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Tour Fever Returns to Zwift in July

Eric Schlange
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34
Tour Fever Returns to Zwift in July

Tour Fever Returns to Zwift in July

Zwift is the Official Training Software Provider of the Tour de France, and they’re going big with a series of Tour Fever events in July.

Zwifters can join to conquer virtual versions of the same mountains the pros race, take on a virtual L’Étape du Tour fondo, unlock the brand new Didi the Devil and Tour Fever kits, and more. See details below!

Climb Portal Challenge

Four different climbs will be featured on the same day they feature in the Tour, with events held across three days:

Climb (click for details)TdF StageDates
Mûr de Bretagne (1.96km, 129m)7July 10-12
Col de la Croix Saint-Robert (5.7km, 346m)10July 13-15
Hautacam (12.7km, 1029m)12July 16-18
Col de la Madeleine (14.3km, 1118m)18July 23-25

Ride all four climbs (solo or in an event) to complete the challenge. You will receive rewards as you progress through the challenge:

  • Complete 1/4 climbs = Tour Fever Kit (see images below)
  • Complete 2/4 climbs = 1000XP Bonus
  • Complete 3/4 climbs = Didi Kit (see images below)
  • Complete 4/4 climbs = Didi Cap (see images below)

If you tackle the climbs solo – that is, outside of an event – you can choose which difficulty percentage you’d like to use (50%, 75%, 100%, 125%). Finishing the climb in any difficulty will count as a completion.

Accessing the climbs and events is easy. It’s hard to miss the Climb Portal Challenge Zwift has just rolled out for the TdF! Click the homepage banner, register for the challenge, then you have access to all of the climbs above whenever you’d like.

The Climb Portal events are technically group rides, not races. But you can still chase leaderboard placings and try to set your fastest time on each climb! Be sure to use a lightweight bike and wheels. Here’s a guide that tells you the lightest bike frame and wheelsets available at each Zwift level.

A fully-upgraded Specialized S-Works Aethos paired with Zipp 353 NSW wheels is the fastest climbing bike in game. If you’re looking at non upgraded bikes, the Specialized S-Works Tarmc SL8 with Zipp 353 NSW wheels it the best climber.

Didi the Devil Kit Unlock

Zwifters will unlock the new, exclusive Didi the Devil kit and cap by completing the Climb Portal Challenge:

L’Étape Virtual July 18-20

L’Étape Virtual returns 18-20 July, recreating L’Étape du Tour de France, the world’s most famous amateur cycling event. These are mass-start, fondo-style events held every two hours on the Zwift Bambino Fondo route (53.3 kilometers with 398 meters of climbing).

Animated “Zwift Bambino Fondo 2022” Route Details (Watopia) Map

With five different Tour-themed RoboPacers joining in, you can pick your own pace. Group riding too fast? Drop back to the pacer behind. Legs feeling fresh? Power to the group ahead! 

  • Constance @4.2 W/kg
  • Jacques @3.2 W/kg
  • Coco @2.6 W/kg
  • Miguel @1.8 W/kg
  • Bernie @1.5 W/kg

See L’Étape Virtual events at zwift.com/events/tag/tourfeverletape

Tour Fever Kit Unlock

Completing a L’Etape Virtual ride will unlock the new, exclusive Tour Fever Kit:

Ventoux Group Rides July 22

On July 22, the pro men will race up Mount Ventoux as the finishing climb of stage 16. On the same day, Zwift is hosting group rides on the Ven-Top route so Zwifters can climb the virtual Beast of Provence along with the pros!

More Tour Fever

Throughout July, the Workout of the Week will feature athlete-inspired workouts designed by Alpecin-Deceunick riders.

Finish any of these workouts to unlock the in-game H2O headphones. You’ll also receive a 20% discount code on the IRL Zwifty headphones when you complete the workout!

See Tour Fever Workouts of the Week at zwift.com/events/tag/tourfeverwotw

The ZRacing series will be Tour-themed as well (Allez Allez Allez!) – watch for a Zwift Insider post this week with details.

Zwift will also get the full Tour de France treatment, with road art, yellow confetti bursts, Tour Fever RoboPacers, and much more. Come join the party!

More information on Tour Fever can be found here.

Questions or Comments?

Zwift has a lot happening to celebrate Le Tour 2025. What interests you most? Got any questions? Share below!

