Have you seen Zwift’s latest ad campaign, featuring Mathieu van der Poel?
If you don’t know who Mathieu van der Poel (MVDP) is, you haven’t been paying attention to cyclocross for the past several years. As a junior, MVDP turned in perfect seasons (nothing but 1st place) in both 2011-12 and 2012-13. And he’s won most of the cross races he’s entered ever since!
This past year he moved into road racing and was arguably the most exciting racer in the peloton. He won the Tour of Britain, the Amstel Gold Race, and turned in impressive performances in several other races.
Watch this summary of his incredible Amstel Gold win:
Here’s the crazy thing: he’s only 24 years old.
Did we mention he’s also a mountain biker, winning the Dutch national championships in 2018 and getting 2nd overall at UCI Worlds in 2019?
Some are saying he’s the most exceptional talent in the new generation of riders. We tend to agree. Apparently, Zwift does too!
MVDP was an obvious choice for their new ad campaign, which is targetted at gravel/cross riders and the MTB crowd. MVDP is perhaps the only rider in the world who has universal appeal and recognition across the road, cross, and MTB disciplines. It helps that he’s an absolute monster on a bike.
How the Race/Not a Race was Lost: Le Col Metric Century
What better way to start off the new year than a good hard ride? When the Le Col New Year’s Day Celebration rides were announced, I cleared my schedule. Let’s do this!
Full disclosure: I wasn’t one of the crazies who tackled the imperial century. 100 miles with over 10,000′ of climbing, are you kidding me? No. I went with the metric instead, with 5,000′ of climbing. That seemed like more than enough work for my “day off.”
Pre-ride planning was pretty casual this time around–I took it easy the day before, ate tons of New Year’s Eve party crap, and got to bed much too late.
Waking up just in time for my pre-race ritual of caffeine gum and some PR lotion on the legs, I filled every water bottle I could find (5, as it turns out) and got on Zwift just in time to spin the legs for a minutes before the clock hit 0. No pre-race warmup today.
The Start
But let’s be clear: this was not a race. Yes, some riders treated it as a race. But I certainly wasn’t going to do that.
Or maybe I was?
To be honest, I really hadn’t decided. I knew I didn’t stand a chance of winning–there was way too much climbing involved. We were riding almost a complete lap of the Mega Pretzel, after all, which goes over the Epic KOM climb in both directions.
But how hard did I want to go? I really wasn’t sure.
We blasted off Watopia’s starting pier and I found myself in something like 250th place out 720 riders. On huge, long group rides like this I tend chase placings as a way to push myself.
First goal: work my way to 199th place or better.
The vegan debates began early. I wasn’t sure I could take it for 3 hours!
Here’s the other reason why I wasn’t sure about racing this ride: I didn’t have the course memorized. I knew it went over the Epic KOM in both directions, up the volcano, and into the jungle. But I really wasn’t sure in what order things happened.
No, this wasn’t a day for a race. But the legs were feeling pretty good, so I decided topush hard and see how many places I could claw back. First order of business: the Jungle.
Jungle Swap
When we turned right to head toward the Jungle, I decided it would be fun to swap onto a mountain bike for the dirt portion. I already knew from our tests that the mountain bikes were significantly faster than road bikes on the Jungle dirt, so if I did it right I should be able to gain a few places while having fun passing roadies on my fat tire bike!
This was a last-minute decision, though, and I wasn’t even sure which mountain bike(s) I owned. Had I bought the Specialized Epic yet? I didn’t want to mess around with purchasing the bike while trying to swap mid-ride, so I came up with a little hack on the fly: I would open Zwift on my iPhone and check my garage there.
Good news: it worked! Bad news: no Specialized Epic. So I bought it on my iPhone.
When our group hit the dirt I noted what place I was in: 197th. Then I applied the brakes and went to swap to my new Epic–but it didn’t show up. Dang. Apparently Zwift only saves new bikes when you save your ride. So I grabbed the Zwift Mountain bike instead and headed into the Jungle dirt.
In case you’re wondering: my hack didn’t work, because I was in the middle of a ride session on another machine when I did it. After I saved my Le Col ride, I checked and the Epic was not in my garage, and my Drops had not been debited the cost of the bike.
As we began making our way around the Jungle (reverse direction) it was clear that even the slower Zwift MTB was much faster than the road rigs everyone was on. I was flying past packs of roadies who were putting out significantly more power than myself. Ha! Game on.
By the time I finished the Jungle Circuit and swapped back to my road bike (Tarmac Pro with Meilensteins, of course) I was in 176nd place. 21 places gained–I’ll take it.
Epic KOM Reverse
We tackled the backside of the Epic KOM next, and I figured this is where I would lose a lot of places since the climb is fairly steep and 25-30 minutes long. But surprisingly, as we climbed I found myself catching a few riders, and not being passed by many!
I crested the top in 162nd place, gave myself a pat on my sweaty back, then pedaled hard to catch the small group ahead so we could draft together on the descent.
(Drafting doesn’t matter much at slow climbing speeds, but on the descents it can make you move a lot faster.)
There was a lot of message banter going on, and one recurring theme was thankfulness that we didn’t have to tackle the Radio Tower climb. I heartily agreed.
