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Now in its 15th round, Zwift Racing League continues to take racing to the next level on Zwift! Team signups for the second round of the season are now open.
Here’s everything you need to know about what’s coming next for Zwift Racing League…
Intro to ZRL
Zwift Racing League (ZRL) is the world’s largest virtual cycling competition. How big is it? Over 36,000 riders participated in the 2023/24 season, making it the biggest season on record!
Organized by WTRL, this is a team-based points competition spread across multiple weeks, with teams organized into divisions based on time zones and ability. Races happen every Tuesday, and the season is broken into three 6-week rounds with short breaks in between.
ZRL is Zwift racing at its highest level. Its unique structure and varied race formats drive serious Zwift racers to show up week after week while providing a place for new racers who jump in and find their first team home.
This page contains the latest info about the current ZRL round, and is updated as WTRL announces new details.
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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 race course fastest, with team time taken from the fourth rider across the line.
Race #1: Waisted 8
January 14, 2025 (TTT)
ZRL is heading to Jarvis for the first time ever as we kick off round 3 with a Watopian TTT. Most of this route is flat, but there are key climby bits that will test your team’s ability to work together to maintain maximum speed.
Read our detailed race guide >
- 1 Lap of Watopia’s Waisted 8 (30.9km, 144m elevation)
- PowerUps: none 🛈
Race #2: Douce France
January 21, 2025 (Points Race)
We’ve raced this multiple times in ZRL as a TTT, but never as a points race. This is a super-flat route, with the only small bump being the punchy Aqueduc KOM. One for the sprinters!
Read our detailed race guide >
- 1 Lap of France’s Douce France (24.8km, 137m elevation)
- PowerUps: 🛈
- Aero Boost (50%)
- Draft Boost (40%)
- Ghost (10%)
- Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
- Ballon Sprint
- Aqueduc KOM
- Pavé Sprint
- Marina Sprint
Race #3: Road To Ruins Reverse
January 28, 2025 (Scratch Race)
We raced the forward version of this route as a ZRL scratch race back in 2022. The reverse version of the route is going to unfold in a very similar fashion since the key selection points and even the finishes share many similarities even though they’re coming from opposite directions.
Read our detailed race guide >
- 1 Lap of Watopia’s Road to Ruins Reverse (29.8km, 276m elevation)
- PowerUps: 🛈
- Steamroller
Race #4: Wandering Flats
February 4, 2025 (TTT)
Our second time racing this course in a TTT. Although it’s a bit twisty, this is a very flat route with just one key climb near the end, up to the Castle area.
Read our detailed race guide >
- 1 Lap of Makuri Islands’ Wandering Flats (25.2km, 146m elevation)
- PowerUps: none 🛈
Race #5: Everything Bagel
February 11, 2025 (Points Race)
The Queen Stage of this round, this pitchy route will make for a spicy points race as riders head up the New York KOM early on, with all the points segments coming after that key selecting climb.
Read our detailed race guide >
- 1 Lap of New York’s Everything Bagel (34.3km, 545m elevation)
- PowerUps: TBA 🛈
- Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
- New York KOM Reverse
- NY Sprint
- New York KOM
- NY Sprint Reverse
Race #6: Danger Noodle
February 18, 2025 (Scratch Race)
What do you get when you take messes of Esses and add in a ton of Titans? Danger Noodle! This new route from Mark Brzezinski (ZSUNR) won the design competition for the final race of round 3. Mark says, “This route, with its snaking ups and downs, lefts and rights, provides plenty of opportunities for a breakaway to succeed.”
Read our detailed race guide >
- 1 Lap of Watopia’s Danger Noodle (32.3km, 414m elevation)
- PowerUps: Feather, Draft, Feather, Anvil, Anvil (assigned powerups at each arch) 🛈
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Race Timeslots
Some divisions and start times get tweaked between each round, so make sure you pick the time slot that works for your team.
