Tiny Race Series – March 8 Routes and Last Week’s Results
See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.
Announcing ECRO: a Comprehensive Racing Platform for Virtual Cycling
Announcing ECRO: a Comprehensive Racing Platform for Virtual Cycling
The world of virtual cycling continues to evolve, and the new E-Cycling Race Organization (ECRO) may just represent the next significant leap forward for competitive Zwift racing. Building upon the foundation established by the Chasing Tour, ECRO aims to “create a more immersive and strategic virtual cycling experience that benefits riders and team managers alike.”
From Chasing Tour to ECRO
Founded in 2022 by Jonathan Morin, the Chasing Tour successfully established a year-long racing calendar that brought structure and continuity to the Zwift racing scene (read about Chasing Tour 2023 here). Jonathan built ECRO by expanding this foundation into a comprehensive platform that introduces elements previously unseen in virtual cycling competitions.
The ECRO World Tour 2025 will feature 75 races throughout the year, including single-day races, week-long tours, and three multi-week grand tours. This extensive calendar establishes a professional-level competition structure that mirrors real-world pro cycling, and it all kicks off on March 8, 2025, with Chasing Bianche!
New Dimensions: Rider Economics and Team Management
What sets ECRO apart is its introduction of economic elements to virtual cycling. The platform implements features like:
- Rider Market Values: Riders have assigned virtual monetary values based on their performance and category
- Team Contracts: Teams can sign riders to formal agreements
- Rider Transfers: A transfer system allowing riders to move between teams
- Team Financials: Teams manage a virtual budget, profiting from rider development and transfers
(It’s important to note that all financial aspects within ECRO—including rider values, team budgets, and prizes—are virtual and do not represent real-world currency. These virtual economics simply add an engaging layer of strategy and simulation to the competition.)
Clear Categorization
ECRO employs a straightforward categorization system based on the zwiftracing.app 90-day vELO ratings:
🔴 A Category: 1900+ rating
🟢 B Category: 1450-1899 rating
🔵 C Category: 1150-1449 rating
🟡 D Category: 850-1149 rating
🟣 E Category: 0-849 rating
This system ensures fair competition within all skill levels, and scheduled recategorization points throughout the season help maintain competitive balance.
Team Structure and Competition
Teams add another dynamic element to the ECRO World Tour:
- Teams can consist of up to 12 riders across any of the 5 categories
- The top 6 riders in each category earn points for their team
- Teams accumulate points throughout the season for overall standings
Comprehensive Scoring and Competition Format
ECRO’s competition structure is multi-layered, offering riders and teams various ways to earn points:
- Individual Race Events: Points awarded based on race tier and finishing position
- Stage Races: Multi-race competitions using a global time-gap system pioneered by Chasing Tour to determine overall standings
- Seasonal Series: Multiple races where cumulative points determine the winner
- Season-Long Competition: All points contribute to the overall ECRO World Tour standings
This structure rewards consistent participation and performance throughout the season, encouraging engagement with the entire calendar of events.
Registration and Pricing
To participate officially in the ECRO World Tour, riders and teams must obtain licenses:
- Rider License: $7.99 for the 2025 season
- Team License: $12.99 for the 2025 season
(While anyone can participate in ECRO events on Zwift, only licensed riders will have their results counted toward the official ECRO World Tour standings. These fees support the ongoing development of the platform.)
Benefits for the Entire Zwift Racing Ecosystem
ECRO’s approach delivers benefits to riders and managers alike:
For Riders:
- Verified ECRO rider accounts with clear categorization
- Opportunities to join teams and develop virtual cycling careers
- Points-based competition with virtual prizes
- Professional racing structure
For Team Managers:
- Team creation and management tools
- Strategic rider recruitment and contract management
- Virtual financial system with potential growth through smart team building
- Season-long competition against other teams
Only on Zwift
According to Jonathan, “ECRO has chosen Zwift as its exclusive platform because Zwift provides the best in-game racing experience available in virtual cycling. The robust features, established community, and technical capabilities of Zwift create the perfect environment for ECRO’s vision. By building on Zwift’s foundation, ECRO is invested in seeing Zwift continue to be the home of elite e-cycling racing, furthering the platform’s position as the premier virtual cycling experience.”
