“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides that are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands!
Here are all of Zwift Insider’s rebel routes. Enjoy!
Our newest Rebel Route covers the newest roads in Watopia (Titans Grove) and the oldest (Hilly Route). That means you’ll get to hammer two short KOM climbs with some recovery in between!
The idea for this route came from Shawn McAfee, who you may know through his Zwifty videos. Thanks, Shawn!
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides that are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation. See all rebel routes >
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
Downtown Titans is a medium-length route at 24.6km (15.3 miles) long, and it begins and ends at the downtown Watopia start/finish line. Select the Hilly Route to get started.
Ride up through the drive-thru tree Hit that KOM hard! Wave hello to the dinos
Take a quick left onto Ocean Boulevard, then the next left to head toward the desert where a right-hand turn takes you into Titans Grove. This rollercoaster of a road will have you twisting and turning up and down through the giant sequoia trees and even a lost valley with living dinosaurs! But to see the dinos you’ll have to climb the timed KOM first. Top the leaderboard and grab that jersey, then descend to the dinos, wave hello, and continue your rollercoaster road to the end of Titans Grove.
A right turn out of Titans Grove takes you back toward Ocean Boulevard where you will turn another right to head down into the ocean tunnel. Right again to head toward downtown Watopia, then a left to get onto the Hilly Route.
When Watopia first launched (around May 2015), the only road on the island was the Hilly Route. So enjoy yourself – you’re riding a piece of Zwift history! Hit the short forward KOM and see if you can grab that leader’s jersey, then descend the backside through the statues, past Hank’s Gas Station, and over the 360 Bridge.
Soon enough you’ll hit the cobbles of the Italian Villas, where you’ll want to wind up those legs because you’ve got a sprint section coming up. Can you grab the green jersey?
Cross the JWB and hit the ramp in the Esses – another rollercoaster ride toward the final stretch of this route. Once you descend into downtown Watopia and cross the finish line you’re done. Nice work!
Grab that KOM jersey! Down thru the status Hit the sprint segment!
Profile
This route’s highlights are the two KOMs, as you can see below. Climb up to the top of the Titans Grove KOM, then recover as you descend down to the Ocean Boulevard flat road. Then it’s up-up again to the Hilly KOM, a descent, and rolling/flattish roads to the finish.
Getting Started + Lead-In
Start by choosing the Hilly Route. This will spawn you just before the downtown start/finish, which is where our route begins. There is no significant lead-in to the start of this route.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete Downtown Titans after selecting and starting the Hilly Route.
- Left to Ocean Blvd
- Left to Desert Flats
- Right to Titans Grove
- Right to Epic KOM
- Right to Sequoia Circle
- Right to Downtown
- Straight to Downtown
- Left to KOM
- Straight to Italian Villas
- Right to Sprint
- Right to Downtown
Route details:
Distance: 24.6km (15.3 miles)
Elevation Gain: 254m (834′)
Strava Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
Our newest Rebel Route covers the easternmost roads of Watopia (Fuego Flats, Titans Grove, and most of Ocean Boulevard) in both directions. It also includes one section of road which is only ever ridden if you’re doing The Uber Pretzel or navigating freely (more on that below).
Here’s an animation of this “figure 8ish” route:
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
This medium-long route begins with a lead-in of approximately 2.4km (1.5 miles) from your spawn point to the desert rock arch. This arch will be your finish line as well, 51.7km (32.1 miles) from now.
The desert is flat and fast Grab the Titans Grove KOM jersey if you can Wave hello to the dinos
Hit the flat, fast Fuego Flats desert, climb out of Saddle Springs, then hang a right into the Titans Grove Nature Preserve. This rollercoaster through the redwoods is a great section of road for sightseeing, but if you’re trying to keep your speed up it’s a real challenge, as the road continually rolls up and down while twisting through (and beneath) the trees.
When you come to the end of the Titans Grove road, turn left toward downtown Watopia, then another left onto Ocean Boulevard. This takes you into Ocean Boulevard’s underwater glass tube. You will turn another left at Sequoia Circle, then left once more to head toward Fuego Flats.
Here’s a noteworthy section of ride: this short climb from Ocean Boulevard to the Titans Grove turnoff is only available if you freely navigate your way here, or if you’re riding the grueling Uber Pretzel route. Many routes take you on this road in the opposite direction, but if you’re wondering why the road feels unfamiliar: now you know!
Now it’s time to hit all of our roads in the opposite direction. After climbing up from Ocean Boulevard we’ll pass the Titans Grove exit, but stay on the road to Saddle Springs and Fuego Flats. This takes us all the way through the desert and past the start pens, then it’s time to turn left for a ride through Titans Grove.
Hit the Titans Grove reverse KOM hard if you’d like (it’s short, and you’ve only got about 9 miles left!), wave goodbye to the redwoods, then turn right to head down toward Ocean Boulevard.
Ocean Boulevard will take us back toward downtown Watopia, but we’ll hang a right before we get there to head back to where we began. You’ll stay on this road all the way to the desert finish. Got legs left? Go all-in for the final Fuego Flats sprint to the arch. You did it!
