Today Zwift shared “This Season on Zwift”: a list of new features and events planned through the end of 2023. There is much to discuss here, so we will begin by publishing Zwift’s full press release.
Some of the content in the PR has already been covered in detailed posts here on Zwift Insider, including Pretzelfest and Zwift Racing Score. But most of what’s below hasn’t yet been covered on Zwift Insider due to Zwift’s September 13 media embargo.
We plan to release more in-depth posts focused on these topics in the coming hours and days, digging into the details you won’t find in a press release. Watch this space.
Without further ado, here’s Zwift’s full “This Season on Zwift” press release.
EXPLORE
New Roads in Watopia – Coming in October
Watopia, Zwift’s most popular cycling utopia, is getting 19 kilometers of new roads, the first Watopia expansion since 2019. Over the last few years, Zwifters have enjoyed the launch of new worlds, including France, Yorkshire, Scotland and Makuri Islands. Even with the option of new maps, Watopia’s fantastical fitness playground remains Zwift’s most popular cycling playground. This expansion adds a new coastal expressway that brings cyclists from Fuego Flats to the Mayan Jungle, bypassing the Epic KOM.
The new roads are flat and fast, and make several key connections, enabling Zwifters to enjoy some of the longest routes available in Watopia. There are eight new routes ranging up to 48 kilometers in length, allowing Zwifters to complete longer rides while enjoying the varied scenery in several distinct environments along Watopia’s coast.
Tour of Watopia – Coming October 2
Joining the Tour of Watopia will give Zwifters a powerful reason to ride Zwift: it’s the only opportunity of the year to earn double XP, level up faster, and earn exclusive unlocks along the way. Now earlier in the year, the 2023 Tour of Watopia has five stages, and they’re all available on-demand. Zwifters can tackle each stage in a variety of ways, to suit each cyclist’s preferred way to zwift, whether that’s riding solo, joining a Club Ride, a MeetUp with friends, or via a Group Ride or Group Workout, the Tour of Watopia is sure to bring double the reward.
This year, Stage 5 will give Zwifters a chance to experience the latest Watopia expansion!
Registration opens on September 25.
Climb Portal Updates – Coming this fall
When Zwift first opened the Climb Portal in July, it quickly became one of the Zwift community’s favorite places to ride, with one in five Zwifters tackling gamified versions of real-world climbs, and 88% of all Zwifters who started a climb making it to the summit – no mean feat considering climbs have included the legendary climbs such as the Col du Tourmalet and Col d’Aspin. These were just two of the famous climbs included in the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift.
Starting this Fall, Zwifters will be able to scale the difficulty of the climbs they’re tackling. When entering the Climb Portal, Zwifters will be offered the choice to tackle a realistic replica of the climb, as they do today, or scale the climb to 50% or 75% of the original, allowing cyclists to choose a difficulty that matches their ambition and schedule. Of course, those looking for the greatest challenge can climb all three versions!
Also starting this Fall, the Climb Portal entrance located in Watopia will bring Zwifters to a rotating selection of climbs, offering more variety in the climbs available and lots of reasons to check out the portal every week. The France portal will feature a “climb of the month,” giving the Zwift community the chance to ascend famed climbs together.
Zwift Ride Series: Pretzelfest – Begins September 4
The Zwift Ride Series gives you a new reason to ride each month, with a new theme and a new chance to join the fun!
In September, join Pretzelfest and enjoy the routes that will put you in the Oktoberfest spirit. The series will consist of four stages between September 4 and October 1. Complete all four stages to unlock the Lederhosen kit, just in time for the real-world Oktoberfest, a festival that dates back to 1887.
TRAIN
Zwift Companion App Update: Workout Discovery – Coming in November
Not sure what workout to do? An update to the Zwift Companion App will make it easier to explore Zwift’s entire library of workouts before launching your Zwift app. You can review all the workouts available and pick out the ones that fit your fitness goals and schedule. That way, when you get on the bike, you know exactly what workout you want to tackle and you can get right to training when you’re ready to get on Zwfit!
Zwift Academy – November 6
Zwift Academy is back and ready to challenge all cyclists to improve their fitness while competing for a chance to join a professional cycling team! Held in November this year, the annual program comes at the perfect time of year to get on Zwift. This year’s academy challenges Zwifters to complete six workouts created by Dig Deep Coaching, as well as two Zwift races.