Looking Ahead
The ECRO platform represents the most comprehensive attempt yet to create a professional-level virtual cycling ecosystem that mirrors the structure, strategy, and engagement of real-world professional cycling.
So whether you’re a casual Zwift racer looking to test yourself against others, a competitive rider seeking structured competition, or someone interested in the team management aspects of cycling, I’d recommend looking into what ECRO is doing today.
For more information or to register for the ECRO World Tour 2025, visit www.ecro.app.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of ECRO’s approach to Zwift racing? Share your thoughts below!
Zwiftcast Episode 212: Women’s History Month Special 1 of 2
Zwiftcast Episode 212: Women’s History Month Special 1 of 2
In March, Zwiftcast is spotlighting incredible women’s stories with two special episodes celebrating of Women’s History Month! Also this month, complete any Zwiftcast ride to unlock the exclusive Watch the Femmes headphones and show your support.
In this episode, hosts Rebecca Charlton, Dave Towle, and Kate Veronneau bring you all the latest news, including the return of Zwift Games and a look forward to Paris Roubaix Femmes Avec Zwift and the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift 2025. Plus, Wheel Talk Podcast hosts Abby Mickey, Loren Rowney, and Gracie Elvin pop in to talk Zwift cycling and motherhood.
Links/events mentioned in the episode:
Zwiftcast is available on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
All About Zwift’s New Factory Tour Challenge
All About Zwift’s New Factory Tour Challenge
My friends, the day has finally arrived.
After years of Zwifters asking for a fourth in-game challenge, with Zwift Insider posting articles and the community offering heaps of challenge suggestions and even creating amazing concept art… it has arrived. Hurray!
Here’s a quick walkthrough:
Getting Started
You must be at level 40+ in order to take on the Factory Tour Challenge. Level 40+ riders probably already know how to sign up for Challenges but here’s a quick refresher anyway…
There are three ways to get signed up for the Factory Tour Challenge. The game actually prompted me to do it when I started my Zwift activity – that’s the first screen. It also showed up on my Challenges carousel on the homescreen (second screen). Lastly, you can always access the list of Challenges in the main menu, at the top-right:
What’s a “Power Unit”?
While the other three challenges (Climb Mt. Everest, Ride California, and Tour Italy) are based on accumulated distance or elevation, the Factory Tour Challenge is power-based. (The concept is that you’re powering a RoboPacer factory as you pedal your bike, so the animation for the challenge moves through the factory as you progress.)
Cyclists move through this challenge based strictly on the power you’re putting into the pedals, and progress is tracked using a metric Zwift calls “Power Units”.
One power unit is one watt-hour per kilogram, or Wh/kg. If you hold 1 w/kg (say, you’re an 80kg rider holding 80 watts) for an hour, that’s 1 Wh/kg, or 1 power unit. If you average 2 w/kg across your Zwift rides, each hour of riding will earn you 2 power units.
Finishing the Challenge
The Factory Tour Challenge is a 2-part challenge, like Climb Mt. Everest. The first part requires 250 power units to complete and awards you with Lightning Socks:
Once you finish the first part of the challenge, your progress will revert to 29% and you’ll automatically begin the second part which requires a whopping 600 additional power units to complete, unlocking the Aero Lightning Socks, which will replace your boring ol’ Lightning Socks.
How long will it take to complete the entire challenge? For riders, the math is fairly easy. Take your average w/kg multiplied by your hours of Zwifting per week. That’s how many power units you’ll be earning each week.
Examples:
- 1 w/kg for 5 hours each week earns 5 power units each week, requiring 170 weeks to complete the challenge
- 2 w/kg for 6 hours each week earns 12 power units each week, requiring 71 weeks to complete the challenge
- 3 w/kg for 7 hours each week earns 21 power units each week, requiring 40 weeks to complete the challenge
As you can see, this is no short-term challenge. And I think that’s a good thing.