Enjoy the ride-thru tree Through the rock arch – you did it!
Profile
This route is basically flat roads, with the Titans Grove rollercoaster thrown in twice to mix things up. It would make an interesting race course, as climbers may be able to get away in Titans Grove, but could be pulled back in on the flats by a hardworking bunch.
Getting Started + Lead-In
Start by choosing the Tempus Fugit route, or any route that puts you near the desert start pens. The route begins at the desert sprint arch, giving you a lead-in of approximately 2.4km (1.5 miles) from your spawn point to the official start point.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete the Eastern Eight. Start by choosing the Tempus Fugit route, or any route that puts you near the desert start pens. The route begins at the desert sprint arch.
- Straight (Right) to Epic KOM
- Right to Titans Grove
- Left to Ocean Blvd
- Left to Ocean Blvd
- Left to Epic KOM
- Left to Desert Flats
- Right to Desert Flats
- Left to Downtown
- Left to Titans Grove
- Right to Epic KOM
- Right to Sequoia Circle
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Desert Flats
- Straight (Left) to Desert Flats
Route details:
Distance: 51.7km (32.1 miles)
Elevation Gain: 340m (1115′)
Strava Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
This Rebel Route is our most challenging yet. The goal: to ride up every timed KOM segment on Watopia (no official routes do this, at least not yet). As such, this is KOMonster version 1. When a new KOM segment is added to our favorite virtual cycling paradise, we’ll have to create version 2!
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands!
Route Description
This big route was designed to cover every KOM on Watopia in the shortest distance possible. Clocking in right at 100km, completing this ride also means finishing a metric century on Zwift.
The route begins at the downtown start/finish banner, and we hit the Hilly KOM forward first, before continuing on up and over the Epic KOM reverse.
Descend the Epic KOM and turn toward the desert, then hang another left into Titans Grove where we’ll climb Watopia’s newest KOM segment. Once that’s done we get a bit of recovery as we make our way back to downtown Watopia and over to the Volcano to climb the Volcano KOM.
That’s four KOMs down. Four more to go!
After the volcano, take the land bridge to the Italian Villas and hit the Hilly KOM reverse. Then head out to the desert again and into Titans Grove for a go at the reverse Titans Grove KOM.
Out of Titans Grove and up the Epic KOM forward… we’ve only got one more climb left. But it’s a big one! Descend the Epic KOM, turn toward the Jungle, then climb the Alpe. The route ends when you cross the finish banner at the top. Nice work!
Profile
As expected, the route is quite pointy. At 25.7 meters of climb per kilometer of distance, this route is the 7th climbiest in game, just behind Bologna Time Trial and just ahead of Four Horsemen.
Getting Started
When freeriding, select the Hilly Route. This will get you started in the right direction, but you will have to make many manual turns to finish this ride.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete the KOMonster:
- Straight to KOM
- Left to Sequoia Circle
- Right to Jungle/Epic KOM
- Left to Epic KOM
- Straight to KOM Descent
- Right to Desert Flats
- Left to Titans Grove
- Left to Ocean Blvd
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight to Volcano KOM
- Straight to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight to Italian Villas
- Right to 360 Bridge
- Straight to 360 Bridge
- Right to Ocean Blvd
- Left to Desert Flats
- Right to Titans Grove
- Right to Epic KOM
- Left to Epic KOM
- Straight to KOM Descent
- Straight to Jungle/Alpe
- Right to Jungle/Alpe
- Right to Alpe du Zwift
Route details:
Distance: 99.8km (62.1 miles)
Elevation Gain: 2570m (8433′)
Strava Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands!
Route Description
This perimeter route is just like Bigger Loop except it adds the radio tower and Alpe du Zwift climbs. Suggested by Zwifter Jeff Cottrell, the goal of this route is to ride the entire perimeter of Watopia.
We begin at the downtown start/finish and proceed to Fuego Flats, starting off nice and flat before we hang a left and head up the Epic KOM. And it’s not enough to finish the Epic KOM–once you ride through the banner it’s another left onto the much-hated radio tower climb!
But our reward awaits–next we get to go screaming down the radio tower descent, and continue our descent on the Epic KOM. Then it’s over to the jungle so we can start the toughest feature of this route: the mighty Alpe du Zwift.
Once you’ve made it to the top of the Alpe, take a deep breath and enjoy a quick breather while you descend. Once you’re at the bottom, to finish the other half of the jungle circuit. After climbing out of the jungle we descend to the docks, through the fishing village, and past the Italian Villas so we can make our way around the outside of the volcano before heading back to the start/finish.
Profile
This route is actually quite flat, except where it’s not. The Epic KOM and Alpe du Zwift climbs account for ~15 miles of the 51-mile route, and everything else is either flat or downhill apart from those climbs.
Getting Started
When freeriding, select the “Bigger Loop” route to begin–this reduces your number of manual turns required to just 3. You will spawn just before the downtown start banner.
