Zwift Racing League 2023/24 Round 3 Week 2 Guide: Island Hopper

January 24, 2024

LAST UPDATED August 27, 2024

The second race of Zwift Racing League 2023/24 Round 3 happens Tuesday, January 30, when we head to the Makuri Islands for a points race on two laps of the Island Hopper route.

There’s much to discuss including bike choice, strategic options, and crucial segments. Let’s go!

Looking at the Route: Island Hopper

All categories are racing two laps of the Island Hopper route for a total of 36.1km with 259 meters of elevation. Here’s a Veloviewer profile:

If you’re familiar with the Urukazi portion of the Makuri Islands world, you may be able to understand the Island Hopper route best by thinking of it as two laps of the Festival Harbor complex. The first lap is on the innermost roads, so it’s quite flat apart from a short climb into the Mangrove Maze and the first real climb of the race, which corkscrews left in the dirt on Mech Isle.

In contrast, the second lap is on the outermost roads, so it begins by taking you up the route’s largest climb, corkscrewing left again onto the Shisa Sprint before descending and finishing the race on flat roads.

So one lap of Island Hopper takes you around Festival Harbor twice. We’re doing two laps of the route, which means we’ll be circling the harbor four times. Make sense?

The Mech Isle and Festival Harbor climbs are the two key selection points on this route, and they are only separated by 1.3km.

Mech Isle Climb CW @ 6.7km and 24.6km: 710 meters long at 2.9%, this is a dirt climb, which makes it extra slow/tough. (See Strava segment)
Festival Harbor Climb CCW @ 8.7km and 26.6km: 2km at 2.6%, the main part of this climb is more like 4%. The Shisa Sprint begins just 400 meters after the climb ends, so efforts will be maxed out in this portion of each lap! (See Strava segment)

Expect key selections to be made the first time over these climbs, and do whatever you can to hold on, since riders who stay in the front group will have access to lots of segment points!

There are four sprint segments which we’ll be contesting for points. Or are there only three? Or maybe there are six…or eight. Depends on how you count them, but here are all the sprint segments you’ll encounter in the race:

Boardwalk Sprint @1.6km (0.24km, 0%)
Tidepool Sprint @5.1km (0.31km, 0%)
Shisa Sprint @10.4km (0.29km, 0.7%)
Tidepool Sprint @15.4km (0.31km, 0%)
Boardwalk Sprint @19.5km (0.24km, 0%)
Tidepool Sprint @23km (0.31km, 0%)
Shisa Sprint @28.3km (0.29km, 0.7%)
Tidepool Sprint @33.3km (0.31km, 0%)

All of these segments will be awarding both FTS and FAL points. Make sure you’ve read up on FTS and FAL if you don’t understand how they work, since things get interesting when you’re hitting the same segment multiple times.

Also, remember that you’ll be getting powerups (feather, van, or helmet) at each sprint banner, so be sure to use them to your advantage.

The last sprint section ends just 2.3km to finish, so expect some riders to try to go long, keeping the effort high all the way to the line.

PowerUp Notes

Riders will receive one of three powerups each time through a sprint segment’s finish banner, so we’ll be getting a total of 8 powerups on the race. Powerup probabilities are equally weighted.

Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.)

Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds.
Use on climbs, when weight matters the most.

Draft Boost (van): increases the draft effect you are experiencing for 40 seconds.
Use at higher speeds (flats and descents) when you are already drafting off another rider (since this powerup only helps when you are drafting.)

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

An all-arounder like the Tron bike is a good choice for this race since the most arduous efforts and key selections will happen on the back-to-back climbs each lap. The climbs are short, though, and the Tron bike will save you less than a second over a super-aero setup with disc wheels.

If you’re confident you can hang with the front group up and over the climbs, go with a super-aero finisher such as the Venge + Disc combo so you have the best chance of snagging some segment points and a strong finish.

See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers (Scatter Plot) for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance.

More Route Recons

Many recon rides are now being planned each week on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re unfamiliar with this course, jump into an event and do some recon! Here’s a list of upcoming Island Hopper events.

Si Bradeley

Strategic Options

Points Distribution, Island Hopper (2 Laps)

This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in the race.

How will the race unfold, and what strategies will riders employ in the first points race of round 3? Here’s what we predict:

Early Tidepool Sprint FTS: expect top FTS times to be set the first time through the Tidepool Sprint, as this is the only time in the race when the pack will be at full size and strength.
All-In On the First Climbs: if you don’t make it over the first two climbs in the front group, you’ve lost your shot at 3/4 of the race’s FAL points and probably most of the FTS points, too. Riders will be doing all they can to hang with the front. Strong teams should do everything they can to drop everyone else.
PowerUp-Based Efforts: riders may let their powerups decide when they attempt to grab sprint points. If you get a feather as your first powerup, it may not make sense to chase FTS on the Tidepool Sprint. But if you get an aero or a draft boost, game on!
Pure Survival: some riders will simply try to survive in the front group to the finish. But be warned: sprint intermediates make up over 3/4 of the race’s points, so if your team isn’t chasing intermediates, you will lose.
Spin and Sprint: if you have a strong sprint but can’t hang with the front of the race up the climb to the Shisa Sprint, it may make sense to ease on the climb so your legs are fresh for the sprint. Riders in the front group can be expected to be a bit knackered after the climb, perhaps leaving FTS points open for the taking.
Long Finish: riders who don’t fancy a pack sprint could surf the wheels on the final Tidepool Sprint, then attack and attempt to stay away for the final 2.3km to the line.