“Petite Douleur” Route Details (France)
Petite Douleur (“little pain”) is the smallest possible circuit on the France map. With each lap ending atop the Petite KOM, this would make a butt-kicker of a racecourse. The strongest riders can do the loop in under 20 minutes!
This began as a Rebel Route, then was added to the game for Tour de Zwift 2025.
Petite Douleur (“little pain”) is the smallest possible circuit on the France map. With each lap ending atop the Petite KOM, this would make a butt-kicker of a racecourse. The strongest riders can do the loop in under 20 minutes!
This began as a Rebel Route, then was added to the game for Tour de Zwift 2025.
Route Basics
Length: 13.9 km (8.6 miles)
Elevation: 194m (636′)
+10.9km (6.8 miles) lead-in with 192m (630′) elevation
Map: France
ZIMetrics
Rating: 15.6/100 🛈
Time Estimates 🛈
lead-in + first lap
4 W/kg: 42 minutes
3 W/kg: 48 minutes
2 W/kg: 62 minutes
Start & Finish
Events start with a lead-in from the pens, through Les Intestins, and up the Petite KOM. Free rides and Meetups begin just before the Petit KOM arch. (Actual lap begins and ends at the Petite KOM arch.)
Format: Loop
Ride Achievement Badge: 280 XP
Run Achievement Badge: none
Leaderboard Segments |
| Ballon Sprint (0.21km, 0%) |
| Petit KOM (2.7km, 3.9%) |
Strava Segments
Route Description
Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!
This route begins with a long 11km lead-in from the spawn point/start pens over the twisty river road (aka “Les Intestins”), to the top of the Petite KOM. The Petite KOM banner is our lap start/finish line.
From this start line, we turn right at the fork, heading downhill toward the start pens. This downhill segment is approximately 2.8km long, and the only real descent of the route.
After passing the start pens we turn right toward the Les Intestins and Balloon Field. Here you can hit the Ballon sprint if you’d like, then turn right at the fork to head up the zigzagging Petite KOM. Once you reach the top, it’s time to do it all over again! Get a little recovery on the descent, then hit it with all you’ve got!
Looking forward to testing out this route! It seems like a solid addition with some long stretches in the lead-in. That 15.6/100 rating is pretty low, though. What do you think, does this route look like it’s going to be harder than the rating suggests?
The rating is low because the route is short! Yeah, it has significant climbing, but you can complete it in an hour at 2 w/kg.
I know the amount of XP given ignores the lead-in (annoyingly, especially for the Lutschers!), but does the ZImetrics rating take it into account?
Yes, ZIMetrics difficulty rating as well as time estimates take lead in into account. Specifically, it takes the event lead-in into account (which sometimes differs from the free ride lead in).
I did this route manually today and didn’t get the badge, do you have to try and find an event to get it awarded?
If you manually navigate a route (manual turns) you won’t get the badge. You have to select the route from the route picker, or do an event using the route, for it to count.
Looks like another horrible lead-in…
I agree. Generally, I dislike routes *without* a lead in as I want a small warm up in case I want to go for a route PB. However, this lead-in is almost the same length as the route itself. So you have to ride it twice for the first lap
This is a great route. Interestingly, this is a shortened version of a route I submitted to the ZRL route design competition on 4th October. My route was named ‘Sacre Bleu’ and is my favourite of the 5 routes I submitted to the competition. It consists of 2 clockwise loops of the intestines and petit KO< with a finish at the Marina Sprint. Here's a link: https://www.zwift.com/eu/activity/1711505402673266688
They used your name of the route at least!
👍
Although I like what they’ve done with Watopia, I’d love to see France receive some additions. It would only take a few kilometres to open up numerous options.
Your wish was granted last week. 😜
I saw that – very happy France is getting some love!!
At the risk of being greedy, would you know if it will get a little more in the future?
So much potential.
Hope you’re having a blast in Europe!
Having a great time over here, thanks. Heading to Ireland today.
I haven’t heard anything about additional France expansion, but of course, as you say, lots of room to grow!
Suggested bike and wheels? Thanks
I expect it depends on whether you’re riding or racing and *how* you’re racing depending on your strengths and where you sit in the category you’re racing in.
If (big if) you can hang on the flats with a climbing setup and then smash the hilltop finish, that’s probably the way to go.
If you just want to get round the course relatively quickly, Tron/Aero setup.
Does the official new route include the lead in for the route badge? Would be nice to start at the top of Ventoux.
Rode the route today- there was no lead in. Started at the Petit KOM banner directly into the descent.
Cool. Thanks.
I just rode it as well and there was no lead in.
I just did the ride as part of TdZ and there was a long lead in including the climb. You therefore have to do the climb twice finishing on the climb.
The group ride drove me on for the second time up the climb.
I would like to know why Zwift continue to ignore lead-in distances for a meet ups. If you go to meetups and select Petite Douleur you will be automatically set to a distance of 9.3 miles, which is well short of the circuit and lead-in (15.4 miles). Which means that if you are trying to keep everyone together the rubber band will cease WAY WAY before you get to the end of the route.(Yes I know you can manually change it, but you really shouldn’t need to).
So, now I am confused as I just did the route, as a meetup, and it ended at around 9 miles.
The 2025 TdZ #4ABC b2b2b looks like it might hurt a bit. Nice =)
Would it be possible to get a zwift segment from the pens since it’s such a massive part of this route or perhaps the turn into intestines.
Done, added above.
Just did this route (in workout mode) and I was spawned at the top of the KOM just before the banner, so when I climbed it the first time, I earned the badge (i.e. no lead in at all)
Same experience today, as a free ride. Got the route completion upon first climb up the KOM. So the Route Basics above could use an update after Eric fires up the bot to confirm.
These ridiculous pop-ups make this the most insufferable site I regularly visit. Every. Single. Time.