Turn by Turn
There are many intersections of this route, but since the route is very similar to Bigger Loop only 3 manual turns are required. All other turns will route you correctly by default. Here are the manual selections you’ll need to make:
- After the Epic KOM banner, turn left to “Bonus Climb (aka “Radio Tower”). 15.3 miles from start line.
- After descending through the Mayan jungle, turn right to Alpe du Zwift. 23.1 miles from start line.
- After the Alpe descent, turn right to Jungle Loop. 39.6 miles from start line.
Route details:
Distance: 82.3km (51.2 miles)
Elevation Gain: 1874m (6,147′)
Strava Forward Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
Our newest Rebel Route is the smallest possible circuit on the new France map. With each lap ending atop the Petite KOM, this would make a butt-kicker of a racecourse – which is why we named it Little Pain. Can you make it around in less than 20 minutes?
Here’s an animation of this route:
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
This Rebel Route begins with an long 11km lead-in from the spawn point to the top of the Petite KOM. The Petite KOM banner is our start/finish line.
Twisty river road 
Ballon Sprint Petite KOM banner
From this start line, we turn right at the fork, heading downhill toward the start pens. This downhill segment is approximately 2.8km long, and the only real descent of the route.
After passing the start pens we turn right toward the twisty river road and Balloon Field. Here you can hit the Ballon sprint if you’d like, then turn right at the fork to head up the zigzagging Petite KOM. Once you reach the top, it’s time to do it all over again! Get a little recovery on the descent, then hit it with all you’ve got!
Profile
This route is is nice and symmetrical. Remember, there’s a big lead-in before the lap begins!
Getting Started + Lead-In
Start by choosing the Douce France route. This will take you in the right direction for the first portion of the ride. The route has a long lead-in (11km) in which you complete almost an entire lap – the only thing you miss is the descent! (Sorry.)
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete Petite Douleur. Start by choosing the Douce France route. The official Strava segment begins at the Petite KOM arch, but the turns below are listed in order from the spawn point, not the route start line.
- Right to Balloon Field
- Right to Ventoux Summit
- Right to Mont Saint-Michel
Route details:
Distance: 13.86km (8.6 miles)
Elevation Gain: 177m (580′)
Strava Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
“The Snake” covers most of the roads in Watopia proper in both directions, which means you’ll hit 5 timed KOMs and 3 timed sprints. It’s a true “Out and Back” route, and we call it the snake because it looks like this:
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands!
Route Description
This longer route winds through the less mountainous portions of Watopia then doubles back and retraces itself in reverse.
We begin in the desert, riding over Fuego Flats before turning into Titans Grove for the forward KOM. Then make your way down to Ocean Boulevard and over to the reverse Hilly KOM for our second timed climb.
Next we travel through downtown Watopia, hit the Esses and the reverse sprint, and make our way across the land bridge to the volcano. This is the largest climb of our route. Make it to the top, take a look around–you’re at the head of the snake, halfway through the ride. Now it’s time to retrace your path!
Ride the land bridge to the Italian Villas, hit the forward sprint, then fly through downtown Watopia and up the forward Hilly KOM. Make your way down to the Fishing Village and into the Ocean Boulevard tube, then hang a right as you come out of it to head back to the desert.
But before we reach the desert proper we’ve got to turn into Titans Grove and have a go at the reverse KOM. Then it’s back through the desert, finishing at the desert rock arch. Well done!
Profile
Even though you will ride over 5 timed KOMs, this route is actually quite flat with only 661 meters of elevation over 77.4km. The Volcano KOM halfway through is the largest climb. Since this is a true out and back route, you can see the profile mirrors itself.
Getting Started
Start by choosing the Tempus Fugit route, or any route that puts you near the desert start pens. The route begins at the desert sprint arch.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete The Snake. Start by choosing the Tempus Fugit route, or any route that puts you near the desert start pens. The route begins at the desert sprint arch.
- Straight (Right) to Epic KOM
- Right to Titans Grove
- Left to Ocean Blvd
- Left to Ocean Blvd
- Straight to Italian Villas
- Straight (Right) to Italian Villas
- Right to 360 Bridge
- Straight (Left) to Downtown
- Straight (Left) to Sprint
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit
- Straight (Right) to Volcano KOM
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight (Right) to Italian Villas
- Left to Sprint
- Right to Downtown
- Straight (Right) to KOM
- Left to Sequoia Circle
- Straight (Left) to Sequoia Circle
- Straight (Left) to Downtown
- Right to Desert Flats
- Right to Titans Grove
- Straight (Left) to Desert Flats
Route details:
Distance: 77.4km (48.1 miles)
Elevation Gain: 661m (2170′)
Strava Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands!
Route Description
This is a long flat route which ends in a climb up the Volcano. It is most comparable to the Volcano Climb After Party event-only route, except Spiral Into the Volcano has an extra 10 miles of flat before the volcano climb.
If you follow this route on a map you’ll see how it was named: an ever-tightening counter-clockwise spiral which culminates in the spiral climb up the volcano.
