If you’re on an A or B team, you’ll be racing two laps of Rising Empire, and this guide is for you. C and D teams will be on Everything Bagel (click here for that race guide).
There’s much to discuss, including crucial course segments, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options. Let’s go!
Looking at the Route
New York’s Rising Empire is 20.7km long with 375m of elevation gained per lap. A and B teams will be racing two laps of the course for a total of 41.4km and 750m of elevation. Here’s the lap profile:
Let’s discuss the key parts of this route, from start to finish…
Glass Road Ramp @3.1km and 23.8km (800 meters, 5%): This first proper climb of the race arrives as you exit the paved tunnel and transition to glass roads, and it always drops some riders. That said, this is a points race, so smart riders will conserve their energy for the bigger climbs up the road that really count in the end.
New York KOM @8.5 and 29.2km (1.4km, 6.3%) (FAL + FTS): The first points segment of the race, New York’s KOM is no joke, boasting some double-digit inclines across its triple stair-step layout. Fair warning: the average gradient is 6.3%, but it’s much steeper in places.
Powerup at KOM arch
The descent immediately following is steep and long enough that gaps can open up, especially if riders are supertucking, using anvil powerups (see below), or both! Watch out, especially if you are a lighter rider.
NY Sprint Reverse @12.3 and 33km (230 meters at 0%) (FAL + FTS): How cruel of WTRL, to hide the sprint points behind an intimidating KOM! But it is what it is. Those who make the front group after what’s sure to be a selective first KOM will fight for points on this sprint segment, which begins slightly downhill and ends slightly uphill.
Powerup at sprint arch
New York KOM Reverse @15.8km and 36.5km (1.1km, 8.1%) (FAL + FTS):: Shorter and steeper than the forward version of the KOM, the Reverse is especially punishing because there’s some significant climbing on the lead in. The climbing begins when you move from the paved to glass roads around 14.9km in, and it climbs steeply to the official start line of the KOM Reverse at 15.8. (It’s a bit confusing, because you’ll ride through the forward KOM’s start line first. But that’s not your start line! The KOM Reverse begins after you cross the forward KOM’s start line, then turn right.)
Powerup at KOM arch
Again, expect a fast descent immediately following this KOM. Using a supertuck and/or an anvil can help you bridge up to riders ahead, attack your group, or just sit in the wheels and recover more easily.
Powerup first time through lap arch
Once you ride through the lap arch, you’re halfway there! Lap two, of course, has the same key features as you see listed above.
Finish at Lap Arch (41.4km): The race ends on an uphill kicker ~200 meters long, but don’t wait until the road kicks up to start pushing! The fastest finish comes by pushing the power into the slight descent with ~500 meters to go, building speed you can carry all the way to the line. Both the feather or aero powerups are helpful here, with the aero being the most helpful at A/B speeds.
Powerups will be given at each arch, with equal probability to each of the three possible powerups. That means a total of seven possible powerups are available throughout the race.
Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. These will be most helpful on the steepest parts of the NY KOM (forward and reverse).
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.) Useful if you’re contesting the sprint for points, attacking on a descent, or going all in for the finish.
Anvil: makes you heavier for up to 15 seconds, so you can descend faster. It won’t hurt you, as it only adds weight when the road is at a -1.5% decline or greater. Use this on downhills. Pair it with a supertuck to go extra fast with zero effort!
Bike Recommendations
This race’s four key climbs definitely make us steer away from pure aero setups and look at climbing bikes and all-arounders instead. Because while a more aero setup has a pure time advantage on laps of the full course, that time advantage evaporates if you get dropped on the first climb!
Our recommendation, then, is to use the new ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels paired with one of these bikes:
Of course, your frame’s upgrade status should impact your decision. A fully upgraded Aethos will outclimb the other four frames, but that’s not the case when comparing un-upgraded versions.
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.
Additionally, riders in the Zwift community do a great job every week creating recon videos that preview the courses and offer tips to help you perform your best on the day. Here are the recons I’ve found (comment if you find another!)
J Dirom
John Rice
Strategic Options
Points Distributions, Rising Empire
This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.
Central Park is an attritional place, especially when the course heads up to the glass roads. Climbers are going to love this race, because all the points are hidden behind tough KOMs, and the number of riders able to hold onto the front will continue to drop as the race progresses.
I predict riders will fall into three groups:
Made for this: Pure climbers will surf wheels on the paved roads, then light it up on the glass roads. Especially up the first KOM, they’ll push hard to drop as many riders as possible, so there’s less competition on the points segments up the road.
Puncheurs: If your VO2 power lets you compete on NY-length KOMs, but you’ve also got some pure watts in your sprint legs, you may just be in the sweet spot to grab a lot of points in the race. (Alternatively, if the climbers rip your legs off on the KOMs, but you still survive in the front group, you can at least repay the favor by taking the sprint points.)
I’m a survivor: Not sure how you’ll fare on one KOM, let alone four? You’re not alone. At least ZRL’s FAL points structure gives everyone something to fight for. Remember: every point matters, and sometimes you can chase back on the descents following the KOMs!
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Follow on Strava
