Zwift Racing League 2022/23 Round 1 Week 6 Guide: Downtown Titans (C & D Categories)

October 12, 2022

LAST UPDATED September 4, 2023

The sixth and final race of Zwift Racing League 2022/23 Round 1 happens Tuesday, October 18th. We’re in Watopia racing on former Rebel Routes, and for the first time that we can remember, A/B riders are on a completely different route than C/D riders! That’s right: A and B riders are racing on Eastern Eight, while C and D races Downtown Titans.

This post covers the Downtown Titans route for C and D categories. If you’re an A or B racer, check out the post covering Eastern Eight.

Let’s dig into the race, including tips for bike choice, powerups, strategy, and crucial segments.

Looking at the Route: Downtown Titans

Downtown Titans began its Zwift life as a Rebel Route (published March 2020), but was adopted into the game 2 years later. The thinking behind this route was to cover the newest (Titans Grove) and oldest (Hilly) KOMs in Watopia.

C and D racers will complete one lap of the course, for a total of 25.4km and 295 meters of climbing. Let’s look at the key segments in order of appearance:

Titans Grove KOM Reverse: didn’t we just race this in race #5? Yes we did. Let’s have another go! It’s a draftable climb, so sit in the wheels and time your jump just right. Or just try to survive and hold a wheel so you can stay in the mix.
Hilly KOM: this climb is almost exactly the same length as the Titans Grove KOM Reverse… but it’s steeper (5.5% vs 4.4%). That difference may not seem like much, but mark our words: this climb will force a major selection in your race. Save your legs for this climb, and do all you can to hold onto the front pack over the top!
JWB Sprint: not a short sprint, riders approach the JWB differently depending on whether they’re chasing FTS, FAL, or just trying to survive.

PowerUp Notes

While powerups were originally planned for this race, WTRL has disabled all powerups due to ongoing Zwift bugs which award powerups inconsistently.

Bike Frame + Wheel Choice

While this route has a bit of climbing, the climbs are short and not steep. We recommend the Tron bike for its balance of aero and climbing performance, as it outclimbs the pure-aero Venge+Disc combo by ~1s on the crucial Hilly KOM.

An aero setup like the Venge+Disc is a good pick if you’re confident you can hang with the front over the climbs, but you plan only to contest the sprints.

Looking for that perfect all-arounder? See Tron Bike vs Top Performers for more speed rankings.

More Route Recons

Many events are now being planned each weekend on the upcoming ZRL route. If you’re not familiar with this course, jump into an event and do some recon! Here’s a list of upcoming Downtown Titans events.

Si Bradeley

Strategic Options

Points Distribution, Downtown Titans

These charts show the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in each race.

Of the race’s 513 potential points (for a team of 6), 405 will be earned in the last 7km of the race (from the top of the Hilly KOM onward). That’s 79% of the points!

What strategies will C/D riders employ in race 6? Here’s what we predict:

Ease after Titans Grove KOM Reverse: riders won’t push hard to keep a gap after the Titans Grove KOM Reverse, because they know if they created a gap on this climb, they’ll create a bigger one on the Hilly KOM.
Big Attack on Hilly KOM: riders with strong 2-minute w/kg will push hard up this climb, forcing a selection that will drop some sprinters, opening up more points for the punchy climbers on the JWB Sprint and at the finish line.
Post-Sprint Counterattack: cagey non-sprinters may sit in for the JWB Sprint, then attack on the kicker into The Esses (2.3km from the finish) to drop the tired sprinters and ensure a higher finish for themselves. A long solo attack here may also be a smart strategy for a non-sprinter who has a sprinter teammate in the front group.