Zwift’s “ZRacing” is the platform’s most popular ongoing race series, with over 45,000 riders participating in last month’s races!

In January the series takes on a group of flatter routes. But the bigger news is a shakeup in how the events are categorized, which I unpack below.

Read on for details about new category ranges and top-level races, plus race routes and strategically competing in the monthly GC competition.

Category Shakeup

Beginning in January, Zwift is making major changes to the category ranges used in ZRacing events. Their goal? “Fairer, more competitive racing for everyone.”

Zwift is doing this by creating a new set of “Advanced Category” races for riders with a Zwift Racing Score of 650+. Additionally, races for riders at 700 and below will feature tighter, alternating category ranges.

Read all about Zwift Racing Score >

Advanced Category Races for 650+

One common complaint among top-ranked racers is a lack of participation in the top category of ZRacing events. Zwift is working to change this by creating a new set of “Advanced” category races targetting riders with a Zwift Racing Score of 650+.

Unlike the old ZRacing schedule with its hourly events, these Advanced races will only be held 5x per day in order to focus participation and improve competition at the top level.

Event times will be as follows, but Zwift says “We will evaluate the number of times ongoing according to demand”:

• 10:15 UTC/5:15 ET/2:15 PT
• 12:15 UTC/7:15 ET/4:15 PT
• 18:15 UTC/13:15 ET/10:15 PT
• 19:15 UTC/14:15 ET/11:15 PT
• 00:15 UTC/19:15 ET/16:15 PT

Note: you can always “race up” in Zwift, so even if your Zwift Racing Score is below 650, you can join the Advanced events.

Tighter, Alternating Categories for 700-

For riders with a Zwift Racing Score of 700 and below, ZRacing events will feature tighter categories that alternate hourly between two different sets of ranges:

• Category Range 1: 0-160 | 160-270 | 270-390 | 390-510 | 510-650
• Category Range 2: 0-210 | 210-330 | 330-450 | 450-570 | 570-700

A few interesting things worth noting:

• Riders with scores between 650-700 will have the option of racing in the new Advanced events, or in the top category of Range 2 events.
• If you’re looking for a race where you have the best shot of winning, the alternating Range 1/Range 2 events give you access to an event where you are fairly close to the top of the category range.
• Looking for a harder workout? You can always race up a category, or choose a category range that puts you near the bottom of the category.
• Category ranges flexing across events has implications for riders competing in the overall monthly GC. More on this below…

Monthly GC

Each month’s series includes a time-based GC (general classification) on ZwiftPower tracking riders’ best finishing times for each week’s race. Just like a Tour de France-style stage race, the rider with the fastest combined time across the month’s stages wins!

See January’s GC on ZwiftPower >

With Zwift restructuring event categories in January, riders competing in the GC will need to think more strategically than ever. There are now 203 weekly events being held, and those events rotate between three different combinations of categories (Advanced, Range 1, and Range 2 as explained above). Riders will need to consider:

• Field Size Matters: all else being equal, the fastest times will come from the largest fields. So riding in the most popular races can help your GC results. But also…
• Category Range Matters: a group of riders with scores between 330-450 will be faster than a group of riders at 270-390. So while Zwift may recommend either of these categories for you if your score is 350, and you may have a better chance at a race win in the 270-390 group, the upper category may very well give you a better finishing time. But also…
• Your Abilities Matter: neither of the above considerations matters if you get dropped from the front group midway through the race.

While the GC results pages on ZwiftPower let you filter by score range, those are really artificial groupings at this point since the actual events aren’t using those score ranges. It may be most helpful to see the GC as a way of ranking yourself against the entire universe of ZRacing participants, which means it’s up to you to choose your events and execute your races strategically to maximize your GC ranking.

New to Zwift Racing? Three important GC-related notes:

1. You must be signed up for ZwiftPower to be included in the GC results. Need help? Read How to Sign Up for ZwiftPower (and Why Every Zwifter Should Do It).
2. To be included in the final ZwiftPower results, you must use a heart rate monitor as well as a smart trainer, smart bike, or power meter.
3. You can race each stage multiple times to improve your finishing time.

