Zwift Racing League 2025/26 Round 1 Details
Table of Contents
Now in its 16th round, Zwift Racing League continues to take racing to the next level on Zwift! The first round of the 2025/26 season is now underway.
This page contains everything you need to know about the current ZRL round, and is updated as WTRL announces new details.
Intro to ZRL
Zwift Racing League (ZRL) is team-based racing for all abilities. It’s also the world’s largest virtual cycling competition, with over 30,000 riders of all abilities participating in each of the past two seasons!
Organized by WTRL, this is a team-based points competition spanning multiple weeks, with teams divided into divisions based on time zones and ability. Races take place every Tuesday, and the season is divided into distinct rounds with brief breaks in between.
ZRL is Zwift racing at its highest level. Its unique structure and varied race formats drive serious Zwift racers to show up week after week while providing a place for new racers who jump in and find their first team home.
Key Changes this Round
Each year, Zwift + WTRL collaborate to modify ZRL’s structure and rules with the aim of engaging as many racers as possible. The vast majority of these changes are announced before the first round of each season, which means here in the first round of 2025/26, we have a lot of changes! Some of the details haven’t yet been ironed out, but we’ll tell you what we know (with our comments in italics), and update this post as we learn more.
- Teams can now choose one of two options at registration. This effectively opens up a sort of “split category” system where lower-powered teams can still be competitive instead of being outgunned by teams stuffed with riders at the top of their pace category.
- Standard Division: Teams may include any riders who fall below the standard category limit for their division (e.g., B category zFTP max = 4.19 W/kg).
- Development Division: Designed for teams focused on rider development, this division enforces a lower zFTP cap within each category (e.g., B category zFTP max = 3.79 W/kg). This ensures a fairer and more supportive racing environment for improving athletes.
- League Nomenclature has changed to colors rather than geographic/compass points. Hurray for simplicity! Racers will certainly be happy to replace racing in “Open EMEA-W Southern (West) Division B2” with something like “Red League B2”:
- APAC becomes Blue colors (navy, teal, etc)
- EMEA East becomes Green colors (green, sage, etc)
- EMEA West becomes Red colors
- Americas becomes Yellow colors
- A new ‘Find Your Crew’ tool will open in a couple of weeks to help riders easily find a team. WTRL+Zwift have talked about a team finder tool for years, so we’ll believe it when we see it. But we do agree that a tool like this is vital if ZRL wants new riders to join in the fun!
- Slightly modified Rules and Scoring will be announced soon.
- Most races throughout the season will feature routes for A/B teams that are longer than the routes for C/D. ZRL has returned to a goal of 40 minutes for C/D races and 1 hour for A/B, although there may be a race or two that extends beyond to test teams’ endurance.
- Instead of 3 rounds followed by the Finals, the 2025/26 season will have 4 standalone rounds and no Finals.
- Rounds 1 and 4 are 4 weeks long, and Rounds 2 and 3 are 6 weeks long.
- Rounds no longer interconnect with each other. There is no promotion or relegation between rounds, and a prize-winning team will be declared for each division after each round. Teams will be seeded into their divisions prior to the start of each round based on WTRL’s ranking algorithm, which takes into account a variety of factors, including riders’ Zwift Racing Score). We like this. Promotion/relegation never worked well, because it was not a continuous system: teams were never promoted from, say, B1 to A2, or relegated from the lower A division to B1. This simplified system re-groups and ranks teams before each round based on WTRL’s algorithm.
- Rounds are now themed, with Zwift carefully selecting existing and designing new routes to suit the theme and category durations.
- Round 1: Coast Clash
- Round 2: City Showdown
- Round 3: Redline Rally
- Round 4: Legends Route
- Bike upgrades are enabled in all races. This is controversial for sure, but we like it. If Zwift is going to build bike upgrades into their ecosystem, then its most popular race series should utilize those upgrades! Start working on your TT frame upgrade if you haven’t yet…
- Steering/braking is still disabled, but there will be steering/braking leagues in rounds 2 and 3. Inside sources tell us that most Zwifters in the US, Canada, and EU now have steering/braking hardware. Perhaps this is the year that steering/braking races become mainstream?
One thing that isn’t changing: riders are still categorized based on Zwift’s Pace Group Categories, just like previous ZRL seasons. While Zwift Racing Score is a factor in WTRL’s team ranking algorithm, it does not determine your team’s category (A/B/C/D).
For more info, see ZRL Technical Guide & Rules, version 5.0.1 >
Routes and Dates
Each ZRL round comprises weekly races which are either scratch races, points races, or team time trials (TTT). Scratch Races and Points Races are both actually points-based in terms of final results, but Points races include intermediate segments while Scratch Race points are all earned at the finish line. TTT winners are the teams who complete the race course fastest, with team time taken from the fourth rider across the line.
Race #1: Southern Coast Cruise
September 16, 2025 (TTT)
We kick off the season with a team time trial on a brand-new route! Southern Coast Cruise is a rolling route that covers the eastern portion of Watopia’s southern coast road in both directions… click the link below for details.
