Zwift Racing League 2023/24 Round 3 Week 5 Guide: Chasing the Sun

The penultimate race of Zwift Racing League 2023/24 Round 3 happens Tuesday, February 20, and we’ll be back in Makuri Islands to race the rather complex Chasing the Sun route. Lots of sprints, with a big KOM to break up the pack – it’s going to get interesting!

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

Looking at the Route: Chasing the Sun

Makuri Islands’ Chasing the Sun route begins in the Neokyo’s harbor, climbs to its rooftops, then heads to the Yumezi countryside for a trip up the Temple KOM before heading back to Neokyo for the finish.

All riders will be racing a single lap of the route for a total of 35.1km with 315m of climbing.

Let’s discuss the key parts of this route, beginning just after we blast out of the start pen:

Alley Sprint (FAL + FTS): starting less than 1km into the race, this flat sprint is fairly long at 480m. Its effect will be to lengthen and magnify what is already a high-powered race start, stretching the effort for another minute or so before riders ease after the sprint banner. Powerup at arch: aero boost (helmet)

Railway Sprint (FAL + FTS): after a short climb up to the Railway level, this long sprint (640m) is going to hurt! Thankfully, it’s mercifully shortened by being slightly downhill. Powerup at arch: lightweight (feather)

Rooftop KOM Reverse: this is not an official timed segment, so no FAL or FTS points. But it’s 1.3km long at a 4% average gradient, so expect attacks to happen and efforts to be higher than on the flats. You will get a powerup at the top! Powerup at arch: draft boost (van)

Country Sprint (FAL + FTS): after a longer flat section, the Country Sprint marks the start of the longest uphill portion of our race. The sprint itself is flat and only 130m long, but expect the pack to stretch out leading into it, then stay stretched afterward as the road tilts up. Powerup at arch: steamroller (save it for the dirt Temple KOM!)

Temple KOM (FAL + FTS): the only climb awarding intermediate points on this course, the dirt Temple KOM (2.5km at 3.6%) will prove the key selection point in many races. Riders gapped off the front group may be able to chase back in the remaining 12km, but if the front pack is large and/or strong enough they will stay away to mop up Tower Sprint and finish points. Powerup at arch: aero boost (helmet)

Tower Sprint Reverse (FAL + FTS): at 320m and flat, this medium-length sprint holds an enticing pile of extra intermediate points for any riders chasing the front pack after the Temple KOM. Powerup at arch: burrito

Lastly, the finish. It’s a flat finish, but you can’t see the arch until the hairpin turn with ~300m to go. Timing and powerups will be crucial here.

Read more about the Chasing the Sun route >

PowerUp Notes

Riders will receive particular powerups at each arch. See notes above for which powerups are give at each arch, and read our guide to powerups if you don’t understand how they work.

Study the route and the powerups and you’ll see WTRL has assigned powerups logically, so you can use each one before hitting the next arch.

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

This route features flat sprints but also longish climbs, making bike choice a less-than-straightforward matter.

An aero bike will maximize your sprint speeds and let you sit in most easily on the flat roads that make up half of your overall mileage. A climbing bike would give you a slight edge on the two climbs where efforts are sure to be high. A gravel bike will give you a big advantage on the Temple KOM, but a huge disadvantage during the rest of the race.

We think the Tron bike is the best pick here, but there are other options. Strong climbers who don’t anticipate being dropped on the uphills or strong sprinters who just want to grab points before the big climb might go with a more aero frame + disc wheels. And if you want a bit more help on the climbs, the Scott Addict RC + ENVE 7.8 wheels is a slightly better climber than the Tron bike.

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

To Swap Or Not to Swap?

Any time a route includes the Temple KOM, consideration is given to the idea of bike swapping. It really doesn’t make sense anymore, though, given Zwift’s recent dirt Crr changes which made road bikes roll faster on dirt.

If the route ended at the top of the Temple KOM, a swap might make sense. But since the route ends ~7.5km down the road, you’ll have to swap back to your road bike, losing another 10+ seconds. It’s just not worth it.

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 Chasing the Sun events.

Si Bradeley

Strategic Options

Points Distribution, Chasing the Sun (1 Lap)

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

There’s something for everyone in this week’s race, so there’s no clear best approach that applies to all riders. Here are some predictions of strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:

• All-In For the Sprints: as you can see from the chart above, sprints make up the majority of the points on offer. Riders who won’t survive the Temple KOM slog may go all-in for the first three sprints and even contest the final Tower Sprint for FTS points.
• Chasing the Climb + Finish Points: riders who aren’t strong sprinters may plan to save themselves for the Temple KOM, attacking hard to grab FAL/FTS points then staying away with a reduced front pack to grab Tower Sprint and Finish points.
• Sprinters Bridging Post KOM: the Temple KOM may see strong sprinters spit out the back of the front group, but watch for those wattage bazookas to put the hammer down in a bid to catch the front group and contest maximum Tower Sprint and Finish points.

Your Thoughts

Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!