January’s Routes

Here are the routes we’ll be racing in January:

• Stage 1 (Dec 30-Jan 5): Tempus Fugit
  • 1 lap (19.6km, 22m elevation)
  • Powerups: Draft, Aero 🛈
• Stage 2 (Jan 6-12): Beach Island Loop
  • 2 laps (26.4km, 88m elevation)
  • Powerups: Draft, Aero 🛈
• Stage 3 (Jan 13-19): London Flat
  • 2 laps (24.4km, 230m)
  • Powerups: Draft, Aero 🛈
• Stage 4 (Jan 20-26): Douce France
  • 1 lap (24.8km, 133m)
  • Powerups: Feather, Draft 🛈
• Stage 5 (Jan 27-Feb 2): The Fan Flats
  • 3 laps (19.5km, 48m)
  • Powerups: Draft, Aero 🛈

See upcoming “Flat Is Fast” events >

Get the Badge

Each month’s ZRacing series has a unique achievement badge, which you can unlock by finishing every stage for the month. There are no makeup events, so if you miss a stage, you miss out on the badge and competing in the GC.

One and Done

Zwift has planned these events to deliver a solid 1-hour workout, so each race should only take around 1 hour to complete, including your warmup and cooldown.

Questions or Comments?

Post below! 

We’re sinking into deep winter here in the northern hemisphere, and that means lots of base miles to build our aerobic systems. This week’s featured events are all great places to put in endurance efforts… and you can even make things a little spicy on the Off the MAAP makeup rides if you’re up for it!

Workout 5 | Endurance Elevator | Zwift Camp: Baseline

BMTR Flat 100 (Miles)

Off the MAAP Makeups

Vikings Valhalla Sunday Skaal Ride

ZWIFT NL Longer Ride

How We Make Our Picks

We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:

• Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
• Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
• Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
• Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
• Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
• Is it for a good cause?
• Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
• Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?

In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!

Zwift CEO Eric Min is an avid Zwifter, reaching level 100 a few months ago after riding more than 80,000 km on the platform.

Over the past 10 years he’s led group rides, raced, and ridden every bit of tarmac in Zwift’s virtual worlds… including some roads none of us have ever seen!

But do you know what he hasn’t done yet? London’s The PRL Full – the longest route in Zwift.

That’s going to change soon, though. Next Saturday at 4pm UTC/11am ET/8am PT, Eric aims to cross this final route off his list. And he’s inviting the Zwift community to ride it with him, because long days in the saddle are always better with friends!

Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4691206

About the Route

The PRL Full route was released with the original London map back in 2018, and the intent was to mimic the length (but not the actual roads) of the IRL Prudential Ride London event.

In contrast to Zwift’s other long routes, The PRL Full is quite simple: it’s just 11 laps of the London Loop, followed by a bit more riding to get you onto The Mall where you finish at the Classique forward sprint:

But simple doesn’t mean easy. The route is 173.5km (107.8 miles) long, with 2625m (8,599′) of elevation gain. Strava KOM holder Stefan Kirchmair did it in 3 hours and 58 minutes during a Zwift Insider badge hunt ride in March of 2021. But the rest of us mortals will need to plan on a ride that takes 5+ hours. (Our ZI Metrics estimate stays 280 minutes at 4 W/kg, 313 minutes at 3 W/kg, and 397 minutes at 2 W/kg.)

The big feature of the London Loop is Box Hill – 3km/1.9 miles long with 136m (446′) of elevation gain for an average gradient of 4.4%. It’s not a particularly long or steep climb, but 11x up any climb is a challenge!