We begin at the downtown start/finish in the reverse direction. Ride around the Volcano Flat to Ocean Blvd then Fuego Flats for a nice flat run through the desert which includes the longest timed “sprint” on Zwift.
Ride through downtown Watopia and around Volcano Flat a second time, but this time when we get on Ocean Blvd we’ll take that all the way back through downtown Watopia. The spiral begins!
Once more through downtown and around Volcano Flat, then hang a left at the Italian Villas to go over The Esses and back to the Volcano. We’ll loop once around the volcano (one lap of Volcano Circuit CCW), then hang a left for the Volcano Climb finish. The route ends at the top of the Volcano as you cross under the KOM banner.
Profile
This route is quite flat, with nothing more than short pitches or rollers until the final Volcano KOM finish which is 2.3 miles (3.6km) long at an average gradient of 3%.
Route details:
Distance: 55.6km (34.6 miles)
Elevation Gain: 324m (1,064′)
Getting Started
When freeriding, select the “Volcano Flat” route to begin–this reduces your number of manual turns required to just 6. You will spawn just before the downtown start banner.
IMPORTANT: you must ride down through the banner then flip a u-turn and ride through the banner in the reverse direction to begin the route!
Turn by Turn
There are many intersections of this route, but typically only 6 manual turns are required. All other intersections should be routed correctly by default, but sometimes Zwift changes the default turns when you’re deep into a randonneuring rebel route, so stay vigilant.
Here is the complete list of turns with manual turns highlighted:
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right (Straight) to Italian Villas
- Right to 360 Bridge
- Right to Sequoia Circle
- Left (Straight) to Sequoia Circle
- Right to Epic KOM (manual turn)
- Left to Desert Flats (manual turn)
- Right (Straight) to Desert Flats (manual turn)
- Left to Downtown
- Straight (Right) to Ocean Blvd (manual turn)
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right (Straight) to Italian Villas
- Right to 360 Bridge
- Right to Sequoia Circle
- Left (Straight) to Sequoia Circle
- Left (Straight) to Downtown
- Left (Straight) to Downtown
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right (Straight) to Italian Villas
- Left to Sprint (manual turn)
- Left to Volcano Circuit (manual turn)
- Right to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Volcano Circuit CCW (manual turn)
- Left (Straight) to Volcano
- Left (Straight) to Volcano KOM (manual turn)
Strava Segment and Maps
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
Our newest Rebel Route was suggested by Zwifter Gene Kruger, who rides a slightly modified version of this route. Gene named this “Three Little Sisters” in homage to Zwift’s official “Three Sisters” route which takes us over the Hilly, Volcano, and Epic KOMs.
Three Little Sisters, in contrast, takes us over the Hilly, Titans Grove, and Volcano KOMs – in that order. Each new climb is longer than the one before, and we took the shortest possible route to get from climb to climb.
Here’s an animation of this route:
The Hour Challenge
The length and difficulty of this route make it perfect for a “1-hour challenge.” Who can complete this route in under an hour? Let’s see what you’ve got!
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
This medium-length route begins at the downtown Watopia start/finish banner. Pick the Hilly Route from the route picker and the game will start you out at the right place.
You’ll quickly hit the first climb of the ride – the very first timed KOM to exist on Watopia! The Hilly KOM is the steepest climb on today’s route, but also the shortest. Hit it hard to finish in a couple of minutes, or take it easy. The choice is yours!
Hilly KOM kit Titans Grove KOM kit Volcano KOM Kit
After the first climb you’ll descend down through the statues and past Hank’s Gas Station, then turn left onto Ocean Boulevard. A right turn at Sequoia Circle takes us toward the Epic KOM, but don’t worry – we’re not tackling that climb today! Instead, we’ll turn left toward the desert and Titans Grove, then another left to get into the Grove.
Up the road a bit (just past the dinosaurs) is the start of our second KOM of the day. The Titans Grove KOM is really two sections of climbing with a small downhill in between. It’s not a steep climb, but it’s long enough to hurt if you’re trying to grab that KOM jersey!
Once you crest the Titans Grove KOM you’ll ride the rollercoaster roads down and out of Titans Grove then turn left to head back to Ocean Boulevard and downtown Watopia. Head through Watopia to the Volcano, riding around the mountain’s north side to the entrance of the Volcano KOM – our third and final climb of the day.
This is our longest climb. It’s not particularly steep, so use the draft of other riders for a little added advantage if you’re trying to make good time.
Finish the Volcano climb with a hard final kick, then circle around the top and descend back to sea level. Finish the Volcano Circuit CCW and head back to downtown Watopia where the route ends at the start/finish banner. Well done!
Profile
The KOM banners on this course come at the 2km, 15km, and 30km markers. Each climb is bigger than the one previous.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete Three Little Sisters. Start by choosing the Hilly Route.
