Released in Zwift’s February 2022 update, Chasing the Sun was the longest route on Makuri Islands until Makuri 40 was released. With contrasting portions based in Neokyo and Yumezi, it includes three sprint segments and two climbs, only one of which is a timed segment.
Released in Zwift’s February 2022 update, Chasing the Sun was the longest route on Makuri Islands until Makuri 40 was released. With contrasting portions based in Neokyo and Yumezi, it includes three sprint segments and two climbs, only one of which is a timed segment.
Route Basics
Length: 35.1 km (21.8 miles)
Elevation: 279 m (915‘)
Lead-In: 0 km ( miles)
Map: Makuri Islands
Start & Finish
Begins and ends at a virtual arch near the Neokyo Harbor
Achievement Badge: 690 XP
Strava Segments
Route Description
Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!
Beginning at Neokyo Harbor, you’ll quickly find yourself winding through the marketplace on the first timed segment of the day: the Alley Sprint. Then you head across town and up to the railway level for a go at Neokyo’s longest sprint, the Railway Sprint.
Spin those legs out and catch your breath, because the first climb is just up the road. This isn’t a timed segment (strangely), but it’s the reverse version of the Rooftop KOM. Twist your way along the rooftops to the top, then descend and head out of town through the Arcade and Yumezi Tunnel into the sunlight.
Now you’re on the flat farmlands, which take you to the Country Sprint, your third sprint of the day. This signals the beginning of the ride’s main climb, which takes you up through Village Onsen and the Fishing Village before beginning the official timed Temple KOM segment on the dirt.
Once you reach the KOM banner in the giant mystical tree it’s a dusty descent to the Castle area, then a flat ride back through Yumezi Tunnel, through the Tower Sprint, along the Canal to the finish line. Nice work!
Nice route. My elevation was 318m on16th Feb.
What do you recommend for bike choice? Is it mostly tarmac except for the last climb? Thanks.
I rode this solo the other day, I went with a TT for the tarmac then a mountain bike for the dirt, which is quite long and worth swapping.
Great route for an hours ride
Go with a gravel bike + gravel tires (like the Enves). It’ll easily near a MTB.
Yeah mainly tarmac. With 2 climbs but lots of flat I go for a good all rounder.
Same
this route not working for me, any suggestions why. It send me the wrong way at the start and then round the fishing village loop several times, well beyond 40 km
The route maps are great but I always find myself trying to remember what parts are dirt or cobble. Could the maps be modified so that they replace the black line with a brown line for dirt and maybe a while line for cobble?
There are barely any cobble sections in Zwift so for the most part just assume it’s dirt or gravel
Hi Eric, Love these route guides. Pretty much the first thing I look for is info on Bike Selection, but it’s missing here and in a few other places. Be nice if you could make it a definite section for all routes. Cheers, and keep up the good work.
totally agree!
Great new route. But unfortunately yet again a route that just goes through Village Onsen’s center, rather than including in the outside loop.
SWWWWEEEEETTT
I was wondering if there was a way to do Neokyo and the Castle route on one ride. Here’s my answer!
@Eric Schlange will these (and other new routes) be added to the Velo Viewer rankings?
Chasing the sun and electric loop are there right now. The other new routes are event only and so far no event only routes have been added.
Thanks.
Must have missed them because they were added at the end of the list.
The other new routes I was referring to were the new Watopia ones, Legends of Labs and Climber’s Gambit. Both of which I just noticed, are also there
I’ve done this route twice now and still no credit on veloviewer? I have the Zwift badge award? I even added extra on my last attempt but still no segment on Strava.
Really can’t figurewhere I’m going wrong? A visual comparison looks accurate
😓
Third attempt and it has now recorded my effort. Can’t see any difference but at least I finally have the Veloviewer segment.
Seems like it’s a strava bug? Although I matched the segment in a race today, the person who won the race doesn’t have the strava segment on their ride.
Could you list the road surfaces. Im not as strong as I used to be,😀 and the rough roads really slow me down.
Looking forward to my first time riding this route tomorrow(TdZ)!
Is it worth stopping at the bottom of the climb and swapping to a gravel bike?
Just to save anyone the trouble I tried the Specialized gravel bike with Enve gravel tires and it was terrible. Yes it was worth a minute faster on the big dirt climb but it just sucked everywhere else. Tour de Zwift with that setup was a real slog. Road bike.
https://zwifterbikes.web.app/route/chasing-the-sun
If solo, but assuming in a race it is a cruise to the climbs, then full gas climbing, Venge wouldn’t be the best for climbing.