As we descended from the KOM I grabbed my first food of the ride: a Caramel Toffee & Sea Salt Clif Bar that had just arrived a few days before from TheFeed.
Related note: if you’ve never shopped at TheFeed before, check them out. Some great deals on bars, gels, etc. And if you make your first purchase through this link I’ll get a $15 credit!
My basic rule for long rides is this: eat a Clif Bar every hour. I’ve found this keeps me fueled sufficiently, and as long as I stay hydrated I can go for 5-6 hours this way.
After the big descent it was time to hit the Hilly KOM forward, then make our way over to the Volcano climb. Thankfully, these climbs were short/flat enough that they don’t hurt much if the group isn’t pushing the pace.
We’d passed quite a few riders on our way up the Volcano, so I set a new goal: to finish better than 90th.
The two-hour mark was just ahead, as was the Epic KOM. Time for my second Clif Bar: Blueberry Crisp!
Epic KOM Forward
The next big event was climbing the Epic KOM forward–a climb I had just done the day before! Instead of expecting to lose places this time around, I decided I would push to at least keep my place, since that seemed doable.
And it was. I actually gained a few spots on the climb, finishing in 88th, but didn’t have any riders near me for the descent. I didn’t like being in No Man’s Land, but with 720 riders on course I figured I would find company soon enough.
The Dreaded ANT+ Drop
We turned left toward the Jungle, which actually surprised me. (For some reason I thought we only hit the Jungle once on this route?) And as I began to climb toward the Jungle my ANT+ data suddenly went away. Nooooo!!!
I’d had one very small dropout earlier in the ride, which was unsettling, but this was a big dropout, and my signal didn’t appear to be coming back. I realized I could connect to my KICKR and TICKR via Bluetooth on the Companion App, so I did that and was moving forward once again, just in time for a couple riders to catch me.
As we rode I realized why I’d lost ANT+ signal: I had stuck a funky-junky Chinese ANT+ dongle in our Zwift machine while doing some lab testing the day before, and forgot to remove it. Zwift had connected to that dongle instead of the good one on the extension cable. Whoops.
Bike Swap #2
As we hit the Jungle dirt again, I swapped back to the Zwift MTB and noted my place: 107th. Let’s see if we can claw back a few more places!
The MTB definitely wasn’t faster on the wood bridge portions at the bottom and top of the Jungle, but everywhere else I did nothing but gain time. I came out of the Jungle in 82nd place. 25 places gained!
The Finish… Sort Of
This ride had a custom finish line at the 100km mark, and we didn’t really know where that would be on course. What we did have was our distance counters, but my distance on the right wasn’t matching my distance at the top, so I wasn’t sure how far I had left. I just chased “M. Blot” ahead, got on his wheel, then rode to the finish line at the fishing village.
Top 4%? I’m not sure the math checks out, but I’ll take it!
Then the real suffering began.
Earning It
Since I wanted the achievement badge for the Mega Pretzel, I had already planned on riding a few miles past the finish. (The Mega Pretzel’s length, after all, is 66.5 miles.)
But here’s the problem: that’s the length if you start from the spawn point. If you start from the starting pier in an event, like we had, you add another 2-3 miles to the route! And for some reason, at this stage in the game, that felt like a million miles.
Feeling Cramptastic
I was taking it easy, using the final miles as a cooldown spin, when I made one mistake: I reached as far to the side as I could without unclipping in order to grab my last water bottle. And when I did that, my legs said nope.
That ominous pang of a quad cramp kicked in, beginning at the top of my right leg and moving down to the knee, locking up that entire muscle in a harder cramp than I’d had in a while.
Perhaps last night’s dinner of Doritos and Li’l Smokies was a bad idea.
No sooner was the right leg under control that my left leg decided it wanted in on the action. Hurray, cramps all around! I’m not gonna lie–I may have snarled a bit, in frustration and pain. I was only a mile or two from the finish, and I could hardly pedal!
I shifted to an easier gear, and just tried to keep spinning. Eventually, the cramping stopped.
As it turns out, I had to ride nearly 7 more miles to get the achievement badge.
And even though this wasn’t a race, I set some 6-month power PB’s, averaging just a bit more than I’d done in the Vegan Cyclist 100+1 ride.
Bike swapping works: swapping on and off the MTB for the Jungle portions let me gain around 20 places each time. Plus, it was fun! Depending on your race situation, it could really be a smart strategy. It definitely makes sense on rides like this, where you’re not on the front and there are packs of riders all around.
Be kind to your body, and it will be kind to you: a cleaner diet the night before would have certainly made my body behave better. Clean carbs, lots of water, plenty of sleep. All things I did not do to prepare for this ride.
Solo Dongle: don’t double-dongle it–you’re just asking for trouble.
What About You?
Did you undertake a Le Col NYD ride? How did your experience compare to mine? Share below!
Video: Team Fearless Women’s Team Championships 2019
On Saturday, December 14, women from all over the world competed in the biggest women’s team race on Zwift. The Team Fearless 3rd Annual Women’s Team Championships had a whopping 226 finishers, up from 140 last year! And this year, Zwift Community Live provided live coverage and commentary.
