Zwift is a big thing to wrap your head around, especially if you’re new to cycling. First, you’ve got the hardware side of things: what do I need to own in terms of a bike and smart trainer? What computer should I use to run Zwift? And let’s not even start talking about fans, rocker plates, and trainer tables…

Secondly, once you’ve got your hardware up and running, you have to decide what to actually do in Zwift’s virtual world.

That’s what this post is all about. I aim to give you an overview of the sorts of activities you can do in Zwift, and a bit of guidance to help you maximize your enjoyment of each.

My Resume

How am I qualified to be your tour guide for all things Zwift? Here’s a bit about me:

• I joined Zwift in November of 2015
• Since then I’ve completed over 1100 races and ridden nearly 90,000 kilometers on the platform
• I’m at level 100 (the highest level Zwift currently has)
• I’ve also led many group rides, and ridden in lots more
• Most importantly, I’ve burned 5,922 slices of pizza while Zwifting

I’m also a Zwift superfan, having built this Zwift Insider website and published over 4500 articles to date covering all things Zwift.

Why have I done all this? Because I know from experience that Zwift is a special place where cyclists can make positive connections and receive motivation to achieve their goals.

With that out of the way, let’s begin. I group riding activities on Zwift into four broad categories: Exploring, Social Riding, Racing, and Structured Training. We’ll look at each one in turn.

Exploring

Zwift has 12 unique maps/worlds containing hundreds of kilometers of virtual tarmac. There are lots of different ways to ride these virtual roads, which leads to nearly 250 different routes spread across Zwift’s maps!

Browse the Master List of All Zwift Routes >

The most common thing people do on Zwift is simply ride various routes. Explore the different worlds. See all sites, and as fitness and time allow, conquer the biggest climbs and longest routes.

Nearly all routes in Zwift have an achievement badge which you earn the first time you complete the route. That badge comes with an XP bonus roughly worth the amount of XP you would get when riding the route, which means you effectively double your XP the first time you ride each route in Zwift.

If you’re looking to level up faster, riding new routes is a very effective way to do it. Of course, you can ride new routes in group rides, races, etc as well. But as you begin to cross routes off your to-do list, you will learn it’s not always easy to find group rides on the routes you need to finish. A solo effort may be needed.

You don’t have to follow a particular route when exploring Zwift roads, either. You get to choose which way you go at each and every intersection, so if you want, you can go your own way and ride a route nobody has ever pieced together before! That’s how the concept of Rebel Routes came to be, after all…

Need help finding your way around Watopia? Check out our map poster >

Social Riding

We all need connection, and cycling is a very social sport. So it’s no surprise that many Zwifters embrace the social side of Zwift.

I would break social riding on Zwift into three broad categories: scheduled events, RoboPacer groups, and Meetups. Let’s look at each of these.

Scheduled Events

As I compose this post, there are 1000+ group rides scheduled over the next 7 days on Zwift. That works out to almost 150 per day, or around 6 per hour on average. You can browse these rides on the Zwift Companion app (highly recommend, available on iOS and Android). Or if you want to do some “power browsing” check out ZwiftHacks’ event search tool, which lets you filter events on a huge number of parameters.

These rides are organized by teams in the Zwift community, and most of them recur each week, often rotating between various routes. There’s a lot of variety in group rides, so read the event description to make sure you know what you’re signing up for! A few ways group rides can vary:

• Pace: usually stated in watts per kilogram, this is the main determiner of how hard you’ll need to work to keep up with the group, unless it’s a banded ride.
• Length: every ride goes for a set time or distance, so you know how long you’ll be on the bike.
• Route: some groups ride the same route each week, while others rotate between a handful of routes and still others tackle tough routes to help you earn badges.
• Banding: some rides are “banded”, meaning everyone stays together as long as they keep pedaling. Most rides are not. Click “Rubberband” under the Rules section of the ZwiftHacks events app to see banded rides.
• Leaders and Sweepers: leaders are designated with a yellow beacon, sweepers with red. Some group rides have no designated leader and/or sweeper(s), but in my opinion, the best recurring group rides are those with regular leaders. They bring a personality to the event!

My advice? Join a group ride that fits your schedule and meets the parameters you’re looking for. If you like it, come back next week. If it wasn’t your cup of tea, try a different ride next time. The most rewarding group ride experiences I’ve had are on rides where I return week after week and get to know the other regulars.

RoboPacer Groups

RoboPacers are bots who ride at a particular pace on particular routes around the clock. What they effectively create is an always-on group ride. If you hop in with the same pacer around the same time each day, you’ll start to notice some of the same folks are there with you, which is why RoboPacer groups (especially the slower ones) can often be quite social!

