Tips and Tricks for Conquering the Tour de Zwift 2026 Ultimate Challenge

January 5, 2026

LAST UPDATED January 12, 2026

Tour de Zwift 2026 begins today, and thousands of riders are joining each event! (I just rode in the kickoff event, in fact, and there were over 1,100 riders in my event!)

It’s Zwift’s biggest series of the year, and the beauty of these popular events is that you can complete each stage at whatever pace you’d like. Whether you’re pushing yourself to the limit or just doing an easy zone 2 effort, everyone’s welcome, and no one rides alone.

Read all about Tour de Zwift 2026 here >

There are 6 stages, each lasting a week, and each stage offers three route lengths: long, standard, and short. Ride just one of the route options and you’ll get credit for completing that week’s stage.

But some riders want a bigger challenge, so this year, once again, Zwift is holding “The Ultimate Challenge.” Completion requires you to ride all 3 route options on each stage, for a total of 18 route completions. Lots of riders have already begun the challenge by knocking out a stage or two today, the first day of TdZ!

But what does it actually take to complete The Ultimate Challenge, and what special unlocks do you get? Let’d dive in…

Total Distance, Elevation, Etc

I put together a quick table listing each stage’s route, length, elevation, time estimages at 2 and 4 W/kg, and the XP you’ll earn if this is your first time finishing the route (read more about route badges):

Route	Length (km)	Elevation (m)	Time @ 2 W/kg	Time @ 4 W/kg	Badge XP
Stage 1
Shisa Shakedown	53.3	557	112	81	985
Chasing the Sun	35.1	316	70	52	690
Turf N Surf	24.7	198	48	36	490
	113.1	1071	230	169	2165
Stage 2
Knights of the Roundabout	54.4	359	103	77	1025
Three Musketeers	37.8	108	70	52	705
Hell of the North	20.1	241	46	32	395
	112.3	708	219	161	2125
Stage 3
Innsbruck After Party	37.1	657	100	66	740
Yorkshire Double Loops	29.6	547	73	51	580
BRAE-k Fast Crits & Grits	22.1	243	47	34	415
	88.8	1447	220	151	1735
Stage 4
Triple Loops	41.4	569	92	65	810
Greatest London Flat	31.1	223	61	45	500
London 8	20.9	223	44	32	410
	93.4	1015	197	142	1720
Stage 5
Tour of Fire and Ice	28	1187	126	73	500
Glyph Heights	33.9	618	85	58	510
Ocean Lava Cliffside Loop	19.3	157	38	28	380
	81.2	1962	249	159	1390
Stage 6
The Greenway	36.8	292	72	53	805
No Sleep Till Brooklyn	32	247	62	46	675
Richmond Rollercoaster	17	169	39	27	100
	85.8	708	173	126	1580
	574.6 km	6,911 m	21:28	15:08	10715

So completing The Ultimate Challenge requires you to ride nearly 575 kilometers and climb almost 7,000 meters. That will take you over 21 hours at 2 W/kg, or 15 hours at 4 W/kg.

How To Finish the Challenge

The simplest way to finish the challenge and check your progress is to click the TdZ card on your homescreen, then pick what you’d like to do. All the stages include a card you can click to free ride the route “on demand” by yourself:

In addition, the current week’s stage lists group ride and race events that you can join:

The on-demand option means you don’t have to wait 6 weeks to finish The Ultimate Challenge. In fact, some riders will certainly finish it this week!

Hack #1: TdZ Credit on Non-TdZ Rides

Personally, I think riding in actual TdZ events is far and away the most fun way to finish The Ultimate Challenge. Those big group rides let you push as hard as you want, offering plenty of challenges for those looking to push their limits.

That said, you don’t need to select a route or event from the TdZ picker to receive completion credit. In fact, if you join a non-TdZ event held on a TdZ route, you’ll get credit for completing that part of TdZ as long as you finish the route!

You can also pick routes and free ride them using the standard route picker, the My List tool, or any other method.

Hack #2: Structured Workouts

If you want to complete The Ultimate Challenge, but you also have structured workouts you want to knock out, just pick the route you want to free ride from the TdZ screen, then go Menu>Workouts once you’re riding. From there,you can pick the workout you’d like to ride, while also finishing the route. Just make sure you finish the entire route!

Hack #3: Entry-Level Bike 5% Boost

If you have a fully-upgraded Entry-Level bike in your garage, be sure to use it on the ride where you finish The Ultimate Challenge and get that final 11,000 XP. Entry-Level bikes that are fully upgraded give you an extra 5% XP earnings boost, which turns those 500 XP bonuses into 525 XP, and that 11,000 XP bonus at the end into 11,550!

Hack #4: Route of the Week

Not exactly a “hack,” but worth a mention nonetheless…

The Route of the Week for January 12-18 is Ocean Lava Cliffside Loop, so if you do an on-demand ride of this route during this week, you’ll get the 500 XP ROTW bonus, plus credit for completing the route/stage for TdZ.