If you’ve been following the virtual racing scene lately, you already know that the ECRO World Tour has completely changed the game. By introducing professional-tier infrastructure across a 77-race structured calendar mirroring the UCI World Tour, including custom team budgets, a live transfer market, and rigorous automated data integrity checks, ECRO has made Zwift racing feel like a true career simulation.Â
Related: Read more about ECRO in this Zwift Insider post >
Just like in the real world, the World Tour can be daunting. The racing is unapologetically fierce, pitting all categories against each other in a signature mass start format with top-tier competitive squads often driving aggressive pace and tactics. It’s an excellent test of your fitness and skills, but many community members have asked about exploring other ideas and creating different opportunities for racers to test themselves against stronger competition or race at the front of the peloton.
In real-world cycling, top-tier racing doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it relies on the UCI Pro Team level to foster talent, test ideas, and give riders a clear stepping stone. Enter the Zwift Pro Tour. Founded by long-time ECRO fanatics Adam Dawson and Jesse Bauer, the Zwift Pro Tour is a brand-new community initiative built to act as the in-spirit “Pro Continental” tier to ECRO’s World Tour. It’s designed specifically to cater to athletes looking for structured, meaningful racing that gives a different group of riders the chance to shine, while also giving experienced racers and organisers the freedom to test out wild, innovative racing concepts and tactics without the pressures of World Tour events.
The Ultimate Testing Ground
The Zwift Pro Tour’s roots are deep in the ECRO philosophy, and it’s designed to be a complementary series that encourages new racers to try World Tour racing. Founders Dawson and Bauer wanted a space where the community could experience the joy of narrative-driven, structured racing while actively experimenting with the format. Want to see how unique category constraints, new point systems, or innovative team tactics play out in a live race environment? The Zwift Pro Tour is where those ideas will be put to the test.
Most importantly, it’s a welcoming environment. If you’ve found yourself in the challenging low-to-mid band of your racing category, a Pro Tour event just might be your opportunity to experience the thrill of chasing wins and podiums in real-world inspired one-day classics and stage races.
Race 1: The Copenhagen Sprint
To kick things off, the Zwift Pro Tour is making its grand debut by mirroring a favorite from the real-world calendar: the Copenhagen Sprint. Expect fast, tactical racing that rewards sharp positioning, smart draft management, and an explosive final kick. With an alternative category system to shuffle who’s at the top of the rankings, it’s the perfect opportunity to shake off the nerves, test your fitness, and build confidence for upcoming World Tour races.
There are two categorization schemes available, each with multiple time slots.
Zwift Pro Tour Category Racing (5 Time Slots)
Riders should enter the pen that matches their 90-day max vELO score on www.zwiftracing.app.
- A – 1850-2350
- B – 1450-1850
- C – 1150-1450
- D – 850-1150
- E – below 850
Zwift Pro Tour Open Events (2 Time Slots)
Designed for racers who want to test themselves against the best, the Open races are also ideal for new riders looking to determine which category they should compete in.
How to Join the Peloton
Getting on the start line is simple. For now, the community is organizing directly through Zwift’s native social features. To secure your spot in the inaugural race and stay updated on the upcoming calendar, open up your Zwift Companion App, head over to the Clubs tab, and search for the Zwift Pro Tour club.Â
Click to join the club: zwift.com/clubs/c178a572-94fd-4b8d-b9c3-69e08b68ee55/home
Upcoming Events
Zwift Pro Tour
- Sunday, June 14th: Copenhagen Sprint (Tempus Fugit; 2 laps; 37.6km)
- Monday, August 3rd to Sunday, August 9th: Tour de Pologne (7 Stages)
ECRO World Tour
- Wednesday, June 17th to Sunday June 21st: Chasing Suisse (5 Stages)
- Saturday, July 4th to Sunday July 26th: Chasing Yellow (21 Stages)
- Sunday, August 2nd: Chasing San Sebastian
- Saturday, August 22nd to Sunday September 13th: Chasing Red (11 Stages)
Whether you’re looking to build your racing resume, help test the future of e-cycling formats, or simply find a competitive home that fits your current fitness level, the Zwift Pro Tour has a spot for you.
To learn more about the elite ecosystem that inspired this tour, check out the world-tier features over at www.ecro.app.
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