Teams of 3-5 women worked together to cross the finish line as fast as possible. (If a Zwift team had more than 5 racers, they just entered more than one “team.”) The finish times of the top 3 riders on each team were added together. Teams were awarded points based on those times and any sprint and QOM points their riders earned. Then, the one with the most points was declared the winner.
Each category got its own results and its own podium, celebrating women at a variety of ability levels.
Watopia’s Sand and Sequoias route is mostly flat, but the rolling hills of Titan’s Grove leading into a QOM climb gave the racers a chance to break things up. And they took it! Multiple categories saw a breakaway closely pursued by a determined chase group. Did they stay clear? Check out the video below to watch the race and see. Then, click here for full results.
Zwift has released its “10,000 Calorie Mission” for the third year in a row, just in time to burn off some extra holiday pounds.
Starting the Mission
Sign up for the mission from the Zwift startup screen by clicking “Let’s do this” in the mission box (top-left).
Completing the Mission
This part is simple, but not easy: burn 10,000 cumulative calories on Zwift by January 31st. Here’s how many hours it will take you if you’re riding at various average wattages (runs also count!):
How does it perform? Decently, but it’s not going to be on the list of the very fastest frames or best climbers. It came in at 2 seconds slower than the Zwift Aero frame on our flat test, and 2 seconds faster than the Zwift Aero on the Alpe. So a solid performer for the money and level lock, but there are plenty of faster frames out there for higher-level riders.
First, they’ve reduced the threshold for standing from 80 to 70RPM, which seems like a good move. But more interestingly, they’ve changed in-game data flow so we only see riders standing if their cadence is in fact below 70.
Before this update, all riders (except your own) would automatically stand on any +3% incline. This was done to reduce the amount of processing and data flowing between Zwift’s servers and your machine. But Zwift has optimized their data flows and code so we can see the real-time standing status of all nearby riders.
Other Changes?
Notice anything else new in this update? Comment below!
2019 was Zwift’s biggest year yet, in all the ways that matter. New game features? Yep, lots of those. New worlds/roads? Construction crews have been busy. Overall participation numbers? Bigger than ever before!
Let’s take a look at all the big Zwift news from 2019.
New Roads and Routes
Zwift has released more new roads and routes in the past year than ever before. It began in early January with the release of three new event-only routes for the zFondo series:
And in February yet another event-only route (NYC KOM After Party) was launched.
In April we welcomed the Fuego Flats Watopia Expansion, a beautiful desert-scape made for flat, fast TT efforts. This release included a handful of new Watopia routes:
Next came May’s release of the Giro d’Italia Bologna TT course, an exact replica of the prologue ridden at this year’s Giro. Released on May 11th so Zwifters could ride it the same day as the pros, it’s a smaller course which is only used for events.
In July the Watopia’s Waistband route was made official, even though it’s event-only. This began as a Rebel Route, so it was fun to see it show up in game!
August 1st saw the release of Titan’s Grove, the “National Forest” add-on to Fuego Flats. Titans Grove is a rolling course connecting to the ends of Fuego Flats, and it came with several new routes:
Then the Yorkshire UCI route was released in early September. This replica of the finishing Harrogate circuit of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships lets us ride what the pros rode, without getting wet! Here are the six routes available in Yorkshire:
In early October, just released its first-ever singletrack route, named Repack Ridge. Just for mountain bikers, it is also where riders can test the in-game steering feature.
Then just in time for a little Halloween fun, Zwift released the event only “The Magnificent 8” for riders to traverse while picking up pieces for their costumes.
All year long, Zwift’s event organizers kept up a steady stream of major Zwift-organized events to complement the hundreds of community-organized events happening each week.
Here are just some of the major events which happened on Zwift in 2019–click for more details:
There’s been a lot happening in the world of Zwift beyond new routes, game updates, and big events. Here are some of the top Zwift news stories from this year:
Our sources tell us Zwift has even bigger plans in store for 2020, including many game updates to facilitate the first-ever UCI eSport World Championships happening later in the year.
We also know the following updates are happening for sure:
Club functionality (allowing teams to organize events, etc)
UI Redesign
New world launch (Eric Min said, “we are heading east…”)
Better automatic race rules enforcement
What else does Zwift have in store, and when will it all happen? We’ll have to wait and see. See you out on course!
Zwift wasn’t the first virtual cycling platform, but it is the best. Tacx Trainer, Bkool, VeloReality, Kinomap, Trainer Road, PerfPRO (and others) all existed before Zwift–but none of these managed to achieve Zwift’s runaway success. Why is this?
To put it simply: Zwift created a community-driven platform which is a level above anything that existed before. Here are seven ways Zwift has changed the indoor cycling game forever:
#1: A Huge Community of Real People
When you get lots of people together, amazing things can happen. While we don’t have hard numbers to go on, we do know that the Zwift Riders Facebook group has over 56,000 members, and the official Zwift Facebook page has over 255,000 followers. Our guess is the number of active Zwift user accounts is between 300-400k.
What this means is that, while Zwift is a ‘virtual’ world, it is inhabited by real people–lots of them. This level of online participation, while common in the gaming world, was unheard of in the cycling world until Zwift came along.
This thriving mass of riders and runners has self-organized into an active community which leads group rides, holds races, creates innovative tools, and helps its members get the most out of their Zwift experience. Humans thrive on connection, and Zwift has enabled that for hundreds of thousands of people.