Complete the program to earn the in-game Zwift Academy kit, an in-game Zwift Academy Canyon Aeroad paint job, and a chance to earn a pro contract with CANYON//SRAM or Alpecin-Deceuninck for the top-performing female and male.
Women’s Training Club – Live now!
To help women on Zwift stay motivated and get more out of every ride, we’ve created the Women’s Training Club! Women are invited to train as a community, take part in regularly scheduled group workouts and rides for training and recovery, all with guidance from the best female coaches.
The club will host structured training designed by world-class coaches like three-time Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong. A consistent weekly schedule of group workouts and recovery rides will keep you coming back for rides, while the club chat will connect you with a women’s cycling community and ensure that you get the most out of every ride with tips and advice from leading cycling experts.
Join the club today to learn about and join all the upcoming events and rides planned for this supportive, fun new women’s group.
COMPETE
Zwift Racing – All Fall!
Zwift is the best place for challenging races that help you gain fitness, and fit into your busy fall schedule. This season, we’re excited to offer Zwifters two ways to race:
- Zwift Racing League will offer team racing on Tuesdays this fall. There are more teams signed up than ever, promising fun, fast, and challenging racing.
- ZRacing delivers a new kind of race each month, giving Zwifters new ways to experience racing while using the excitement of a competitive environment to motivate you to ride each week.
Zwift Racing Score – Coming in late November
Zwift is the perfect tool for cyclists to improve their fitness, and the new Zwift Racing Score gives Zwifters a new yardstick to measure their progress while also providing an incentive to improve their Zwift racing skills as they get faster.
This new metric for Zwifters’ racing results takes several factors into consideration: power, race results, and Zwift skills. Those factors combine to rank Zwifters’ overall racing skill and help them find the most evenly-matched competition. Racing Score challenges you to race more and hone your racecraft; the more you race, the more accurate your score will be!
Zwift Racing Score will be updated after each race, and is determined by final finish position and field strength. The score becomes more accurate with more results.
The numerical scale of Zwift Racing Score makes it easier to pick the right event or group to race with. While not an outright replacement for Pace Group categories (A-D), Scored Races will become popular as Zwifters see their Racing Score improve as they race more and hone their fitness and skills!
Play Beta: Crit City Gamification – Coming this fall
Zwift Play Beta experience continues to evolve this fall with new steering experiments on Zwift. In the coming months, Zwift plans to unveil new ways to enjoy the fun and challenge of racing on Zwift, making use of the Zwift Play’s steering and braking controls. This fall, the Play Beta will reach Crit City, where we’ve added boost pads and hazards to select events. In steering-enabled races, Zwifters will need to master their bike handling skills to not only choose the best racing line as they navigate the full width of the road, but also to navigate their avatar through a maze of hazards and sneak every bit of advantage they can find via the boost pads to win.
Optimized for Zwift Play, Zwifters can enjoy gamified racing in Crit City with Zwift Play or any compatible steering device.
Play Beta: Repack Rush Multiplayer Mode – Coming this fall
Also part of the Play Beta experience that makes use of the Zwift Play, Repack Rush is a completely new, experimental Zwift racing experience. Debuted this summer as a map for solo time trials, you can now experience Repack Rush Event Mode to test your downhill speed and Zwift steering and braking skills against other riders in a multiplayer environment. In addition to the boost pads and hazards, Zwifters can also collect time deductions. With other riders to avoid, you’ll need to think more carefully about the line you take. Zwifters will want to ride Repack regularly to hone their skills!
This new Zwift experience is a game of skill and tactics. In multiplayer mode, it’s the Zwifter with the fastest time – after deductions – who wins the race. You’ll need a few runs to refine your line and tactics!
Enjoy Repack Rush Multiplayer Mode with Zwift Play or any compatible steering device.
Zwift Hub Now Comes With One Year of Zwift – Available September 13
Last year, Zwift launched the Zwift Hub in order to make it easier and more affordable to get on Zwift. To offer even more value, Zwift Hub now comes with a year of Zwift. This new package will simplify the process of getting onto Zwift, and enable cyclists to enjoy the benefits of Zwifting year-round.
Hub bundles are available in the United States, UK, and EU from Zwift.com for $599/€599/£549, including one year of Zwift and your choice of cassette: 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-, or 12-speed.
Questions or Comments?
