Zwift’s Fall 2025 “This Season on Zwift” press release included an announcement every Zwifter loves to see: new roads! Specifically, Zwift is expanding the New York map, and using it to introduce a new “Power Segment” feature. Let’s dive into the details…
The Big Apple Gets Much Bigger
This release adds 31km of roads to Zwift’s New York map, making it the largest single expansion we’ve seen on Zwift in years. (Neokyo added ~30km to Makuri Islands in late 2021, and Watopia’s Southern Coast expansion in 2023 added 19km.)
It’s an especially impressive addition when you consider that the New York map currently only has around ~20km of roads.
Zwift has created 20 new routes (16 bike and 4 run) using the new roads, but it’s unclear whether all 20 routes will be released when the expansion first launches.
Details on the actual roads/maps are scarce, as are teaser images. But we know the expansion will take Zwifters out of Zwift’s futuristic Central Park, into the city, and out to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park via New York’s subway network.
New Feature: Power Segments
New York’s new roads will include a new feature: power segments! These are a new take on Zwift’s timed sprint segments, where instead of sprinting across a particular distance, you hit a start arch and sprint for a particular amount of time.
The first power segments will be located within the new subways of New York which connect the older roads of Central Park to the new roads of Prospect Park. Here’s a preview image:
The goal is to hold the highest power possible across the segment. So hit the start arch and hammer until the timer hits zero to try and average the highest watts possible!
Zwift is presenting these as primarily a challenge of personal achievement, so when the leaderboard pops up, it will first show how your current result (in watts, not seconds) compares to your last 90 days. It will then show how you rank against the global community.
I’m hoping results show both pure wattage and W/kg, as both are interesting metrics for different reasons.
Power segments will launch in New York, but hopefully we’ll find them soon on other maps. Zwift says “Power Segments will eventually roll out to other Zwift Worlds over time.”
Power Segment Possibilities
Power segments may be primarily a personal challenge, but what else could they be used for apart from quick sprints during free rides? A few ideas:
- Points Races: how wild would a race be if you earned points for having the highest watts or W/kg (or both) across a segment? Heck, make it really interesting and award points for lowest power through the segment. See who can hold onto the pack with the least effort.
- Route-Based Workouts: these have been talked about for a long time, but power segments could add a new, power-focused dimension to the idea. Routes could be turned into workouts with lots of structure, but no ERG.
- Custom Segment Placement: what if ride organizers could place their own power segments on routes – any length, any location? Imagine the wild events that would ensue.
- Race Gates: what if organizers could put a minimum power requirement on a power segment in a race, so riders had to meet that minimum average power or be booted from the event/hidden from others? Enforced spiciness.
When?
The New York expansion launches October 27. The final two stages of Zwift Unlocked (an all-new double XP tour starting October 6 and mentioned in TSOZ) will take place on new routes in NYC.
Wrapping It Up
Zwifters love new roads, and the New York map has always felt ripe for expansion, with many unrideable roads spurs heading into the heart of the city. What will we see when Zwift expands their “100 years in the future” NYC map to include another iconic park? Only time will tell. Personally, I’m hoping the new roads are flattish, making the map more suitable for group rides and rolling races.
While we don’t have any more imagery or map details to share for New York’s expansion, those will certainly be teased by Zwift in the coming weeks. I’ll try to share them out here on Zwift Insider whenever possible.
I’m also excited for power segments, which are a fresh idea that could be leveraged for new types of challenging rides and workouts. (They may also be a sneaky way to get Zwifters to put out more max efforts, which will upgrade Zwift Racing Scores to improve ranking accuracy…)
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Zwift’s New York expansion plans, and the new power segments feature? Share your thoughts below!
Race gates could be so awesome!
Building segments where you MUST hit X w/kg for Y secs in order to survive, or the other way around, where you CANT go over X w/kg for Y secs 😎
I love the “race gates” idea! You could run it like an elimination race on the track. Lowest absolute or relative power through the segment on each lap is eliminated from the race. So many interesting options!!
I think like the other segments, the first Place is reserved for the ZeroPower Riders as usual! I d appreciate that ZeroPowers wont appear in these segments, otherwise these lists are ridiculous!
Prospect park is not flat (1 big hill per lap)
https://strava.app.link/d4UwI2kMuWb
Subways might be flattish though.
If it’s like the subway in London, I’ll pass! 😂
Well 20m of elevation is not a big hill. Not sure if it even is a hill at all. But yeah, it is not pan flat. Though I would rather call it flattish then hilly. But I guess that depends on where you live…
It’s more like a bump than what most riders would call a hill.
highest power and wkg is fine if your 90-100 kg rider , not worth bothering with if your a 50-60 kg rider 🙂
How so? It’s extremely well established that physiology makes it impossible for a 90-100kg rider to compete with a similarly trained 50-60kg rider in w/kg. That’s why Eric mentioned having both as a possible metric.
It’s a virtual platform lol
highest power and wkg is not the same as w/kg, so Patrick ir correct.
