With the UCI eSports World Championships just around the corner and Zwift’s fresh new Scotland open to events, we decided to shake up our race schedule! For the next two weekends (February 11-12 and 18-19) our popular Saturday Tiny Races are being replaced by back-to-back-to-back races replicating what the pros will experience for the UCI eSports Worlds events.
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/worldsexperience
Race Details
Worlds Experience Races are being delivered in sets of three, and the idea is that you should race all three events in sequence, much like our Tiny Races. This will take about 75 minutes to complete.
Each race uses the same single powerup type that Worlds racers will receive.
Race 1, “The Punch”, is a single lap of Rolling Highlands (14.1km long, 106m elevation). Riders will receive one burrito powerup at the Breakaway Brae banner.
30 minutes later Race 2, “The Climb”, begins: a single lap of City and the Sgurr (8.6km long, 166m elevation). This twisty, climby route will take you up to the Sgurr summit a total of three times, and two of those climbs will be on the gravel side. Riders will receive one anvil powerup early in the ride at Central Station. Use it wisely!
Lastly, Race 3, “The Podium” begins 25 minutes after Race 2. This race will be over 4 laps of Glasgow Crit Circuit (each lap is 3km long, 33m elevation). Racers will receive a burrito powerup at the Champions Sprint banner each lap, which means everyone will get 4 burritos.
At the end of the race set you will have completed three races on three separate Scotland routes, much like the world’s top eracers on February 18.
Ready to sign up? Visit zwift.com/events/tag/worldsexperience
Weekend Timeslots
In an effort to make the Worlds Experience Races available to everyone, we’ve set up six timeslots each weekend:
Saturday and Sunday times:
- 10am UTC (5am ET)
- 4pm UTC (11am ET/8am PT)
- 10pm UTC (5pm ET/2pm PT/Monday 9am AEDT)
The Worlds Experience Races will be held this weekend (February 11-12) and next (February 18-19).
Ready to sign up? Visit zwift.com/events/tag/worldsexperience
Final Results on ZwiftPower
The final winners for each time slot’s set of three races will be determined by points. You earn points based on your finishing position in each of the three races, then the rider with the most points wins. Points structure can be found on the ZwiftPower results pages below:
Rules
We’re using the same rules as Tiny Races. Category Enforcement will determine each racer’s minimum category.
- No skipping then returning. If you skip race 1 or 2, but finish a later race, your later result(s) will be annulled.
- You must have an active ZwiftPower account
- Heart rate monitors are required for podium positions
- Smart trainer or power meter must be paired as your power source in order to join the races.
Questions or Comments?
Post below!
Please stop using the burrito power-up. It is almost always misused and creates considerable anger within the peloton.
I’m not a fan of it myself, but the point of this series is to replicate the UCI Worlds races… including route choice/length and powerups.
Jesse, THAT was exactly my first thought, too (because of misusing and anger). So many riders with multiple burritos ??? … we will feel both races like an ITT 🙈🙈🙈
but nevertheless, MANY thanks to Eric that the whole community can have a taste of the official eWorlds experience 🙋🏻♂️ … can’t wait to race it like the pros 🤗 … only a bit slower 🙈🤣
First of all – great idea! Only question/suggestion would be about race three only being 1 lap (3km). Would think 2 or 3 laps would be a little better?
I understood that race no.3 in the Worlds is an elimination race, decreasing from 10 to 3 riders at every banner, so it should be 4 laps in Glasgow for the medal winner 🤷🏻♂️😎
Matthew (and Carsten) – you’re right! We’ve updated Race 3 to be 4 laps instead of 1, since the Worlds event is 4 laps.
Nice one Eric! I’m glad you have it running for 2 weekends as I’m away the first one 🙂
Is overall GC going to be based on finish position from a race trio, or from total time to complete a trio?
you receive 3x points for the finishing position like in Eric’s popular Tiny (Scratch) Races
Hi Eric,
Does “The Climb” finish at the top of the last of the 3 ascents?
Yes. You’ll climb the Sgurr 3x, and it ends at the top of the third climb.
I am pretty sure the last race is more than one lap. 10 riders start, one is eliminated at every archway and then a final sprint between the last 3. That is a total of 8 sprints or 4 lapse.
Correct. We made a change today, so the last race is now 4 laps like Worlds.
Hello! Is this instead of, or as well as, the usual 4 tiny races? (which are available to sign up for this weekend on Zwift companion app)
Instead of. Tiny Races will be removed from the calendar for the next 2 weekends.
Heads up – today I updated the descriptions above, because we’ve modified the races to hand out powerups in the same way as Worlds. Basically, it means fewer powerups! Details are in the race descriptions above.
Off Topic question.. Whats that kit on header image? Thanks
Sometimes change is good, other times not so great…..why change the starting and not match the regular Tiny Series times? I personally have set aside 10-11am ET hour for the Tiny races and then do an appointment at 11:10am.
Apologies. That was a Zwift scheduling decision based on trying to make these available to as many as possible.
Gutted, dont think I can do these now due to the time change. Shame, was really enjoying the Tiny format.
I hadn’t even noticed the time change. That means I’m out too 🙁
Will these be sub-20min rides in the B cat? I’m Cat enforced into B, but a ZwiftPower C and don’t want to change cat’s on there for my WTRL team…
Chat and Chill warm down ride after?