- Straight (Right) to KOM
- Left to Sequoia Circle
- Straight (Left) to Sequoia Circle
- Right to Epic KOM
- Left to Desert Flats
- Left to Titans Grove
- Left to Ocean Boulevard
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Downtown
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Right to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Straight (Left) to Volcano KOM
- Straight (Left) to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Left to Volcano Circuit CCW
- Right to Downtown
- Left to Downtown
Route details:
Distance: 37.7km (23.4 miles)
Elevation Gain: 401m (1316′)
Strava Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
Our newest Rebel Route covers every road on the new France map, in both directions. It’s the longest Rebel Route we’ve created to date (the first to break the 100km barrier) and our first non-Watopia Rebel Route!
Here’s an animation of this route:
About Rebel Routes
“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands! They are included as a separate category on our Veloviewer Route Hunter leaderboard.
Route Description
This long Rebel Route begins with a ~900 meter lead-in from the spawn point to the Marina Sprint line. Then we ride around the main outer loop of the map in a clockwise direction, nearly completing a full lap of the Casse-Pattes route which includes the Pavé Sprint Reverse, the Aqueduc KOM Reverse, and the Petit KOM (in that order).
Aqueduc KOM Reverse 
Pavé Sprint 
Enjoy the farmlands!
Then we turn right toward the Balloon Field, making our way over the twisty river road to the Balloon Field and the Ballon Sprint before turning left and riding the main outer loop in the counter-clockwise direction. This includes the short Aqueduc KOM, Pavé Sprint, and Marina Sprint Reverse. We continue past the start pens and up the base of the Mont Ventoux climb before turning left to descend the Petit KOM.
After descending the zigzags of the Petit KOM it’s a quick left toward the Balloon Field and another chance to sprint, this time on the Ballon Sprint Reverse. Then it’s over the twisty river road and a right turn toward Mont Ventoux: let the fun begin!
Chalet Reynard KOM banner (you’re not done yet!) 
You made it!
The Mont Ventoux climb is the biggest in Zwift at just over 19km (11.8 miles) long with 1480m (4,857)’ of elevation gain. Top racers complete the climb in just under an hour, while many fit amateurs shot to break 90 minutes.
Once you reach the top, enjoy the view: you’ve earned it! Stay on the ring road around the observatory then descend back to where you began – the route ends at the Marina Sprint banner.
Profile
This route is quite flat for the first 60km. We saved all the fun for the end!
Getting Started + Lead-In
Start by choosing the Casse-Pattes route. This will take you in the right direction for the first portion of the ride.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll need to make to successfully complete Toutes les Routes. Start by choosing the Casse-Pattes route, or any route that begins near the start pens. The official Strava segment begins at the Marina Sprint arch.
- Straight to Mont Saint-Michel (during lead-in, before Marina Sprint arch)
- 16km: Straight to Ventoux Summit
- 19km: Right to Mont Saint-Michel
- 22.5km: Right to Balloon Field
- 30km: Straight to Aqueduct
- 46.5km: Straight to Ventoux Summit
- 50km: Left to Aqueduct
- 53km: Left to Balloon Fields
- 60.5km: Left to Ventoux Summit
- 64km: Straight to Ventoux Summit
- 101km: Straight to Mont Saint-Michel
- 104.3km: Straight to Mont Saint-Michael
Route details:
Distance: 104.8km (65.1 miles)
Elevation Gain: 1968m (6,458′)
Strava Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
Introducing Rebel Routes
Riding Watopia’s pre-planned routes is a blast, but sometimes it’s fun to go your own way. Here’s the first in a series of “rebel routes”–those which are not defined in Zwift, thus requiring manual turns. (EDIT: see additional Rebel Routes here >)
The reward? Enjoying a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands!
I’m currently the Strava KOM holder on this route: who’s going to take it from me? Come and get it!
Route Description
This route covers all of Watopia’s three “flat” routes, including Fuego Flats’ new Tick Tock, Volcano Flat, and of course Watopia’s classic Flat route.
We begin on Fuego Flats at the spawn point, moving clockwise around the desert loop until it drops us off on Ocean Blvd. Take Ocean Blvd to downtown Watopia then hit The Esses to the Italian Village. Take a right at the fountain to head towards the Volcano, then a left onto the glass bridge before continuing straight onto The Esses once more.
This time when we hit the Italian Village we’ll continue toward the 360 Bridge, but hang a right before we get there onto Ocean Blvd. We’ll ride almost the entire length of Ocean Blvd, turning right after coming out of the tube so we can head towards our start/finish line. The route ends at the sprint start/finish rock arch.
Profile
At 3.92 meters of climb per kilometer of travel, Triple Flat Loops is flatter than all official routes except Tempus Fugit and Tick Tock. Still, the inclusion of the bump outside of Saddle Springs, two Ocean Boulevard upramps, the Esses (twice) and the final bump into the desert provide spots for strong riders to put in digs and gain time.
Getting Started
When freeriding, select the “Tick Tock” route to begin. You will spawn just before the desert start pens, giving us a lead-in of approximately 2.5km before the sprint finish line rock arch, which is the official start/finish line for this route.
