“Kaze Kicker” Route Details (Makuri Islands)
Launching with Zwift Games 2026, this route loops the well-known Pain Cavern>Neokyo>Slot Canyon>Urukazi circuit, but finishes with a spicy little spur on the Boardwalk.
Launching with Zwift Games 2026, this route loops the well-known Pain Cavern>Neokyo>Slot Canyon>Urukazi circuit, but finishes with a spicy little spur on the Boardwalk.
Route Basics
Length: 16.9 km (10.5 miles)
Elevation: 134m (440′)
+0.4km (0.2 miles) lead-in with 6m (20′) elevation
Map: Makuri Islands
ZIMetrics
Rating: 8.5/100 🛈
Time Estimates 🛈
4 W/kg: 25 minutes
3 W/kg: 28 minutes
2 W/kg: 34 minutes
Start & Finish
Starts from the Urukazi start pens, finishes on the Boardwalk Sprint.
Format: Point-to-Point
Ride Achievement Badge: 340 XP
Run Achievement Badge: none
Leaderboard Segments |
| Tidepool Sprint Reverse (0.31km, 0%) |
| Tower Sprint (0.32km, 0.4%) |
| Boardwalk Sprint (0.24km, 0%) |
Strava Segments
Route Description
We begin in Urukazi, blazing a trial toward Neokyo that hits the Tidepool Sprint Reverse segment before 2km has even passed.
A bit of Zwift trivia: at the time of its creation, this is the only route that hits the Tidepool Sprint Reverse!
From there, we head up the route’s key climb, affectionately known as “Pain Cavern” in the Zwift Community. This twisty, draggy climb isn’t an official KOM segment, but don’t let that fool you: many racers have entered Pain Cavern in the front pack, and exited in a chase group.
Next, we’ve got the longest flat bit of the route as we wind through Neokyo’s northernmost road, hitting the Tower Sprint along the way before exiting the city.
The long Slot Canyon descent follows, with its eye-popping graphics and slack downhill helping your legs recover for the final push.
Back on flat ground, you’ll exit the big loop and begin the final spur, heading up the Mech Isle corkscrew climb. This is another unofficial KOM that can easily drop a rider, so mind your position in the pack, and steer left if you’re able!
Descend from the corkscrew and take a deep breath: you have less than 1km to the flat, fast Boardwalk Sprint finish. This one will take a combination of strong legs, good timing, and (hopefully) a helpful powerup. Good luck!
Am I the only one that is annoyed by the topology of markuri? I mean you climb up from sea level through the cavern to the city which is at sea level?
Damn you are right… unless dam, then your not😀
Well played, Dan. Well played.
If they ever release rowing in Makuri Islands, things could get really interesting…
May have some rapids…
I’m REEEEEEALLY hoping that the recent release of Rowing on MyWhoosh might make Zwift reconsider their (idiotic) decision to mothball the already coded and beta-tested Rowing module for Zwift 🙏🙏
Makuri is definitely my least favorite world
Maybe those robot arms and other parts that are being driven all around Makuri are being used to build robots to fight the kaiju monsters trying to sink the outlying islands? They’re only still above water due to some future anti-gravity mumbo jumbo tech.
That’s all I got lol
Headcanon accepted.
a man, a plan, a canal, Makuri?
Surprisingly flat route for a Zwift Games segment. No complaint. Pain Cavern at the start is a bit evil, but not doing any KOMs is kind.
I do not consider this a flat route. The Pain Cave climb is significant.
When are the Zwift Games scheduled?
Starts February 16. Working on a post about it to publish February 9… (media embargoes and such…)
Hi Erik
would it be possible when publishing “event only routes” to add turn by turn instructions like a rebel. They are not always easy to do out of an event otherwise.
thanks
Possible, but not probable. 😀 You’ve got an animated map… I think that’ll have to suffice!
Hi Eric ( @Eric Schlange ) I see the first Zwift Games 2026 events showing up starting feb 9, 16.30 UTC. Do they start a week early?
I’m guessing those are the “Road to Glory” events, which are basically Zwift racing orientation rides for newer racers leading into Zwift Games.
Why can’t they just recognize pain cavern KOM as a segment? Would it really be that hard from them to write it into their code?
Honestly, I get blown of the back enough here (especially on courses that end on the virtual banner by the pens or the Alley Sprint shortly after this). Make this a segment worth points and it’s going to get even more painful. I’m happy just using the Strava segment to judge my effort relative to past performance and trying to maintain some of my dignity in races over this area.
Agreed that this is a tough one but it’s the only climb that length in the game that is not a segment. It’s weird.
Looks like a route that could be an interesting 10-mile TT effort.
It’s a shame about the little finish at the Boardwalk sprint, having it finish at the Tidepool sprint reverse would have made it a nice little loopable route for a pacer bot or similar. Hell even if it finished at the Tower sprint to have that uphill finish in to chuck the “well insulated” individuals like myself well out the back and away from the top places.
I’m sure these routes are great for racing, but they often feel a bit naff for general riding afterwards.
How does steering left help?
Shortens the climb.