#2: An Immersive Experience
You may be on a stationary setup in your garage, but Zwifting can still be a very immersive experience thanks to three important features:
Variable resistance (smart trainers): the realism increases dramatically when your trainer resistance responds to changes in terrain. Smart trainers came along about the same time Zwift did, and this “perfect storm” helped grow Zwift’s user base significantly.
Quality graphics: while Zwift’s graphics aren’t on the same level as certain cutting-edge blockbuster games, they are certainly good enough to be convincing, especially with a quality computer and a big-screen TV.
Real people: riding in a virtual world is nice, but riding with others in real-time is another experience entirely. Much like the difference between a solo ride and a group ride in the real world, cyclists understand that riding with others opens up new avenues of challenge and fun.
Other indoor cycling programs have some or all of the three features above, but Zwift was the first to combined them together effectively.
#3: Virtual Racing… for Real!
When you’ve got an active community of cyclists, it’s a foregone conclusion that racing will happen. Zwift launched with no official “race features”, but the community developed plenty of tools to make the experience enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding. And now Zwift is embracing eSports and taking indoor racing to a new level, with a UCI World Championship planned for 2020.
Thousands of riders participate in races every day on Zwift because there’s nothing like a race to push you to your limits. Today there are hundreds of recurring weekly races on Zwift, and special “one-off” races as well. Just like real life, races vary in length, course type, rider classifications, and other rules.
Along with races, the community and Zwift HQ organize hundreds of group rides throughout the week. There are group rides for every type of rider: long rides, short rides, fast rides, slow rides.
Before Zwift came along the only way to interact with pro cyclists was to attend races. Now with Zwift, we have opportunities to ride and run with some of the world’s top pros.
Sometimes you’ll run into pro riders as you’re pedaling around Watopia–other times they may lead a big Zwift ride. Either way, thanks to the immersive Zwift experience it feels great to ride with a pro!
And while pro cyclists have begun flocking to Zwift, we also see Zwift HQ working with more and more pro teams. The Men’s and Women’s Zwift Academies are the best examples of this, since they’ve allowed super-strong Zwifters to land pro contracts.
#6: Watt Watching
Power meters measure how much actual power the rider is putting out. While training and racing with a power meter have been the norm for professional and highly competitive cyclists for years, many amateur riders never made the investment to purchase a power meter.
This has changed with Zwift, since your speed on Zwift is based on your power output and the game experience leads to many cyclists seeing their power numbers for the first time. Riders who had no idea what “FTP” meant (or what theirs was) are now modifying their training schedule around specific power intervals and levels.
In the end this leads to increased levels of fitness–all part of what has come to be called the #ZwiftEffect.
Saris H3
#7: Advancing Tech
It’s no secret in the smart trainer world that Zwift’s success has essentially built the industry. Zwift made the decision early on to stay out of hardware, preferring to focus on making their software great. This move allowed existing trainer manufacturers like Wahoo, Tacx, and Elite to create better trainers and reap the rewards for doing so.
The result for consumers is all good: increased competition creates better products at lower prices. And while Zwift may be moving into the hardware business, they will continue to work with existing manufacturers to help improve the hardware we all use.
Le Col New Year’s Day Century Celebration Announced
What are your plans for New Year’s day? Depending on your New Year’s Eve, Zwift’s just-announced Le Col rides may be the best way to kick off 2020, or the worst idea you’ve had in months!
The “Le Col New Year’s Day Century Celebration” rides are the first long ride events of 2020, and they’ll be popular for sure, with thousands already signed up.
Riders can choose from three different ride lengths, and go as hard as they want. Is it a race? Not officially, although some riders will treat it as such. For most, though, simply finishing the event will be accomplishment enough.
Schedule
There are 6 different events throughout the day, spaced two hours apart. The first event begins at 12:30AM PST/3:30AM EST/8:30AM GMT. Additional events occur at 2:30AM, 4:30AM, 6:30AM, 8:30AM, and 10:30AM PST.
Each event has three categories: A, B, and C. Sign up for the A group if you’re ready for a challenging 100-mile ride. The B group is a metric century, and the C group is a flat 25-miler.
The A and B groups will finish at a custom finish line, while it appears the C group is simply 4 laps of Watopia Flat, ending at the downtown start/finish.
C Group: Quarter Century
For beginners, or those who went too big the night before and just need to ride with a big group on an easy route.
Tour de Zwift will be the largest series of events ever held on Zwift. It’s a 7-stage series, and for each stage Zwifters get to choose between group rides, bike races, and runs. Do just one, or do all three!
Here’s everything we know about TdZ 2020. This page will be constantly updated as new info (stage routes, etc) is released.
Ride or Race
One big change from prior TdZs is Zwift offering riders the opportunity to race each stage. Many riders in the past unofficially raced the stages–but this year Zwift has official race events separate from group ride events.
Group ride events will use double draft mode to help riders stick together and move along at a brisk pace. Race events will use Zwift’s standard draft.
With stages spanning a few days apiece and each group ride category and race covering a different route, Zwifters have several route and effort-level options for each stage.
Can’t get enough TdZ? Ride multiple events in each stage. Perhaps you’d like to enjoy a brisk group ride on a longer route, and race a shorter route? Do it!
