Zwift Announces Race Calendar Cleanup

For a few years now, Zwift’s race calendar has included some unmaintained or poorly attended events. And while Zwift announced a cleanup effort two years ago, that initiative was later paused… until this week, when Zwift informed race organizers of a calendar “cleanup” currently underway. Let’s look at the details!

It’s About Participation Levels

Zwift’s announcement says, “We are taking action now in order to ensure that all races on the platform have adequate participation and provide a great racing experience for all involved.” In talking to contacts within Zwift, that statement nicely summarizes their reasons for culling some events from the calendar.

Back in 2022, when Zwift first looked at removing races from the calendar, they shared this interesting bit of info which is still true today:

Detailed analysis of all racing events demonstrates a very clear correlation between the number of participants in an event/subgroup and the percentage of starters that go on to complete the race – (finishing %s are one of our clearest measures of race quality) -. This correlation is not surprising – we know that in smaller races and/or subgroups it’s more likely that you’ll end up alone and you’ll be less likely to finish the race. This is also supported by a range of qualitative feedback we receive.

Racers know intuitively that most events need a sort of “critical mass” if the experience is going to be a fun one. How many riders are needed in order to make it fun? Opinion will vary, but I’d say you need at least 10 riders in your category, and even more as the race grows longer or the course more hilly.

Zwift has come up with their own criteria for participation to decide which events are removed from the public calendar. They looked at participation numbers for the month of November 2024 and required events to hit particular targets:

• For most racing events, less than 30 participants on average per week
• For hill climb and time trial events, less than 20 participants on average per week

By the Numbers

Zwift says approximately 240 weekly community race events will be moved to their respective clubs in this cleanup, while all Zwift-owned TT and Hill Climb events will also be removed (approximately 70 per week).

With around 1200 weekly race events scheduled in recent weeks, that means we’ll seeing an overall reduction in race events of approximately 25%.

Public to Private

Events that don’t meet the minimum participation requirements will be moved from the public calendar to the host club’s private calendar, meaning they will still exist and continue repeating each week, but you must be a member of the club to see the event in your Companion app schedule.

If you’re a race organizer who is wondering if this move impacts your events, check your email. Zwift’s James Bailey has contacted any impacted racing organizers directly.

Target Date

Zwift says they are “aiming to complete these changes by 16th December.”

Getting Back On the Calendar

Having your event moved to your club’s private calendar isn’t necessarily the end of the line for your race. The event could return to the public calendar if you’re able to boost participation levels.

Zwift says, “If any of these events subsequently achieve the criteria (for a minimum of three weeks in a row), we will be happy to reinstate the specific event(s) to the public calendar.”

It sounds like Zwift will be more strategic moving forward when it comes to considering new event requests. James Bailey says, “Going forward we will start to manage the public racing calendar much more actively and will carefully consider any new event requests with respect to the current volume of events, activity on the platform and other factors at the relevant time of day. The criteria outlined above will also apply to new events, which will undergo a trial period. Should you wish to create any new events please continue to contact me directly, and we can discuss your request in the context of the above.”

Concluding Thoughts

I, for one, welcome this move from Zwift. I think most racers will, too, because there have been too many poorly maintained and/or poorly attended races on the calendar for far too long.

When you have 10 races scheduled near the top of each hour instead of 3-5, some riders will inevitably sign up for races with poor participation numbers, and the experience for those riders will be degraded. It’s not always easy to figure out which race(s) will be getting large enough fields when you’re browsing events a few hours (or days) out.

Here’s an interesting stat: sources within Zwift tell me that the majority of riders sign up for races within 24 minutes of the event. That means you can’t be sure of how much participation a race will have until the final minutes leading into the event. Therefore, Zwift needs to be even more careful to curate their race calendar so riders know when they sign up for an event, they’ll have a great experience racing against a competitive field.

Questions or Comments?

What do you think of Zwift’s move to clean up the race calendar? Share below!

The sixth and final race of Zwift Racing League 2024/25 Round 2 happens Tuesday, December 17, and we’ll be in Watopia for a race on the new user-created route “Tair Dringfa Fechan” (Welsh for three little hills).

There’s much to discuss, including a route we’ve never raced plus bike choice, powerup locations, and strategic approaches. Let’s go!

Looking at the Route: Tair Dringfa Fechan

If Watopia’s Tair Dringfa Fechan isn’t familiar to you, you’re not alone. This is just the second route ever added to the game as the result of a design contest. Racer Bryan Culliford (CLS) came up with it, and Zwifters voted it as their favorite from a narrowed-down list of candidates.