What do you think of Zwift’s plans? Does anything in particular stand out as exciting? Is there something you feel Zwift missed? Share below!
First! Some interesting stuff. Instead of the Mario cart stuff, wish Zwift Play work would evolve into more accurate physics dealing with turns and the need to slow down into the turn (and accelerate out of the turn).
If you want the most accurate physics experience, cycle outdoors and let the rest of us enjoy zwift as a virtual platform that includes some fun aspects you can’t get outside.
I do not see why you have to be so rude with Todd. Maybe I do not share his opinion or yours, but both of you have the same right to express your opinions about what you like or dislike about Zwift.
I’m most excited about the new stuff in Watopia. I would REALLY like to see a shortcut from the bottom of the Alpe back to downtown or the desert, bypassing the jungle. Also, Zwift PLEASE allow us to belong to more than 10 clubs! And lastly, I know I am not the only “COVID Zwifter” who is approaching the ominous grey bar of level 60. So might as well add hundreds of us to the existing group lobbying for MORE LEVELS PLEASE 🙂
Now that you mentioned it, I realise it will soon be possible to fly down AdZ, turn right to continue (mostly) downhill to the arch at the caves, and turn right into this new highway all the way to the desert.
I used to stop at the arch as I do not like the rest of that jungle segment which is slow and long. It will soon be possible to continue on relative flat and fast tarmac, which is a fantastic option to add distance after a hard climb.
I am looking forward to it even more now!
I would hate a bridge or a piece of land between the volcano and AdZ, but an underwater tunnel like ocean boulevard, I would like that.
I can understand that you’d like a groovy tunnel but why would you hate a road? Hate is a strong word. I usually ride Tour of Fire and Ice to get to the Alpe as it gives you a good warm up. I like most people do not like the jungle as it’s so slow. I will probably use the new road as my go to road,to get me to the Alpe. With double XP in the event and XP bonus for unlocking all the new routes, there are some good ways to earn extra XP over the next few… Read more »
new roads in Watopia, plural, or ‘a’ new road that is 19km?
Looks like main addition is the large bypass road, but don’t look at it that way, it’s opening up 8 new routes. Ok they will use existing roads, but at least enables us to enjoy some different routes that link up sections that weren’t possible before without a long detour.
“Zwift Racing Score will be updated after each race” – that’s new, isn’t it? Not only zRaces covered by the Racing Score?
The multiplayer version of Repack Rush looks fun =)
Where are you getting the climb portal info from? I don’t see it on https://www.zwift.com/ca/this-season-on-zwift and not sure where else to find it.
How are the scaled down climb portal climbs going to work? Is that going to make the strava segments for them useless?
It’s on Zwift’s press release to media outlets.
Zwift told us they’re working with Strava on a solution for the gradient scaling. I don’t see that working anytime soon. Only way I could see it working is to rotate the routes on Zwift’s side so each scale is separate from the others.
Wouldn’t it be easier to change the trainer difficulty? Don’t understand the need to change the climb. To coin a phrase, “it is what it is”. Rest of it looks exciting, although like others the mario kart aspect sounds a bit too arcade for me.
Trainer difficulty only changes the need to shift, the power required to maintain speed on a gradient is unchanged.
If you change trainer difficulty you do not change the total elevation that you are climbing, you only change the grade that you are experiencing along the way. What it amounts to if you could do it in real life is pulling out the foot of the climb to make to make the road much longer and less steep, but ultimately reaching the same elevation. On the other hand, if you scale the climb as they are talking about here, you are pushing the hill downward from the top, reducing the peak elevation and the grade all along the road… Read more »
looks like a ton of fun. I’m exited for some more fast Watopia roads
Me too!
Ocean Cliffside Lava Loop was added in late 2020 – so I think that’s the last point we had an update to Watopia maps, not 2019.
*Ocean Lava Cliffside Loop!
It says “expansion” rather than “update”, which could be a careful choice of words. Some may even argue that the most recent update came with the addition of the climb portal.
What Gavin stated was an expansion. There were a few places they added extra short bypasses (three?). The new road isn’t exactly expansive – it is though still welcome.
Or the Repack… whatever is called. It’s a new road in Watopia as well.
No info on virtual gearing? :/
No, but… stay tuned. News coming soon!
Would like to see some tunnels under the big mountains as a by-pass
Could use Dante’s Inferno as an inspiration 🙂
I think this idea has merit.