Categories
As mentioned above, each stage includes separate group ride and race events.
For group ride events, the category (A, B, C) selected determines your route. This gives riders more control over the length and difficulty of their ride.
A: long route
B: shorter/easier route
C: women only
Race events use the same route regardless of category selection. Racers, choose your category based on FTP w/kg, like most Zwift races:
Mixed (Men & Women) Race Categories
A: 4-5 w/kg
B: 3.2-3.9 w/kg
C: 2.5-3.1 w/kg
D: 1-2.4 w/kg
Women’s Race Categories
A: 3.7-5 w/kg
B: 3.2-3.69 w/kg
C: 2.5-3.19 w/kg
D: 1-2.49 w/kg
Stage Details
Stage 1 (London): Jan 12-15 (click for route details)
Group Ride (Category A) Leith Hill After Party, 1 Lap
Group Ride (Category B) Greatest London Flat, 1 Lap
Group Ride (Category C) Greater London 8, 1 Lap
Race (All Categories) London Classique, 2 Laps
The London course's "Classique" route takes you on some of the most famous London streets including Strand, The Mall, Constitution Hill, and Birdcage Walk. You ride by Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.
It is a precise replica of the Prudential RideLondon Classique route, which is described as "beginning on The Mall in St James’s Park, going up Constitution Hill, turning at the top to come down and on to Birdcage Walk, then passing Big Ben and turning left on to Whitehall and right on to the Strand before turning again to come back up the Strand, through Trafalgar Square, Admiralty Arch and back on to The Mall."
Start Points and Lead-Ins
When choosing this route to free ride you will begin near the start of the Classique sprint. If you are riding this for an event, you will begin in the London start pens which means a lead-in of approximately 3.9km/2.4 miles before you begin your first Classique lap.
The Strava segments below begin and end at the start/finish banner located on The Mall, not the main start/finish banner where the game starts your ride.
Stage 2 (Innsbruck): Jan 16-19 (click for route details)
Group Ride (Category A) Innsbruck KOM After Party, 1 Lap
Group Ride (Category B) Innsbruckring, 2 Laps
Group Ride (Category C) 2018 UCI Worlds Course Short Lap, 1 Lap
Innsbruck's flagship route is actually just a portion of the 2018 UCI Worlds course which was raced in September 2018.
Route Profile
It begins in Innsbruck on a flat road which crosses the Sill River then heads beneath the Inntal Autobahn overpass before hitting the big climb. At 7.4km (4.6 miles) with an average grade of 5.4%, the Innsbruck climb is similar to Watopia's Epic KOM in terms of difficulty.
Enjoy the descent, but don't rest too much: you've still got a sprint coming! Head back into town and see if you can make the leaderboard for the sprint along the Inn River (the town's namesake) before crossing the finish line.
UCI Race Details
At the UCI Worlds race, the men’s elite racers began in Kufstein and ride 84.7km to Innsbruck, where they covered this circuit 7 times. And if that wasn't painful enough, the final circuit (not part of the Zwift's Innsbruck course at this time) was a modified one which included an additional climb featuring 25% gradients! Spain's Alejandro Valverde won the 2018 UCI Worlds Elite race from a final pack sprint of four riders. See the finish >
Stage 3 (Watopia): Jan 20-23 (click for route details)
Group Ride (Category A) Big Loop, 1 Lap
Group Ride (Category B & C) Sand & Sequoias, 1 Lap
Race (All Categories) Hilly Route, 2 Laps
Watopia's "Hilly Route" was the very first route on the island. It includes KOM and sprint sections in both directions.
Stage 4 (Bologna): Jan 24-27 (click for route details)
Group Ride (Category A) Bologna Time Trial, 2 Laps
As a GPS-perfect replica of a grand tour stage, this route is a first for Zwift. The Bologna "Time Trial Lap" route is a replica of the Giro d'Italia prologue TT stage raced on May 11, 2019.
Route Profile
The first 3km of this route are actually slightly downhill--enjoy it while it lasts! The next 3km are a false flat. Then you hit the flat right-hand hairpin at 6km it's a hard 2k climb to the finish.
The climb averages 9.6%, with a total elevation gain of 198m (649').
Most Zwifters spend roughly half of their race on the flat portion of the course, and half on the climb. For pacing tips on this route read "How to Pace Your Best Bologna TT Race".
Sightseeing
If you aren't half-blind from an all-out effort you can enjoy some of the landmarks painstakingly recreated by Zwift's artists. We begin at Piazza Maggiore, which is the main square in the heart of Bologna. Other sights here include the Basilica di San Petronio and Fountain of Neptune.
Next, we cover some cobbled streets lined with arcades, past Porta San Felice (the westernmost gate of medieval Bologna).
The climb begins at Arco del Meloncello with a sharp right hairpin. You'll know you're halfway up the climb when you hit another right hairpin and go under the stone arch. When you see the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca you'll know you're almost there. And when you see the giant Scottie inflatable, give it all you've got over the line!
About Multi-Lap Events
Single-lap events on this route are straightforward enough: it's 8km (5 miles) long, beginning at the start line and ending at the top of the climb.
