Zwift has just announced its next major event series, and it’s a crowd favorite: the Tour of Watopia featuring double XP!
The 5-stage tour begins March 6 and runs through April 16. With double XP on tap, powerups doubled in duration, and a fresh kit to earn, you can bet Zwifters will be putting in the work to complete stages, earn points, and level up. Because everyone wants those fast bikes, fire socks, and level 60 status!
Table of Contents
Registration
Registration is now open at zwift.com/tour-of-watopia/.
Note: registering really just sets you up to get some email reminders of upcoming stages – you will still need to sign up for specific events in order to ride or run the ToW.
Double Up: XP, PowerUps, and Drafting
Typically riders are awarded 20XP per kilometer or 30XP per mile, depending on whether you have units set to metric or imperial. In ToW events, riders receive 40XP per kilometer/60XP per mile. Learn all about ride XP and unlocks >
Runners typically receive 10XP per .25km or 15XP per .25 mile. You will receive 20XP per .25km or 30XP per .25 mile in ToW events. Learn all about run XP and unlocks >
Additionally, powerups will last twice as long during ToW events. Here’s a list of powerups and their doubled lengths:
- Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds.
Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. - Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing by 50% for 60 seconds. In a double draft event like ToW, this powerup will give you 3x the standard draft effect.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.) - Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 30 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.)
All ToW rides will use double draft mode as well, making it easier to sit in the pack so you can hang with friends.
New This Year
Zwift is rolling out a pile of fun new event features for riders in ToW! Here’s what you can expect:
- Ride in dino and Kaiju costumes in special locations! If your route takes you over Fuego Flats you’ll be automatically dressed in a Kaiju costume. Riding through Titans Grove? You’ll be placed in a dino outfit.
- Automatic bike swaps to the Big Wheel on certain KOM descents, and Zwift Mountain bike on the Jungle Circuit.
- Double-duration powerups are strategically placed to give you an extra boost to level up faster.
See stage details below for more information on where to expect these features.
Ride Stages
Cycling events for ToW use the following category/group setup:
- Group A: Longer Ride
- Group B: Standard Ride
- Group C: Shorter Ride
- Group D: Women Only (same route as Group B)
Late join will be enabled for all rides, but Zwift encourages everyone to get into the pens before the event begins in order to maximize the fun.
Stage 1: March 6-12 “The Flats”
Put your head down and clock a lot of distance and more XP in a hurry on this fun, flat, and fast inaugural stage!
- Longer: Triple Flat Loops – 33.9 km (21.1 miles), 134 m (440′), Lead-In: 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Aero powerup heading into the finishing sprint.
- Standard: The Magnificent 8 – 28.6 km (17.8 miles), 131 m (430′)
- Feather powerup assigned as the road turns up the Zwift KOM.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Aero powerup assigned heading into the finishing sprint.
- Shorter: Tempus Fugit – 17.3 km (10.7 miles), 16 m (52′), Lead-In: 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Aero powerup assigned heading into the finishing sprint.
Stage 2: March 13-19 “Long Haul”
Pacing is key because this is the longest stage of the Tour. Make sure you’ve got plenty of food and water!
- Longer: Big Foot Hills – 67.5 km (41.9 miles), 707 m (2320′), Lead-In: 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Big Wheel on the Volcano KOM descent.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Multiple feather powerups assigned up the Volcano to make the climb easier.
- Aero powerup heading into the finishing sprint.
- Standard: Out and Back Again – 39.8 km (24.7 miles), 303 m (994′), Lead-In: 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Multiple feather powerups assigned up the Volcano to make the climb easier.
- Aero powerup assigned heading into the finishing sprint.
- Shorter: Watopias Waistband – 25.5 km (15.8 miles), 95 m (312′), Lead-In: 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Aero powerup assigned heading into the finishing sprint.
Stage 3: March 20-26 “Queen Stage”
Like any tour’s Queen Stage, it’s the most challenging stage you’ll face!
- Longer: Quatch Quest – 45.9 km (28.5 miles), 1683 m (5522′), Lead-In: 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Big Wheel on the Epic KOM descents, and automatic bike swap to Zwift Mountain bike as you ride through the Jungle Circuit.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Multiple feather powerups assigned up the Alpe to break up the long climb.
- Standard: Mountain Route – 29.5 km (18.3 miles), 682 m (2238′)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Big Wheel on the Epic KOM descent.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Multiple feathers powerups assigned up the Epic KOM.
- Shorter: Volcano Climb – 22.8 km (14.2 miles), 192 m (630′)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Big Wheel on the Volcano KOM descent.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Multiple feather powerups assigned up the Volcano to make the climb easier.
Stage 4: March 27-April 2 “Jungle Love”
Keep your eyes peeled and your safari hat at the ready! You’ll see plenty of wildlife under the cover of the jungle canopies, plus more XP!
