Earn Your PRL Full Badge with REVO September 25

September 21, 2021

LAST UPDATED September 21, 2021

London’s PRL Full is the longest route in all of Zwift, covering 173km/107.5 miles. It’s a route best undertaken in good company, and this Saturday is a wonderful opportunity to do just that!

On the 25th of September, Revolution Velo Racing (one of Zwift’s longest-running community teams) will host a super fun attempt at the PRL Full Badge.

That’s right, we say super fun because what can be better than spending hours on your bike with a bunch of new friends while crushing your goal of earning the longest route badge on Zwift??

The event takes place on Saturday, September 25th, at 5:30 AM Pacific / 8:30 AM Eastern / 1:30 PM UK.

Sign Up Now >

About the Route

The PRL Full route was released with the original London map, and the intent was to mimic the length (but not the actual roads) of the IRL Prudential Ride London event.

In contrast to Zwift’s other long routes, The PRL Full is quite simple: it’s just 11 laps of the London Loop, followed by a bit more riding to get you onto The Mall where you finish at the Classique forward sprint.

The big feature of the London Loop is Box Hill – 3km/1.9 miles long with 136m (446′) of elevation gain for an average gradient of 4.4%. It’s not a particularly long or steep climb, but 11x up any climb is a challenge!

Read more about The PRL Full >

Event Specifics

Show up on time, because there is no late join for this ride. Why? Because if you late joined more than a minute or so into the event, you wouldn’t unlock the route badge! And we don’t want that on our conscience.
This will be a double draft ride, so sit in with others on the flats in order to conserve your energy.
Participants are encouraged to group up with new friends of similar speed and encourage each other along the way. Riding with others will increase your speed for the same wattage output!
There will be a beacon but only to keep the chatter going and encourage proper rest stops, intake of fluids, and the eating of nutritious snacks like cake and donuts.
The very fastest riders can finish The PRL Full in 4.5 hours, but most folks require 5.5-7 hours, with some taking even longer. Our Yellow Beacon hopes to ride the course in about 6 hours, whereas our red beacon will probably take somewhere over 7 hours.
Come and join us, make a day of it with REVO! If you’ve never ridden with us before you’ll also earn a jersey alongside your new bragging rights.

REVO Ride Tips

REVO has a bevy of experienced long-distance cyclists who have tackled events on and off of Zwift. We have some tips to share to help make the experience more enjoyable.

Plan for breaks. Look at the route ahead of time and decide when and where to take breaks. REVO’s Sarah Strange recommends planning your breaks for the descents of Box Hill. Get your avatar into a super tuck, then hop off the bike and take care of yourself. This way your avatar will spend less time stopped on the course, AND you can give your body some rest.

Stage what you’ll need ahead of time. Stopping to wander around the kitchen pondering your snack options wastes precious time. Make a stockpile near your bike with most everything you think you’ll need. Water bottles, hydration mix, snacks, chamois cream, maybe a fresh change of clothing, music, entertainment, the list goes on.

Treat the ride as seriously as you would an outdoor ride of this effort. While you are “just pedaling in your basement”, the toll on your body is similar to an outside event, and in some cases, harder. Get good rest leading up to the ride day, stay hydrated, fueled, and top off your electrolytes. I find that saddle sores are more of a problem indoors than out, so stay in tune with how you’re feeling and remember to adjust your position often. Stand briefly, shift up your cadence, and seriously consider a shorts swap once or twice during the event.

Follow along on our Revolution Velo Friends page this week for more tips leading into our big ride on Saturday.