But what about multi-lap events? Many races held on Bologna TT are 2-lap events, but that's a rather confusing way to describe them. The best way to understand this is to know that a "lap" on Bologna TT is just one time riding from the start to the hilltop finish. Descending back to the start line isn't counted as a "lap" in any way.
Therefore, a 2-lap event on this route means you still begin at the standard start line, climb to the top, descend down to the start again, turn around, then climb to the top once more. Your event will end atop the second climb, for a total length of 24km (15 miles).
Event Only
Bologna TT is an event-only course, meaning you can only get on the course if you join an event being held there.
Want to free-ride the course? Join the event, then click to leave the event. You will remain on the course after leaving the event.
Group Ride (Category B & C) Bologna Time Trial, 1 Lap
As a GPS-perfect replica of a grand tour stage, this route is a first for Zwift. The Bologna "Time Trial Lap" route is a replica of the Giro d'Italia prologue TT stage raced on May 11, 2019.
Route Profile
The first 3km of this route are actually slightly downhill--enjoy it while it lasts! The next 3km are a false flat. Then you hit the flat right-hand hairpin at 6km it's a hard 2k climb to the finish.
The climb averages 9.6%, with a total elevation gain of 198m (649').
Most Zwifters spend roughly half of their race on the flat portion of the course, and half on the climb. For pacing tips on this route read "How to Pace Your Best Bologna TT Race".
Sightseeing
If you aren't half-blind from an all-out effort you can enjoy some of the landmarks painstakingly recreated by Zwift's artists. We begin at Piazza Maggiore, which is the main square in the heart of Bologna. Other sights here include the Basilica di San Petronio and Fountain of Neptune.
Next, we cover some cobbled streets lined with arcades, past Porta San Felice (the westernmost gate of medieval Bologna).
The climb begins at Arco del Meloncello with a sharp right hairpin. You'll know you're halfway up the climb when you hit another right hairpin and go under the stone arch. When you see the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca you'll know you're almost there. And when you see the giant Scottie inflatable, give it all you've got over the line!
About Multi-Lap Events
Single-lap events on this route are straightforward enough: it's 8km (5 miles) long, beginning at the start line and ending at the top of the climb.
But what about multi-lap events? Many races held on Bologna TT are 2-lap events, but that's a rather confusing way to describe them. The best way to understand this is to know that a "lap" on Bologna TT is just one time riding from the start to the hilltop finish. Descending back to the start line isn't counted as a "lap" in any way.
Therefore, a 2-lap event on this route means you still begin at the standard start line, climb to the top, descend down to the start again, turn around, then climb to the top once more. Your event will end atop the second climb, for a total length of 24km (15 miles).
Event Only
Bologna TT is an event-only course, meaning you can only get on the course if you join an event being held there.
Want to free-ride the course? Join the event, then click to leave the event. You will remain on the course after leaving the event.
As a GPS-perfect replica of a grand tour stage, this route is a first for Zwift. The Bologna "Time Trial Lap" route is a replica of the Giro d'Italia prologue TT stage raced on May 11, 2019.
Route Profile
The first 3km of this route are actually slightly downhill--enjoy it while it lasts! The next 3km are a false flat. Then you hit the flat right-hand hairpin at 6km it's a hard 2k climb to the finish.
The climb averages 9.6%, with a total elevation gain of 198m (649').
Most Zwifters spend roughly half of their race on the flat portion of the course, and half on the climb. For pacing tips on this route read "How to Pace Your Best Bologna TT Race".
Sightseeing
If you aren't half-blind from an all-out effort you can enjoy some of the landmarks painstakingly recreated by Zwift's artists. We begin at Piazza Maggiore, which is the main square in the heart of Bologna. Other sights here include the Basilica di San Petronio and Fountain of Neptune.
Next, we cover some cobbled streets lined with arcades, past Porta San Felice (the westernmost gate of medieval Bologna).
The climb begins at Arco del Meloncello with a sharp right hairpin. You'll know you're halfway up the climb when you hit another right hairpin and go under the stone arch. When you see the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca you'll know you're almost there. And when you see the giant Scottie inflatable, give it all you've got over the line!
About Multi-Lap Events
Single-lap events on this route are straightforward enough: it's 8km (5 miles) long, beginning at the start line and ending at the top of the climb.
But what about multi-lap events? Many races held on Bologna TT are 2-lap events, but that's a rather confusing way to describe them. The best way to understand this is to know that a "lap" on Bologna TT is just one time riding from the start to the hilltop finish. Descending back to the start line isn't counted as a "lap" in any way.
Therefore, a 2-lap event on this route means you still begin at the standard start line, climb to the top, descend down to the start again, turn around, then climb to the top once more. Your event will end atop the second climb, for a total length of 24km (15 miles).
Event Only
Bologna TT is an event-only course, meaning you can only get on the course if you join an event being held there.
Want to free-ride the course? Join the event, then click to leave the event. You will remain on the course after leaving the event.
Stage 5 (New York): Jan 28-31 (click for route details)
Group Ride (Category A) Everything Bagel, 1 Lap
Group Ride (Category B) Park Perimeter Loop, 2 Laps
Group Ride (Category C) Knickerbocker, 1 Lap
Race (All Categories) Gotham Grind Reverse, 2 Laps
Stage 6 (Richmond): Feb 1-4 (click for route details)
Group Ride (Category A) Richmond UCI Worlds, 2 Laps
The Richmond UCI Worlds route is a replica of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships course in Richmond, Virginia, USA. It was at this race where Peter Sagan famously attacked on 23rd Street to eventually win his first World Champs jersey.