Joining a RoboPacer is the easiest and most hassle-free way to start riding with others on Zwift because they’re always going and you can pop in and out whenever you wish.

To get started, just pick a group from the list of cards on your homescreen’s “24/7 Group Rides” carousel, and the game will drop you into that RoboPacer’s group. Start riding, and if the pace works for you, stick with it! Too fast or slow? Teleport to another RoboPacer.

Related Links:
All About Zwift RoboPacers >
RoboPacer Schedule >
All About Teleporting in Zwift >

Meetups

Meetups are a way to organize group rides with one or more friends. When you schedule a Meetup, you pick the date, time, route, length, and whether everyone should be kept together (banded) or not. Then invite your friends to join you!

Related: All About Meetups on Zwift >

One last bit of advice when it comes to being social on Zwift. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” That’s true in life, and true on Zwift. Make friends by messaging in game and/or interacting with others in Zwift groups on various social networks (Facebook and Reddit are popular). The more you reach out, the more connections you’ll make.

Racing

If you have a competitive spirit or just want to push yourself to the max, you’ve got to give racing on Zwift a try! There are around 650 races on Zwift each week, which works out to nearly 100 per day, or 3-4 each hour.

Like group rides, races vary in significant ways. But where most group rides are organized by Zwift community teams, a good chunk of the races on Zwift are actually organized by Zwift themselves.

When you sign up for a race, you’ll want to pay attention to a few details:

• Route: are you racing on a hilly course? A flat course? Knowing what to expect course-wise helps you play your pacing and strategy smartly.
• Type of Race: is this a standard “scratch race” (first across the line wins)? A points race? A time trial? Most races on Zwift are scratch races, so assume that unless the event description says something else.
• Categories: how are riders grouped in the race? Does everyone start together, or does each category start on its own?

These details and more can be discovered by using the ZwiftHacks events app.

Related: How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More) >

Finding a Team

Racing on Zwift is fun. Racing with teammates is more fun! Whether it’s the massive Zwift Racing League, a tiny team vs. team Club Ladder event, or a one-off race with a few teammates in the field, having friends in the pack always makes things more interesting and rewarding.

It’s also nice to be part of a larger organization since this provides you with a network of helpful friends who can answer your newbie questions or offer encouragement when you’re struggling. So I highly recommend joining a team on Zwift.

Related: Teams on Zwift: A Comprehensive Guide >

Just Do It

One last note on racing: some riders avoid racing on Zwift because they’re intimidated and fearful of “failing.” But here’s the thing: nobody is watching you that closely. Everyone is focused on themselves, working hard to keep up, and if you drop off the back or decide to exit the event early for any reason, chances are nobody will even notice!

So just jump in and give it a go. You may discover, like I have, that racing is the perfect motivation to push harder than ever and build your fitness to new heights.

Structured Training

While all activity on Zwift is “training” in some sense, structured training is a specific type of activity. We call it “structured” because each workout follows a precise plan, and often those workouts are part of a much larger months-long training plan.

Here’s an example of one structured workout:

The chart gives you a picture of what you’ll be doing during the workout. The height and color of each block tells you how hard the effort level will be (higher effort=taller blocks, and colors follow a standard power zone coloring scheme.) The width of each block tells you how long you’ll be holding that power level.

ERG Mode

Most people ride structured workouts in ERG mode, which is different from the SIM mode your smart trainer uses when simulating hills in game. ERG mode modulates your trainer’s resistance to force you to hold a particular power output. You don’t need to shift gears. Just keep your cadence where you’d like and the trainer will adjust resistance so you’re hitting the target power. Magic!

Related: All About ERG Mode on Zwift >

Your FTP

Target power numbers are generally set based on your FTP, so you’ll want to have your FTP set accurately before you take on a structured workout, otherwise it may be way too easy or way too hard!

How do you set your FTP if you don’t know it? Zwift can auto-detect your FTP if you ride at maximum average power for 8+ minutes, or you can take an actual FTP test.

Related: How (and Why) to Take an FTP Test on Zwift >

Browsing Workouts and Training Plans

Zwift has a huge library of individual structured workouts available by clicking “Workouts” from your homescreen. You can also click Training Plans from that screen to browse progressive, long-term plans that have you complete multiple workouts each week to build fitness in a structured way.

Training plans can feel very rigorous and… well… structured. But they’re also the most efficient way to build fitness on the bike, if you can stick to them!

Wrapping It Up: Find Your Joy

Every rider is different. Some people love exploring, while others love chatting and being social. Some are highly motivated by competition, while others prefer the rigors (and efficiency) of a structured training plan.

Most people are a combination of two or more of these things. I, for example, love social rides and races. These make up probably 95% of my Zwift activities.

