“Oh Hill No” Route Details (Watopia)
If you’re looking to directly access Zwift’s “The Grade” FTP test climb, this is the route to do it. But you’ll want to be warmed up beforehand, because the test begins as soon as you start pedaling!
If you’re looking to directly access Zwift’s “The Grade” FTP test climb, this is the route to do it. But you’ll want to be warmed up beforehand, because the test begins as soon as you start pedaling!
Route Basics
Length: 7.9 km (4.9 miles)
Elevation: 306m (1,004‘)
+0.2km (0.1 miles) lead-in
Map: Watopia
ZIMetricsBETA
Rating: 6.8/100 🛈
Time Estimates 🛈
lead-in + first lap
2 W/kg: 27 minutes
3 W/kg: 20 minutes
4 W/kg: 18 minutes
Start & Finish
Events begin with a lead-in from the southern coast start pens, but the route officially starts and ends at the start of The Grade KOM.
Restriction: Level 10+
Achievement Badge: 160 XP
Sprint & KQOM Segments |
The Grade KOM (3.52km, 8.6%) |
Strava Segments
Route Description
Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!
This route begins from the coastal start pens, or if you choose to free ride it the game will place you just before the start line of The Grade KOM. Either way, be ready to climb as soon as you start pedaling!
The key feature of this route is The Grade KOM: a steep (8.6%) 3.5km-long section of road created to function as an FTP test within Zwift. The idea is to go as hard as you can up the climb, then Zwift will compute you FTP based on your segment time and average power.
Your average power is displayed while you climb The Grade, to help you hit your target pace.
The first section of The Grade is perfectly straight, and as you pass the buildings of Ciudad la Cumbre (“Summit City”) you’ll see the climb is divided into 10 equal-length sections denoted by numbers painted on the road.
Just before the halfway point, the road flattens for a bit. Be ready to shift to a harder gear so you can keep your power up!
After the flat bit you’ll enter the twisty upper half of The Grade. This is where you need mental and physical strength. Keeping your power up as you pass the waterfalls and the landscape turns icy. Don’t leave anything on the table – go all-in when you see the KOM banner on screen! The game will show your computed FTP on a signpost just past the banner, and confetti will pop if it’s an improvement over your current FTP.
Looking for target times on The Grade? See our list here >
Once you complete the climb, you’ll turn around and descend back to sea level. The route begins and ends at The Grade’s start line.