Not for these races. Keeping it simple.
Will these races be short enough that folks in the C and D categories will have a chance to get a breather before the next race starts? For slower racers, it seems like there’ll be a lot less time for recovery before the next race (unless overall time spreads are small), making this a different sort of beast.
Definitely not. The vast majority of the racers in the D cat of Day 1, Zone 3 weren’t able to finish the second race.
The long side of the hill on City And Sgurr is dirt, you climb it twice and descent it once, roughly 4.8Km of a ~9Km race.
Using a gravel frame with any custom gravel wheelset will save you ~90secs+ over a road bike for the same effort at ~2W/Kg… Which could make the difference in D between completing in time to make the race 3 pen or not.
Since the 2 longest and likely most decisive climbs (first and last) will be up the gravel side, what are the chances that a gravel bike makes sense for “The Climb”? Thoughts anyone?
Doesn’t look like there’s enough gravel to make the gravel bike faster overall. A gravel bike on a gravel surface saves ~66 watts. But a gravel bike on pavement costs ~36 watts. And most of the routes, even “City and the Sgurr”, are paved.
Not sure why Zwift keeps putting in small segments of dirt and gravel. Why not make routes that are *mostly* (or completely) gravel? Then the choice of bike would be clear.
Thanks for the info! Looking at a single lap + lead in, if the the long side of the climb really is gravel, it looks like about half of the total distance (4.3k of 8.6k) and ~70% of the total climbing (116m of 166m).
But I have to be honest, it’s hard to tell what is and isn’t gravel just by looking.
The Sgurr Summit North climb (the gravel side) is 1.6km long, and mostly gravel (start and end is paved, and a bit in the middle). So that’s 4.8km of the 8.6km route.
Also, note that the Crr differences are such that the gravel bike costs you 36W on pavement, while the road bike costs you 66W on gravel!
All in all, I’d go gravel on City and the Sgurr. Especially considering the final climb is gravel!
Thanks! Looking forward to the races!
I went with the gravel bike and lost a lot of ground on the down hill paved segment. Was dropped a few times.
However, I was able to recover 20 or so places on the final climb to finish 7th, so I think its the right choice
Race Cat D 10am UTC 11/02/23
https://youtube.com/live/DrpT9C_O0wI?feature=share
Bummer. Need more tiny races.
Bit miffed.
The results board at the finish…it would show me in either the A or C standings but not the B standings that I actually raced in.
Weird.
I’ve had that happen quite a bit lately.
you can always look at your results in the Companion app. And ZwiftPower of course.
Hi, what happen if you finish in 4th place in one of the 3 races but the 2nd and 3rd riders don’t ride the 3 races? You will get the 2nd place points on that race? or you will get the points of the 4th place although the 2nd and 3rd riders wont get any points?
thanks!
Points are usually done after any disqualifications.
What Steve said.
Unless you’re taking about ZwiftPower ranking points, which is another thing entirely: https://zwiftinsider.com/tiny-race-minutiae/
Great fun event! I really enjoyed it and Scotland is a great world for events like this. Shame I missed the update to the notification about the changes to the powerups though! Wasted my anvil on race 2 expecting to get one at the banner! 🙁
hello friends Briefly about me, according to zwift I am a B driver, according to zwiftinsider with, 4.1 AVG at 95% a rider and only drive a race for various reasons. It is becoming more and more apparent that the new CE from zwift is total rubbish. e.g. wins the 3rd race in category B a driver who has already driven the 20min with 5.3wkg…. one asks oneself: what is wrong with the driver that he has to look for confirmation in a cat that is much too bad for him. and 2: how can zwift and zwiftinsider let this go? I suggest: stop this bullshit immediately and only start these races in one category! everything else is total nonsense until there is a right and good solution. Thanks
sorry I love you and your work and effort you put in. but these category classifications and the abuse of “condoned” is really intolerable.
I clicked on the link to sign up for the races on Sunday, February 26th but the link brings me to something that says “no results.” Will it be updated or how can I sign up?
My apologies, I mean Sunday, February 19th.
They’ll be added to the calendar soon. I would guess by tomorrow…
Hello, my HR played up on first race at 3pm UK time so hope this isnt an issue. I have a very good history of results.
Winner of 3pm uk C category is surely a B?
Great event though, absolutely loved it
He’s got huge ‘Punch’ rating and 500+ races under his belt so I’m sure he knows where to put the power down.
I started Zwift racing in December and have completed about 40 races on my GT Avalanche MTB with Zwift Hub. 🙂
I don’t have the gearing (or legs) to sprint at the power some of the top Cat C racers, but I’ve been slowly learning how to be more efficient. There are some good Youtube videos of people racing and you can learn a lot there.
I won race 3 today with a sneak attack on the small kicker 700m before the finish line. No way I could out-sprint anyone with 300m to go. Everyone as tired and it worked for me this time, but I’ve raced that course 4 times last week including an attempt at B.
The GC winner is surely a B, it says so on his profile. I don’t understand how he managed to join. Isn’t category enforcement in place for these races?
The next two in the GC are almost B. I guess one has to try to win some C races no matter what, before moving to the back of field in B.
There hasn’t been any Race Ranking applied to any of the Cat’s for this weekends races.
When are the results going to be tallied?
They’re all done now.