All About Tour de Zwift: Run 2022
All About Tour de Zwift: Run 2022
First launched in 2019, Tour de Zwift has become the biggest annual tour on the platform – a celebration of discovery across all Zwift worlds.
This year’s tour begins January 10 and consists of eight stages, each with two route options for runners. So grab a friend and join the biggest party of the year!
Here’s everything runners need to know about this year’s TdZ.
Run Categories
TdZ events are group runs, not races. The category you join determines which route you will run:
- A: Long Run
- B: Short Run
Stage Schedule and Route Details
Stage 1 (Jan 10-13): Flat is Fast
- Short Run: Watopia 5k Loop, 1 lap
- Long Run: Watopia 11.1 Ocean Blvd, 1 lap
Stage 2 (Jan 14-16): Mountain Madness
- Short Run: Makuri Islands Sea to Tree, 1 lap
- Long Run: Innsbruck Achterbahn, 8.88km
Stage 3 (Jan 17-20): Round and Round
- Short Run: Crit City Bell Lap, 2 laps
- Long Run: Yorkshire Duchy Estate, 2 laps
Stage 4 (Jan 21-23): Let’s Get Dirty
- Short Run: Makuri Islands Valley to Mountaintop, 1 lap
- Long Run: Makuri Islands Spirit Forest, 13.1km
Stage 5 (Jan 24-27): Urban Delight
- Short Run: London Classique, 5.64km
- Long Run: Paris Champs-Elysees, 1 lap
Stage 6 (Jan 28-30): Go Long
- Short Run: Innsbruckring, 7.1km
- Long Run: France R.G.V., 13.7km
Stage 7 (Jan 31-Feb 3): Escalator
- Short Run: Makuri Islands Rooftop Rendezvous, 1 lap
- Long Run: Makuri Islands Railways and Rooftops, 1 lap
Stage 8 (Feb 4-6): Big City Champs
- Short Run: New York Park to Peak, 1 lap
- Long Run: New York Hudson Roll, 9.2km
Make-Up Week: Feb 7-13
If you missed any stages, they will all be available to run during the make-up week.
Registration
Registration for TdZ is now open online and in game, closing February 12.
Warmup Events
New to Zwift, or group runs? Jump into one of the warmup events scheduled for January 3-9. These will be mild 20-minute workouts that walk you through the basics of Tour de Zwift, answering common questions like what run categories mean, what are tour dates, what will I unlock, etc.
Unlocks
Runners will unlock items progressively as they complete TdZ stages:
- Sunglasses: 25%*
- Socks: 50%
- Cap: 75%
- Kit: 100%
*Note: the same sunglasses are unlocked for both riders and runners. If you are planning to do both the rides and the runs, you will only unlock the sunglasses once.
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
All About Tour de Zwift: Ride 2022
All About Tour de Zwift: Ride 2022
First launched in 2019, Tour de Zwift has become the biggest annual tour on the platform – a celebration of discovery across all Zwift worlds.
This year’s tour has just been announced. Beginning January 10, it consists of eight stages, and each stage has multiple route options for cyclists.
So grab a friend and join the biggest party of the year! Here’s everything riders need to know about this year’s TdZ.
Ride Categories
TdZ events are group rides, not official races*. The ride category you join determines which route you will ride:
- A: Long Ride
- B: Standard Ride
- C: Short Ride
- D: Women-Only Ride (uses the Standard route)
*Some riders will race the stages, while others will treat them social rides. Events do not count for ranking points on ZwiftPower, but everyone is free to go as easy or push as hard as they’d like. Just have fun!
Stage Schedule and Route Details
Stage 1 (Jan 10-13): Flat is Fast
- Short Ride: Makuri Islands Two Village Loop, 1 lap
- Standard Ride: Watopia’s Waistband, 1 lap
- Long Ride: France R.G.V., 2 laps
Stage 2 (Jan 14-16): Mountain Madness
- Short Ride: London Loop, 1 lap
- Standard Ride: Innsbruck 2018 UCI Worlds Short Course, 1 lap
- Long Ride: Watopia Tour of Fire and Ice, 1 lap
Stage 3 (Jan 17-20): Round and Round
- Short Ride: Neokyo Crit Course, 3 laps
- Standard Ride: New York The 6 Train, 4 laps
- Long Ride: Makuri Islands Farmland Loop, 5 laps
Stage 4 (Jan 21-23): Let’s Get Dirty
- Short Ride: Watopia The Jungle Circuit, 1 lap
- Standard Ride: Makuri Islands Chain Chomper, 1 lap
- Long Ride: Watopia Serpentine 8, 1 lap
Stage 5 (Jan 24-27): Urban Delight
- Short Ride: Paris Champs-Élysées, 2 laps
- Standard Ride: Greater London Flat, 2 laps
- Long Ride: Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds Course, 2 laps
Stage 6 (Jan 28-30): Go Long
- Short Ride: Douce France, 1 lap
- Standard Ride: Watopia Out and Back Again, 1 lap
- Long Ride: The London Pretzel, 1 lap
Stage 7 (Jan 31-Feb 3): Escalator
This stage is noteworthy in that it utilizes a new route for the standard ride: “Castle to Castle” in Makuri Islands. This route does not yet exist in game, but we assume it will be released in Zwift’s January update. Our sources in ZwiftHQ tell us this route is 13.9 miles/22.4km long, with 458.3’/139.7m of elevation gain.