There is no right or wrong here. The important thing is to find what motivates you. Because when you find activities you enjoy, they’ll drive you to get on the bike day after day. And it’s that consistency that builds real fitness on the bike!

Questions or Comments?

What gets you going on Zwift? Share below!

Zwift Camp: Baseline events end this week, and many riders have already wrapped up all six stages. So what comes next?

Three new challenges have been released today, each targeting one of the areas of fitness which Zwift Camp: Baseline was evaluating (Sprinting, Attacking, and Endurance). You may take on whatever challenge(s) you’d like, but the performance report email sent at the end of Zwift Camp: Baseline points you to a particular challenge to help strengthen your limiter.

Each of the challenges contains 4-5 workouts which you must complete in order to finish the challenge and get the 1000XP bonus. You can see a list of each challenge’s workouts by clicking the challenge in your “Challenges” carousel on the homescreen:

Below, you’ll find the details of each challenge’s workouts. But first, let’s talk about the new route-based workouts!

Route-Based Workouts

For years now, Zwift has talked about bringing route-based workouts into the game. What exactly is a route-based workout, you ask? Think of it like this: have you ever ridden outdoors and used the physical layout of your route to determine/inspire your workout? Maybe you did hill repeats on a short loop that contained a climb, or put in a steady endurance effort on a long, flat road.

Route-based workouts in Zwift are meant to provide a somewhat looser, more organic alternative to structured ERG sessions. Instead of specific timed intervals at precise wattages, Zwift places you on a particular route and gives you on-screen instructions so you know what sort of effort level to target on particular locations on the course:

For these route-based workouts, the goal is to turn in a maximal effort on each timed segment (KQOM or sprint). So you can expect the workouts to feature:

• Longer endurance intervals on flat or rolling sections
• Sweet spot to threshold-level intervals on longer climbs
• VO2-level intervals on short climbs
• Sprint intervals on in-game sprint segments

Looking for Feedback

While the benchmarking events Zwift used in Zwift Academy Road 2021-2022 were basic route-based workouts, today’s release is Zwift’s most ambitious route-based workouts rollout to date. It’s still early days for this concept, but internal contacts within Zwift tell me they’re hoping the community will embrace the idea and deliver feedback to help direct the continued development of the route-based workout idea. (Share your feedback on this post – Zwift says they’ll be watching it!)

I’m stoked about the route-based workout concept, as I think it could be a “Zwifty” feature that creates a new kind of training experience. One that sort of mirrors what you can do outside, but with some improvements to the experience.

While I received early access to these challenges so I could publish this post when they went live, I haven’t had a chance to complete any of the workouts quite yet. My plan is to complete some or all of the route-based workouts so I can write a follow-up post detailing my experience, recommendations for improvements, etc. As you complete these workouts, please share your experience in the comments below for other Zwifters and Zwift HQ to see!

Endurance Challenge

Route-Based Workout: The Big Ring

“Challenge your speed and endurance with a long flat route and a few short sprint segments to turn up your heart rate and boost your endurance.”

51.2km, 275m elevation – read more about this route >

Sprint & KQOM Segments
Woodland Sprint Reverse (0.5km, -1.6%)
Sasquatch Sprint Reverse (0.35km, 0.1%)
Acropolis Sprint Reverse (0.45km, -1.1%)
Stoneway Sprint Reverse (0.4km, 0.75%)
Fuego Flats Sprint (0.5km, 0.2%)

Structured Workout: Aerobic Sustainability

This 50-minute basic endurance workout consists of 3 identical blocks, each containing 3x repeats of 30 seconds at 95% followed by 3:30 at 80% of FTP.

Route-Based Workout: Itza Climb Finish

“Challenge your muscular strength and endurance with 4 powerful sprints and 2 consecutive endurance-building climbs for the climb finish.”

30km, 294m elevation – read more about this route >

Sprint & KQOM Segments
Woodland Sprint Reverse (0.5km, -1.6%)
Sasquatch Sprint Reverse (0.35km, 0.1%)
Acropolis Sprint Reverse (0.45km, -1.1%)
Stoneway Sprint Reverse (0.4km, 0.75%)
Mayan Mountainside KOM (1.99km, 3.1%)
Itza KOM (3.75km, 2%
Woodland Sprint Reverse (0.5km, -1.6%)

Structured Workout: Long Climbs

This 57-minute workout focuses on strength endurance work by having you complete steady, low-cadence intervals like you would encounter on long climbs.

Route-Based Workout: Peak Performance

“The most challenging workout of this Challenge with a mix of long, steady climbs (including The Grade) and short intense sprints to boost your muscular strength and endurance. You might even get a new FTP at the top of The Grade!”

