“Rebel Routes” are Zwift rides which are not available on Zwift’s routes list, thus requiring manual navigation.
The reward for your rebel ride? Exploring a new route, knowing you’ve gone where few Zwifters have gone before. And a Strava segment rank in the tens or hundreds instead of the thousands!
Route Description
This perimeter route is just like Bigger Loop except it adds the radio tower and Alpe du Zwift climbs. Suggested by Zwifter Jeff Cottrell, the goal of this route is to ride the entire perimeter of Watopia.
We begin at the downtown start/finish and proceed to Fuego Flats, starting off nice and flat before we hang a left and head up the Epic KOM. And it’s not enough to finish the Epic KOM–once you ride through the banner it’s another left onto the much-hated radio tower climb!
But our reward awaits–next we get to go screaming down the radio tower descent, and continue our descent on the Epic KOM. Then it’s over to the jungle so we can start the toughest feature of this route: the mighty Alpe du Zwift.
Once you’ve made it to the top of the Alpe, take a deep breath and enjoy a quick breather while you descend. Once you’re at the bottom, to finish the other half of the jungle circuit. After climbing out of the jungle we descend to the docks, through the fishing village, and past the Italian Villas so we can make our way around the outside of the volcano before heading back to the start/finish.
Profile
This route is actually quite flat, except where it’s not. The Epic KOM and Alpe du Zwift climbs account for ~15 miles of the 51-mile route, and everything else is either flat or downhill apart from those climbs.
Getting Started
When freeriding, select the “Bigger Loop” route to begin–this reduces your number of manual turns required to just 3. You will spawn just before the downtown start banner.
Turn by Turn
There are many intersections of this route, but since the route is very similar to Bigger Loop only 3 manual turns are required. All other turns will route you correctly by default. Here are the manual selections you’ll need to make:
- After the Epic KOM banner, turn left to “Bonus Climb” (aka “Radio Tower”). 15.3 miles from start line.
- When you descend from the Bonus Climb, turn left. 17.1 miles from start line.
- After descending through the Mayan jungle, turn right to Alpe du Zwift. 23.1 miles from start line.
- After the Alpe descent, turn right to Jungle Loop. 39.6 miles from start line.
Route details:
Distance: 82.3km (51.2 miles)
Elevation Gain: 1874m (6,147′)
Strava Forward Segment
Rebel Route Suggestions
Got an idea for a great rebel route? Share it below and maybe we’ll publish a post about it!
My personal favorite flat course is spawning in the desert going through through tempus fugit. Proceed over to the Italian village and around the volcano before heading back to the spawn point. For me, it is a great way to get flat-ish miles in without having to do multiple laps.
That’s Watopia’s Waistband! https://zwiftinsider.com/watopias-waistband/
Eric, great site and love the rebel routes. I think you might want to amend the directions on The Perimeter.
When you come down from the radio master the default direction is to turn right to decend the way you came up. You do need to pick left for the steeper decent
Added above, thanks Paul!
I did this route this past weekend (Jan 30, 2022), and on the descent from the radio tower, the default direction was to turn left
Paul is correct about the manual left turn after the bonus climb.
left,left,left,left,left… (reaches jungle) right, right, right, right… (leaves jungle) left, left, left, left left….
Hurts my OCD, could have been left every time going round the jungle the other way