Zwift’s Climb Portal feature went live a year ago, in July 2023. This week, for the first time ever, Zwift begins holding group rides on Portal climbs! It’s all done in conjunction with the Tour de France, which kicks off along with the first Climb Portal events on June 29th.
What we have here is a compelling and rare mashup of virtual and real cycling worlds. While the men’s pro field races the climbs in real life, listening to the cheers of thousands while breathing in clear mountain air and battling the burning in their legs, Zwifters can ride GPS-accurate replicas of the same climb in game. That’s pretty cool!
Eight different climbs will be featured on the same day they feature in the Tour, with events held hourly throughout the day:
| Climb (click for details) | Date | TdF Stage | Register |
| Côte des Forche (3km, 148m) | June 29 | 1 | Sign up > |
| Col du Galibier (Lautaret) (10.3km, 539m) | July 2 | 4 | Sign up > |
| Pas de Peyrol/Puy Mary (10.2km, 603m) | July 10 | 11 | Sign up > |
| Pla d’Adet (12.1km, 847m) | July 13 | 14 | Sign up > |
| Col de Peyresourde (Avajan) (8.3km, 559m) | July 14 | 15 | Sign up > |
| Isola 2000 (18.9km, 1145m) | July 19 | 19 | Sign up > |
| Col de la Couillole (18.3km, 1209m) | July 20 | 20 | Sign up > |
| La Turbie + Col d’Eze (15.2km, 616m) | July 21 | 21 | Sign up > |
“Grand Depart” Kit Unlock
Zwifters can unlock the new Santini TdF 2024 Grand Depart kit by finishing any of the Climb Portal events listed above:
You can also unlock the kit by finishing July’s TdF Mission (riding any two different routes in France or Paris) or by completing one of the portal climbs listed above as an on-demand free ride in the Climb Portal Challenge.
Climb Portal Challenge
It’s hard to miss the Climb Portal Challenge Zwift has just rolled out for the TdF! Click the homepage banner, register for the challenge, then you have access to all of the climbs above whenever you’d like.
Bring Your Climbing Bike
The Climb Portal events are technically group rides, not races. But you can still chase leaderboard placings and try to set your fastest time on each climb! Be sure to use a lightweight bike in game. Here’s a guide that tells you the lightest bike frame and wheelsets available at each Zwift level.
Questions or Comments?
What do you think of the Climb Portal event concept? If you’re planning on joining any of these TdF events, will you be going big on Isola 2000, or just knocking out the easy Côte des Forche? Or maybe you’re an animal and plan to do them all?
I think I might do all except the two 18km climbs.
I love the climb portal. I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, but the oportunity to climb famous GPS-accurate climbs is brilliant. Just patiently waiting for Zwift to add some Mallorca climbs to help me feel at home.
I do too. When I want a solid ride in then I much prefer it to the other routes.
About time
Those last three days will be hard with 18km, 18km and 15km
Harder for the sprinters trying to make it to the end of the actual race!
I suspect a lot will drop out for the Olympics, no?
It’s good to see that the Climb Portal Challenge lets you select any of the climbs at any time. No need to wait for the specific date to ride it, or to wait for it to show up in the normal Climb Portal schedule.
So if I do a climb event then it doesn’t unlock the jersey? I just have to pick it as the route I want to do on my own? Is that right?
Finishing a climb event unlocks the jersey. Free-riding one of those TdF routes will also unlock the kit.
Thanks for clarifying.
I rode the climb today on demand but no jersey. The yellow banner tells me that one ride is finished. Strange.
I just did the first group ride and it was the best combination of a climb portal and other people fighting with the climb. I will definitely do other climbs also. Those 18k giants are perfect for a group ride 🙂
Interesting, because I did Col de Peyresourde and when I exited the portal, I continued on to do Ventoux in its entirety. I didn’t earn anything except a few XP for hours in the saddle….. 🫤
Can you do multiple climbs in one ride? Or do you have to end your ride, quit to homepage and select another portal?
The latter, because there’s no way to select a different climb except on the homescreen.
I’ve seen some online sources say that there is another kit unlock from doing them all. Does anyone know if this is true?
Hi Eric, Do you have any intel on why the gradients of the climbs do not really mimic the real thing? For instance Col de la Couillole is very different from the real climb. I would assume it would be fairly easy for Zwift to make these climb portal climbs fairly identical to (for instance) the gradient profile by VeloViewer, which is far more accurate, from what I understand.
Does anyone else have the issue I have- no matter what climb I choose in the portal challenge, when on course it is always the Tourmalet, so frustrating!
(Apple TV on latest version)
Do you know if we can still free ride any of these on the 22nd of July or do we have until the end of the 21st?
The big in-game challenge banner says it goes through July 21, so I would assume after that we’ll be back to just being able to ride the climb of the month as well as the day’s featured climb. See schedule (https://zwiftinsider.com/climb-portal-schedule/) for what those are…
I saw that on the banner and the. Zwift said through the 22nd so I’m assuming that to mean then that as soon as the calendar hits 22 they are not all available. Thanks for your insight as well
I did my 2nd climb today – Hautacam – in the Clim Portal Challenge, when I got to the top I read ‘You Dit It’ but under the arch I got NO mention bar that I had completed the climb. I’m 66 years and it’s already an effort to do longer climbs, if we don’t get those registered too, this is not fun!
Is there any way to get these anyway?
Sportive greetz