Read more about The PRL Full >

Tips for a Successful Ride

• Show up on time. Yes, late join is enabled for this ride, but if you arrive late the game will place you with other riders partway into the route, which means you won’t earn the route badge. Ouch.
• This is not a race – it’s a group ride. You can treat it as a race if you’d like, of course, but the ride will break up naturally into pace groups. Find riders working at your target pace and work together. Don’t burn your legs up early.
• The VeloViewer Leaderboard shows that top riders crush The PRL Full in under 4.5 hours. But most mortals require 5-7 hours, with plenty taking even longer. You do you. Be sure to plan accordingly.
• Because of its repetitive nature, this route is best tackled in a group. Discord and in-game chat will help pass the time as well.
• Prep your fuel and get good rest the night before. It’ll be a long ride!

Join Me Discord

Zwift Insider’s Discord server will be open for voice chat during the ride, and I’ll be signed in as I ride the course with everyone else. (I bet I can even convince Eric Min to join us.)

This really helps pass the time, so we highly encourage it!

Join the server at https://discord.gg/zwiftinsider and sign into the Cycling Chat Room. And if you’re new to Discord, read “Using Discord on Zwift” for tips!

Rapha Festive 500

This event happens right in the middle of the Rapha Festive 500, and finishing it will let you check off over 30% of the 500km challenge! (Plus, finishers will unlock the new Rapha Festive 500 kit.)

Sign Up Now

Sign up for Eric Min’s PRL Full Ride at zwift.com/events/view/4691206.

Questions or Comments?

Post below and we’ll do our best to answer them!

Dubbed Zwift Community Live (ZCL) 2025, it’s all happening in Mallorca on April 3-6, 2025. Tickets are close to selling out, but there’s still time to register.

I sat down for a quick chat with Zwift CEO and Co-Founder Eric Min to talk about what they’ve got planned for the event. (He was actually in Spain at the time, checking out the Zwift Academy finals in person.) I asked him about his goals for this event, because it’s something he’s really been spearheading. He said:

After 10 years, it’s time to bring out community together to ride, connect, and strengthen the bonds we’ve built online. We’re social creatures, and virtual is great. But there’s nothing that replaces the real human connection.

If this is successful, we anticipate this may have the ability to bring thousands of people every year. Whether it’s in Mallorca or somewhere else. We want the first year to be somewhat of a pilot, and hopefully it will go well. We’ll learn, then we’ll scale it further the following year. The ambition is that this would be an annual event.

Here are some details Eric shared about ZCL 2025 that haven’t been released anywhere else…

IRL Rides

We’ll have three days of guided group rides on iconic Mallorcan roads like Formentor and Sa Calobra. Each day will feature short, medium, and long ride options.

Which rides is Eric doing? Perhaps unsurprisingly, he told me, “I’m going to be on the biggest, longest rides. Weather permitting. The roads along the coast are amazing, and I think at that time of year there won’t be so many cars. Just tens of thousands of cyclists taking over Mallorca!”

About the Hotel

Our home base for Zwift Community Live 2025 is the Iberostar Playa de Muro Village located in the charming town of Alcúdia on Mallorca’s north coast. This hotel is reserved exclusively for Zwift Community Live, and Eric actually stayed there two nights recently to “test it out.” He told me, “It’s a 5-star hotel for the price of a 3-star hotel.”

Located right by the beach, this stunning hotel offers single or double-occupancy rooms with breakfast and dinner included. It looks to be the perfect spot to unwind after a day of riding, connect with fellow Zwifters, and recharge for the next adventure. Four things worth noting about our ZCL accommodations:

1. Exclusive Access: The Iberostar Selection Playa de Muro will open its doors exclusively for ZCL 2025, providing a private and tailored experience for us.
2. Prime Location: Situated in the heart of Alcúdia, which is known for its pristine beaches, historic charm, and world-class cycling.
3. Cycling Amenities: The hotel offers bike storage, maintenance facilities, and recovery areas, so our gear will be as ready for the rides as we are! There’s also a full-service bike shop directly across the street if needed.
4. Luxurious Comfort: It’s a getaway, right? Relax in beautifully designed rooms, enjoy spa treatments, or unwind by the pool with views of the Mediterranean.

