Zwift version 1.121 begins its phased rollout today. This minor update includes improvements to help us earn route badges with RoboPacers, plus new route badges for riders and runners. Read on for details!
Route Badges with RoboPacers
Historically, earning Route Badges while riding with a RoboPacer has been a bit hit and miss. While it seems logical that you would earn the badge as long as you cross the route’s start and finish line, that didn’t always happen.
Zwift says, “… completion badges are now awarded after teleporting to a friend or RoboPacer and completing a full route lap from the official start of the route. Please note that you must still complete a full lap from the route’s official starting point to earn the badge.”
Interestingly, Zwift added this note: “We have an open ticket to explore awarding route completion badges after a full lap, regardless of where on the route you begin.”
New Route Badges for Riders
Zwift has added cycling achievement badges to the following short routes:
- Downtown Dolphin in Crit City (40 XP)
- LaGuardia Loop in New York (60 XP)
- The 6 Train Reverse in New York (130 XP)
- Glasgow Reverse in Scotland (60 XP)
- ZG25 Climb Champs in London (100 XP)
These are all event-only routes, so you won’t see the unearned badge on your Badges screen. They’ll only show up once you’ve earned them!
And yes: all of these routes are included in the currently-running Zwift Shorts Challenge, which means many of us recently rode them. Alas, we did not earn the route badges when we rode the routes in recent weeks. We’ll need to ride them again!
New Route Badges for Runners
Zwift has added seven new route badges for runners, continuing the trend they started in the v1.119 release. Once you’ve installed version 1.121, the following routes will have achievement badges and XP available for runners:
- Jungle Circuit in Watopia (310 XP)
- Jungle Circuit Reverse in Watopia (310 XP)
- Whole Lotta Lava in Watopia (490 XP)
- Hilltop Hustle in Watopia (550 XP)
- Going Coastal in Watopia (660 XP)
- Road to Sky in Watopia (690 XP)
- Seaside Sprint in Watopia (250 XP)
Newly Opened Routes
Cycling routes from the Makuri Madness ZRacing series are now available for free rides, meetups, clubs, and events:
Unmentioned Changes
Zwift often includes a change or two not mentioned in their release notes. Here’s the running list:
- Seaside Sprint now awards a route badge, both for runners (250 XP) and riders (130 XP)
Release Notes
Zwift supplied these additional release notes:
- Fixed an issue that could cause the virtual shifting style to change after disconnecting and reconnecting to a trainer.
- The post-activity streak report now shows the correct running level after the first run of the week.
- Fixed an issue that could cause Zwifters to face backwards in pre-event and race paddocks.
- Android
- Fixed an issue that could cause some Zwifters on Android to re-enter their password when opening Zwift.
- Improved the appearance of bike textures.
- iOS
- Fixed a crash on iOS that could occur when saving an activity.
- Improved the appearance of the Zwift Atomic Cruiser bike frame.
- Improved the appearance of bike textures.
- Windows
- Fixed a crash that could occur when unpairing certain Elite trainer devices via ANT+.
Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >
Questions or comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
Do you know, I never noticed that I didn’t get a badge for the 6 short routes.
But that means I have to do fox Hill again 🤦♂️ doah! 😳
No mention of the SL9 polish?
Still hasn’t been done. We may be waiting a while…
I think Zwift has “painted themselves into a corner” a bit with how the current fast bikes perform, since the gap between the S-Works SL8 and the Cervelo S5 (most aero bike) is very small. The SL9 would logically slot between the two, and already does. But with (checks notes) there is only 1.6s between the two, you can’t really polish the SL9 much more…
My contacts at Zwift say the polish is coming, but other bikes may be adjusted at the same time.
literally after just finishing them all this morning 🫠😠. But XP is more important to me than badges so I’ll just forget this happened
Hey Eric, last week’s Rouvy 4.7 update included integration with Zwift, which according to their support article should give you XP in Zwift for Rouvy rides and vice versa (essentially treating rides in one app like outside rides in the other). So far it seems to work one way, with Zwift rides and runs showing up in Rouvy but not the other way around. I’m assuming maybe Rouvy jumped the gun somewhat and Zwift needs to enable it on their side or release an update of their own first. Have you heard if that is coming soon?
Watch for news on this tomorrow!