About the Socks
The new Lightning and Aero Lightning socks work sort of like Fire Socks in that they unlock cool animations above certain effort levels:
- Power < FTP * 1.5: No Effect
- Power >= FTP * 1.5: Sparks and Tire Halo (both Lightning & Aero Lightning Socks)
- Power >= FTP * 2.1: +Tire Sizzle Flash (both Lightning & Aero Lightning Socks)
- Power >= FTP * 2.7: +Full Aero Lightning Effects (Aero Lightning Socks Only)
- Power >= FTP * 3.2: +Lightning feet (Aero Lightning Socks Only)
In addition to the visuals, the Aero Lightning Socks are particularly special because they are the first piece of performance apparel in Zwift. When you wear the socks, you receive a slight CdA reduction, making you faster in game. (Just how much faster is unclear, but I’ll definitely test the socks once I’ve got ’em.)
Read more about the Lightning and Aero Lightning socks >
A Few Gotchas
There are three limits built into the Factory Tour Challenge, presumably to discourage cheating:
- You can earn up to 4 Power Units per hour. (This limit resets at the top of the hour, so in theory you could ride at 4 W/kg for one hour, then sprint at 10 W/kg for 24 minutes and earn a total of 8 power units in 84 minutes. Good luck!)
- You can earn a total of 15 Power Units per activity. If you save your ride/run and start a new activity, this counter is reset.
- If you get the Cone of Shame (read more about it here) your progress will not count towards the challenge.
Also, a note for Zwift runners: this challenge doesn’t apply to you. While in my tests the game was awarding Power Units while running, those Power Units weren’t actually saved to my account. Reaching out to Zwift, they confirmed that this challenge does not apply to running.
Questions or Comments?
What are your thoughts on this fourth challenge? Got questions, comments? Share below!
Zwift Update Version 1.85 (141681) Released
Zwift version 1.85 begins its phased rollout today. This release delivers “Factory Tour”, the long-awaited fourth challenge, giving experienced Zwifters something to work toward. Read on for details!
New “Factory Tour” Challenge
This one will put a smile on the face of veteran Zwifters! After years of just three major in-game Challenges (Climb Mt. Everest, Ride California, and Tour Italy), today Zwift is releasing a fourth, giving longtime riders something new to work toward.
Called the “Factory Tour”, this challenge has Zwifters powering a RoboPacer factory with our watts. The more watts you put out, the faster you’ll complete the challenge. But it’s no small challenge, and there’s a hidden extra part 2! Here’s a quick video walkthrough:
Learn all about this new Challenge, including unlocks and more, on our All About Zwift’s New Factory Tour Challenge post.
“Tair Dringfa Fechan” Route Is Open
Zwift’s release notes say, “New badge alert: The Tair Dringfa Fechan route in Watopia is now available for free ride.” But that’s not entirely accurate, as the badge was actually added back in November, before races took on this route as the final race of ZRL Round 2 on December 17th.
Be that as it may, today the route changes from being event-only to being available for free rides in game. So all you badge hunters who didn’t race ZRL now have a chance to earn this route badge, and with it the 625XP bonus!
Read all about Tair Dringfa Fechan route >
Release Notes
Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:
- In the Zwift Companion Action Bar, the Camera View and Emote menus now automatically close after making a selection.
- We made it easier to see what you’ve selected when browsing details of events, routes, Climb Portal, and Pacer group rides on the home screen.
- FIT files now include power target data from workouts.
- We found the wooded park that went missing in central London and returned it to its proper location.
- Fixed an issue that could cause riders in the New York world to swerve at an intersection in Central Park.
- Stability improvements.
Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >
Questions or Comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
Zwift Academy 2024 Finals, Episode 3
Zwift Academy 2024 Finals, Episode 3
The finals for Zwift Academy 2024 have finished, and Zwift partnered with GCN to bring you a series of four episodes documenting the process at pre-season training camps. Who will come out on top and earn a pro contract?
The first and second episodes were released in previous weeks. Today is episode three, and the final episode will be released next Saturday.
In episode 3, the riders are tested in a sprint lead-out, including racing against the pros. Coaches also watch them support the pros in a second challenge, behaving as a team. How will they do? And will they be able to set aside their personal ambitions?
Watch Episode 3:
(As a reminder, there are 8 finalists this year. To learn a bit about each rider, see this post.)
Up Next
Watch this space for the final episode, premiering March 8 at 5pm UTC/12pm ET/9am PT.
Questions or Comments?
Share below!