- Longer: Dust in the Wind – 52.1 km (32.4 miles), 529 m (1736′)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Zwift Mountain bike on Jungle Circuit.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Standard: Road to Ruins – 29.6 km (18.4 miles), 268 m (879′)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Zwift Mountain bike on Jungle Circuit.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Shorter: Serpentine 8 – 17 km (10.6 miles), 133 m (436′) – custom route length
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Zwift Mountain bike on Jungle Circuit.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Aero powerup assigned heading into the finishing sprint.
Stage 5: April 3-9 “Victory Lane”
Call it the bell lap of the Tour of Watopia: you made it! All that effort brings us to the last stage and the last chance to unlock your next level. Choose your route, then do your victory dance.
- Longer: Big Loop – 42.4 km (26.3 miles), 651 m (2136′)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Big Wheel on Epic KOM descent and Zwift Mountain bike on Jungle Circuit.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Feather powerups assigned to help up the steep Epic KOM.
- Standard: Three Little Sisters – 37.7 km (23.4 miles), 401 m (1316′)
- Bike Swap: automatic bike swap to Big Wheel on Volcano KOM descent.
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Multiple feathers powerups assigned up the Volcano to decrease weight and make the climb easier.
- Shorter: Sand and Sequoias – 20.2 km (12.6 miles), 146 m (479′), Lead-In: 2.4 km (1.5 miles)
- Draft powerup assigned during selected long flat stretches of road.
- Aero powerup assigned heading into the finishing sprint.
See stage details and sign up at zwift.com/tour-of-watopia/ride
Run Stages
Stage 1: March 6-12 “Splash and Dash”
This stage sounds like it’s Watopia’s own water park. It’s not, but just as fun!
Splash and Dash – 6.2km (3.9 miles)
Stage 2: March 13-19 “Two Bridges Loop”
More Watopia fun on this abbreviated version of the Hilly Route Reverse.
Two Bridges Loop – 7.1 km (4.4 miles)
Stage 3: March 20-26 “Dust In the Wind”
Classic rock fans will start humming when they read the name of this route. It’s as flat as Kansas!
Dust in the Wind – 5.1 km (3.17 miles)
Stage 4: March 27-April 2 “Jungle Circuit”
Keep your eyes peeled and your safari hat at the ready! Get ready to see lots of wildlife, no bushwhacking required.
Jungle Circuit – 5.63 km (3.5 miles)
Stage 5: April 3-9 “Volcano Circuit”
All that effort brings us to the last stage and the last chance to unlock your highest level.
Volcano Circuit – 6.9 km (4.2 miles)
See stage details and sign up at zwift.com/tour-of-watopia/run
Make-Up Stages
Missed a stage or two? Or maybe you just want more of that sweet double XP? Make-up stages will be held from April 10-16. During those 7 days, Zwift will host multiple events covering all 5 stages.
Kit Unlocks
There are both cycling and running kits to unlock during the ToW! Kit unlocks are progressive as you complete stages:
- Complete 1 Stage: cap
- Complete 3 Stages: shoes
- Complete 5 Stages: 2023 Tour of Watopia kit
Questions or Comments?
We’ve shared everything we know above, and will update this post with new info as it becomes available.
Still got questions? Post below and we’ll try to get them answered.
Hi Eric, will you get ‘double, double’ if you are already earning 40xp over level 50 , so 80xp…. all the best John
hi,
I am level 53 or something, and I got 40 XP yesterday.
You get 60xp per km if you’re on the accelerated plan as a level 50+ rider. Confirmed it with my ride yesterday.
thanks for the clarity Eric!
I’m setting myself the target of riding every distance of every stage (by posting it here, I’m committing myself to achieve it)
Smash it!
Get after it LM! Best of luck!
Great goal! That is about 510kms and with 40xp/km that is equal to an entire level or even two levels maybe if your under level 42.
Same! Unlike the TdZ, there are no routes on this tour that I don’t like, especially with the automatic swap to the MTB for the Jungle. That should be a permanent feature, like trainer difficulty, that everyone should be able to toggle on.
How much fun would a Big Wheel race be?!?
On a serious note, the automatic bike swap is an interesting idea for the future.
Thanks as always!
I would love to see some big wheel races on Zwift. I’ve tried to get ZHQ to let me do a Tiny Race weekend on Big Wheels, but so far it’s been a no. 🙂
what about an eliminator race like at worlds? that would be amazing (and yeah i would be out quick…but still)
A Big Wheel race would be so cool ! I couldn’t stop laughing when Zwift did this last time. Our heads were bobbing and my legs were spinning away ! No reason why this couldn’t be a D race.
What is the CRR for Big Wheel tires on the various road surfaces??? (lol)
Actually I’m seriously curious about the performance of the big wheel. Is it faster downhill? Slower? About the same? Like is it just for fun? or does it go faster or slower?
I do look forward to, and enjoy the ‘tour’ events but is there really any need for the‘gimmicky’ bikes and costumes? And that ToW unlock kit is horrendous, another one that will sit in the garage never to be worn again once the event is complete. Do like the double xp though.