Woman Racer Spotlight: Katheryn Curi 

Karla Williams
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2
Woman Racer Spotlight: Katheryn Curi 

Woman Racer Spotlight: Katheryn Curi 

Name: Katheryn Curi 

Hometown: Born in Torrington, CT, and currently live in Los Altos, CA.

How did you get into cycling? I was a rower in college before switching to mountain and road racing in grad school. In 2001, I moved from Vermont to California to pursue being a professional road cyclist. I raced until 2010, primarily for Webcor Builders and the US National team. 

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? Since 2018

Are you part of a Virtual team? NeXT pb Enshored and Riot

What do you love most about racing? By far the community! It is so fun racing against other strong women from all over the world from the ‘comfort’ of my living room.

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love TTTs, a true reflection of teamwork!

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? I have done the Tour de Boudicca a couple of times and love the longer format stage races.

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Winning the Geelong World Cup in 2008 

What is your favourite food to eat post race? Cheese and veggie quesadillas! It’s all about the accutramonts… sour cream, salsa, avocado, TJs crispy jalapenos, and chips.

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Find a team to join that will help you learn and grow while pushing you beyond what you think you can do. 

Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? Right now, I am just having so much fun doing the WTRL TTTs on Thursdays with Riot.

Where can people follow your racing adventures? Probably following me on Strava is the best way to follow along with all of my cycling adventures… both on Zwift and IRL – https://www.strava.com/athletes/693488

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of June 21-22

Eric Schlange
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0
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of June 21-22

This week’s top pick is Zwift Insider’s very own Tiny Races, because we’re switching the format up this week and having everyone start together. It’s gonna be wild!

All of our other event picks this week are group rides. They range from short rides to banded rides to long rides. Pick your flavor, and Ride On!

🥇 Tiny Races – “All Abooooard!”

✅ Mass Start 　✅ V02 Workout 　✅ Popular Race

We’re revisiting our National Train Day routes this weekend, with four courses all featuring trains. But more importantly, for the first time ever this Saturday the Tinies are set up as mass start events, with all categories visible and starting together. Get ready to set some power PRs as you push to the max to stay with the front group… choo chooooo!

Saturday in three different timeslots
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/tinyraces

🤝 Phoenix Rising Soaring Saturday

✅ Endurance Challenge 　✅ Beginner-Friendly

We’ve featured this popular ride in the past because it manages to walk that fine line between being a longer ride but also beginner-friendly, held at a pace of 1.5-2 W/kg. The leader beacon may use the fence to keep the group together at their discretion. Join the team’s Discord channel during the ride to help pass the time!

This week’s ride is 120 minutes long and hosted on Watopia’s Eastern Eight route, a former rebel route.

Saturday, June 21 @ 12:30pm UTC/8:30am ET/5:30am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5023456

🤝 Giant Bagel Rolls Ride

✅ Route Badge 　✅ Endurance Challenge 　✅ Legacy Leaders

Looking for a longer group ride at a faster pace? The Bagel Rolls crew holds a steady 2.6-2.8 W/kg for the ride, with plenty of chat and banter. This week’s ride is 100km long on Watopia’s Zwift Games 2024 Epic route.

Saturday, June 21 @ 1pm UTC/9am ET/6am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5023462

🤝 ¡HISPerame!

✅ Route Badge 　✅ Beginner Friendly 　✅ Popular Event

For those looking for a more mellow social ride, join the team at HISP for one of the most popular group rides every Saturday! Every week, this group ride attracts hundreds of riders from all around the world. Leaders hold a steady pace around 1.5 w/kg, and the fence will also be on to ensure that the group remains nice and tight. 

Zwifters will be riding on the community-created BRAEk-fast Crits and Grits route in Scotland. This is a fairly new route whose badge you may not have, unless you raced in Zwift Racing League this year.

Saturday, June 21 @ 4pm UTC/12pm ET/9am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5023530

🤝 The BMTR Fundo

✅ Popular Ride　✅ Legacy Leader　✅ Endurance Challenge　✅ Kit Unlock

A regularly-featured event here on Zwift Insider, the BMTR Fundo consistently gets lots of joiners because it’s well-led and run consistently week after week, year after year.

This week’s ride is on Makuri Islands’ Wandering Flats. You have four distance groups to choose from, all the way up to 100 miles.