- 1 Lap of Watopia’s Southern Coast Cruise (26.3km, 147m elevation)
- PowerUps: none 🛈
Race #2: Fine and Sandy
September 23, 2025 (Points Race)
Our first points race of the season takes us on a figure-eight tour of Urukazi’s lower roads on a route that is quite flat, except in the one spot where it isn’t. That dirty Mech Isle climb will be a key selection point, especially on the final lap!
- A/B: 4 Laps of Makuri Islands’ Fine and Sandy (42.5km, 309m elevation)
- C/D: 3 Laps of Makuri Islands’ Fine and Sandy (31.9km, 232m elevation)
- PowerUps: Aero Boost (75%), Steamroller (25%) 🛈
- Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
Race #3: Country to Coastal (A/B) or Turf N Surf (C/D)
September 30, 2025 (Scratch Race)
Our first scratch race of the season is held on two different routes, based on category. A and B squads will race on Country to Coastal, looping around the Yumezi countryside and Urukazi harbor. C and D squads head to Turf N Surf, which takes in the same Urukazi harbor roads but begins and ends on Neokyo’s flat, permadark streets.
- A/B: 1 Lap of Makuri Islands’ Country to Coastal (33.5km, 284m elevation)
- PowerUps: 🛈
- Village Sprint: Draft Boost
- Country Sprint: Anvil
- Shisa Sprint: Steamroller
- Tidepool Sprint: Feather
- Flatland Loop Start/Finish arch: Burrito
- C/D: 1 Lap of Makuri Islands’ Turf N Surf (24.7km, 198m elevation)
- PowerUps: 🛈
- Alley Sprint: Draft Boost
- Shisa Sprint: Feather
Race #4: Jarvis Seaside Sprint
October 7, 2025 (Points Race)
Our final race for this round is on yet another new route. Jarvis Seaside Sprint combines a clockwise loop of Jarvis Island with a lap of the Seaside Sprint route, and we’ll be racing 2-3 laps depending on category.
- A/B: 3 Laps of Watopia’s Jarvis Seaside Sprint (40.3km, 321m elevation)
- C/D: 2 Laps of Watopia’s Jarvis Seaside Sprint (27.8km, 226m elevation)
- PowerUps: 🛈
- Downtown Watopia Start/Finish arch: Aero
- JWB Sprint: Draft Boost
- Jarvis Sprint: Feather
- Jarvis KOM: Burrito
- Jarvis Lap arch: Aero
- Volcano arch: Ghost
- Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
Race Timeslots
Some divisions and start times get tweaked between each round, so use the table below to find a current time slot that works for your team.
Teams/Registration
Team registration opens August 19, 2025 at wtrl.racing/zrl-registration, and closes September 13, 2025 at 00:00 UTC.
ZRL is a team-based competition – you cannot sign up as an individual rider. Teams can have up to 12 racers rostered, but only 6 can race in each event. Teams must have at least 4 riders on their roster, and a rider can be rostered on no more than 2 teams per round.
Want to race, but don’t have a team? Here are seven ways to find a team:
- Recruit friends onto a new ZRL team, then sign up your team at wtrl.racing/zrl-registration/.
- If you’re already a member of a larger Zwift Club, contact a senior Club representative to see if you can join one of your Club’s ZRL teams.
- Join an official team-lead ZRL Group Recon Ride (see below) where several teams can be found looking for more riders. These run several times a day, starting two weeks before the first race.
- Join the ZRL Facebook Group and post preferred race times/league, Pace Group Category, and any other preferences under the #zrlteamhunt tag where many teams are eagerly waiting.
- Reply to one of the #zrlrecruiting posts that teams make in the ZRL Facebook Group if you don’t want to post your own request.
- Reach out directly to WTRL and they can match you to a team based on race times, category, and team preferences.
- Use the new “Find Your Crew” tool, which should be available by early September at wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/teamhunt/.
First-Timer Tips
If this is your first time racing on Zwift, here are a few tips to get you started fast:
- You must create a WTRL profile linked to your Zwift account – do so at wtrl.racing/registration
- The minimum category you’ll race is determined by your power history on Zwift. See this post for details.
- Riders must use a power sensor to transmit power to the game – this would be a smart trainer, smartbike, or power meter. (You’re allowed to race C and D categories with a “classic” trainer and virtual power, but your points are cut in half.)
- Heart rate monitors are required. (You’re allowed to race without a HRM, but your points are cut in half.)
- Cadence monitors are required.
- You’ll want to have at least a few races under your belt before you try to join a team, so you are confident that you’re in the correct category. It causes a lot of hassle if you join a team and are forced to upgrade to a new category mid-round!
Race Recon Events
If you’re unfamiliar with a particular week’s race course, join a ZRL recon ride! These happen multiple times per day and are led by experienced racers who may share route info and racing tips as you ride.
Find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon >
2025/26 ZRL Dates
- Round 1: September 16-October 7, 2025
- Round 2: November 4-December 9, 2025
- Round 3: January 6-February 10, 2026
- Round 4: April 7-28, 2026
Questions or Comments?
We recommend checking out WTRL’s Zwift Racing League page for rules, team registration, results, and more. They also have a Help Center with lots of useful info, and their Facebook page is the place to go for discussion of all things ZRL.
You may also share questions or comments below!
