Zwift Racing League 2023/24 Round 1 Details

Registration for the 2023/24 Season opened today (August 1, 2023).

Now in its tenth round, Zwift Racing League (ZRL) has taken racing to the next level on Zwift. It’s well-organized bike racing on an unprecedented scale; a multi-week team points competition held across all timezones and catering to thousands of teams. And that’s why serious Zwift racers show up week after week: because everyone knows ZRL is where Zwift racing is at its highest level.

ZRL organizers WTRL continue to evolve their systems and tighten rulesets to provide a fair, engaging, and competitive platform for Zwift racing. This year they’ve set a goal of seeing 30,000 unique racers participating in ZRL!

The next ZRL round begins September 12, and it’s officially named 2023/24 Season – Round 1. We’ll use this page to display all the key info in one place, updating it as more info becomes available.

Ruleset Updates

If you’re new to ZRL, you’ll definitely want to get familiar with the ruleset and scoring structures, as these inform strategic decisions made as a team.

For Round 1 we have two key ruleset changes that will be of interest to all racers:

1. Zwift Pace Groups Used for Categorization: Zwift’s “Pace Groups” are the automatically-determined categories used for category enforcement in most Zwift races. For the first time ever, ZRL will be using these Pace Groups to determine minimum racer categories. Important: riders with no category or who have less than 2 competitive races in the 2 weeks prior may be denied entry to ZRL races.
2. Steering and Braking Disabled: there’s been a lot of talk around steering with the recent release of Zwift’s Play Controllers, but steering and braking will be disabled for standard ZRL divisions. Special “steering allowed” divisions will be created “where there is demand” according to WTRL.

Timeslots and Divisions

Divisions and start times have been tweaked, so make sure you pick the time slot that works for you and your team:

Teams and Registration

With a new category system in play, all teams must register as new! No teams will be automatically carried over. Teams can register now at wtrl.racing/zrl-registration. Team registration for Round 1 closes once the round begins. Your team must have at least 4 members.

Want to race, but don’t have a team? You can find a list of teams recruiting riders by visiting wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/#teams (“All Teams” in the ZRL menu). WTRL says an inquiry form will be available soon on that page, so you can click and ask to join a team that is recruiting.

Until then, you can track down the team’s contact info and message them, or simply post your info on the Facebook group to have teams contact you. Use tags so your post can easily be found by others using “popular topics”:

• If you are looking for a team, tag your post with the topic #zrlteamhunt
• If you are recruiting, tag your post with #zrlrecruiting

Race Routes and Dates

Each ZRL round comprises weekly races which are either scratch races, points races, or team time trials (TTT). Scratch Races and Points Races are both actually points-based in terms of final results, but Points races include intermediate segments while Scratch race points are all earned at the finish line. TTT winners are the teams who complete the racecourse fastest (team time is taken from the fourth rider across the line).

“Intermediates” are sections on the course where riders compete for points. Intermediates may count for Fastest-Through-Segment (FTS) or First-Across-Line (FAL) points. See the scoring page for details.

Race #1: Rolling Highlands
September 12, 2023 (Scratch Race)

Welcome to our first-ever ZRL scratch race! This is one of the newest routes on Zwif, but its popularity as a race route means most riders will be familiar with its rolling parcours and the crucial Breakaway Brae finish. This race also features specific powerups at specific banners – another ZRL first!

• 3 Laps of Scotland’s Rolling Highlands (32km, 260.5m elevation)
• PowerUps: Feather (at lap banner), Burrito (at KOM banner) 🛈
• Intermediate Segments: none

Race #2: Makuri 40
September 19, 2023 (Points Race)

The longest race of Round 1 finds us in the Makuri Islands, taking on roads in all three parts of the map: first Yumezi, then Neokyo, then Urukazi. Most of this race is quite flat, but watch out for that final haul up through the Slot Canyon with only ~6km to go!

