Zwift Racing League Week 5 Guide: Glyph Heights Points Race

October 2, 2024

LAST UPDATED October 9, 2024

The fifth race of Zwift Racing League 2024/25 Round 1 happens Tuesday, October 8, and we’ll be in Watopia for our first-ever ZRL event on Glyph Heights. This is the only true climbing race of round 1 and, in fact, it is the climbiest ZRL race we’ve had since December of 2022. It’s sure to shatter the peloton into small groups of desperate riders.

There’s much to discuss, including the challenging route, lightweight bike decisions, strategic options, and points segments. Let’s go!

Looking at the Route: Glyph Heights

Watopia’s Glyph Heights route has never been raced in ZRL, since it has only been in game since June 2024. It’s a big loop with a long lead-in, and that lead-in ends with the same Mayan Mountainside KOM that you’ll see at the end of the race.

All riders will be racing a single lap of the route for a total of 33.9km with 618m of climbing.

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

Lead-In: the first ~6.6km of the race is quite flat as you wind along the southern coast road through two sprint points which aren’t being used as intermediates, but will award powerups.

Mayan Mountainside KOM @6.6-8.6km (FTS): You’ll turn right at the first intersection and begin the Mayan Mountainside KOM at 6.6km. At 3.1% for 2km, this is the shorter of the two KOM segments in the race. You’ll get a powerup at the arch.

Itza KOM @9.2-12.9km (FTS and FAL): the longest of our KOM segments (3.75km at 2%), this one doesn’t kick off in earnest until around 10.5km, where the steady climb (2.3km at 3.2%) begins. Watch the steep bits that kick up to 8%! You’ll get a powerup at the arch.

Top Half of The Grade @13.6-15.6km: while not a points segment, this is the steepest climb in the race, averaging a steady ~9% for 2km. You’ll get a powerup at the arch.

Top of the Epic KOM @16.1-18.7km: the hits just keep coming, with more climbing on the heels of The Grade. The first part of this bit is rolling in nature, but it ends with a steady kilometer at 6% to the Epic KOM arch, where you’ll get your final powerup.

(Mostly) Downhill @19-32km: from the top of the Epic KOM you’ll descend all the way to the bottom of the Jungle. Keep your eyes open for the uphill bits here, but most riders will be using this time to recover for the finishing climb.

Mayan Mountainside KOM @31.9-33.9km (FTS): The final 2km of the race will be a fistfight/chess match between the strong riders who have survived on the front, with some going for a long attack while others try to surf the wheels to take it in a sprint on the flat final 200 meters.

FAL+FTS Reminder

Remember, FAL and FTS segment points as well as finishing points have changed this round for ZRL racers!

FAL points now go to the first 20 riders over the line (20-19-18…1 points, respectively). FTS points only go to the fastest 5 riders through the segment (10-8-6-4-2 points, respectively).

See the ZRL scoring page for more details >

PowerUp Notes

Riders will receive powerups at each arch, as noted above, for a total of six powerup opportunities. Powerup probabilities are weighted as noted below:

Draft Boost (van) – 20% Probability: 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.) While not terribly useful on this course, the van can be used for a breather on flats and descents. It may also prove useful in the flat final 200 meters of the race.

Lightweight (feather) – 80% Probability: reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. With all the intermediate KOMs and other climbs on this course, the feather is the most useful powerup.

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

All of this route’s intermediate segments are climbs, the finish is a climb, and you’ve got additional steep crucial climbs like the top half of The Grade. So a super-aero (and rather heavy) disc wheel setup isn’t the best pick here. But just how lightweight should you go?

I’d recommend nothing heavier than the Tron bike. You could also go lighter than the Tron, with the Pinarello Dogma F + DT Swiss 62 wheels or even the featherweight Specialized Aethos + Lightweights or Roval Alpinists.

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

More Route Recons

Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

In the Drops

John Rice

Strategic Options

Points Distribution, Glyph Heights (1 Lap)

This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants.

There aren’t a lot of intermediate points available in this race, compared to finishing points. Here are some predictions of strategies we’ll see on Tuesday:

All-In For the First Climbs(s): riders with punchy power who don’t fancy their chances of surviving in the front group up The Grade may choose to go all-in for intermediate points on those initial Mayan Mountainside and/or Itza KOMs. A rider who times it right and tops the list for FAL and FTS on both would earn 40 points, which is a big haul.
Survival Mode: other riders may choose to play it safe, not chasing points on those first two climbs but instead trying to save their legs so they can stay in contention and have something left for the final push up the Mayan Mountainside KOM.
Bridging Up: packs will get strung out and elastic will stretch as riders climb up, up, up to the Epic KOM. But once the long descent begins, front riders won’t have much incentive to work to keep chasers away. Some riders who are dropped on the climbs will come back to the front before the bottom of the final Mayan Mountainside KOM. But will they be able to hang on to the line?
Strategic Fistfight Finish: as I already mentioned, that final Mayan Mountainside KOM will be both a fistfight and a chessmatch. Riders who don’t have a strong sprint will want to get off the front early, but sprinters will want to surf wheels and wait until the final flat 200 meters to make their move. Who will win the battle of brains and brawn?