Released in Zwift’s January 2022 update, Castle to Castle draws its name from the two castles you’ll pass along the way – first the castle area in Yumezi, then the imperial palace in the Neokyo’s Castle Park.
Released in Zwift’s January 2022 update, Castle to Castle draws its name from the two castles you’ll pass along the way – first the castle area in Yumezi, then the imperial palace in the Neokyo’s Castle Park.
Route Basics
Length: 22.4 km (13.9 miles)
Elevation: 139 m (456‘)
Lead-In: 0 km ( miles)
Map: Makuri Islands
Start & Finish
Begins and ends at a virtual arch near the Neo Arcade
Achievement Badge: 460 XP
Banners and Leaderboards
(in order of appearance)
Alley Sprint Reverse
Castle Sprint Reverse
Tower Sprint
Strava Segments
Bike Selection
With only one 2.8%, 2.3km climb on this route, aero rules the day. Grab the fastest bike available at your level.
Route Description
We begin in Neokyo, just before the Clifftop Shrine circle. Passing the shrine we go through the tunnel to Yumezi, blinking as we enter the daylight!
A flat run in through the rice paddies brings us to the route’s big climb, up to the castle area then through the market before descending the Castle KOM segment.
Take a breather – the climbing is finished. Now it’s just a flat country road back to the tunnel into Neokyo, where we’ll hit the Alley Sprint Reverse, Castle Sprint Reverse, and Tower Sprint before heading back to the virtual start/finish banner where we began.
… and just as you complete all the route badges….
Best bike to use for this route?
An aero due to all the flat but climbs well for the castle climb.
The climb to the village/temple is only a little over 1.5 miles long with a max 11% grade for only a very short distance near the bus stop. I didn’t even notice I was riding with the Zipp 858 on the S-Works Venge frame for the climb — and gravity is not my friend.
This could become a classic racing route, if the heavier power riders can hang on enough on the Yumezi Castle climb, then it’s a chase down or holding on in the remaining 3/4 lap, generally flatish return.
Is this route available for events yet?
It took 16.6 miles to complete the route this morning, glitch?
good route though.
will the veloviewer leaderboard be expanded to include this route?
This feels like it would be a good race route if run in reverse too with the climb coming close to the end