46.6km, 729m elevation – read more about this route >

Sprints and KQOM Segments
Titans Grove KOM Reverse (0.89km, 4.4%)
Woodland Sprint Reverse (0.5km, -1.6%)
Sasquatch Sprint Reverse (0.35km, 0.1%)
The Grade KOM (3.52km, 8.6%)

Attacking Challenge

Route-Based Workout: The Muckle Yin

“Challenge your attacking power with 3 punchy climbs, 2 slightly longer climbs, and one sprint finish. Your goal is to attack each segment with maximum effort, while recovering smartly between segments.”

23.6km, 282m elevation – read more about this route >

Sprint & KQOM Segments
Breakaway Brae Reverse (0.4km, 2%)
Sgurr Summit North (1.6km, 3.7%)
Breakaway Brae (0.62km, 2.4%)
Sgurr Summit South (1km, 3.3%)
The Clyde Kicker (0.3km, 3.6%)
Champion’s Sprint (0.2km, -0.4%)

Structured Workout: Hill Attacks

This 45-minute workout has you complete 8x 1-minute intervals at 140% of FTP, simulating repeated attacks up a short hill in a race.

Route-Based Workout: Figure 8

“Challenge your strength and attacking power with a mix of 2 short sprints and 2 climbs. Focus on giving a strong and controlled effort in each segment.”

29.7km, 254m elevation – read more about this route >

Sprint & KQOM Segments
Hilly KOM Reverse (2.4km, 2%)
JWB Sprint Reverse (0.2km, 0%)
Hilly KOM (0.9km, 5.5%)
JWB Sprint (0.36km, -0.1%)

Structured Workout: Surge to the Max

This 46-minute workout contains 4x ramp repeats to train your ability to put in a big effort even when you’re already tired. Each ramp builds from 70%-105% of FTP over 3 minutes, then finishes with a 1-minute max effort. (Be sure to catch your breath during the 3 minutes of recovery between each ramp… you’re gonna need it!)

Sprinting Challenge

Route-Based Workout: Neokyo All-Nighter

“The shorter route of these Challenges with 4 short intense sprints and one short climb to challenge your sprinting power.”

24.5km, 168m elevation – read more about this route >

Sprints and KQOM Segments
Castle Park Sprint Reverse (0.21km, 0.3%)
Alley Sprint Reverse (0.38km, -1.2%)
Castle Park Sprint (0.22km, -0.7%)
Tower Sprint (0.32km, 0.4%)
Rooftop KOM (1.9km, 2.7%)

Structured Workout: Fun is Going Full Gas

Inspired by Mathieu van der Poel, this 45-minute workout trains your explosive power. The key intervals here are 8x 30-second efforts at 165% of FTP.

Route-Based Workout: Coast Crusher

“Challenge your sprinting power with a longer flat route with 8 short sprint segments spread out over the entirety of the route. Focus on maximum effort in each sprint and recover smartly in between segment. This one is going to challenge your mental and physical strength. Try to finish with a max effort for the finishing sprint!”

42.8km, 211m elevation – read more about this route >

Sprints and KQOM Segments
Stoneway Sprint (0.4km, 0.75%)
Acropolis Sprint (0.45km, 0.67%)
Sasquatch Sprint (0.35km, 0.2%)
Woodland Sprint (0.5km, -2%)
Woodland Sprint Reverse (0.5km, -1.6%)
Sasquatch Sprint Reverse (0.35km, 0.1%)
Acropolis Sprint Reverse (0.45km, -1.1%)
Stoneway Sprint Reverse (0.4km, 0.75%)

Structured Workout: Nelson Vails – Sprint

Nelson Vails, the first and only African American cyclist to win an Olympic medal, was known for going from zero to 40mph+ in the blink of an eye. this 38-minute work begins with 3x 15-second sprints at 150% of FTP, then you’ll complete 3s 2.5-minute ramp sections where the final 30 seconds is an all-out sprint effort.

Questions or Comments?

Let me know if you have questions about these three new challenges. And I’m especially interested in you sharing your experience as you take on the route-based workouts above. As mentioned above, Zwift HQ is watching the comments on this post as they look to iterate on the route-based workout concept, so please do share your thoughts below!

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! 

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!

About Best Bike Split

Trusted by some of the top pro teams in the world, Best Bike Split’s proprietary math and physics engine uses your power data, course info, and race day conditions to predict your race performance and create the perfect power plan so you can hit your best bike split ever.

It’s super-popular with TT specialists and triathletes, for obvious reasons.

Best Bike Split doesn’t have a training calendar tool like some of Zwift’s other Training API partners (see list at bottom of post). Rather, Best Bike Split helps you create powerful and accurate workouts based on real course info, so you can train to do your best on race day. Once the workouts have been created, this new Training API integration lets Best Bike Split premium subscribers click to send workouts straight to Zwift.

