The third race of Zwift Racing League 2024/25 Round 3 happens Tuesday, January 28, and we’ll be in Watopia for our first-ever ZRL race on Road to Ruins Reverse.
There’s much to discuss, including crucial course segments, bike decisions, powerup usage, and strategic options. Let’s go!
Looking at the Route: Road to Ruins Reverse
This week’s route is an event-only route on Zwift, so it’s quite possible you’ve never ridden it before. Road to Ruins Reverse is 29.8km long, with 276m of elevation. It’s essentially a Volcano Flat Reverse lap with a Jungle Circuit Reverse lap thrown into the middle, but the connector road between the two is where some key moves will happen:
This route is rarely flat, but at the same time, it doesn’t feature any large climbs. There are four key sections when racing Road to Ruins Reverse as a scratch race:
Dirty Sorpressa (4.9-5.5km): the first attack point in the race, the Sorpressa isn’t likely to drop any but the weakest riders in the group. Still, it’s where strong riders can put in digs to begin to weaken others who will eventually fall off the back, perhaps on the longer Jungle climb later in the race.
Most riders will use their steamroller powerups on the climb portion of the Dirty Sorpressa, to save a bit of effort and/or maximize any attacks being made.
Epic KOM Reverse Base (8.9-11.1km): the steepest sustained climb in the race begins at the foot of the Epic KOM Reverse. You’ll begin with the steep bit, winding your way up ~700 meters of tarmac to the bridge before the gradient reduces to 2-3% and continues at that slack gradient through a right-hand turn toward the Jungle and another kilometer of climbing, ending at the Jungle start pens:
You’ll have plenty of time to recover after this first big climb as you descend to the bottom of the Jungle. Just watch for that little kicker getting off the rope bridge!
Jungle Circuit Climb (18.1-22.9km): you’ll get your second (and final) steamroller at the bottom of the Jungle circuit, then the climb out of the Jungle begins. This climb can be visualized in three parts, with flats bits in between.
- First you have the initial climb, which flattens out for just a bit near the Mayan Bridge cutoff.
- Next, you have the longest portion of the dirt climb. This is where the biggest moves usually happen, as it’s sustained and a bit steeper than the first bit.
- Lastly, after a bit of flat road, you’ve got the final paved portion of the climb. You can chase back onto a group here if you’ve got a bit in reserve, or if you’re running out of juice, you may lose the wheels you’ve been desperately trying to hold! Whatever happens, it’s best to have a group as you begin the descent at the top, since you’ve got 7 kilometers of fast flats and descents left in your race.
Most riders will use their steamroller during the Jungle climb when effort levels are high. Depending on your fitness and rider phenotype, there’s one other place where the steamroller could be used effectively: at the bottom of the descent, just past the Spruce Goose and beneath the windmills, you’ll hit two sections of flat dirt that are each around 200 meters long. If you’re more of a TT rider who doesn’t fancy a pack sprint finish, and the pack you’re in is small enough, attacking on these final dirt sections with a steamroller may let you get enough of a gap that you can stay away for the final 3.7km to the finish.
The Finish (28.3-29.8km): the last 1.5km of this route is a well-known strategic race finish for seasoned Watopians. It begins with a quick climb up out of the ocean tunnel and onto a false flat. Riders often try to go long here, but they’re usually caught. It’s a gamble. Do you go for the long attack? Chase down that long attack? Or sit in the wheels and do minimal work until the final sprint?
Once the group turns right at the intersection, you’ve got just 600 meters left to the line. Timing and strength will be the decider at the end of this race, as steamroller powerups will have zero effect.
Read more about the Road to Ruins Reverse route >
PowerUp Notes
This event is giving just one type of powerup: the Steamroller. You’ll get one at the start through the start/finish arch, and another just before the climb out of the Jungle begins.
Steamroller: reduces Crr for 30 seconds so you roll as fast as a road tire on pavement regardless of wheels or road surface.
This is most effective when used on dirt, but it also provides an advantage on cobbles, bricks, gravel, wood, and ice/snow, etc.
Bike Frame + Wheel Choice
The key moves on this course will happen on the two key climbs mentioned above, but neither of these climbs is particularly steep or long. Additionally, the finish is flat and fast.
Therefore, we’re recommending a strong aero setup with a lighter frame. Our top pick would be the Pinarello Dogma F 2024 + DT Swiss Disc, but the Canyon Aeroad 2024 + DT Swiss Disc or Tron Bike would also be good picks.
See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers (Scatter Plot) for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance.
More Route Recons Resources
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.
The Syco-List
John Rice
Zwifty Zwifter
J Dirom
Beccah Niesen
Strategic and Attritional
With two big selections happening on 5-10 minute sustained efforts, this week’s race will be attritional. Our guess is that the front pack will be reduced to 20-30% of its original size by the time they exit the Ocean Boulevard tunnel and get ready for the final sprint.
Teams will need to play it smart and communicate well. Do you send your strong riders off the front to attack on the climb, knowing your weaker riders may get dropped? Do you sit in and keep the pace as low as possible to preserve your sprinter’s chances?
And will anyone have the legs and guts to attempt a late steamroller attack?
We’ll just have to wait and see.
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
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