Saturday, June 21 @ 12:10pm UTC/8:10am EDT/5:10am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5023453

How We Make Our Picks

We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:

  • Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
  • Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
  • Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
  • Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
  • Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
  • Is it for a good cause?
  • Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
  • Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?

In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!

Tiny Race Series – June 21 Routes – All Abooooard (Mass Start)

Eric Schlange
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0
Tiny Race Series – June 21 Routes – All Abooooard (Mass Start)

Tiny Race Series – June 21 Routes – All Abooooard (Mass Start)

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

Garmin/Tacx Announce Zwift Virtual Shifting Support for Neo 2, 2T, and Neo 3M

Eric Schlange
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78
Garmin/Tacx Announce Zwift Virtual Shifting Support for Neo 2, 2T, and Neo 3M

Garmin/Tacx Announce Zwift Virtual Shifting Support for Neo 2, 2T, and Neo 3M

Today, Garmin announced that Zwift virtual shifting is now available on the Tacx NEO 2T and 3M trainers. (Oddly, it has also been released today for the NEO 2, but that wasn’t included in any of the press releases.)

Below, we dive into updating your trainer so it can shift virtually, as well as various options for enabling virtual shifting on your Zwift setup.

Updating Your NEO’s Firmware

To enable virtual shifting on your NEO 2, 2T, or 3M, you’ll need to update your trainer’s firmware. This is done via the free Tacx Training app (available in the Apple Store and Play Store) on your mobile phone, and only takes a couple of minutes.

Zwift Ride Compatibility

Thanks to today’s firmware update, the Tacx NEO 2T is now compatible with the popular Zwift Ride smart frame ($799US). To be clear, that means Tacx NEO 2T owners can purchase the Zwift Ride frame today and immediately install and use it. (The frame ships with a Zwift Cog, which you will probably want to install on your NEO 2T. Technically, you could use an existing cassette, but that might require swapping out the Zwift Ride’s chain as well, since it’s a wide, heavy-duty, single-speed style chain.)

Note: The Zwift Ride does need the front foot to be a bit longer so the narrow chainstays don’t rub on the NEO 2T (as Shane Miller mentions in his video below), but the standalone Zwift Ride frame ships with longer, extra feet for just this purpose.

The NEO 2 and 3M are not compatible with Zwift Ride:

  • The NEO 2’s axle is not compatible with the Zwift Ride
  • The NEO 3M’s bulkier body doesn’t allow the Ride’s frame to mount properly

The Garmin/Tacx Virtual Shifting Experience

After reading and watching today’s posts from respected hardware reviewers like DC Rainmaker and Shane Miller (see video below), it’s clear that experienced users are impressed with how Zwift virtual shifting functions on the NEO 2T and 3M trainers they tested. There seems to be general agreement that the high power capabilities of these trainers, paired with their ability to adjust resistance very quickly, produces a very realistic shifting simulation.

Garmin’s addition of a slight “click” haptic in the trainer itself on each shift is just icing on the cake, adding to the realism of the experience. Well done, Garmin!

Virtual Shifter Options (Play/Click/Ride)

Play controllers
Click controller

To use Zwift’s virtual shifting, you don’t just need a compatible trainer – you also need compatible shifters. Furthermore, your trainer and shifters must be paired to Zwift via Bluetooth (not ANT+) for virtual shifting to work.

While Zwift (unfortunately) doesn’t sell the simple Click shifter as a standalone item, there are three virtual shifter options currently in stock at the Zwift shop:

PlayRideClickClick v2
Virtual Shifting✅✅✅✅
Steering✅✅❌✅
Braking✅✅❌❌
Powerup Trigger✅✅❌✅
Ride On Bomb button✅✅❌✅
Game Navigation buttons✅✅❌✅
Drop bar compatible✅✅✅✅
Flat bar compatible❌n/a✅✅
TT bar compatible❌n/a✅✅
Sequential Shifting✅✅✅✅
SRAM-Style Shifting✅✅✅✅
Shimano-Style Shifting❌✅❌❌
Cog Included❌✅✅✅
Power SourceUSB RechargeableUSB RechargeableCoin cell (CR2032)Coin cell (CR2032)
Battery Life~20 hours~20 hours>100 hours>100 hours
BLE Connections*2111
PriceDiscontinued$1300 (frame + trainer) or $800 (frame only)Discontinued$50US

As of today, Zwifters can use code ELITEZCOG2024 for a €20/$20 discount on the Cog & Click Upgrade pack, which is already on sale for $60.