Teams/Registration
ZRL is a team-based competition – you cannot sign up as an individual rider. Teams can have up to 12 racers rostered, but only 6 can race in each event. Teams must have at least 4 riders on their roster, and a rider can be rostered on no more than 2 teams per round.
Team registration opened on December 20 at wtrl.racing/zrl-registration.
Want to race, but don’t have a team? Here are six ways to find a team:
- Recruit friends onto a new ZRL team, then sign up your team at wtrl.racing/zrl-registration/.
- If you’re already a member of a larger Zwift Club, contact a senior Club representative to see if you can join one of your Club’s ZRL teams.
- Join an official team-lead ZRL Group Recon Ride where several teams can be found looking for more riders. These run several times a day starting two weeks before the first race. Learn more >
- Join the ZRL Facebook Group and post preferred race times/league, Pace Group Category, and any other preferences under the #zrlteamhunt tag where many teams are eagerly waiting.
- Reply to one of the #zrlrecruiting posts that teams make in the ZRL Facebook Group if you don’t want to post your own request.
- Reach out directly to WTRL and they can match you to a team based on race times, category, and team preferences.
First-Timer Tips
If this is your first time racing on Zwift, here are a few tips to get you started fast:
- You have to be signed up for ZwiftPower to participate. Instructions >
- You must create a WTRL account as well – do so at wtrl.racing/registration
- The minimum category you’ll race is determined by your power history on Zwift. See this post for details.
- 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.)
- Heart rate monitors are required. (You’re allowed to race without a HRM, but your points are cut in half.)
- Cadence monitors are required.
- You’ll want to have at least a few races under your belt before you try to join a team, so you are confident that you’re in the correct category. It causes a lot of hassle if you join a team, and then are forced to upgrade to a new category mid-round.
Race Recon Events
If you’re unfamiliar with a particular week’s race course, join a ZRL recon ride! These happen multiple times per day and are led by experienced racers who may share route info and racing tips as you ride.
You can find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.
Live Broadcasts
Select ZRL races will be broadcast with commentary on Zwift’s streaming channels, including YouTube.
2024/25 ZRL Dates
- Round 1: Sept 10-Oct 18, 2024
- Round 2: Nov 12-Dec 17, 2024
- Round 3: Jan 14-Feb 18, 2025
- Finals: Apr 8-22, 2025
Questions or Comments?
We recommend checking out WTRL’s Zwift Racing League page for rules, team registration, results, and more. They also have a Help Center with lots of useful info, and their Facebook page is the place to go for discussion of all things ZRL.
You may also share questions or comments below!
Hi Eric! Great summary. Quick question, so categories remain the same? ZRL will not use racing score to create the groups? It will be the same system as we are used to, right?
Yes, same as previous rounds. My guess is WTRL will move over to racing score-based categories next season… but they didn’t want to switch how it works mid-season.
I was recently told that the Americas Southern Time Slot would be moved 1 hour later and that your chart should be updated very shortly.
“Check out the registration form. Chart will be updated next week as it’s the weekend. “
“There is an Americas Southern listed for 6:30pm EST now.”
Hey Eric. The link to “Road to Ruins Reverse” is wrong, it points to the non-reverse route
…
Based on this user-created route and the last one (shoutout Team CLS and Bryan for that one :D) it definitely feels like the community is creating better routes to race on than Zwift has.
Thank goodness no really crazy killer routes like the first two rounds. However, Everything Bagel is bound to be unpopular, but at least it’s familiar.
Hi Eric, enjoying every article! Seems like it is the first round without any powerups? The Wtrl website states no powerups. Do you have other info because you said TBA?
Greetings from Dortmund.
I’m quite sure there will still be powerups in all the non-TTT races. WTRL has just been slow about showing which powerups will be in play. Not sure why.
Hello Eric. A rider who raced with our team and then didn’t do any Zwifting for a long time wants to join us for round 3, race 2…I know she has to do an event on Zwift before she can be added to a team. What is the latest she can do that event on Zwift in order to race? Thanks!
Not sure – I’d check the rules! https://www.wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/#rules