I agree this may be a little overkill. However, I’m likely not the only one that is excited to try out the Big Wheel. Mostly because I think it will be fun, but also, if its aero/weight are completely different, it could lead to some interesting/fun races in the future.
or dont do it.
Agreed that it is all in the name of fun, but did make me wonder if there will be a PowerUp that plays irritatingly loud motivational Cross-Fit music from a jersey pocket or trailer.
The kit is, as you said, horrendous.
Not a huge fan of the zwift mtb. Is there any way that, after the autoswap to that, I can swap to a faster bike (e.g. Crux with Roval wheels or even just the Trek Supercaliber)?
“You’re currently a level 60, and it’s time to level up more than your fitness. With double XP, this is the only tour that you can level up twice as fast!”
Does this imply that lvls 60+ are coming?
Doubtful. The “60” is just your current level merged into the email text. My email said “You are currently at level 55!”
Wow. That’s seriously lame. Thanks though. =/
Even though you don’t see your XP increasing once you reach level 60 it is still going up and you can ask Zwift and they will tell you how much you currently have.
they are working on displaying your XP after level 60 but apparently this simple task is currently beyond the
Yeessss TOW time……
Wot no Pace Partners?
I think the Pace Partners were a bit of a flop in the last two series that had them. People might start with them but by the end of the ride there was only a handful of riders (or none at all) still with the PPs.
yep me
I found it odd that they only included coco and slower PPs (at least in the events I entered). Why not include all of the pace partners? Certainly Jacques or Genie might have garnered a bigger crowde.
As a slower rider I LOVED having those slower pace partners in the recent events. We back of the pack riders really tend to string out, then we loose the draft bonuses and string out further. Having the slow pace partners really helped keep us together.
Agreed. I only used a PP for one ride where I needed an actual recover day pace, but bots riding at 3.5 and 4 w/kg would definitely have bigger crowds. If they could have two bots, I can’t imagine four bots would have been been a technical challenge.
Zwift is becoming a bit like Mario Kart.
I want turtle shell power ups to throw at other riders! That would be fun 😉
can’t wait to get started, I’m glad there’s so much that can be done in Zwift, I hope the developers will be more creative and always offer interesting events
I think rider engagement would be higher if they added another stage since this years tour is 16 days longer than last year (and we still have a make up week). I’m still stoked though 🙂
If you’ve never completed the route before, do you also get the bonus xp in addition to the double xp per mile?
i believe so
Yes, but the bonus XP isn’t double like your distance XP is.
Thanks Eric. I’ll take it! One more question: if you do more than 1 lap does the double XP continue, or does it revert to standard once the route is complete?
Once the EVENT is complete the double XP stops.
As always, your kind and helpful advice is appreciated!
Please bring back the Pace Partners like TdZ, I found them a great motivation, when I was feeling good I’d strive to beat Coco over the finish line
Goodbye to decent partipation in lots of community rides for a month. 👋 Not running any personally – but feel for the leaders who are. 😢 Sure – keep some of the fun stuff for ToW like the bike change and longer powerups – but double XP should hit all Watopian group rides when it comes out.
Agreed. I am abandoning many regular group rides for the Double XP. Just make March Double XP month. Great time for northern hemisphere folks tuning up for spring and a great way to begin winter month training for southern hemisphere folks.
Double 0XP remains 0XP
Hi, your “dust in the wind” run link seems to be wrong.
How so? It appears correct on this side…
I enjoy the tour events but there are other things to focus on other than dino costumes and big wheel gimmicks. Was the dropout of ‘images’ at the UCI 2023 Cycling Esports World Championships this past weekend a Zwift issue? Bloody embarrassing!
Opinions vary, I suppose. To me nothing is more important than a dino costume.
Will you be able to workouts on the routes?
Same as any other Zwift event – you can’t do a Zwift workout in a group ride or race. But you could put a workout on another device like your head unit, and control your trainer with that, if you want to…
Automatic bike swap to MTB (e.g. Magnificent 8). Does anyone know which mtb gets selected? One you previously own or standard Zwift?
Hi, Can you ride in different categories for each stage or do you need to stay in same category for each one?
You can do whatever categories you want! They just determine which route you ride… it’s a way of having varying lengths for each stage.
Nice! Thank you!
How long does the late join last? 30 minutes after start? No limit?
30 minutes.
I tested this a few days ago. Apparently 45 minutes was too much haha
It wasn’t until I rode stage 1 this morning that I noticed that the cap is the colours of the flag of Ukraine. Intentional? Either way, I expect we will see a lot of those caps around once the Tour has finished.
The red Z kind of spoils it though.
Hi! Can I join several races in one stage?
Yep. Do as many as you’d like!
Is there XP for completing a route for the first time? Example: Quatch Quest is likely a route not many have completed. By riding that in Stage 3, will riders get the additional XP for completing that ride?
So I rode stage 3 tour of Estonia today on quatch quest ride A long , but it hasn’t registered as route 3 completed but it shows as route finished at the end of the ride and in my activity’s history ??
That’s just crazy talk. Everyone knows Bigfoot lives in Latvia, not Estonia.