It's a wonderful race course, with the first half very flat, then a nice mix of attackable climbs on the back half.
The Richmond refresh of February 6, 2020 added the ability to u-turn on Richmond, while also adding the reverse version of the 2015 UCI Worlds course as an event-only route.
Group Ride (Category B & C) Richmond UCI Worlds, 1 Lap
The Richmond UCI Worlds route is a replica of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships course in Richmond, Virginia, USA. It was at this race where Peter Sagan famously attacked on 23rd Street to eventually win his first World Champs jersey.
It's a wonderful race course, with the first half very flat, then a nice mix of attackable climbs on the back half.
The Richmond refresh of February 6, 2020 added the ability to u-turn on Richmond, while also adding the reverse version of the 2015 UCI Worlds course as an event-only route.
The Richmond UCI Worlds route is a replica of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships course in Richmond, Virginia, USA. It was at this race where Peter Sagan famously attacked on 23rd Street to eventually win his first World Champs jersey.
It's a wonderful race course, with the first half very flat, then a nice mix of attackable climbs on the back half.
The Richmond refresh of February 6, 2020 added the ability to u-turn on Richmond, while also adding the reverse version of the 2015 UCI Worlds course as an event-only route.
Stage 7 (Yorkshire): Feb 5-8 (click for route details)
Group Ride (Category A) 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit, 2 Laps
One of six routes rolled out with Zwift's UCI 2019 Worlds map, "2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit" covers the actual finishing circuit which the world's top road racers will race in September's 2019 UCI Worlds events.
The women's elite riders will cover 3 laps after their lead in segment, while the men's elite riders will do 7 laps.
Route Description
Roll through the start/finish banner in Harrogate, then turn right to head up Otley Road, the longest section of straight road on the Yorkshire course. As you make your way out of Harrogate proper you'll find yourself in the farm lands. Look for sheep, cows, and a friendly farmer on his tractor.
The Yorkshire KOM begins when you hit the stone bridge and turn a sharp left. The stream crossed here is called Oak Beck (“Beck” is used often in Yorkshire for a small river or stream). In real life, this bridge is narrow and crossing-controlled by traffic lights to be one way. But we Zwifters get to roll on through.
Crossing Oak Beck
Hit that KOM, enjoy your descent, then turn a sharp left past the Royal Pumproom onto Millionaire's Row. You're now on Cornwall Road, in the Duchy Estate--one of the poshest places in all of England to live.
Your next right takes you onto the forward sprint, a short but punchy effort which is mostly uphill until the final few meters. Finish that sprint, enjoy your descent, and wrap up your loop of the Duchy Estate. (Note: the sprint is so short that Strava will not let us create a segment.)
The Royal Pumproom
You will pass the Royal Pumproom again (this time on your right). In the 18th and 19th centuries, Harrogate made its fortune by drawing often wealthy people to come and take its waters, which had a supposedly curative effect. Known locally as "The Pump Rooms", this is one location where these waters emerged from the ground.
As you turn the last right before the finish, note the Zwift Draft House on your left. This is the Cold Bath Brewery where Zwift is setting up shop and giving away its own custom brews during 2019 Worlds Week.
Almost there! The straightaway to the finish is uphill, so if you're racing be ready for an especially challenging effort in these final meters. You will pass "Scotty's" on the left, which in real life is Betty's Tearooms, a huge local landmark.
This final sprint is where Mark Cavendish famously crashed out of the 2014 Tour de France. Happily, Zwifters don't need to worry about such dangers, but you can certainly appreciate the massive effort put forth in this final drag to the finish.
Special thanks to Simon Schofield from the Zwiftcast for helping us put together these route notes. Simon is a Yorkshireman who has ridden these roads hundreds of times, so his local knowledge proved invaluable to us and to Zwift, who used his input to create and name Yorkshire's routes.
Reverse Version
There is a reverse version of this route, but it is event-only and thus only used for official events. See Strava segment below.
Profile
There isn't much that is flat in Yorkshire, but the climbs are never long, either.
Group Ride (Category B) 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit, 1 Lap
One of six routes rolled out with Zwift's UCI 2019 Worlds map, "2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit" covers the actual finishing circuit which the world's top road racers will race in September's 2019 UCI Worlds events.
The women's elite riders will cover 3 laps after their lead in segment, while the men's elite riders will do 7 laps.
Route Description
Roll through the start/finish banner in Harrogate, then turn right to head up Otley Road, the longest section of straight road on the Yorkshire course. As you make your way out of Harrogate proper you'll find yourself in the farm lands. Look for sheep, cows, and a friendly farmer on his tractor.
The Yorkshire KOM begins when you hit the stone bridge and turn a sharp left. The stream crossed here is called Oak Beck (“Beck” is used often in Yorkshire for a small river or stream). In real life, this bridge is narrow and crossing-controlled by traffic lights to be one way. But we Zwifters get to roll on through.