Woman Racer Spotlight: Megan Onweller
Woman Racer Spotlight: Megan Onweller
Name: Megan Onweller
Hometown: Lino Lakes, MN (born and raised Michigander)
How did you get into cycling? I started on a exercise e-bike, wanted MORE and started doing research. My sister was an avid cyclist and told me to get a bike and trainer. Which was SOOOOO complicated and foreign to me at the time. I often remind new riders that it’s OK to feel overwhelmed we all did at some point.
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? 4 years I think, I started right around 2021 for the social impact of a team environment. I also ride with the Hugo Gravel Team in MN, and I was on Season 3 of From the Ground Up on YouTube.
Are you part of a Virtual team? I am a part of the Drafting Dinos, I took a break but came back. Once a dino always a dino, LOL…
What do you love most about racing? Surprising myself on what I can do, and how I can improve.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love TTT, it’s special in its own way. The teamwork and communication, the dedication of the overall team, it’s so refreshing. BUT I do love me a points race, getting to utilize the strategy of it all. The recon, the notes, and the joy of lining up to see what you can obtain for the team. It’s so damn fun! I have a 10 year old, too, and he loves to cheer me on.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? ZRL is always fun, Fearless also puts on a great women’s race.
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? I raced Unbound gravel last year and my favorite was pushing hard for my personal record. I ended up pulling a large group of men for about ½ of the course. There are some pretty awesome pics from it, but overall after feeling inferior to men on the bike it was very empowering. I felt like such a badass. It made all the training time on Zwift and outside so worth it. It was a great memory. My sister Paige Onweller was also in a pretty iconic women’s sprint finish at that race so it was a great race for memories!
I think indoor was my first group ride with the Dinos an “easy” ride up the Alpe, haha. They were so encouraging, and I knew if I could have fun suffering up that beast I was in good company. The rest was history.
What is your favourite food to eat post-race? I am a sucker for a chicken basket and fries after a long ride. I love me an horchata recovery shake as well from Scratch, it’s a 12 out of 10.
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Have fun! Don’t stress and never feel stupid for asking others for help, we all started out the same way. Also, if you are a mom it is NOT selfish to spend time on a bike. You are showing them important things like work ethic and we can do hard things. Time is time, we make up for it elsewhere. Mom guilt is real, but being happy and healthy is worth more than the time you will spend on the bike.
Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? I am looking forward to some local gravel races and Iceman in Michigan. My whole family basically races it. This past year my partner, my dad, my son, and I all raced. My sister also did the pro race! It was quite a weekend.
Where can people follow your racing adventures?
- Instagram: instagram.com/meganjustinebikes/
- Strava: strava.com/athletes/27819846
- YouTube FTGU Season 3: youtube.com/watch?v=2AY3acbTOro
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of March 1-2
No races featured this weekend… just a bunch of amazing group rides! We’ve got a few charity events, two banded badge hunt rides, an epic 4-hour endurance event, and a series kickoff with Shimano. See all the details below.
🤝 Sir Chris Hoy’s | Tour de 4
✅ Good Cause ✅ Popular ✅ Special Guests ✅ Kit Unlock
The Tour de 4 is an initiative launched by Sir Chris Hoy to change the perception of people living with stage 4 cancer and to raise vital funds for cancer charities across the UK.
Read all about Tour de 4 series >
Rides are held weekly on Saturdays, and this week’s ride will be 45 minutes long, on the Greater London Flat route.
Saturday, March 1 @ 10am UTC/5am ET/2am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4817884
🤝 Vatternrundan Group Ride Series #8
✅ Popular ✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Kit Unlock
The Vätternrundan group ride series ends this weekend, and the final ride has lots of signups despite being really long! Riders are on Watopia Big Flat 8 this weekend for 4 hours of 1.8-2.2 w/kg riding.
Sunday, March 2 @ 7am UTC/2am ET/Saturday 11pm PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4654689
🤝 Banded Bike MS Badge Hunt
✅ Route Badge ✅ Banded ✅ Good Cause
Bike MS is a group of passionate cyclists looking to raise funds and awareness for those living with multiple sclerosis. Join the squad on a banded badge hunt ride across an open-paced lap of the rarely-used Yorkshire Double Loops route (29.7km, 547m).