It like the B line…but for roadies 😆
Maybe it should be a toll road…
I was thinking an Indiana Jones minecart type route underground. Start it midway on the KOM bypass (or add a coastal road below and start there) and then connect it to the construction zone that starts the Aztec area.
Would like to see some routes from Italy and Spain, after all they are a grand tour in themselves!!!
It actually wouldn’t be that difficult to replicate each Canary Island. Each has their own special character. A fair bit larger than current real life worlds, however not containing so many roads – every worthwhile road in Lanzarote can be rode in one 180km ride. Tenerife more complicated, Gran Canaria even more so. However having a “complete” Island feels more satisfying than current cut & paste worlds, much like Watopia
The coastal scenery in South Watopia could be awesome for our eyes 🤗
Thanks Eric as always and 2 questions :
is there any word/hint on the downhill races (Alpe/Ven-Top) or a possible Velodrome ?
Not really. Play controllers seem to have opened up the Velodrome idea again at ZHQ, but I haven’t heard anything close to concrete on when or if that’ll happen.
People still do the Mayan Jungle? I think it’s the only area on the whole of Zwift that I actively avoid.
I like the jungle because it is the only area that gives realistic speeds. I often use km to quickly gauge how much cycling I’ve done in a week. The difference between tarmac Zwift km and tarmac outdoor km completely messes that up.
You would probably like it more if you change to a mountain bike. I see many slow goers on road bikes in there.
Whatever happened to the promised(?) changes to the UX, like, you know, not having to actually start an activity just to change the settings. I thought this was meant to have been coming for a couple of years now?
Those changes already happened. New homescreen lets you change settings from there…
does this mean we will get some new rebel routes as well?
Yay – new roads for Watopia… I was worried they would focus new roads elsewhere. Looking fwd to riding. Ride from Fuego to Jungle sounds cool and “make several key connections” sounds promising!. Maybe it will encourage me to ride the jungle a bit more as I wish (maybe controversial…) they would just put asphalt down on all of it so its a bit quicker. The rolling terrain is cool. Gravel – im just not hip enough
Repack Rush Multiplayer Mode: “With other riders to avoid…” What happens if you hit another rider? What happens if another riders hits you?
Does any one know what’s up with the Route-Based Workouts from the “this season on zwift” of 2022? Is that still coming or discontinued in silence?
Already thinking of possible rebel routes depending on what offical routes will be made. Flat 8 new coastal with cliffside currently done 2x, then wasitband in some direction that works depening on how the road is laid out. Then desert to alp. DT pier to around the volcano, sprint and marina, up the ocean tunnel or titans, desert, new road, out jungle/windmill pass, hilly reverse or ocean tunnel to route s/f at DT pier.
I like the location and visual preview of the new roads. And I don’t mind riding the jungle either, but I’m usually riding solo and fairly slow. I hope there are connections more than just the two ends where indicated so far, would love one to connect to the epic kom bypass. Next year, take it around the Alpe and put some additional connections there too. All good stuff.
Indeed. It looks like there is a lot of real estate around the Alpe which could be used.
Investment opportunity? Lol
It looks like there are islands in the Watopia map which are not being used. Why not add an equivalent of Makuri’s Island Hopper route to Watopia? Island Hopper is one of my favorite routes.
Repack multiplayer…..
Did anyone else think the “other players to avoid” was an interesting addition.
Does this prelude the idea of interplayer crashes in Zwift? What a concept.
The thing I hear least about is the difference steering makes tactically in picking up better drafts,providing them for others, or denying them to others.
Any other steering folks who noticed that? It my favourite part of steering.
What about virtual gearing is it something that is coming this season or something that is discontinued ? @Eric Schlange
It’s a secret. 🤫 But definitely NOT discontinued.
I would love to see some North American climbs in the portal. I have done the Mt. Washington Auto Road a couple of times and plan to do more. It’s a terrific climb – 7.8 miles, 12 percent average grade, 18 percent at the top with a 22 pct kicker. One of the best-known US hill climbs.
When will be get an update to be able to create and save our own routes?
and maybe share our own routes in meet ups?
New road looks interesting and potentially opens up the possibly of a back way to the radio tower which would then make for v interesting new figure of 8 lumpy courses
Apparently the latest Apple TV is capable of pushing out way better graphics. Would love to see this sometime soon.