There are three types of workouts Best Bike Split can create and send to Zwift:

• Race Plans: create a structured workout that mimics the power requirements of your personalized race plan for a particular course on race day. Great for training for specific time trials!
• Analytics: upload your ride activity to Best Bike Split, which then creates a structured workout that replicates those efforts.
• AI Workout Builder: an innovative tool that lets cyclists and coaches create highly personalized, structured workouts tailored to specific race scenarios and individual training goals.

Pricing

You’ll need to pay for Best Bike Split Premium in order to access most of its useful features, including Zwift integration. Cost is $19/month, or get a big discount by paying annually ($119/year works out to $9.92/month).

Connecting Best Bike Split + Zwift

All of your interaction with Best Bike Split is done via the website (bestbikesplit.com). Visit the site, create your account, then connect it to Zwift under My Account/Connect Zwift:

Exporting to Zwift

Pull up any Race Plan, Analytics, or AI Workout on Best Bike Split, and you’ll see a “Zwift Uploads” section at the bottom-right. Click the button to send it to your Zwift “For You” carousel.

You can also go to Workouts → Custom and select “Best Bike Split” to see workouts you’ve exported.

It should be noted that Best Bike Split has allowed you to export their workouts to .zwo files for years, but this new integration just makes the process smoother by sending the workout directly to your Zwift profile so you don’t need to bother with moving files into the proper folders.

Complete List of Training API Partners

Best Bike Split is just the latest to be added to the growing list of Training API partners at Zwift. Here’s the complete list, which will be updated as new partners are added:

Questions or Comments?

Have you raced using a race plan from Best Bike Split? Share any related comments or questions below…

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!

I’m one of those Zwifters, and have been sharing my experience in this three-part series (one for each section of the program):

1. Sprinting (read post)
2. Attacking (read post)
3. Endurance

As you may or may not know, each of these sections consists of two activities: first a workout, then a test. I cover the endurance workout and test below.

Endurance Elevator Workout

The Endurance Elevator workout has you tackle multiple longer intervals at or near your FTP. The full workout is 59 minutes long with 3 hard intervals, while the lite version is 33 minutes long with 2 intervals. Here’s what the workouts look like with my FTP set at 310W:

I went with the full 59-minute workout and did it as an on-demand workout because that was the only way to get it done early. I chose to ride the workout on Watopia’s Road to Sky route because I prefer the visuals of a steady climb when doing longer, steady work at sweet spot or threshold.

Watch me ride this workout:

I went into this workout figuring it would involve some steady suffering. But it turned out to be significantly harder than anticipated. The toughest workout so far in this program, in fact!

After a warmup with three 30-second efforts to get your blood pumping, riders are tasked with completing 3 intervals at or near FTP. Here are my intervals:

• 10 minutes at 310W (100% FTP) and 90rpm
• 9-minute ramp from 280-340W (90-110% of FTP) broken into 3 cadence-based blocks
  • 3 minutes at 85rpm
  • 3 minutes at 80rpm
  • 3 minutes at 75rpm
• 10 minutes at 310W (100% FTP) broken into 5 cadence-based blocks
  • 2 minutes at 90rpm
  • 1 minute standing at 70rpm
  • 2 minutes at 90rpm
  • 1 minute standing at 70rpm
  • 4 minutes at 100rpm

Each of these big blocks was significantly harder than the previous one, and I felt like the cadence targets made them significantly more difficult. Some people say “you can ignore the cadence targets” but that’s not always true… cadence affects a workout, and coaches set particular targets for good reason. So I tried to hit those targets, even though it put me further outside my comfort zone.

For the first 10-minute interval, I spun up to a comfortable cadence around 100rpm, then realized the workout was calling for 90rpm. So I dropped it, and finished the interval right on target. I was pedaling slower than I would naturally, but it didn’t feel like I was mashing the pedals.

The second interval, a 9-minute ramp, dropped the cadence even further. Gah! As the power ramped from 90% of FTP to 110%, it told me to drop my cadence from 85rpm to 80rpm to 75rpm. That hurt. Holding power over threshold at 75rpm feels like it really sapped the strength in my legs.

Then I had one more 10-minute section at FTP left. This one surprised me with its difficulty. The first two minutes at 90rpm weren’t terrible, but I could already feel that the previous 9-minute ramp at low cadence had noticeably drained my strength.

Then I stood up for the 1-minute interval as instructed, and tried to hold the 70rpm target… and I couldn’t! It was a weird feeling, like I didn’t have the body weight to stomp on the pedals at a high enough cadence. It would have taken me really engaging my core and arms so I could force my pedal strokes down in order to hit the cadence target – but I just didn’t have the strength.