Sunday, March 2 @ 2:05pm UTC/9:05am ET/6:05am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4846882
🤝 Shimano Super Cycling Sunday
✅ Route Badge ✅ Popular ✅ Guest Leader ✅ Kit Unlock
Join the kickoff ride to a new series from Shimano! These open-paced group rides feature newer Zwift routes, a #SuperCyclingSunday kit unlock, special guest riders, and more! This week’s ride is an open-paced event on Watopia’s Danger Noodle (32.3km, 414m).
Read all about the Shimano Super Cycling Sunday series >
Sunday, March 2 @ 3pm UTC/10am EDT/7am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4868267
🤝 Bikealicious Weekend Social Mixer
✅ Banded Ride ✅ Beginner-Friendly ✅ Route Badge
The friendly Bikealicious crew is leading a banded group ride on the epic and brand-new ZG25 Queen route (44.8km, 894m). Grab this route badge if you haven’t done so yet, which comes with extra XP.
Saturday, March 1 @ 8pm UTC/3pm ET/12pm PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4861009
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!
44,100 Everests: Digging Into Tour de Zwift 2025 Data
44,100 Everests: Digging Into Tour de Zwift 2025 Data
Tour de Zwift 2025 just wrapped up last week. Held during “Peak Zwift” time, TdZ is Zwift’s marquee annual group ride/run event – and it showed! Participation numbers seemed especially strong this year, with hundreds showing up to every ride I saw.
But it’s hard to gauge just how big TdZ is overall, without access to Zwift’s backend data analytics. So I reached out to Zwift with a request for some numbers, and they took the time to gather those stats so I could share them here. Let’s dive in!
Zwifter Counts
- Total registered for TdZ: 342k
Zwifters could register via the web, signing up in game, or by completing a TdZ event. So this figure doubtless includes some folks who clicked to register, but never actually rode a TdZ event. - Total who finished all 6 stages:
- Cycling: 85,958
- Running: 1,798
The Ultimate Challenge
Arguably the biggest “new feature” at this year’s TdZ was “The Ultimate Challenge.” This was for riders only, and required you to complete all 18 routes featured in this year’s Tour. (Routes could be completed in events, or as on-demand efforts.)
It was a bit of an “under the radar” challenge, but Zwift did help things along by creating a temporary personal dashboard at zwift.com (which has since been taken down) where you could monitor which routes you still needed to check off. I used it to determine I still had three routes left heading into make-up week!
So how many Zwifters finished the Ultimate Challenge? Here are some stats:
- Total Ultimate Challenge finishers: 11,427
- Total who completed at least half of the Ultimate Challenge (9 separate TdZ routes): 40,263
- Total who completed all rides AND runs (the Ultimate Ultimate Challenge?): 346
Zwift’s own Jon Mayfield and Leah Thorvilson are in this group.
Totals
It’s always amazing to look at the accumulated totals from all Zwifters in big events like Tour de Zwift. Check it out…
- Total distance covered in TdZ 2025 events: 37,316,561 kilometers
Or around the Earth 931 times. Or to the Moon and back… 48 times! - Total elevation climbed in TdZ 2025 events: 390,238,173 meters
That’s 44,100 Everests! - Total time accumulated between all TdZ 2025 activities: 1,206,646 hours
That’s 50,276+ days of continuous riding… or 137+ years! - Total Ride Ons given and/or received during TdZ 2025 events: 27.6 million
That’s an average of 23 Ride Ons per rider-hour, meaning riders gave or received, on average, 23 Ride Ons per hour while in TdZ events. - Total TdZ 2025 event completions:
- Rides: 1,119,338
- Runs: 27,510
- Most popular cycling route in this year’s TdZ events: Petite Douleur
This “Little Pain” of a route began its life as a Rebel Route I created back in August of 2020, so it’s fun to see its popularity in TdZ! - Most popular running route in this year’s TdZ events: Park to Peak
Previous Year Comparison
Zwift was happy to share that this year’s TdZ stats were up from last year’s TdZ, across the board.
The most notable change was the total number of graduates (~86k this year, up from 69k last year), although this was admittedly helped along by the reduction in total stages from 8 to 6.
Questions or Comments?
I had a great time in this year’s TdZ events, whether I was racing the group ride or just spinning away in zone 2 to knock out the route as part of the Ultimate Challenge.
What about you? How was your TdZ experience? Any ideas for improvement you want to share? I’m sure Zwift HQ will be watching the comments on this post, so please share your feedback below…