RoboPacer, then teleporting to the next hardest, working your way up. Stick with each for perhaps 5 minutes, then work your way down once you’ve maxed out.
Meeting a Friend: want to ride with a friend? Just tell them which RoboPacer group you’ll be in, and they can join whenever they’d like!
Joining a RoboPacer
Find all the currently-active RoboPacers under “24/7 Group Rides” on your homescreen. Each Pacer’s card has details about what that particular Pacer is doing:
Select the RoboPacer you want and click to start riding/running with them. The game will give you a little burst of speed to make sure you don’t get dropped right away.
Where Is the RoboPacer?
Here’s a little tip many Zwifters don’t know: when you click on a RoboPacer’s card from your home screen, a route map will pop up which includes the RoboPacer’s current location. It can be a little hard to see, but it’s the grey circle with a RoboPacer symbol inside.
Dynamic Pacing
Cycling RoboPacers use dynamic pacing, increasing power by up to 10% uphill and decreasing up to 20% when descending. This provides for a more natural overall pace, as riders on smart trainers instinctively boost their power on climbs and decrease it on descents. Just like outdoors!
Drops Multiplier Game
The Drops Multiplier game was created to encourage riders to stay close to the RoboPacers. It provides a bit of a challenge to help us engage and learn how to manage our position in the virtual peloton – a useful skill for races and group rides. And of course, we all like more Drops, so we can fill our virtual garages with more bikes and wheels!
The big idea here is: stay close enough to the RoboPacer and your Drops Multiplier will increase, which means you’ll be earning Drops faster. It takes 5 minutes to fill each stage, so after 5 minutes of riding close enough to a RoboPacer your multiplier will go from x1.0 to x1.2 (this means you’re earning Drops 20% faster than before.) 5 more minutes and it will go to x1.4, then x1.6, then x1.8, then x2.0, then x2.5.
It will stay at x2.5 as long as you stay close enough to your RoboPacer.
Starting out: Drops Multiplier at 1.0Next step: Drops Multiplier at 1.2
Chance of Thumbderstorms
If you’re looking to get a lot of Ride Ons, there’s no better place in Zwift than a big RoboPacer group. Not only do the RoboPacers hand out Rides Ons regularly, but riders in the groups do it as well! Many Zwifters have received their “Bigger Than Jensie” badge (100 Ride Ons) simply by hanging with Coco long enough…
Route Rotation Schedule
RoboPacers rotate to new routes on a regular basis. To find out what routes each RoboPacer will be on in the coming days, so our RoboPacer schedule.
RoboPacer FAQ
Do RoboPacers draft? Yes.
Can I draft behind a RoboPacer? Yes.
What’s the story behind Coco Cadence’s name change? That’s a story Simon tells best.
Development Timeline
For the true Zwift nerds, here’s a timeline of Pace Partner/RoboPacer evolution:
September 2020: Drops Multiplier game launched for Cycling Pace Partners. UI tweaks to help you join and stay with the Pace Partners (read more).
October 2020: Beacon added over Pace Partners for easier visibility, and warnings shown to help you make the right turn to stay with the Pace Partner (read more).
February 2021: Drops Multiplier game tweaks make it easier to get those Drops. Lower-level Zwifters can now follow Pace Partners into level-locked areas of Watopia. Read more >
September 2021: Zwift moves Pace Partners server-side, making things more stable and paving the way for much more powerful features.
November 2021: Pace Partners launch in Makuri Islands, marking the first time the bots have appeared anywhere other than Watopia. A sign of things to come?
March 2022: dynamic pace testing begins, making Pace Partners decrease efforts on descents and increase on inclines for a more natural riding experience.
May 2022: a raft of new Pace Partners are released for testing various paces. Test events are held with Pace Partners as beacons/leaders, including Alpe du Zwift climbs and chase races.
August 2022: homescreen UI revamped to display all Pace Partners as well as their route, group size, current w/kg, speed, and location on the map.
September 2022: Pace Partners graduate out of FutureWorks. A whole new set of Pace Partners is spun up, and the list of Watopia and Makuri Islands routes for the Pace Partners is finalized.
November 2022: Pace Partners are renamed RoboPacers.
September 2023: Zwift confirms they’ve turned off running RoboPacers due to low engagement.
January 2026: 10th cycling RoboPacer “Sofia” added at 0.8 W/kg, “designed for new and lower-FTP users,” and the list of routes used by RoboPacers is greatly expanded (read more).
September 2026: Major changes to RoboPacers and rotation! Cruz, Mochi, Dani, and Betty pacers added. Taylor and Bernie adjusted slightly. RoboPacers are now only available in Watopia, and flatter routes overall are placed into the rotation. Each week now features the same routes for Monday through Thursday, then another set Friday through Sunday.