- Short Ride: Watopia Hilly Route Reverse, 1 lap
- Standard Ride: Makuri Islands Castle to Castle, 1 lap
- Long Ride: Yorkshire Royal Pump Room 8, 1 lap
Stage 8 (Feb 4-6): Big City Champs
Another noteworthy stage, because it’s the first time Zwifters will have the opportunity to ride the very same course the world’s best will be racing on February 26, 2022 for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships!
- Short Ride: New York Knickerbocker, less than 1 lap (ends atop KOM)
- Standard Ride: New York Knickerbocker, 1 lap
- Long Ride: New York 2022 Cycling Esports World Championships Route, 1 lap
Make-Up Week: Feb 7-13
If you missed any stages, they will all be available to ride during the make-up week.
Registration
Registration for TdZ is now open online and in game, closing February 12.
Warmup Events
New to Zwift, or group rides? Jump into one of the warmup events scheduled for January 3-9. These will be mild 20-minute workouts which walk you through the basics of Tour de Zwift, answering common questions like what ride categories mean, what are tour dates, what will I unlock, etc.
Unlocks
Riders will unlock items progressively as they complete TdZ stages:
- Sunglasses: 25%*
- Socks: 50%
- Cap: 75%
- Kit: 100%
*Note: the same sunglasses are unlocked for both riders and runners. If you are planning to do both the rides and the runs, you will only unlock the sunglasses once.
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
All About Zwift’s New Novatec R4 Wheels
Zwift’s December 2021 update added a new wheel brand to the Drop Shop: USA-based Novatec.
Their R4 wheelset is now in game, priced at just 95,900 Drops. Rated 2 stars for weight and 3 aero performance, these hoops are available for level 24+ riders. Here’s how they are described in the Drop Shop:
“Sporting a rim height of 45mm and an internal width up to 21mm, the Novatec R4 Disc wheelset is perfect for the serious cyclist. A lightweight rim providing minimal rotational weight combined with the classic R series shape provides exactly what you need in race situations.”
The star ratings don’t tell us enough to determine how these wheels actually perform in Zwift, so we ran them through our standard battery of tests to learn just how well they perform in Zwift’s virtual world.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Novatec R4 wheels in Zwift…
Aero Performance
The R4 wheels turn in a lackluster flat test time which places them in the lower 16% of the universe of Zwift wheelsets. They’re just a bit slower than the Zipp 202 wheels, and a bit faster than the stock Zwift 32mm Carbon hoops.
Novatec’s R4 wheels turned in a time of 51:21.5 on our test course (two laps of Tempus Fugit). By comparison, the fastest wheels in game (DT Swiss disc) turned in a time of 50:25.5.
Climb Performance
The R4 wheels are rated just 2 stars for weight, so we figured their climb performance would not impress. And it didn’t! They came in just behind the ENVE SES 8.9 and slightly ahead of the Mavic Cosmic Ultimate UST, ranking it in the lower 25 percentile overall.
These new wheels turned in an Alpe du Zwift time of 49:33. That’s 21 seconds behind the two top climbing wheelsets (Lightweight Meilensteins and Roval Alpinist CLX).
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
Conclusions
The Novatec R4 wheels on Zwift don’t perform well on flats or climbs, so we’re hard-pressed to find a reason to recommend picking up a virtual pair unless you own some IRL and like the idea of twinning with your avatar.
Whenever a new wheelset is added to the Drop Shop we add it to our Master Zwift Wheels List. We will also add relevant test results to the following:
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
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.
All About Zwift’s New Cube Litening C:68X Frame
Zwift’s December update included the third frame in game from Germany-based Cube. Named the “Litening C:68X”, it’s the more aero evolution of the Cube Litening already in game, with a claimed 30% drag reduction compared to the 2015 Litening.