Turn by Turn
Here are the turns you’ll make to complete this route:
- Straight to Epic KOM
- Straight to Epic KOM
- Right to Sequoia Circle
- Right to Downtown
- Straight to Downtown
- Right to Downtown
- Left to Sprint
- Right to Volcano Circuit
- Straight to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Volcano Circuit
- Left to Downtown
- Right to Sprint
- Left to 360 Bridge
- Right to Sequoia Circle
- Left to Sequoia Circle
- Straight to Downtown
- Right to Desert Flats
Route details:
Distance: 33.9km (21.1 miles)
Elevation Gain: 134m (439′)
Strava Forward Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
Fun fact: two routes that began as Rebel Routes eventually made it into Zwift as event-only routes. We’ve thus removed them from the list above, but you can still see the details for the official Watopia’s Waistband and Seaside Sprint routes!
What route are you talking about?
Dear Eric,
During the last 48 hours or so, there have been drastic changes made on Strava/Insider Verified Routes. What have you done? The Route Hunter leaderboard yesterday was blown apart, and at one point NO ONE had completed the Watopia Figure 8 Reverse Course?! Now some have appeared to have it put back, but mine’s not appearing (though it was there previously)… https://www.strava.com/activities/3975431201 What’s going on?
I would love to know the outcome to this thread. On my route hunter leader board the same has happened to the volcano route too. I cant seem to add them back…
Just seen this on veloviewer…. facebook page…. Morning all. Lots of people getting in touch about a few segments no longer showing times/ticks in the Zwift Insider leaderboards. Eric from Zwift Insider creates and maintains the list of segments used in these leaderboards and he sends me the list of segment ids to use. After Strava’s changes last week he took the opportunity to correct a few segments where the start/end weren’t exactly in the right place e.g. Volcano Circuit, Flat Route, Figure 8 Reverse on Watopia (Short) leaderboard. UPDATE: We’ve swapped Volcano back to the old segment so that… Read more »
I like to do a route that combines ‘Sand and Sequoias’ with the ‘Watopia Flat Route’, linked together by the bridge between Ocean Boulevard and Fuego Flats. I usually do S&S first, turn left as I come out of the National Park to go over that bridge and then left again onto OB to do the Flat Route clockwise, and then once through Downtown, return to Fuego Flats over the bridge again. I call it ‘The British Isles’ because, well, the route looks a bit like the British Isles leaning over a bit. It’s around 34km and 250m elevation I… Read more »
So would it be possible to load the segment into a garmin and ride the route with navigational options. I believe it is possible to take a gpx and make this into a zwift file. Would it then be possible to ride a rebel route?
I wouldn’t think so, since Zwift’s roads can’t be loaded into Garmin’s maps.
Triple flat loops RR seems not to be working anymore. Just done it and nothing showing on Strava
Are we supposed to see something particular in Strava for these Rebel Routes?
@guest_34452 you should see the Zwift Insider verified segments for the routes, yes.
Due to the amount of useless Strava segments associated to a Zwift route, I had to use Strava in a browser to unhide the two segments: The Snake and Downtown Titans. Both of these are Zwift Insider Verified but were flagged as hidden so not visible in the Strava app.
Just did my first Rebel Route. Triple Flat Loops. Strava Segments in Zwift are completely overdone. I wish Strava would allow Zwift / Zwift Insider to determine the Strava segments on Zwift. I suspect they would be limited to sprints, climbs, routes and other more significant sections rather than .3 miles of random road which seem to be everywhere.
I did a rebel route which I really liked. Starting Downtown ride the watopia wasteband until you’re back Downtown
From there head east, Climb Titans Grove north to south, head west and then north up Ocean’s Boulevard towards Downtown, but before you reach it turn left and ride the Hilly Route until you cross the Downtown Finish a 2nd time. The route is 51 km long and covers an elevation of 338m. Which for 51km is rather flat, I think.
Hi Eric, I have been attacking the Rebel Routes as I have completed all my Zwift badges. I rode the Eastern Eight yesterday and it did not register on VeloViewer for some reason, I followed the directions precisely. What am I missing? Thank you for all your content, I have referred many Zwifters to your blog. Kris
Do I have write down all the direction notes to do aRebel Route?
Not if you have a photographic memory! Or a printer.
But yes, you’ll want the list of turns. That’s part of the challenge.
Hi Eric i have a question fo you. When zwift is planning to introduce a new rute or a new scenario?
Could Rebel Route cue sheets include distances (in km or miles), just to help us keep an eye out when getting close to a turn?
Due to the lack of shorter routes with the Titan’s Grove expansion, I’ve been thinking of a few rebel routes for the area including this one: Start at the Downtown Banner heading toward the Zwift KOM, take a left onto Ocean Boulevard, left towards Fuego Flats. Turn right into Titan’s Grove, then a right towards the the Epic KOM and Ocean Boulevard. Take a right onto Ocean Boulevard, then a left towards the Italian Villas. Next, a left towards the Italian Villas, then a right into the Sprint and the Esses. Then take the right towards Downtown after the Esses… Read more »
You should ride the “Downtown Titans” Rebel Route… It’s already set up!