• 1 Lap of Makuri Islands’ Makuri 40 (40.3km, 313m elevation)
  • D race will be shorter, but race length hasn’t yet been finalized
• PowerUps: Aero Boost (100%) 🛈
• Intermediate Segments:
  • Village Sprint Reverse
  • Country Sprint Reverse
  • Alley Sprint Reverse
  • Castle Park Sprint
  • Shisa Sprint Reverse

Race #3: Roule Ma Poule
September 26, 2023 (TTT)

Our first TTT of Round 1 starts off with a team challenge: getting up the backside of the Petit KOM as quickly as possible, without losing the riders you’ll need if you want to put in a fast time on the flats that follow! You’ll need to do the climb once more at the end of the race as well, so strategy and pacing will be crucial this week.

• 1 Lap of France’s Roule Ma Poule (26km, 263m elevation)
• PowerUps: none

Race #4: Tour of Tewit Well
October 3, 2023 (Scratch Race)

Our second scratch race of Round 1 finds us in pitchy Yorkshire for two laps of Tour of Tewit Well. Watch for big attacks up the reverse KOM and Pot Bank’s pitchy backside.

• 2 Laps of Yorkshire’s Tour of Tewit Well (21.8km, 410m elevation)
• PowerUps: Feather (50%), Anvil (50%) 🛈
• Intermediate Segments: none

Race #5: Temples and Towers
October 10, 2023 (Points Race)

Riders will tackle three KQOM climbs in this race, with the gravel-bike-friendly Temple KOM being the last one the list. Who will survive to contest the finish in Neokyo?

• 1 Lap of Makuri Islands’ Temples and Towers (33.4km, 319m elevation)
  • D race will be shorter, ending at the Temple KOM banner (around 22km)
• PowerUps: Steamroller (33%), Draft Boost (33%), Aero Boost (34%) 🛈
• Intermediate Segments:
  • Rooftop KOM
  • Castle KOM
  • Temple KOM

Race #6: Greatest London Flat
October 17, 2023 (TTT)

Winning on this flattish TTT route requires working knowledge of how to optimize TTT pacelines. Can you keep your speed high without dropping valuable teammates on the false flats?

• 1 Lap of London’s Greatest London Flat (31km, 221m elevation)
• PowerUps: none

Tips for First-Timers

If this is your first time racing on Zwift, here are a few tips and links to get you started fast:

1. You have to be signed up for ZwiftPower in order to participate. Instructions
2. You must create a WTRL account as well – do so at wtrl.racing/registration
3. The minimum category you’ll race is determined by your power history on Zwift. See this post for details.
4. Riders must use a power sensor to transmit power to the game – this would be a smart trainer, smartbike, or power meter. (You’re allowed to race C and D categories with a “classic” trainer and virtual power, but your points are cut in half.)
5. Heart rate monitors are required. (You’re allowed to race without a HRM, but your points are cut in half.)
6. You’ll want to have at least a few races under your belt before you try to join a team. WTRL says riders with no category or who have less than 2 competitive races in the 2 weeks prior may be denied entry to ZRL races.

Official Recon Rides

Various community organizers have set up ZRL route recon events in the past, but for Round 1 WTRL is taking the bull by the horns and organizing official recon rides. The recon ride schedule isn’t out yet, but if you’re a Zwift Club interested in hosting some of these official rides, contact WTRL.

Is your Zwift Club interested in hosting an official Zwift Racing League Recon Ride? We’re looking for Zwift Clubs willing to offer racing tips, lead and sweep OFFICIAL ZRL public Recon Rides in the lead-up to each ZRL race. If your club is interested, please reach out to us at [email protected].

WTRL

You can find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

Watch the Live Stream

Zwift Community Live is broadcasting two of each week’s races – see their scheduled YouTube playlist, or watch below:

2023 Season Dates

• Round 1: Sept 12-Oct 24, 2023
• Round 2: Nov 14-Dec 18, 2023
• Round 3: Jan 16-Feb 20, 2024
• Finals: March/April 2024

Questions or Comments?

We recommend checking out WTRL’s Zwift Racing League page for rules, team registration, results, and more. They also have a new Help Center with lots of useful info, and their Facebook page is the place to go for discussion of all things ZRL.

Feel free to share questions or comments below!