Here’s how the Cube Litening C:68X is described in the Zwift Drop Shop:
“The Cube Litening re-writes the race bike rule book. Completely redesigned to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible, it’s the secret weapon you need to break free of the peloton and find your place on the podium. Fast, light, and as slippery through the air as a hot knife through butter. Break out and win.”
We’re not sure if the “hot knife through butter” analogy was the best choice, but clearly Cube thinks their latest Litening is one fast machine. It certainly looks sweet… and fast!
This frame is priced at 373,500 Drops and level-locked at 32. It is rated 2 stars (!) for aero and 3 for weight, which immediately made us question just how speedy it would be in game.
Of course, Zwift’s star ratings aren’t precise enough to communicate actual performance in game. So we ran the new Litening through our standard battery of tests.
Here’s everything you need to know about the performance of the new Cube Litening C:68X frame in Zwift.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The Litening C:68X turns in a poor aero performance, matching the previous Litening precisely and thus falling into the lower 23% of frames.
Its test time of 51:34 is just 2 seconds faster than the default Zwift Carbon frame given to all Zwifters. By comparison, the fastest frame in Zwift (Cervelo S5 2020) turns in a time of 51:17.5 on our test course, which is two laps of Tempus Fugit, totaling 34.6km.
Climb Performance
Due to Zwift’s Dura-Ace 9200 bug (see “Still Not Fixed” note at bottom of page here), we already knew the Litening C:68X wouldn’t be winning any hill climbs. It turns in the same time as the Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc, ranking in the lower 40th percentile.
Without the bug, the frame would theoretically climb around 19 seconds faster, which would boost it to the top 5 overall climbing rankings. But as we said with the just-released Chapter2 TOA, that’s all silly talk until Zwift gets the bug fixed.
The Cube Litening C:68X currently turns in an Alpe climb time of 49:14.5. By comparison, the fastest climber in game (Specialized Aethos) completes the test is 48:50.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm carbon wheelset.
Conclusions
Without Zwift’s Dura-Ace 9200 bug, the new Cube Litening C:68X frame would be a solid climber on Zwift. But the bug is there, which means the new Litening isn’t strong climber, until things change.
On top of that, this frame’s aero performance is shockingly bad, especially considering this is billed as a super-slippery bike by Cube, and a much faster version of its older Litening.
In summary: it’s fast IRL. But isn’t fast on Zwift.
Our guess is that Zwift will be tweaking the aero settings for this frame in an upcoming release. But until that happens, it’s hard to recommend this frame for anyone on Zwift, unless you own it IRL and want to ride it in Zwift events where speed doesn’t matter.
The Litening C:68X’s numbers will be added to the following posts, and it can also be found on our Master Zwift Frames List:
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
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.
Roll with Castelli – December Epic Tomorrow
Roll with Castelli – December Epic Tomorrow
It’s Christmas, and Castelli is giving you the chance at an early present by riding the December Epic! It happens tomorrow, 21st December, at their usual time of 6:25pm GMT/1:25pm EST/10:25am PST on the “Triple Loops” course in London. Here are the details…
This month, Castelli has lined up 2021 European Ironman Champion Laura Phillip for the ride. She is so good that on her debut at the 2019 IRONMAN World Championship, she secured a fourth-place finish. With her place secured for next IRONMAN World Championship in Kona after winning the European title in 8:38:29, she will be a strong favourite.
To put how strong she is into context, after completing a mammoth swim and bike ride, her first 5km in the run clocked 18:47. Now, most of us can’t even do that in a standalone effort, but this is after an epic swim and close to 5 hours cycling! It’s just difficult to comprehend. So to keep her in check on this Zwift event, I propose we saddle her with the Buffalo Bike, otherwise we are going to be hanging on as her “steady pace” could be our “race pace”!
If Laura has a weakness, she says it’s that she enjoys a piece of cake every day. If that’s her weakness, I have to confess that it’s mine too!
As we are in the season where we tend to look back and review if we have met our targets before setting new ones for the upcoming year, I reached out to Laura to ask about 2021 and 2022.
Laura’s Thoughts
What was your biggest highlight and lowlight in 2021?
Answers: My highlights in 2021 were definitely my two Ironman performances. I gained my first European Championship Title with my performance in Finland and my 2:44 Marathon in Klagenfurt after a solo 180k bike ride is something I am really proud of.
A lowlight was the start into the year with a hip injury that forced me to take a longer break and kept me away from early season racing.
What are your goals for 2022?