So I mashed through that interval at 55-60rpm, then sat down and tried to get my cadence up to the 90rpm target. At this point, my heart rate was at its highest point thus far in the workout (175bpm).

Soon enough, it was time to stand for another minute. This block was even worse, with me only able to hold around 50rpm. I was on the edge of the ERG spiral of death, and it was all I could do to keep those pedals turning over.

When I finished slogging through that block, it was time for the final 4 minutes at FTP. And the workout called for 100rpm cadence! Grrr… I would have happily down 100rpm early in the workout, but now my legs were so dead I couldn’t get my legs over 75rpm. So I just gutted out the final 4 minutes, even though everything in me wanted to hit that left button to drop the FTP bias by a few percent. My heart rate was pegged at 180, a few beats over threshold, and there it sat until I finished my last FTP interval.

Takeaways from the Endurance Elevator Workout

This was the first Zwift Camp: Baseline stage I had completed where I didn’t get an email from Zwift immediately after finishing. It makes sense – I hadn’t unlocked any new virtual goodies, and there weren’t any test results to display. But I’m not ashamed to admit that after all that hard work, I wish Zwift had sent me some sort of attaboy.

My first takeaway from this workout was that low cadence work really saps my legs, but I probably need to do more of it if I want to climb well. On Zwift, a combination of lower trainer difficulty and lots of virtual gears lets me spin at a higher cadence no matter how steep the climbs may be. But that’s now how it works outdoors.

The other takeaway is a reminder that my body can go further than I might think. When we get pushed to the edge, whether or not we continue pushing becomes a question of mental strength. I’ll be honest: knowing I would be writing this post and sharing my video helped motivate me not to throw in the towel!

Endurance Test

The test for the endurance portion of Zwift Camp: Baseline isn’t like the Sprint or Attacking tests, which were structured workouts. Instead, Zwift has you ride the Elevation Evaluation route:

Using this route as an endurance test began as a good idea from Zwift, and it could have been a really cool experience for everyone if done right. Unfortunately, the way it actually unfolds in game for the everyday Zwifter leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll unpack this more below, but first I want to make say two things clearly that aren’t spelled out by Zwift for this final stage:

1. The whole goal of this final workout is to put in your best 10-minute power effort at some point during the route. I recommend beginning this effort at the bottom of The Grade KOM, because that lets you make use of the timer in game as your 10-minute timer, plus you’ll see an average power readout as well.
2. You have to complete the full Elevation Evaluation route for your effort to count as a stage 6 completion. There’s a fair amount of riding to be done even after you climb to the top of The Grade. Just use it to spin your legs out, and make sure you ride through the finish at the Sasquatch Sprint before ending your ride.

Watch me complete the Elevation Evaluation Route/Test:

I started my endurance test with a separate ride, actually. I knew that the Elevation Evaluation route only has a ~3km lead-in when ridden as a free ride, and I wanted a longer warmup. So I jumped in with some robopacers for 30 minutes to break a sweat, spin up the legs, and get the heart rate up.

Hot Tip #1: knowing this is a 10-minute test should help you set your power target quite precisely. There are various ways of doing this. I did two things: I looked at my 2024 power curve in Strava, which showed my best 10-minute power was 344W this year. I also looked at the new way Zwift computes FTP (see chart on this post) and did the math to see I would need to hold 359W (my FTP of 310/0.862) in order for Zwift’s computed FTP to match what I have on my profile.

359W seemed way too high for me to hold for 10 minutes, but 340W seemed doable. So I decided I would target 340W, then increase the power later in the test if I was able.

After my warmup, I saved my activity, then picked the Elevation Evaluation route from stage 6 of the Zwift Camp: Baseline section of my homepage. (I was doing this ride as an on-demand free ride of the route, not an event, because the events won’t be scheduled until next week.)

Recommendation to ZHQ: this page should include text explaining the goal of the ride. Right now it says nothing about what I’m supposed to do. Is this a maximal effort across the entire route? Should I do my best for the full The Grade FTP test? (The fact that it’s a 10-minute test isn’t just well-hidden, it’s not communicated anywhere.)

Hot Tip #2: As I neared the base of the KOM, I reduced my trainer difficulty to 0. This is because I knew there was that flat spot partly up the KOM, and I didn’t want to worry about shifting to keep the resistance (and my power) up during what would be a very suffery portion of the 10-minute effort. Setting trainer difficulty to 0 meant I wouldn’t feel any resistance changes due to gradient at all, so I could control the resistance completely by my shifting.

Hot Tip #3: Even though you can do your maximal 10-minute effort at any time during your Elevation Evaluation ride, plan to begin it right at the start line of The Grade KOM. This is the smart move because it gives you an on-screen timer so you know when you’ve hit 10 minutes, plus it shows your power average on screen, so you’ll know how you’re tracking against your target.

