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This season, Zwift is leaning heavily into the Zwift Camp concept, launching a three-camp series that kicked off with Zwift Camp: Baseline on September 15.
Next week (Monday, November 10) the second Camp of the season begins. Named “Zwift Camp: Build”, it’s a 5-stage workout series all about pushing yourself in targeted workouts to build performance at particular intervals. Dive into all the details below!
Build Basics
After Zwift Camp: Baseline showed us our power bests across various intervals, Zwift Camp: Build is here to push us to train and get stronger.
The Camp consists of five different workouts, spread across five weeks. You can finish each workout once and complete the Camp, but you can also do a workout multiple times if you’re looking for additional training.
The workouts target the same approximate time intervals as Zwift Camp: Baseline tested, plus a longer bonus effort up Alpe du Zwift:
- 5-second power
- 1-minute power
- 5-minute power
- 20-minute power
- 60-minute power (bonus!)
What’s New
Zwift is using lots of different game and HUD features to make their latest Zwift Camp as effective and engaging as possible.
- Instead of standard Erg mode workouts, Zwift Camp: Build uses route-based workouts and on-screen prompts to guide you through a training effort tailored to Zwift’s virtual parcours
- RoboPacers will be put to use in stages 4 and 5 to help riders pace their efforts
- On-screen scripts will recommend enabling HoloReplay for stages 1, 2, and 3, so you can try to beat your previous efforts
- Lap Splits and Ride Stats HUD elements will be automatically enabled to give you a mid-ride picture of your workout
- New routes: stages 1 and 3 feature new routes, which means new achievement badges with bonus XP!
Workouts + Schedule
Stages can be completed as on-demand (solo) efforts whenever you’d like, or you can join a scheduled group event. Note: on-demand rides of stages 4 and 5 will not include RoboPacers.
- Stage 1: November 10-16
- Ride six laps of Glasgow Crit Circuit, putting in a maximual 5-second effort on the Champion’s Sprint each lap.
- Training Target: Neuromuscular (~5 Seconds)
- Route: Glasgow Crit Six (18.3km, 199m)
- Stage 2: November 17-23
- Test your 1-minute power on three efforts of the Dos d’Ane Sprint as you lap France’s newer cobbled roads.
- Training Target: Anaerobic Capacity (~1 Minute)
- Route: Bon Voyage (31.4km, 155m)
- Stage 3: November 24-30
- Ride four laps of the Volcano Circuit, pushing to your max to test your 5-minute (VO2) power.
- Training Target: VO2 (~5 Minutes)
- Route: Hot Laps (23.4km, 149m)
- Stage 4: December 1-7
- Ride up The Grade for a tough threshold workout and FTP test, with 5 different RoboPacers set up at different target times to help you pace your effort.
- Training Target: Lactate Threshold/FTP Estimate (~20 minutes)
- Route: Hilltop Hustle (16.3km, 346m)
- RoboPacer The Grade KOM Target Times:
- 14 minutes (4.2 W/kg)
- 18 minutes (3.2 W/kg)
- 22 minutes (2.6 W/kg)
- 26 minutes (2.2 W/kg)
- 30 minutes (1.8 W/kg)
- Stage 5: December 8-14
- Ride up Alpe du Zwift for a long threshold effort, with 5 different RoboPacers set up at different target times to help you pace your effort.
- Training Target: True FTP/Threshold (~60 minutes)
- Route: Road to Sky (17.3km, 1045m)
- RoboPacer Alpe du Zwift KOM Target Times:
- 50 minutes (4.0 W/kg)
- 60 minutes (3.3 W/kg)
- 70 minutes (2.8 W/kg)
- 90 minutes (2.1 W/kg)
- 120 minutes (1.6 W/kg)
- Make-Up Events: December 15-21
Sign up at zwift.com/zwift-camp > (events coming soon)
Each stage is a week long, with events beginning at 9am PST on Monday and scheduled hourly on the hour until 8am PST the following Monday.
Progressive Unlocks
Three unlocks are available as you work your way through Zwift Camp: Build:
- Complete 1 Stage: Zwift Camp: Build socks
- Complete 3 Stages: Zwift Camp: Build headphones/sweatband combo
- Complete all 5 Stages: Zwift Camp: Build cycling kit
2025/26 Zwift Camps
This is the second of three Zwift Camps planned for this year’s 2025/26 peak Zwift season:
- Zwift Camp: Baseline (September 15-October 20): Pure power analysis
- Zwift Camp: Build (November 10 – December 21): Power application through in-game segments/routes
- Zwift Camp: Breakthrough (Spring 2026): Pure power competition and analysis to help you break into a strong outdoor season
Questions or Comments?
What do you think of this second Zwift Camp of the season? Planning to participate? Got questions? Share your thoughts below!
I like the idea of relying less on ERG and more on your holo replays and the robo pacers for efforts. Should be a fun test as I want to improve those longer interval efforts. Plus another headphone colorway? I’m in.
*ahem* headphones WITH a sweatband. Super fancy, and approved by this bald man.
They stole your look for sure! About time.
I like the direction they’re going with this. Are all the efforts based on the actual segment, eg. if my PB on the Volcano Circuit is 6min, then I’m doing 4 x 6min efforts?
That’s the idea, yes. The featured segments roughly line up with the time intervals listed above (those tested in Zwift Camp: Baseline) but they’ll never be perfect, since they’re distance-based intervals and we’re talking about time-based measurement.