To Cog, or Not To Cog?

You don’t need the Zwift Cog installed on your trainer for virtual shifting to work – if you’re using your own bike frame, then your current cassette will work just fine, and in fact will probably be quieter/smoother than the Zwift Cog.

That said, some riders may prefer to use the Cog so it’s easier to swap between different bikes on the trainer. Click here to purchase the Cog+Click upgrade pack (use code ELITEZCOG2024 for 20% off).

Related: All About Zwift Cog: Versions, Installation, and More

A tip for NEO 2 owners: be aware that, according to Garmin, NEO 2 users will need to remove the freehub body from the Cog before installing it on their NEO’s existing freehub. You’ll need a chain whip/lockring tool to do so. Here’s an affordable set of these two tools on Amazon.

Purchasing a Zwift-Ready Tacx NEO

Garmin is now selling both the NEO 2T and 3M in Zwift Ready versions with the version 2 Zwift Cog pre-installed and the Zwift Click shifter included.

Shop Tacx NEO 2T on Garmin.com >
Shop Tacx NEO 3M on Garmin.com >

Additional New Feature: 10Hz Race Mode

Today’s firmware update also enables race mode as a feature, so your power data is sent to Zwift at 10Hz instead of the NEO’s standard 4Hz (most trainer models send data at 1Hz). This feature can be toggled via the Tacx Training app.

Learn More

Here’s a great video covering today’s firmware upgrade from our friend Shane “GPLama” Miller:

And a thorough-as-always writeup from DC Rainmaker…

Questions or Comments

Have you tried virtual training on your NEO 2, 2T, or 3M? Share your experience below! Got questions about virtual shifting? Post those as well, and I’ll do my best to answer them…

Bologna TT Showdown: TT Bike vs. Road Bike Post-Upgrades

Benjamin Pitt
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15
Bologna TT Showdown: TT Bike vs. Road Bike Post-Upgrades

Bologna TT Showdown: TT Bike vs. Road Bike Post-Upgrades

First introduced in May 2019, the Bologna Time Trial Lap course is short but brutal. It’s split into:

  • 6.0 km of flat terrain through the historic streets
  • 2.0 km climb averaging 9.7%, up to the Sanctuary of San Luca

This makes it close to a 50/50 split of flat and climbing for many Zwifters.

Why Retest?

Since its debut, Bologna TT has been well-studied. But with recent Zwift bike upgrades, earlier conclusions are up for debate. A discussion on the Kaboom Discord prompted this investigation after discrepancies appeared in the ZwifterBikes.web.app.

One Kaboom rider, Eric Brown, found that the app showed a 40-second advantage for the road bikes over TT bikes, which seemed suspicious. Oddly the same rider stats resulted in a different outcome on ZwifterBikes.web.app for myself, with the best TT bike being 10 seconds faster than the best road bike. I’d already established that the TT bike with disk wheels was the fastest setup for my A cat team in previous years’ testing, with a bike swap being a marginal gain with high risk. But I had to know – had the bike upgrade changes shaken things up? This required a test in Zwift to verify.

Organizing the Test

For those that don’t know, Bologna is an event-only world, making testing a little more tricky for those who live in the Eastern states of Australia like myself. It seems that every time I check zwifthacks.com/app/events for events on this course, they are on at “stupid O’clock” in the early morning hours. Luckily, Zwift has a “feature” that accommodates us: I could sign up for an event and then leave my avatar sitting on the side of the road whilst I go to bed and dream about riding away from Pogacar on the queen stage of the 2025 TDF (or the draft gauge being displayed natively in Zwift) and Zwift will automatically place the rider in the event.

I grabbed my morning coffee and greeted my Zwift avatar over a bowl of cold milk and Weetbix drizzled with honey. Hitting the “leave event” icon, I then logged into Zwift on my phone to trigger my original signed-in account in Bologna to be signed out and in a pseudo “offline” mode to ensure I didn’t contaminate my Zwift stats like XP, drops, bike upgrades etc.

WARNING: Despite the notice bar at the top stating stats won’t be counted, your fitness signature is still affected in this mode, so be careful with power durations if you don’t want to impact category rankings.