Here is a fun flat route that I like to do when I feel like going fast and don’t want to climb: Select the Flat Route, and roll through the Downtown arch towards the KOM. Take a left onto Ocean Boulevard, and continue all the way to Sequoia Circle, take left towards the Epic KOM. Ride till you turn left towards Fuego Flats up the section of road only ridden when riding the Uber Pretzel or free-riding. Hit the Fuego Flats Reverse segment, grab the jersey and then hang left towards Downtown after passing the desert start pens. Turn right… Read more »
This route is for those who want to ride every single road in Watopia in one direction, but in the shortest possible distance: Select the Hilly Route to begin, then head up the KOM. Descend the KOM, hang right towards the Italian Villas, then left toward the Volcano. Take the Volcano CW around, then up and down the Volcano KOM, continue CW around the Volcano through the banner and past the KOM junction. Hang left towards Downtown on the glass bridge, then another left at the Sprint Junction. Head through Downtown then left along Ocean Boulevard. Take another left towards… Read more »
Hi, how Long is your proposed Route?
My idea for a rebel route is like the badwater challenge. Go from the lowest point in watatopia to the highest point and back again. Simple but brutal
This is a fun idea, actually. We could start in downtown Watopia, to the top of the Alpe, and back home, via the shortest route… hmm…
Is this the new “Down Up Down”? I noticed VeloViewer have got three new Rebel Routes listed and I was looking for the turns – are they coming up on site soon or shall I wing it 🙂
Yes! Full writeup coming soon, but the “Down Up Down” route (we may rename it) was inspired by Craig’s comment above. Nice sleuthing, Brian.
Can’t open Eastern Eight above for some reason.
Me neither.
Also waiting for the writeups of “Down Up Down” and “Petite Douleur” as well. But I found them on the Zwift Insider leaderboards 🙂
Fixed Eastern Eight today!
I’m a newbie to Zwift. Can someone point me to step-by-step instructions on how to do these rides? Thanks
Hi Eric…..will you be publishing a post for the ‘Down Up Down’ route that is listed on the Veloviewer leaderboards?
Sorry…..ignore….just saw your earlier comments….
Gravel route idea: combining reverse Seaside Sprint and the Jungle circuit to create a route that favours the gravel bikes more than Road to Ruins?
Just started zwift this week and did part of idea for figure 8 route , start at DT/ pier, Hill loop reverse, turn over to titan reverse before DT/pier, over titan reverse, then up ocean to hilly forward and around, then back down Ocean to Titan Forward and finish back at pier/finish banner. About 600meters gain and 52 KM
Route ideas called 6 Rings in lower parts of watopia. Rolling/hilly route of a couple hours. Start at Downtown and head into Volcano CCW. Then once one lap done head over to the Feugo Flats via the land bridge/small gravel climb /little italy onto ocean road and sequoia circle. Turn to epic but then turn into desert once out underwater tunnel. Funego reverse over to ocean and down to hill reverse. Down and over to titans grove, geyser first and dinos on the way out. Back under the ocean to little Italy into the Esses for the finish at the… Read more »
For an early add on to the 6 Rings route idea is Volcano climb early on after the falter lap of the volcano, then once down cross the land bridge over to little italy.
Did the 6 rings route yesterday. 37miles about 1400feet gain over 2hrs to finish. A possible add on is volcano climb on the way to the finish before the drop down to the pier. Turn to the Volcano climb using the volcano circuit then back down and over to the pier or finish KOM. Great race/ event route D/C = 1 lap, B = 1 lap + volcano climb, A = two laps(turn back on to volcano CCW before dropping down to finish) + volcano climb after second lap.
Hi Eric, I tried The Perimeter rebel route today. Navigation looked easy enough because there’s only three manual turns. I set off on The bigger route and everything went fine till I got to the Radio tower climb. As directed I took the left turn to do the climb but when I came back down I was directed to The castle, i.e. right turn at the bottom rather than left which would take people to the Alpe. Not realising that was the wrong way I took and only realised later on I’d gone completely the wrong way. I don’t know… Read more »
I recently started messing around with manual navigation and then stumbled into Rebel Routes. I really like what I’ve done so far. Have you considered adding cumulative distances for each of the turns and then including turns and distances in a PDF?
