The third race of Zwift Racing League 2025/26 Round 3 happens Tuesday, January 20, and we’re back in Makuri Islands for a scratch race on the Countryside Tour route.
This is a route we’ve raced before in ZRL, but it was done as a points race in the past, with a custom finish line. So while it may be a re-run of a course, the race will unfold very differently!
There’s much to discuss, including crucial course segments, powerups, bike decisions, and strategic options. Let’s dive in!
Looking at the Route
One lap of Countryside Tour is 16km (9.9 miles) long, with 185m (607′) of climbing. A/B categories will race 3 laps (48.2km), making this the longest race of Round 3 for A/B teams! C/D will race 2 laps (32.2km).
The race begins at the “main” Yumezi start pens near the lap start/finish banner. This is a downhill start, so riders will get up to speed quickly as we descend to the farmland flats. Enjoy the easy start. You can see from the route profile that the spiciness is up the road!
The first 5km will probably be quite docile, as the road is flat and there is no incentive to attack the sprint since this isn’t a points race.
After the sprint, a slack and therefore draftable climb begins, taking you through Village Onsen and the Fishing Village before turning left onto the big feature of this course: the Temple KOM.
This dirty little bugger (literally, it’s a dirt road) has hosted many ZRL battles over the years. It’s 2.5km in length and averages 3.6%, but don’t let those numbers lull you into a sense of security. This climb is almost entirely dirt, which means it rolls slower than pavement. It also includes some hard punches at 7%+! While a gravel bike would indeed perform better than a road bike on this climb, you’ll probably want to avoid that option (more on this below under “Bike Recommendations”).
The Temple KOM is where the first real selection of the day will happen, as the pack inevitably strings out over the draggy climb.
Once you ride through the KOM banner in the giant mystical tree it’s a twisty dirt descent back to the pavement of the Castle/Marketplace area, then more descending to the lap start/finish line.
Heavier riders can use this descent to chase back onto the wheels, and heavier riders will also have the advantage on the downhill finish in the final lap. (Of course, lighter riders will know this and work to drop the heavier riders on the Temple KOM.) Good luck to all!
Read more about the Countryside Tour route >
PowerUp Notes
Three different powerups are on offer for this race, given with equally-weighted probability at each arch. There are three arches in each lap of the route: the lap arch, the Countryside Sprint arch, and the Temple KOM arch.
Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, where weight slows you more than it does on flats and descents. This is the one you want heading into the Temple KOM, for use on the steepest dirt slopes.
Draft Boost (van): 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.) This powerups lasts the longest and is most useful when sprinting in a pack at the finish, or if you’re wanting some recovery on the flats/descents while sitting in the wheels.
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.) This powerup gives you the maximum speed advantage in the fast final sprint. Also useful if you’re in the wind, trying to bridge up to riders ahead.
Bike Recommendations
With the dirt Temple KOM looming, many riders will be wondering if a bike swap makes sense here like it has in some previous races.
But here’s the thing: much has changed since those past races. Zwift’s pairing screen no longer works as a brake hack. Gravel vs road bike performance has changed. This is a scratch race, not a points race. And it doesn’t finish at the top of the Temple KOM!
I did some bot tests with various bikes, to see how much faster the gravel bike was up the Temple KOM. Here are the times, using a 75kg rider at 300W steady:
- Specialized Crux with Zwift Gravel wheels: 6:32
- S-Works SL8 with ENVE 4.5 Pro wheels: 6:54
- S-Works Aethos with ENVE 4.5 Pro wheels: 6:55
- Tron bike: 6:58
A gravel bike can trim 22+ seconds off your Temple KOM time, as shown above. But keep in mind you have to stop moving before you can swap bikes, and you’ll have to swap at the bottom and top of the KOM. How do you quickly stop moving when braking is disabled in ZRL races? Answer: you don’t. The pairing screen only works to stop you if you unpair your power source.
So swapping to a gravel bike is off the table.
This race’s key climb is long and steep enough that you should steer away from pure aero setups unless you’re very confident you can hang with the front pack up and over the Temple KOM. For most riders, a strong all-arounder is probably the best move, given the mix of a key climb and a fast downhill finish. There’s no perfect setup for everyone, but our recommendation for most would be the new ENVE SES 4.5 PRO or DT Swiss 65 wheels paired with one of these bikes:
Of course, your frame’s upgrade status should impact your decision.
Related: All About Zwift’s New “Bike Upgrades” Functionality >
See Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers for more nerd-level detail on frame and wheel performance, and check out Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level to determine the fastest setup available to you.
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.
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. I’ll add them below as I find them!
J Dirom
John Rice
Strategic Options
Forming a cohesive strategy for this route was a real challenge in past years’ points races, but much of the complexity is removed in this scratch race.
Remember: all that matters is your finishing position.
With that in mind, here are some of the strategies we’ll be seeing next Tuesday:
- KOM Attrition: Strong climbers who lack the weight or pure wattage to win in a downhill pack sprint will be smart to push the pace up the Temple KOM on early lap(s). It’s not so much about forcing an early selection – it’s about forcing sprinters to burn matches, so get dropped on the final KOM.
- Final KOM Fireworks: The last time up the Temple KOM will be the key selection point of the race. Climbers were just trying to hurt everyone else on the early laps, but here they’ll try to make everyone explode, so the climbers don’t have to sprint against heavier, more powerful riders in the finish.
- Table Scraps: Most of the field will be dropped from the front up the final Temple KOM. Riders who find themselves in that position will be fighting for lower points, but don’t give up! Each and every point will be crucial in a race where you may only have 1-2 teammates in the front group.
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
wpDiscuz