Test Setup

5 scenarios were tested using different rider profiles:

  • 75 kg @ 173 cm @ 350 watts and then a split power 330w on flat, 370w on climb
  • 50 kg @ 165 cm @ 5 W/kg and 3 W/kg- 90 kg @ 173 cm @ 250 watts (2.8 W/kg)

Bikes Used

  • Road: Level 4 S-Works Tarmac SL8 + Enve SES 7.8 wheels
  • TT: Level 5 Cadex + Enve SES 7.8 (Zipp 858/Super9 tested as well in first round in video). Zwift’s Ghost feature was used to compare previous runs and give a good visual guide.

Watch the Video

Results Snapshot

Rider Profile  TT Bike TimeRoad Bike TimeDifference  
75kg @ 350W16:04.3216:12.17TT faster by 7.85 seconds
50kg @ 5W/kg15:50.9616:00.09TT faster by 9.94 seconds
50kg @ 3W/kg23:00.6122:56.60Road faster by 4.01 seconds
90kg @ 250W22:46.0522:44.01Road faster by 2.04 seconds

“The slower you go, the more time you spend climbing. That makes the road bike more advantageous.” – from the video

Interpretation

  • At high power outputs, the TT bike wins thanks to its flat-section dominance.
  • At low power outputs, the road bike can outperform due to increasing the ratio of time spent on the climb compared to the flat.
  • The differences are small (~9 seconds), and pacing is still a very important factor. As Shane Miller says, “Go hardest when you’re going slowest.”

While TT bikes still hold an edge for strong riders, the Bologna TT course becomes road bike-friendly for less powerful riders. I would estimate that 3.2 W/kg is probably the tipping point where the TT bike starts to see an advantage for most rider sizes. Whilst I did get largely different finish times compared to zwifterbikes.web.app, the predicted time difference between the bikes were within a few seconds. Therefore, I feel that the bike recommendations may well be accurate enough to trust. They seem to line up well with the equipment tests published on Zwift Insider and my previous testing.

Recommendations

  • High wattage (3.2 W/kg and above) -> Stick with your TT rig.
  • Low power riders -> Consider a lightweight road setup, especially if you spend a long time on the hill.
  • Willing to risk it for a biscuit? Try a bike swap: start on a TT bike for the flat and switch to a roadbike after the right hand turn starting the climb. There is potential to gain a large number of seconds for those in the lower categories who are well versed in fast bike swaps.

Your Thoughts

What’s your go-to Bologna TT race rig? Share your thoughts below!

Conquer France with SISU Tour 2025 Beginning July 5

Eric Schlange
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10
Conquer France with SISU Tour 2025 Beginning July 5

Conquer France with SISU Tour 2025 Beginning July 5

The SISU Tour is SISU’s largest annual race event, and it’s returning in July for its fourth edition. This 7-stage race series runs alongside the three weeks of the Men’s Tour de France, covering 2,375 meters of total elevation across 175km of Zwift France.

Individual and Team Classifications

Three prestigious classifications are up for grabs:

  • Mountain Goat: Conquer the climbs and prove your prowess on all KQOM segments to wear the coveted polka dots. The winner will be determined by the cumulative fastest time (FTS) across all mountain segments.
  • Sprinter Classification: Got a need for speed? Dominate the flat roads and be the first across the line on all sprint segments to claim the green jersey, based on the cumulative FTS.
  • General Classification: The ultimate prize. The rider with the lowest cumulative time across all seven stages will be crowned the overall champion of the SISU Tour.

Race for individual glory or team up to take on the Team GC, where the fastest three riders from each team, in each grade, will have their times combined for each stage. Full results and standings will be available at sisu.racing/tour.

Stage Schedule and Routes

Each stage is available in 15 different timeslots, so you can find a race that works with your schedule.

  • Stage 1: Saturday, July 5
  • Stage 2: Tuesday, July 8
  • Stage 3: Saturday, July 12
  • Stage 4: Tuesday, July 15
  • Stage 5: Saturday, July 19
    • Route: Ven-10
    • 1 Lap, 11.4km, 817m 
  • Stage 6: Tuesday, July 22
  • Stage 7: Saturday, July 26

Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/sisutour

Other Information

  • Events are categorized using Zwift’s Racing Score with separate results for Men and Women.
  • Riders who upgrade their category during the first six stages will be reclassified in their higher grade.
  • All events are mass start, with all riders visible on the course.
  • For the Team GC, riders must have their team listed on their ZwiftPower profile before Stage 1.
  • Bike upgrades are enabled – choose your fastest machine!
  • TT bikes are mandatory for the iTT (Stage 2), and the draft will be disabled. The three individual sprint segments of the iTT Stage are not in play for the Sprinter Classification.
  • ZPower riders and those without heart rate data will be excluded from the results.
  • A rider’s best time will count if they race the same stage in multiple time zones.
  • A ZwiftPower profile is required to be included in the GC (learn how to sign up).