I was in an event the other day for riders 1.9 to 2.1 watts/kg. I have a low # kg’s compared to many riders. I got dropped though going 2 watts/kg most of the time. Now, I see that AI tells me a good reason for this. I expect the same with these new highest power rankings. Looks to me that Zwift needs to use a different speed algorithm in events based on watts/kg. AI tells me the following about Zwift and W/kg:
Of all the maps they pick the one I hate with a passion …
Maybe you’ll hate it less thanks to some cool new roads? Don’t be an awfulizer! 😜
When I first road on the glass paths, I remember feeling a little nauseous (I was in front of a 55″ TV). I’ve since learned to not pay attention to the flying cars beneath me!
Andre: this hack’s for you! https://zwiftinsider.com/no-glass-roads/
Thanks! Yet another enticement to switch from ATV to a either a PC or Mac setup!
I’m hoping we get a long pretzel with both old and new roads.
I like the idea of power segments being for a fixed *time* (not distance). Something often missed by more fit people is that for fixed distance events, less fit people have to work harder (because they have to keep going for longer). This begins with distance runs in school … sure, we will see people ahead of us, but we won’t have to keep going, tongues out, after everybody else has already finished! Knowing exactly how long the segment will last also allows better pacing.
Oh, and thanks for using a start arch – much more visible than the daft little sprint start marker!
I am already loving the Squirrel of Liberty!
The race gates idea is cool, and goes back to the idea that Zwift really needs to give the community more racing options. I’ll never use mywhoosh, but I watched a video the other day of an elimination race on their UCI track and was definitely a little jealous. No excuse for Zwift not having similar features.
Totally agreed. And I’d put on top giving the organizers the option to use the arches and banners in the route as finish or start lines
Without the /KG aspect, the ideas for uses of the W sprints are probably a nonstarter. Least W to stay with the pack? That will be the lightest person on the lightest bike with the most tuned ride. As a 2m 110kg rider, I have some advantages in putting out watts, but poor efficiency relative to generate w/KG.
hooray for new roads even if it’s Brooklyn. Queens forever.
How about a special temporarily enabled special feature where you can buy the Brooklyn Bridge?
A non-advertised, but not-well-hidden Easter Egg allows buyers to sell the bridge which enables them to sell one item from their garage.
They might have added power segments due to banded rides as they could do these but not sprints.
Are you sure this release adds 31km of roads? https://www.zwift.com/this-season-on-zwift this page says 24km
Yes. Zwift says the 24km figure in the link above is an error that will be fixed.
Awesome! More road is always better, thanks for confirming.
somehow the glass roads have always put me off NY.. give them a different visual feel and it has some great courses
This means that the only worlds that have not been expanded is now: innsbruck, paris (its so small, not sure if it counts), scotland, yorkshire. Scotland is my guess for the next most likely to get an expansion.
Add Richmond to the list… those are the UCI World circuits, and my guess is that because of that they will remain as they are.
Richmond got a refresh back in 2020 https://zwiftinsider.com/update-1-0-45424/ where they added the ability to go in the reverse direction. I was including that as an expansion.
In the preview image for power segments , the 90 day PR is higher than the 1 year PR. Classic Zwift accuracy.
Zwift racing where points are awarded for “Highest W/kg?” Sure, sounds like a great idea on this platform with no anti-cheat measures…
Glad they’re extending NYC. I think a few of the other smaller Zwift worlds could benefit greatly from a few extra kilometres of roads to open up some different route possibilities
They really need to update the Paris map to include the new route by the Moulan Rouge and up the big hill.
I have always disliked NY routes because they are TOO HILLY and offer little room for recovery … so some flattish will be welcome
I think subways is a cool idea, I like the “inside building” roads in Zwift a lot (Neokyo arcade , London subways) because it’s a little different, you could go from one hall/room, up a escalator climb, etc. just brings an interesting type of variety. Obviously outdoor riding is cool too. Hope to see a good mix of both.
zwiftinsider.com/no-glass-roads/
Hey Eric, this update on New York knocked out my custom non-glass roads. I had changed mine to Hot Wheels Orange which was much more game-style to me. I think this will also alter any who changed to the grey roads. I assume this hack will still work but I’ve gotten over my fear of heights.
From a New Yorker who cut his teeth training and racing in both Prospect and Central Parks, this is welcome. No longer living there and making myself dizzy doing countless laps (especially in PP), I enjoy the nostalgia when doing virtual workouts in CP and knowing every inch/cm of the course. With its rolling parcours and a couple of short steep ramps, CP has the best training value for many cyclists without having to leave the city. Looking forward to this launch and being able to remember home roads without having to deal with the traffic or junk miles! Fingers x’d for the route to include any of the bridges to the outer boroughs.
These power segment must be personal only if watts is the benchmark instead of w/kg. Hitting 500 watts with my 100kg is a far less impressive feat than my friend doing to same with 75kg
OMG, Prospect Park, my usual ride all year long! I live 1.1 miles from the entrance and it is the default ride when I have an hour or so. 3 laps is my usual, but I’ve gone up to 7 before boredom sets in.
I’d kinda hoped for the subway and Brooklyn bridge to link the island to enable a true loop.
however if it’s true to real life scale 31km will only just get there and back this way. So probably a link road with loops either end?
I hate the idea of power segments if they end up being used as requirements to do certain ride segments.