So it’s not as precise as doing, say, a 5-minute ERG interval. But I think that’s OK.
But this are 3 laps at Volcano Circuit with no rest between laps, so it’s not about 3×5′ efforts but 1×15′-17′. I don’t see this like VO2Max intervals workout, seems to be 15′-17′ sustained (tempo) plus Jarvis KOM (just 1 effort 3-5′ at VO2Max).
Yes, it’s a bit odd. See my walkthrough published today https://zwiftinsider.com/build-walkthrough-3/
I’m sure this whole series is great for a lot of people but my baseline numbers were so bad that I quit after the 5 minute test. I’m probably not the target demographic anymore for this stuff.
I Didn’t even do the baseline. I’m an overweight 60 year old and I just love the distraction to help me get through the indoor workouts. Maybe give it another shot. All that matters is racing against yourself!
Are we getting a Tour de Zwift in January?
Zwift tells me yes!
Cool! After Unlocked killed (?) Tour of Watopia and these Camp dates went out into early 2026 I got scart. 😬
Are those new route with badges too?
Yup! (Stage 1 and 3, that is.)
Will the different Zwift Camps become available to work through at a later date?
I’m having those headphones….
How many attempts have Zwift made in recent weeks to get us to do a dedicated FTP (type) test?!
Baseline camp
FTP challenge
And twice here
Makes one wonder 🤔
Do Zwift give out achievement badges for missions anymore, other than for the weekly race series?
Also, Zwift Camp: Breakthrough (Sprint 2026) looks like a spelling error, should be spring?
Yeah, Zwift does badges for various things. But I don’t think the Zwift Camps have a badge (they aren’t missions…)
Fixed the typo, thanks!
I’m glad to see they are actually using holoreplay for something. On the other hand these new route badges are getting a bit lame, a few laps of existing routes? No imagination.
Do Robo Pacers provide a drops multiplier during stages 4 and 5?
No, the Drops game only applies to the standard, ongoing Robopacer groups… not special events.
Any idea if/when this might/will show up as, perhaps a banner, on our home screen in the actually Zwift app?
Pretty sure it’ll be a big banner on the homescreen.
I have the same question.
One day before it starts, and no way to sign up / register.
Exactly!
There is no need to register. You just joined the events. I believe this is the first event, tomorrow at 9 AM California time: https://www.zwift.com/events/view/5135514
They are classified as group rides in the companion app.
can you do them on your own too? Or is this one event only?
Yes, you can do them on demand. Just click the card from the home screen, then click the route. Here’s what it looks like right now.
You can join the other stages beyond the current week, but there is no HUD.
Do you get XP for this camp
Sure, but not doubled XP, if this is your question.
FYI – I entered the first stage this morning as a free ride and then pulled up my scheduled workout to see what would happen and I didn’t get credit for the stage. So you can’t just do your structured workout during the free rides and unlock the gear.
Found that out yesterday: did it as a workout, and ERG, and got the sweat for free, but have to ‘do it all over again for credit. And I PRed it too, several times. *sigh*
Is draft disabled for these? The easiest way to compare efforts (approximately) would be times through the segment but with 100 people in the pen it’s going to make a big difference being in the draft.
I assume we don’t get anything from Zwift which summarises the maximal efforts?
I have a Zwift ride with virtual shifting. Just finished stage 1. In the pen I could change the gears, but one the workout started I could not and was stuck in the same gear the entire time. Is this normal and will be the standard for all stages? I did not have the “ghost” riders enabled. Could this be the cause?
There seems to be an issue where sometimes you get stuck in ERG workout mode where shifting doesn’t work.
My fix was to quickly un-pair+re-pair trainer from menu
The third one, volcano circuit on hot laps supposedly targets 5 minute power. But it’s a warmup lap followed by three volcano circuit laps in a row without recovery in between where you’re supposed to go full gass, so it’s a 15-18 minute effort instead.
I did the Hot Laps route from Zwift Camp Build on the homepage.It didn’t load the workout and sent me on Hilly Loop repeats.It says you can do the route on demand and my finished ride in Companion said Hot Laps in Watopia.Possible bug?
That’s odd, I just did it today and it worked fine.
Are you sure you’re running the latest version of Zwift (v1.02)?
Yes.It updated just before i went on.Oh well I’ll have to try it again.Cheers.
i sadly missed week or stage 1 – is there a catch up week or possiblity to complete so one can do all 5 and get the ncie kit unlock ? thanks !
Yeah, just do it on demand (instead of a group event). Click the Zwift Camp Build card on the homescreen, click for stage 1, and click the route.
I’m planning on riding Road to Sky this weekend, but just as a free ride, as I’m doing it with a friend as a meetup. Does anyone know if that will tick the box for Stage 5, or will I have to do it again at some point from the proper menu if I want to 100%?
It should. I rode Alpe du Zwift today in a group ride, and much to my surprise, I received credit for Stage 5 of the Build Camp.
Not all rides gave the correct info (like 3 x 5 minutes intensity) but really liked the pacer robots on The Grade. I hope they make use of these pacer robots more.
I have completed all 5 stages, but I don’t see my jersey in my collection. When will I get it?
Should unlock immediately in game after finishing the last stage. If not, I’d reach out to Zwift support.