Crossing Oak Beck
Hit that KOM, enjoy your descent, then turn a sharp left past the Royal Pumproom onto Millionaire's Row. You're now on Cornwall Road, in the Duchy Estate--one of the poshest places in all of England to live.
Your next right takes you onto the forward sprint, a short but punchy effort which is mostly uphill until the final few meters. Finish that sprint, enjoy your descent, and wrap up your loop of the Duchy Estate. (Note: the sprint is so short that Strava will not let us create a segment.)
The Royal Pumproom
You will pass the Royal Pumproom again (this time on your right). In the 18th and 19th centuries, Harrogate made its fortune by drawing often wealthy people to come and take its waters, which had a supposedly curative effect. Known locally as "The Pump Rooms", this is one location where these waters emerged from the ground.
As you turn the last right before the finish, note the Zwift Draft House on your left. This is the Cold Bath Brewery where Zwift is setting up shop and giving away its own custom brews during 2019 Worlds Week.
Almost there! The straightaway to the finish is uphill, so if you're racing be ready for an especially challenging effort in these final meters. You will pass "Scotty's" on the left, which in real life is Betty's Tearooms, a huge local landmark.
This final sprint is where Mark Cavendish famously crashed out of the 2014 Tour de France. Happily, Zwifters don't need to worry about such dangers, but you can certainly appreciate the massive effort put forth in this final drag to the finish.
Special thanks to Simon Schofield from the Zwiftcast for helping us put together these route notes. Simon is a Yorkshireman who has ridden these roads hundreds of times, so his local knowledge proved invaluable to us and to Zwift, who used his input to create and name Yorkshire's routes.
Reverse Version
There is a reverse version of this route, but it is event-only and thus only used for official events. See Strava segment below.
Profile
There isn't much that is flat in Yorkshire, but the climbs are never long, either.
Race (All Categories) 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit, 1 Lap
One of six routes rolled out with Zwift's UCI 2019 Worlds map, "2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit" covers the actual finishing circuit which the world's top road racers will race in September's 2019 UCI Worlds events.
The women's elite riders will cover 3 laps after their lead in segment, while the men's elite riders will do 7 laps.
Route Description
Roll through the start/finish banner in Harrogate, then turn right to head up Otley Road, the longest section of straight road on the Yorkshire course. As you make your way out of Harrogate proper you'll find yourself in the farm lands. Look for sheep, cows, and a friendly farmer on his tractor.
The Yorkshire KOM begins when you hit the stone bridge and turn a sharp left. The stream crossed here is called Oak Beck (“Beck” is used often in Yorkshire for a small river or stream). In real life, this bridge is narrow and crossing-controlled by traffic lights to be one way. But we Zwifters get to roll on through.
Crossing Oak Beck
Hit that KOM, enjoy your descent, then turn a sharp left past the Royal Pumproom onto Millionaire's Row. You're now on Cornwall Road, in the Duchy Estate--one of the poshest places in all of England to live.
Your next right takes you onto the forward sprint, a short but punchy effort which is mostly uphill until the final few meters. Finish that sprint, enjoy your descent, and wrap up your loop of the Duchy Estate. (Note: the sprint is so short that Strava will not let us create a segment.)
The Royal Pumproom
You will pass the Royal Pumproom again (this time on your right). In the 18th and 19th centuries, Harrogate made its fortune by drawing often wealthy people to come and take its waters, which had a supposedly curative effect. Known locally as "The Pump Rooms", this is one location where these waters emerged from the ground.
As you turn the last right before the finish, note the Zwift Draft House on your left. This is the Cold Bath Brewery where Zwift is setting up shop and giving away its own custom brews during 2019 Worlds Week.
Almost there! The straightaway to the finish is uphill, so if you're racing be ready for an especially challenging effort in these final meters. You will pass "Scotty's" on the left, which in real life is Betty's Tearooms, a huge local landmark.
This final sprint is where Mark Cavendish famously crashed out of the 2014 Tour de France. Happily, Zwifters don't need to worry about such dangers, but you can certainly appreciate the massive effort put forth in this final drag to the finish.
Special thanks to Simon Schofield from the Zwiftcast for helping us put together these route notes. Simon is a Yorkshireman who has ridden these roads hundreds of times, so his local knowledge proved invaluable to us and to Zwift, who used his input to create and name Yorkshire's routes.
Reverse Version
There is a reverse version of this route, but it is event-only and thus only used for official events. See Strava segment below.
Profile
There isn't much that is flat in Yorkshire, but the climbs are never long, either.
Complete all stages to unlock the exclusive TdZ 2020 kit. This is the kit you’ve seen riders have been wearing for all the TdZ events.
Pro-Am Invitational Races on Tour de Zwift Live
Another new and fun addition to this year’s TdZ is Zwift’s Pro-Am Invitational race seres. These live-streamed invitational races feature top riders taking on the same course we’ll all race, the day before each stage begins. Read all about it here >
TdZ for Runners
There is also a TdZ for Runners happening at the same time as TdZ for Riders. It has its own (secret) unlock and set of 7 stages.
We will publish a separate post covering this, once we get more details.
Registration
Riders and Runners can register for the TdZ using the links below. This just gets you signed up for the overall Tour(s), meaning Zwift will send you reminder emails, etc. You will still need to sign up for each specific stage.
