All About Zwift Robopacers (Formerly Known as Pace Partners)

Since their release in August 2020, RoboPacers have become a popular part of the Zwift landscape, providing always-on group rides/runs at a consistent pace. (Originally called “Pace Partners”, in November 2022 they were renamed “RoboPacers” to differentiate them from HoloReplay ghosts.)

Here’s a quick snippet of one of the original Pace Partners in action:

Nowadays, RoboPacers look like robots, instead of the hologram-human look of the original Pace Partners. As the name says, RoboPacers are bots, not real people. They ride at a consistent pace on a particular route, and you can easily join them if you’re looking to ride with others.

This page contains everything we know about RoboPacers. Let’s dive in!

Meet Your RoboPacers

Here’s a complete list of running and riding RoboPacers, along with each of their paces:

Uses for RoboPacers

Zwifters use RoboPacers in a variety of ways:

• Warmups and Cooldowns: getting ready for a race or tough group ride? Get your legs spinning with a pack of friends. It’s more fun than dropping into a map alone, and it helps get you into that group ride mode.
• Group practice: still learning how to stay in the draft and ride efficiently on Zwift? RoboPacer packs are the perfect place to practice. Move around in the group, noting how it gets harder or easier depending on if you’re off the front, tailgunning on the back, or sitting somewhere mid-pack.
• Steady training or long distance: looking for a steady effort? You always know what the RoboPacers will be doing.
• Intervals: interval training with a RoboPaced group is more fun than doing it alone. Try riding off the front for X minutes, or dropping off the back then sprinting on.
• Fitness Testing: want to push yourself? Choose a RoboPacer that rides above your race pace, and see how long you can hang on. Then come back and do it again!
• Pyramid Workouts: try starting with an easy RoboPacer, then teleporting to the next hardest, working your way up. Stick with each for perhaps 5 minutes, then work your way down once you’ve maxed out.
• Meeting a Friend: want to ride with a friend? Just tell them which RoboPacer group you’ll be in, and they can join whenever they’d like!

Joining a RoboPacer

Find all the currently-active RoboPacers under “24/7 Group Rides” on your homescreen. Each Pacer’s card has details about what that particular Pacer is doing:

Select the RoboPacer you want and click to start riding/running with them. The game will give you a little burst of speed to make sure you don’t get dropped right away.

Where Is the RoboPacer?

Here’s a little tip many Zwifters don’t know: when you click on a RoboPacer’s card from your home screen, a route map will pop up which includes the RoboPacer’s current location. It can be a little hard to see, but it’s the grey circle with a RoboPacer symbol inside.

Dynamic Pacing

Cycling RoboPacers use dynamic pacing, increasing power by up to 10% uphill and decreasing up to 20% when descending. This provides for a more natural overall pace, as riders on smart trainers instinctively boost their power on climbs and decrease it on descents. Just like outdoors!

Drops Multiplier Game

The Drops Multiplier game was created to encourage riders to stay close to the RoboPacers. It provides a bit of a challenge to help us engage and learn how to manage our position in the virtual peloton – a useful skill for races and group rides. And of course, we all like more Drops, so we can fill our virtual garages with more bikes and wheels!

The big idea here is: stay close enough to the RoboPacer and your Drops Multiplier will increase, which means you’ll be earning Drops faster. It takes 5 minutes to fill each stage, so after 5 minutes of riding close enough to a RoboPacer your multiplier will go from x1.0 to x1.2 (this means you’re earning Drops 20% faster than before.) 5 more minutes and it will go to x1.4, then x1.6, then x1.8, then x2.0, then x2.5.

It will stay at x2.5 as long as you stay close enough to your RoboPacer.

Chance of Thumbderstorms

If you’re looking to get a lot of Ride Ons, there’s no better place in Zwift than a big RoboPacer group. Not only do the RoboPacers hand out Rides Ons regularly, but riders in the groups do it as well! Many Zwifters have received their “Bigger Than Jensie” badge (100 Ride Ons) simply by hanging with Coco long enough…

Route Rotation Schedule

RoboPacers rotate to new routes on a regular basis. To find out what routes each RoboPacer will be on in the coming days, so our RoboPacer schedule.

RoboPacer FAQ

Do RoboPacers draft?
Yes.

Can I draft behind a RoboPacer?
Yes.

What’s the story behind Coco Cadence’s name change?
That’s a story Simon tells best.

Development Timeline

For the true Zwift nerds, here’s a timeline of Pace Partner/RoboPacer evolution:

• September 2023: Zwift confirms they’ve turned off running RoboPacers due to low engagement.
• August 2020: Cycling Pace Partners go live as a “minimum viable product” (MVP) version
• September 2020: Drops Multiplier game launched for Cycling Pace Partners. UI tweaks to help you join and stay with the Pace Partners (read more).
• October 2020:  Beacon added over Pace Partners for easier visibility, and warnings shown to help you make the right turn to stay with the Pace Partner (read more).
• December 2020: Run Pace Partners go live
• January 2021: Pace Partner UI tweaks made to help you stay close
• February 2021: Drops Multiplier game tweaks make it easier to get those Drops. Lower-level Zwifters can now follow Pace Partners into level-locked areas of Watopia. Read more >
• March 2021: route rotation announced for cycling Pace Partners
• April 2021: Zwift tests non-drafting Pace Partners… but not for long!
• September 2021: Zwift moves Pace Partners server-side, making things more stable and paving the way for much more powerful features.
• November 2021: Pace Partners launch in Makuri Islands, marking the first time the bots have appeared anywhere other than Watopia. A sign of things to come?
• March 2022: dynamic pace testing begins, making Pace Partners decrease efforts on descents and increase on inclines for a more natural riding experience.
• May 2022: a raft of new Pace Partners are released for testing various paces. Test events are held with Pace Partners as beacons/leaders, including Alpe du Zwift climbs and chase races.
• August 2022: homescreen UI revamped to display all Pace Partners as well as their route, group size, current w/kg, speed, and location on the map.
• September 2022: Pace Partners graduate out of FutureWorks. A whole new set of Pace Partners is spun up, and the list of Watopia and Makuri Islands routes for the Pace Partners is finalized.
• November 2022: Pace Partners are renamed RoboPacers.

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