Special Guests

Zwift is still finalizing the list of special guests for ZCL 2025, including heads of the biggest community groups on Zwift. In addition, they will bring a selection of their ambassadors and VIP’s. So far they’ve shared with me the following names:

• Katie Kookaburra – Renowned cycling content creator.
• Shane Miller (GPLama) – Cycling tech guru.
• Matthew Stephens – Former pro cyclist and commentator.
• Riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck and Canyon//SRAM teams.
• Representatives from GCN 
• I also understand there will be more big names will be unveiled in the coming months

It’s the other guests I’m most excited about, though. I’ll be there with my wife, and we’re stoked to meet lots of Zwifters in person who we’ve only seen in Watopia. I’m particularly looking forward to finally meeting Zwift’s event guru James Bailey, and I know we’ll also be hanging out with Beccah Niesen, who led the charge in us developing Zwift Insider’s women’s racing pages.

Like me, Eric Min sees this as an opportunity for “everyday Zwifters” to meet up. While meeting and riding with pros and influencers is fun in its own way, Eric says, “This is just as much about Zwifters meeting Zwifters.” It’s an opportunity for Zwift micro-communities (like race teams) to come together.

Daily Schedule

This rough schedule is going to be dialed in as the event draws nearer, of course. But this should give you a basic idea of what to expect each day:

April 3

• Pick up rental bikes
• Shake out rides
• Evening dinner for all guests
• Special guest speakers

April 4, 5, 6

• Guided group rides (see “IRL Rides” above)
• Evening dinner for all guests 
• Special guest speakers

April 7

• Departures (guests may stay longer at their own expense)

And More

Eric let me know about a few more things Zwift has planned for the weekend, including:

• Previews of what’s coming next on Zwift, including powerful new tools and fresh roads!
• Nightly fireside chats featuring special guests, led by Matt Stephens
• A Flanders watch party (the race happens on April 6)

How To Register

Attending ZCL 2025 is no small investment, and Zwift realizes this. “We make no money on this event,” Eric said. “In fact, we invest in it, and we’ve negotiated the best possible rates for the guests.”

Tickets start at €1150, and all the details are on the webpage provided by Zwift’s event partner, Huerzeler – The Cycling Experience. Options include high-end bike rentals to help ease travel logistics…

Questions or Comments

Will we see you in Mallorca? Share any questions or comments below, and you might also want to check out Zwift’s homepage for ZCL 2025.

Minimap Route Profile Now On All Maps

The new minimap route profile was enabled for Watopia around a month ago, and today’s update rolls out that same view on all other Zwift maps. This will be especially helpful on confusing maps like Neokyo and NYC!

The new profile view clearly shows your full route, progress, any leaderboard segment banners, and how far you have left to go to finish the route. It also shows a lap counter in events, and a blue lead-in section for routes with lead-ins.

Note: if you make a manual turn and deviate from a route at an intersection, the original overview will be shown instead.

New “Screen Shake Effect” Toggle

The screen shake effect can now be disabled in Settings under the Audio & Video tab:

When disabled, the screen will no longer shake when riding on rough surfaces like cobblestones and wooden bridges. Here’s a quick demo showing how gameplay appears with it turned on and off:

More Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update (notes in italics from me):