Waistband 8.
https://www.strava.com/segments/26351573?filter=my_results
Tick Tock start but go to downtown instead of back to desert; then
Volcano CCW : exit for Italian Village
Right towards 360 Bridge
Right towards Seqoia Circle
RIght towards desert
Start and and End at Sprint Arch
About 20 flat miles so less than hour for most strong riders
Here is my rebel route. I call it Titans 8. Start with Sands and Sequoia, then a lap of Tick TocK followed by a reverse Sands and Sequoia reverse. its 57 km with 400 meters of climbing. Bonus is the chance to ride with two different pace partners. https://www.strava.com/activities/4415595134
Came up with a point to point route called Ruins to Ruins. Can run either direction. Jungle to Desert direction: Pick jungle route and do a lap of the the jungle and out over the pass and down to finishing village and through Italian villas. Around the volcano on the non banner side. Pass through downtown and down ocean blvd. Turn off to epic and then into the desert over col de saddle springs and finish at the desert arch. About 22miles/40km. Sprinters chasing the classic/climbers on the flats into the finish. The D to J other direction is start… Read more »
New potential rebel route with the new roads from the December 2020 update. Start with the Two Bridges Loop but instead of going over the 360 Bridge, hang a left onto the Bridge/Islands Bypass and then do endless laps. It probably has a 2.5km lead-in with a 2km loop. You could do a timed event or end at the sprint banner after a number of laps. You could call it the Villaggio Criterio (Italian for village criterium).
Hi Eric, can you please update the manual turn instructions for Three Little Sisters? I got lost in the new Zwift roads 🙂
ok i had a look at the map and i think the only extra turn is to go straight after 360 bridge (otherwise you take a shortcut to sprint). will test tmrw. cheers
Here’s a suggestion I came up with because I wanted a route with all the new roads and a good length (for me). I call it the “Bigger Bypass Loop”. Start with the Bigger Loop. Take the turn into Titan’s Grove (you can see that as the first bypass). Continue towards the Epic KOM, but directly after the bridge, turn right and take the bypass. It’s nicer from this direction, because it goes slightly downhill and has beautiful views. Ride down into the jungle, but don’t miss the turn to the Mayan Bridge. On the other side, climb out of… Read more »
If a miss a manual turn and do a U-turn to get back on course, will my activity still match against the strava segment?
Depends on how quick you notice and make the U-turn. The Strava algorithm has some tolerance, but I don’t know how it is done exactly.
Thanks. I tested this unwillingly in the jungle and failed miserably – i guess the tolerance is rather minimal.
I had an effort match with the Italian Villas sprint despite u turns
Lap one, turned left instead of right, u turn then straight across, it was matched.
2nd lap u turn before the junction, then another u turn before turning right, effort was matched to segment.
3rd lap followed correctly, but due to burning matches on two previous efforts, was not the quickest effort.
There should be an Update of the *Spiral into the volcano*. Idea is to add Titans grove.
Any changes in navigation with any of the rebel routes due to the new roads added? I only have the the two longest KOMonster and Perimeter left so don’t want to mess up. Thanks,
Hey Eric,
I’m thinking of every street of watopia in one go but it will be pretty long. So my aim is to do the shortest possible route. Is there a possibility to plan a route in watopia?
Thank you
Fabian
please update whit new routes
Anyone have problems with instrucctions of Three Little Sisters? After point 1 I missing the route and I finally climbing the Epic Kom. Could anyone update the correct waypoint?
There are some comments in the Three Little Sisters page, I did this today and there’s a few extra because of the new roads.
There are 10 “rebel” routes described here, but there are 15 routes listed on the VeloViewer route-hunter page. Any plans to reconcile?
Edit: the above should read: …”there are 15 routes listed on the VeloViewer Zwift-Insider page. Any plans to reconcile?” Naturally, (as with many other users, detailed turn-by-turn directions (including distances at turn-points in km) would be useful to include.
Hi all – are there turn-by-turn directions for Big Flat 8 and Hilly KOM Bypass Loop, I can’t find them anywhere online? I can see the Strava Segments, but I can’t work out where I’d need to start and where I’d need to turn!!
Those are quire easy to navigate. Use the map to create turns on your own: https://zwiftinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Watopia-2.14.pdf or
Completed some rebel routes yesterday. Hilly KOM bypass and Italian Villas.
Strange thing happened on Italian villas sprint route, on the second right turn after the start/finish line, the default direction was left, but pressing the right arrow key made no difference. I had to press the left arrow to turn right, very counter intuitive and not what had happened at the first right turn.
Anyone else had this issue?
Otherwise, liking the rebel routes, gives me something to aim at as my remaining zwift route badges are all on the long side.
Yeah, it’s a bug Zwift needs to fix. Happens on the Epic KOM Bypass as well.
I was thinking of the route I use for my festive500 TT bike solo as a Rebel route.
https://www.strava.com/activities/4541752561 it’s 29km with 187m of elevation.
One lap off course.
It’s 29km with 187m of elevation.
I’d call it Fires, views and flats.
I think this is the shortest way to ride Titans Grove in both directions without using a U Turn. I’d love to see this adopted. Titans Grove Turnaround Select “Dust in the Wind”, “Quatch Quest” or “Muir and the Mountain” 0.5km Left at Titans Grove / Ocean Blvd —> Titans Grove 4.0km Ahead at Winding Peak / Repack Ridge —> Winding Peak 9.5km Right at Desert Flats / Epic KOM —> Epic KOM 10.8km Right at Epic KOM / Sequoia Circle —> Sequoia Circle 12.1km Left at Italian Villas / Downtown —> Italian Villas 13.3km Ahead at Jungle/Epic KOM /… Read more »