Questions or Comments?

Join the conversation on the SISU Racing Discord and connect with fellow riders in the SISU Racing Club in the Companion App.

For more information, FAQs, and full results, visit sisu.racing/tour. Any questions can be sent to the Tour Director at [email protected].

Post below!

Top 5 Zwift Videos: Level 100, FTP Tests, and Heat Training

Oli Chi
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1
Top 5 Zwift Videos: Level 100, FTP Tests, and Heat Training

The race to level 100 began roughly 1.5 years ago, when Zwift announced the expansion of the leveling system. In this week’s featured video, watch as a long-time Zwifter reaches level 100.

Also featured in this post are videos about FTP tests, training in the heat, and winning a Zwift race.

Zwift LEVEL 100 Unlock Ride // Livestream

Watch as Shane Miller, GPLama, streams his last ride before hitting level 100.

3 Months of Training – Did My FTP Improve? | Zwift Ramp Test

Every 3 months, Lake District Cyclist does an FTP test to track his progress. Catch his latest FTP test to see how much he has improved with his recent training.

Why You SUCK IN THE HEAT (And How to Fix It)

Struggling to train through the summer heat? Everything is Photogenic breaks down how you can train better in the heat.

I Finally Won a Zwift Race

After lots of training and racing, Adam from Road to A finally won his first Zwift race. Watch as he breaks the race down and shares how he secured the win.

The “Fresh Mix” Tiny Races! ZRS 230-350, Zone 2

Beeblebrox returns to the Tiny Races after a 16-month hiatus, and experiences all the joy and pain over this tough 4-race set.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

Racing WTRL TTT or Zwift Racing League? It’s Time To Upgrade Your Bikes…

Eric Schlange
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30
Racing WTRL TTT or Zwift Racing League? It’s Time To Upgrade Your Bikes…

Racing WTRL TTT or Zwift Racing League? It’s Time To Upgrade Your Bikes…

Back in March, Zwift launched their “bike upgrades” feature, allowing Zwifters to improve the performance of their in-game bike frames in 5 stages by logging time/distance/elevation on the frame before purchasing an upgrade.

To date, bike upgrades have been enabled in most community race events (including Zwift Insider’s Tiny Races) as well as Zwift’s major races (the ZRacing series). However, upgrades are disabled in the popular Thursday TTT events, as well as the Zwift Racing League Showdown wrapping up next week.

That’s going to change soon, though. We’ve received word from WTRL (organizers of the Thursday TTTs) that upgrades will be enabled starting in July (target date: July 3). Additionally, WTRL and Zwift have confirmed that, when Zwift Racing League (ZRL) spins up its first round in September, bike upgrades will be enabled for all events.

So today, I’m publishing this post as a public service announcement: if you’re racing on Zwift but haven’t started upgrading your bike(s), it’s time to get to work.

Why Upgrade?

Simply put, riding a fully-upgraded version of a fast bike will give you a significant advantage over anyone riding a non-upgraded version of the same frame. This is especially true when it comes to time trials, where results are based purely on finishing time and there’s no hiding in the competition’s draft.

A fully upgraded TT bike will be approximately 50 seconds faster across an hour of flat riding vs the non-upgraded version, and anyone who has raced a TTT knows that’s a huge margin. If you look at that time savings through the lens of power savings, it works out to ~11 watts saved.

This time savings is so significant that I believe we’ll see team leaders choosing to exclude riders who don’t have access to a fully-upgraded TT frame once upgrades are enabled for Thursday TTTs and ZRL.

Further reading: Digging Into Zwift Bike Upgrades: Performance Improvements and Power Savings at Each Stage

A fully upgraded all-around road frame will save you approximately 30 seconds across an hour of flat racing vs the non-upgraded version. It will also save you ~37 seconds across an hour of climbing. This works out to ~6 watts saved in flat races and ~3 watts on climbs. While these savings may not be noticeable when you’re riding tempo in the pack draft, racers know that saving power during the easier parts of a race allows you to have more in the tank when it’s time to go full gas.