2022 will be a special year for all Ironman Athletes. We will have 2 World Championship races, one in May at St. George and Hawaii in October. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to race against the best girls in our sport on two different courses. My goal is to improve my 4th place from Kona 2019, the last time we had a world championship race.
How has Zwift helped you reach your targets?
Zwift gives me huge motivation when I have to ride indoors. To ride with others or ride the structured workouts by my coach Philipp Seipp has really helped me to increase my bike power.
Giveaways
As customary on the Epic rides, Castelli gives away items of kit to one lucky rider who stays close to the beacon. Be sure you are present around the beacon when a snapshot is taken to win the prize! Winners are announced on Castelli’s Strava Club site, which riders are welcome to join.
As it is winter Castelli are giving away a winter jacket to enable you to keep riding, even on the coldest of days. They are giving away the Alpha RoS 2 Jacket.
About the Alpha RoS 2 Jacket
The Alpha RoS 2 Jacket is a heavier version of the Alpha RoS 2 Light Jacket that was given away in the November Epic.
The jacket is made from GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric along with waterproof seam taping around the shoulders. It has a double-layer construction that allows you to open an outer wind-protection layer while keeping the insulation layer closed, this insulation layer takes the form of a small waist. Like its lighter version, the neck comes up high and is shaped to move with you as you naturally change position on the bike.
In their own words, Castelli refers to this as their “ultimate jacket, bringing warmth, breathability and a high level of rain protection along with a soft, comfortable fit.”
Event Details
- Route: London, “Triple Loops” course (40.8km)
- Date: 21st December 2021
- Time: 6:25pm GMT/1:25pm EST/10:25am PST
- Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/2536317
2021 Zwift Academy Road Winners Announced
2021 Zwift Academy Road Winners Announced
Editor’s note: if you’ve been following the daily Zwift Academy Finals series from GCN, you’ll already know who won the Zwift Academy Road finals in Mallorca. But we wanted to publish an official post dedicated to the winners, so here’s the nice press release from Zwift with more info on the ZA Road Program, Maud, and Alex.
Zwift, the online global fitness platform born from gaming, has announced Maud Oudeman and Alex Bogna as the winners of the 2021 Zwift Academy Road program, following a week-long final held in Mallorca. Oudeman will join CANYON//SRAM Racing and Bogna will join Alpecin-Fenix from 1st Jan 2022.
Zwift Academy Road saw a record of over 150,000 riders take part in 2021, with many benefiting from the structured workouts and seeing improvements across the Baseline and Finish Line rides. Many of those may well dream of becoming a professional cyclist, but for a few there was the potential that a dream could become reality as the global online talent ID-program once again was offering the opportunity to turn professional and follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ella Harris, Jay Vine and Neve Bradbury.
The 2021 Zwift Academy Road program was the first time men’s and women’s programs were combined, and the finals were no different, with both the men’s and women’s finalists competing together at the same camp in Mallorca, Spain. The contenders faced daily challenges, both on Zwift and on the famous Mallorcan climbs. All the action was captured in a 5-episode series hosted by GCN, which you can watch here.
Winner of the women’s Zwift Academy, Maud Oudeman excelled at every task thrown at her over the week, winning multiple ‘rider of the day’ accolades and proving a popular fit with her new teammates at CANYON//SRAM Racing.
“I can’t believe it!” says Oudeman. “The week was so amazing but also a tough test. I was so thrilled to make the finals and I can’t believe my dream is coming true. I cannot wait to race for CANYON//SRAM Racing and I’m really excited to continue to learn, improve and help the team as much as I can next year.”
On the men’s side, Alex Bogna kept the Australian winning streak alive by demonstrating his skill and impressive power on the famed climbs of Mallorca. He left nothing to chance in the final Zwift race and stormed away from the other riders to take the win on the Epic KOM.
“I have no words”, says Bogna. “Zwift Academy is just such a fantastic opportunity, when I found out I’d made it to the Finals I was so happy. I wanted to have a great week of riding and really give myself a chance of winning the contract. Honestly, I’m in shock this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
CANYON//SRAM Racing Team Manager, Ronny Lauke: “The Zwift Academy continues to identify raw talent that has the ability to become top level cyclists in the sport. The recent winners have all shown this with their impact on road cycling and results. In 2021, it was great that the Zwift Academy Finals were able to be held as a camp again. The level of competitiveness among the riders was very strong. Maud stood out with her consistent results and powerful performances throughout the week. We look forward to welcoming her as a member of the team.”
Stay tuned for further content over the coming months as Zwift follows the journey of these two new pro’s in their debut seasons with their new teams at https://www.zwift.com/uk/academy/zaroad
Questions or Comments?
Share below!