I was feeling good as I started out, and at the 2:30 mark (25% in) I was averaging 355W. But I knew it couldn’t stay that high, so I tried to drop my power closer to 340W so I could sustain the effort.

Just past the 5-minute mark, I hit the flat spot on The Grade. But with trainer difficulty at 0, I didn’t need to shift to keep my power up! #winning My power average was 352W at the halfway mark.

The span from 5-8 minutes was probably the hardest for me, because that was the time when my legs were burning and my mind was asking, “Can I sustain this effort for several more minutes?” At the 7:30 mark (75% done) my power average was 350W, and I was suffering.

Once I hit 2 minutes to go, I knew I could hold close to my 340W target through to the end. (You can do anything for 2 minutes, right?) As I neared 1 minute to go, I tried to up my power and empty the tank. When the clock hit 10 minutes, my on-screen power average was 349W, and as the timer ticked over, my avatar almost came to a stop as I finished my effort with hardly anything left. Whew!

Takeaways from the Endurance Test

My 350W average for 10 minutes was a personal best for 2024, so I was stoked with that result. Here’s my endurance performance report, showing my new PB plus my previous 90-day best:

I’m not sure if I could have paced it any better than I did, or pushed any harder, so I don’t have any personal takeaways from the test. I do, however, have some takeaways for Zwift based on my experience with this final Zwift Camp: Baseline stage.

Takeaways for Zwift

First, as already mentioned above, Zwift needs to communicate what they’re looking for in this final endurance test. I reached out and it sounds like they’ll be at least talking about the 10-minute power goal in the event description text, but that doesn’t even come close to solving the problem. Because we know lots of people don’t read that text, plus many folks will complete the tests as an on-demand workout outside of an event!

Zwift’s original intent was to use Elevation Evaluation as a “route-based workout”, where riders would ride the route together in an event, with popup text instructing them on how to execute the test. But for some reason, that ended up not happening, which means riders are sort of left to figure it out for themselves.

At this point in Zwift Camp: Baseline, I’m not sure there’s an easy fix for the 200,000+ people who have joined and will soon be completing the final workout.

Recommendation to ZHQ: maybe Zwift could send an email to everyone after they complete stage 5, detailing what to do for stage 6?

I didn’t receive a performance report email after my endurance test like I did with the Attack and Sprint tests, which seems odd. In talking to internal contacts within Zwift, it looks like there was some sort of bug where a trigger didn’t fire after I finished the route. Zwift needs to be really sure that this sort of triggering is working in a rock-solid fashion, because it’s really important for people to see the reports they’re expecting after giving it their all.

Recommendation to ZHQ: riders should get their endurance performance report emailed over as soon as they save their Zwift activity.

Perhaps even more oddly, I didn’t get my “Zwift Camp: Baseline Performance Report” until almost 24 hours after I completed this final test. That’s way too long to wait for the big final report that everyone wants at the conclusion of the Camp. Why not send it right away? Zwift has their tech-based reasons, but again, I think they need to look at user experience and try to maximize it.

Recommendation to ZHQ: riders should get their Zwift Camp: Baseline Performance Report emailed over as soon as they save their Zwift activity.

The performance report said my “Rider Strength” is versatility. That is, I’m not a sprinter, attacker, or endurance-focused rider… I’m sort of equally good at all three. Or equally bad? Regardless, here’s the full Zwift Camp: Baseline Performance Report email I received:

As you can see, the email contains the following:

• Rider Strength: this section will tell you whether your strength is sprinting, attacking, endurance, or if you’re rather balanced like me. Zwift figures this out by comparing your power numbers to the universe of Zwifters.
• Rider Limiter: basically, your lowest percentile ranking against the universe of active Zwifters.
• Looking to improve? Zwift points me to the upcoming Endurance Challenge (workouts to help me boost my endurance) which will be available December 23rd. The email also points me to the “Fondo” training plan.
• Zwift Baseline wheels blurb: the bottom of the email has a blurb about the wheels you unlock by finishing Zwift Camp: Baseline. It calls them “performance wheels,” but this a more hype than they deserve, since they’re nothing special.

Recommendations to ZHQ: this email could be improved in lots of ways, but at the same time, I get it: Zwift Camp: Baseline was sort of a “proof of concept”, a first go at something Zwift will undoubtedly do again, and in a bigger way. A few improvements I’d love to see:

• Under “Looking to Improve?”, I want to be able to click and see the details for the Endurance Challenge or the recommended Training Plan(s).
• More details: keep the email simple, but let me click and see my numbers again plus my percentile rank for each of the three tests (sprint, attack, endurance) somewhere under my Zwift.com profile.
• Don’t pitch the wheel unlock like it’s something special. Either give me some really unique-looking wheels that I’d want to roll in casual riding just because of their appearance, or give me some wheels that perform really well. The Baseline wheels are just… not super cool looking, and not fast.