The route is 32.1km long, with 375m of total elevation:

This is just a scratch race, so while some intermediate portions will be important, in the end all that matters is your finishing position. Here are the key sections of the route:

Climb Up Base of Epic KOM @4.6-6.4km: the first and biggest climb of the race. This one starts quite steep, then turns into a steady 2-3% grade over the bridge Zwifter Rob Bane aptly labeled “The Bridge of Fading Watts.” The elastic will snap for some here, although they may be able to chase back on during the 4km descent that follows.

JWB Sprint banner @14.4km gives all riders a feather powerup. This is best saved for the Hilly KOM just up the road.

Hilly KOM @15.2-16.5: our next key climb section is one we haven’t raced before. You begin by going up the base of the Hilly KOM Reverse, but then take the cutoff road over to the Hilly KOM forward and climb the second half of that pitch up to the arch. We’ll all get anvil powerups at the top, and these are probably best used on the descent immediately following.

Volcano arch @22.8km gives all riders a draft boost powerup. Use this in the pack to grab extra recovery before reaching the lap arch in downtown Watopia.

Lap arch at @25.3km gives all riders a feather powerup. You’ll want to save this feather for use on the finishing climb!

Lead-In to the Finish @26.5-30.5km: once you turn left onto the desert road, you’ll be (mostly) climbing for the next 4km. Attacking here probably isn’t the wise move for most riders, but sitting in the wheels well-positioned and conserving for that final KOM is.

Titans Grove KOM Reverse @31.2km: this race features an uphill finish, and the climb will take most riders 80-120 seconds to complete. Pace yourself accordingly, and know that sitting in the wheels, especially near the bottom where speeds are still decently high, will save you a few watts.

Read more about the Tair Dringfa Fechan route >

PowerUp Notes

Riders will receive powerups at each arch, as noted above, for a total of 4 powerup opportunities. Specific powerups will be given at specific arches, and they have been chosen so they’re particularly useful on the roads just ahead. Here’s more info about how each powerup works.

Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. With key climbs in this race, including the finish, the feather is a very useful powerup.

Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.) Use this for recovery in the group on flats and descents. It will even give you an advantage when drafting on slacker climbs at race speed!

Anvil: makes you heavier for up to 15 seconds, so you can descend faster. The amount of weight added is based on a percentage of your body weight, and that percentage increases as riders get lighter. It won’t hurt you, as it only adds weight when the road is at a -1.5% decline or greater. Use this on downhills. Pair it with a supertuck to go extra fast with zero effort!

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

This route is rolling in profile, which means a pure climbing rig will cost you more than it’ll help. Lots of different setups will perform similarly on the rolling hills, but the question many should ask is “What will help me most on three climbs?”

I ran a few tests at 5 w/kg on the Epic KOM climb – the first and largest climb of the race. I had to use Strava for times, which means they were rounded to the nearest second, which is a painful loss of precision. That said, the “aero-all-arounders” seem like the best choice:

• Pinarello Dogma 2024 + DT Swiss Disc: 4:14
• Pinarello Dogma 2024 + ENVE 7.8: 4:14
• Tron: 4:15
• Specialized Aethos + Lightweight Meilenstein: 4:15
• Specialized Venge S-Works + DT Swiss Disc: 4:16

I wouldn’t go with a straight climbing bike, but I also wouldn’t go with the most aero rig, given the uphill finish. Here are our top picks:

See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers (Scatter Plot) for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance.

More Route Recons

Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

Zwifty Zwifter

Race recon notes >

John Rice

The Syco-List

J Dirom

Strategic Options

With its three key climbs, this route as a scratch race has all the makings of a classic attritional Zwift battle. Make no mistake: the strongest riders will attack hard when the road tilts upward, and the pack will be whittled down significantly by the time you reach the base of the Titans Grove KOM Reverse.

That finishing climb will be an all-out slugfest. Save your feathers.

One last bit of advice: if you find yourself off the back over the top of a climb, don’t give up hope. You may just be able to chase back on. Find a friendly wheel, put in some work, and see if you can close gaps to riders ahead. Because everyone will be hurting at that point, and riders ahead may sit up, knowing they can beat you on the final climb. (And while that may be true, sitting in the front group’s draft will position you better than riding alone then getting caught by the slower chase group…)

As always, the win will go to the team who plays their cards best.

Your Thoughts

Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!