Lastly, we have climbing frames, which improve by ~60 seconds across an hour of climbing when they’re fully upgraded. This works out to a ~5-watt savings, which will prove helpful for many riders who struggle on longer climbs in ZRL events.

Which Bikes To Upgrade?

So, which bike frames should you be riding and upgrading? If you want to dig into the data yourself and draw your own conclusions, see our detailed road bike frame performance charts and time trial frame performance charts.

Want to keep it simple? Here are my recommendations:

  • All Around Road Frame: Choose from the S-Works Tarmac SL8, Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71, Pinarello Dogma 2024, or Canyon Aeroad 2024. These are the four fastest all-arounder frames in Zwift (in that order), and are in a performance class all their own – see our Tron vs Top Performers chart for details.
    • You will need to put in 1600km and spend 1.9 million Drops to fully upgrade one of these bikes.
  • Time Trial Frame: Choose the Cadex Tri, which is far and away the most aero TT bike available on Zwift (see TT frame performance charts).
    • You will need to log 40 hours and spend 1.9 million Drops to fully upgrade this bike.
  • (Optional) Climbing Frame: While a fully-upgraded S-Works Tarmac SL8 climbs very well, you may want a fully-upgraded Specialized S-Works Aethos in your garage for any race that involves a crucial longer/steeper climb, especially if it’s a mountaintop finish (see road frame performance charts).
    • You will need to climb 15,000 meters and spend 1.9 million Drops to fully upgrade this bike.
  • (Optional) Halo Bike: Once you’ve upgraded your three key frames above, why not work toward a fully-upgraded Halo Bike? They aren’t great climbers, but they sure are aero! The Specialized Project ’74, in particular, is the fastest non-TT bike on Zwift, putting around 6 seconds into the Tron on flat ground (see All About Halo Bikes).
Specialized Project ’74

Upgrading Strategy

While some teams/riders are using, shall we say, less than admirable methods for achieving bike upgrades, there are definitely ways to ethically maximize your efforts as you work to upgrade your frames. Before you begin each Zwift session, give a bit of thought to which bike frame you should use for the session, as you’ll accumulate upgrade progress on which frame(s) you select.

Here are three simple tips:

  1. Time trial frames upgrade based on time spent, so these are best used when riding longer workouts, solo free ride efforts up big climbs, etc.
  2. Sitting in with pace partners, or participating in a social ride or race? You’ll want to use your road frame, since you’ll be racking up lots of kilometers in the draft.
  3. Once you’ve upgraded your TT frame, start using your climbing frame for any ride involving significant climbing, so you can make progress toward a fully upgraded Specialized S-Works Aethos.

Questions or Comments?

Where are you in your bike upgrade efforts, and what’s your overall strategy for upgrading? Share your thoughts below!

Down Under Crit Series p/b MAAP Begins This Thursday

Eric Schlange
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Down Under Crit Series p/b MAAP Begins This Thursday

Down Under Crit Series p/b MAAP Begins This Thursday

This Thursday, MAAP+Zwift launch the Down Under Crit Series, an 8-week series of unique “neutral start” crit races aimed at bringing fun to the Aussie winter.

These events are structured differently from any major series we’ve seen on Zwift. Every race is three laps long, with the first two laps fenced so the group stays together, and the final lap being an unfenced, all-out race!

Unique Event Structure

These races are mass-start events modelled after the iconic Donny Chaingang format. It’s unclear just how fast these two fenced laps will be, and ultimately that will be up to the rider leader (beacon). Based on the event description, the first two laps will be fast, but not race pace. (Think tempo, not full gas. Of course, “full gas” is different from one rider to another.) Ride leaders will control the pace using the fence, which will “zap” riders (remove them from the event) if they ride ahead of the fence for too long:

The final lap of each event is where the race happens. The ride leader will turn off the fence, and it’s an all-out effort to the end.

(Note: these rides are technically classified as group rides, which means they won’t modify your Zwift Racing Score or count toward race rankings on ZwiftPower.)

Event + Route Schedule

Events are scheduled in two time slots each Thursday for 8 weeks:

  • 6pm AEST (8am UTC/4am ET/1am PT)
  • 7:30pm AEST (9:30am UTC/5:30am ET/2:30am PT)

Each week features three laps on a fresh route, rotating between several Zwift maps:

See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/ducritseries

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