Concluding Thoughts

As I’ve already said, I love where Zwift is going with Zwift Camp: Baseline. There’s so much potential for this idea of assessing rider abilities, then recommending next steps.

The Zwift Camp: Baseline program felt a little bit thrown together in places, particularly on stage 6. And you know what? I’m OK with that, as long as Zwift takes feedback on board and iterates to improve the product. Because that’s how development works! I’ve done my best to detail my feedback in my series of walkthrough posts, and I know for a fact Zwift has been reading these articles, and everyone’s comments, to make tweaks to the program on the fly and also improve future versions of it. So that’s all good.

Overall, in going through Zwift Camp: Baseline myself, as well as conversing with folks within ZHQ about it, I really think this is just the start of bigger and better things to come in this space from Zwift. So I’m looking forward to what comes next.

Watch this space for details on the Sprinting, Attacking, and Endurance Challenges releasing on December 23rd as a followup to Zwift Camp: Baseline.

Questions or Comments?

That’s a wrap on Zwift Camp: Baseline for me. How’s it going for you? Share your thoughts or questions below!

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!

Related: Elite Community Racing Calendar Announced for Zwift’s 2024-25 Season >

But all of the planned elite racing went into limbo on December 3, when Zwift’s Director of Racing Sean Parry sent an email to all elite racers informing them of a pause to the Zwift World Series schedule.

The pause was due to concerns over the accuracy of smart trainer power readings, and it came just after elite riders had finished the qualification race for ZWS race #4.

For the full picture, including elite race schedule changes, I’ve included the original email from Sean below, as well as a follow-up he sent two days later:

Firmware Updates Incoming

First, it’s important that we put the pitchforks away. Or at least, don’t point them at the racers! While cheating in high-level cycling esports is always a concern, Zwift has been very clear in communicating that the hardware inaccuracies aren’t from riders intentionally trying to create an advantage by somehow miscalibrating or artificially increasing smart trainer power numbers. Rather, particular trainer models are reading high in specific “edge case” scenarios – particularly high-torque, low-cadence efforts found on steep climbs.

To ensure maximum fairness via reliable power data, the Zwift World Series Ruleset has a very short list of approved trainers:

• Tacx: Neo 2, Neo 2T, Neo 3M, Neo Bike
• Wahoo: Kickr v5, Kickr v6, Kickr Move, Kickr Bike v1, Kickr Bike v2, Kickr Bike Shift
• Elite: Justo, Justo 2

Based on Zwift’s emails and other sources, it seems that from the list above, only a few trainers from Wahoo and Elite are in question. Recent race annulments appear to be tied to Wahoo’s KICKR v6, KICKR Move, and KICKR v5 trainers as well as Elite’s Justo and Justo 2 trainers.

We haven’t heard anything from Elite on this topic, but Wahoo issued a statement detailing their firmware update plans, saying, “Zwift have been in communication with all the relevant hardware manufacturers and Wahoo is one of these. We have worked quickly on a fix for elite indoor riders competing in events over the coming month – this is now available for KICKR V6 and KICKR MOVE, we expect a fast follow for those KICKR V5. There will be a full rollout to all Wahoo users in early January 2025.”

Leading From the Front

The decision to pause the elite portion of their flagship race series was certainly not an easy one on Zwift’s part. But with so much on the line – athlete reputations, cash prizes, even the viability of indoor cycling as a high-level discipline – it feels like the responsible call. It may damage Zwift’s reputation in the eyes of some, but it helps ensure a bright future for a cycling discipline still in its infancy.

Apart from Zwift, perhaps it’s time for other organizations to step up and push accuracy standards forward as well. This includes trainer manufacturers primarily, but the industry also needs a neutral third party to test and certify trainers. (The UCI, incidentally, has been talking about doing just that in collaboration with Purdue University’s Engineering department for almost a year now. See their test rig mockup below.)

Trainer accuracy standards and specifications to date have been a bit of a “wild west” affair, with a lack of consistent testing and metrics across the industry. A trusted, neutral, third-party test/certification could go a long way toward ensuring accuracy and building trust in cycling esports race performances.

Until that happens, dual recording and subsequent performance verification will remain the standard in high-level indoor bike racing, and racers will need to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring their smart trainers and power meters are reading accurately in high-demand race situations.

Questions or Comments

Did Zwift make the right call in pausing their World Series? How concerned are you about trainer accuracy in Zwift racing? Share your thoughts below!