Released unannounced in Zwift’s November 2021 update, Neokyo Crit Course is an event-only route which would have slipped under the radar except that its route badge appears in game.
That’s right – a route badge for an event-only route! Is this a sign of things to come? Will Zwift create route badges for other event-only routes? We hope so.
Released unannounced in Zwift’s November 2021 update, Neokyo Crit Course is an event-only route which would have slipped under the radar except that its route badge appears in game.
That’s right – a route badge for an event-only route! Is this a sign of things to come? Will Zwift create route badges for other event-only routes? We hope so.
Route Basics
Length: 3.9 km (2.4 miles)
Elevation: 15 m (49‘)
Lead-In: .7 km (0.4 miles)
Map: Makuri Islands
Start & Finish
Starts and ends at a virtual lap banner located not far past the start of the Alley Sprint.
Restriction: Event Only
Achievement Badge: 90 XP
Banners and Leaderboards
(in order of appearance)
Alley Sprint
Castle Sprint
Strava Segments
Strava SegmentsBike Selection
This route is nearly pan-flat, so aero rules the day. Get the most slippery frame and wheels you can afford!
Route Description
After a short lead-in from the Harbor Start Pens, we cross the virtual lap banner as we zip down a narrow street in the Shopping District portion of Neokyo.
The Alley Sprint actually begins just a bit before the virtual lap banner, and ends well after it. You’ll pass the Makuri Tree on your right after finishing the Alley Sprint, then travel toward Neokyo Center, passing the Center Shrine before going into Castle Park.
This is where the second sprint of this circuit lives. Castle Park’s sprint is a short effort on the park’s narrow brick path. Give it all you’ve got, grab green, then finish winding your way out of the park and back to the Shopping District, where you’ll pass through the lap banner once more.
Wash, rinse, repeat. Multi-lap crits will fly around this super-flat circuit – the flattest of Zwift’s crit circuits, with only 3.9m of climb for every kilometer of distance.
You should call out the fact that this route is the first event-only route in Zwift to have a completion badge. Also, you need to update your table of all routes to show XP points for the badge.
On my to do list! Had to chat with ZHQ first about it to get more details since event-only route badges would be big news…
When will this route be available? I haven’t seen in any up coming events
Watch this space, Hova z. Announcement coming Monday!
Even if it’s event only, this route is available at any time if you use ZwiftPref 🙂
The Strava segment link above goes to Wandering Flats, though!
Strava segment link is now there.
There no Strava segment for this course yet (I guess that’s why Wandering Flats is listed instead?). Use ZwiftPref to access the route!
This route was +90 XP.
Hmmm, why are votes not allowed on these comments?
Works for me, if I’m signed in when I click it.
Not the biggest fan of flat crits, I think the popularity of dolphin lap compared to bell lap shows that I’m not alone with that sentiment but we will see. More routes is always nice.
That’s the same route just reversed isn’t it?
Yes of course, I worded it badly. I personally think a kicker like the one in dolphin makes crits much more interesting. The elevation is of course the same but the dynamic is different.
The problem is that on Zwift a flat course is just like an unending straight… On Dolphin lap the gradient changes actually replace the real world turns a bit.
Now we just need Zwift physics to finally introduce some speed reduction for sharper bends, needing a quick burst of power to get back to race speed after the corner.
you mean like London has…
London does this?
Not a great fan of these Crit Courses. I’m too old to race with all these younger athletes!! Therefore I am a little perplexed as to why you have to do the ‘event’ in order to achieve the badge! I little unfair, I think!!