• Fixed an issue that could cause the “Start Ride” button to not be selected by default when viewing a workout.
• Fixed an issue that could potentially show incorrect elevation in the dynamic elevation display for the climb in Jarvis and The Grade in Watopia.
• Fixed incorrect pedestrian walking animations in New York.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the elapsed time icon to overlap with the time value.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the “More Power!” alert to overlap with the average power value shown during ramp test workouts.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the speed unit shown in the HUD to overlap with the distance value.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the in-game leaderboard sidebar to overlap with the upcoming event countdown.
• Fixed an issue that could prevent the Shorelines and Summits route in Watopia from being completed if scheduled for multiple laps in an event.
• Corrected the peak difficulty of the Tractor Pulls workout which was previously higher than intended. (It asked for 25-second pulls, at 50rpm and 300% of FTP!)
• Training Stress Score (TSS) has been renamed to Stress Points (SP). (This is surely a result of TrainingPeaks acquiring IndieVelo…)
• Android
  • Fixed missing bridge railings in the Shisa Shakedown route in Makuri Islands.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the Zwifter’s level to not be shown in the HUD after receiving a Ride On.
• iOS, tvOS
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the Zwifter’s level to not be shown in the HUD after receiving a Ride On.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!

Finding Your Ugly Christmas Sweater

Everyone has the ugly sweater kit in their Zwift closet–it’s just hidden behind the default grey Zwift kit! While Zwifting, hit “T” on the keyboard (or visit Menu>Garage), then click “Jersey” to change your top.

Click the default Zwift kit (grey with orange Z), then dash away, dash away, dash away down the road!

This year, as in years past, Zwift is working with Rapha to host events and give unlocks to finishers. Here are all the details…

The Challenge

Your task is to ride 500 kilometers (310.7 miles) in eight days, from December 24-31. Outdoor bike, e-bike, handcycle, and virtual rides all count toward the total.

This is all tracked through Strava, so you’ll need to sign up for the Strava Challenge and upload your rides to Strava to be considered an official finisher.

RoboPacer-Led Festive 500 Events

Any miles you do on Zwift count toward the Festive 500 challenge, but Zwift is spinning up RoboPacer-led events to encourage riders to go the distance. Events are scheduled every two hours, and each event includes multiple pace options led by RoboPacers:

• A: 4.2 w/kg RoboPacer
• B: 3.2 w/kg RoboPacer
• C: 2.6 w/kg RoboPacer
• D: 2.2 w/kg RoboPacer
• E: 1.5 w/kg RoboPacer

Events will be 50 kilometers long and held on the following routes/dates:

• Dec 24-25: Greatest London Flat
• Dec 26-27: Waisted 8
• Dec 28-29: Triple Flat Loops
• Dec 30-31: Makuri 40

See all of Zwift’s Festive 500 Group Rides at zwift.com/events/series/rapha-festive-500-zwift

Extra-Flat RoboPacer Routes

RoboPacers are always active in Zwift, leading always-on group rides at a variety of paces.

Zwift will be breaking the RoboPacers out of their normal schedule and moving them to flatter routes during Festive 500 week, so help riders rack up the miles.

See RoboPacer schedule for details >

Kit Unlock

Complete any of the official Zwift Festive 500 rides above and unlock the Rapha Festive 500 2024 kit, which mirrors the IRL kit available from Rapha:

Prize Drawing

Details of the Strava challenge say those who finish will earn the following:

• Entry into the prize draw to win a US$1,000 Rapha voucher
• A digital roundel for your Strava Trophy Case
• A 20% off code to spend at Rapha
• The chance to win more prizes in the Rapha Spirit of the Festive 500 awards

More Events from the Community

Community teams always create special events (group rides and even races) to help riders hit the Festive 500km goal. In fact, at least one crazy group is planning to ride the entire 500km in one event!

See all upcoming rides over 100km in ZwiftHacks >

Zwift CEO Eric Min is holding a ride on London’s PRL Full on December 28 at 8am ET. (It’s the last route badge he needs to earn). There might be some special kit unlock(s) associated with this ride… watch for a post about it in the coming days.

Check out the ride calendar in Zwift Companion or this ZwiftHacks link to find more fun, long Festive 500 rides.

Questions or Comments?

Are you up for the challenge? I know I’m in, just like last year. Share below!

We’ve also selected videos about the recent updates to the FTP algorithm, a DIY upgrade for the Wahoo KICKR Core, an all-out Alpe du Zwift ascent, and a pre-season fitness test.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!