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!

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!

“The Grade” FTP Detection Now Gamewide

The most interesting line in Zwift’s release notes is this: Improved FTP calculation that mirrors how FTP is determined when completing The Grade.

Since the early days, Zwift has used a simple algorithm to detect your FTP in the game based on your 20-minute power. That is, Zwift would look at your best 20-minute power average at the end of each activity, and if 95% of that number exceeded your current FTP setting, you would get an FTP increase popup – the most shared screen in all of Zwift!

Then Zwift released The Grade in June 2024, and with it a new way of detecting your FTP based on your average power and time on this particular KOM segment. Here’s more info, taken from my review of The Grade:

…Zwift looks at your average power and time up The Grade, then computes your FTP estimate based on those two figures. Zwift says they can do this with reasonable accuracy because they’ve analyzed the results of over 700,000 FTP tests on the platform and computed a curve which, when combined with an average power number and time value, lets them compute your FTP.

Basically, Zwift has built a lookup curve so any time you set a new power PB in the 8-60 minute range, they can look up that timespan on the curve to get a percentage factor. The game then multiplies your average power from that timespan by the percentage factor, and if it results in a higher FTP than your current setting, you’ll get the FTP increase popup.

Zwift isn’t revealing what this lookup curve looks like, exactly, but it’s not hard to figure it out with some test rides. Here’s our approximation of Zwift’s FTP lookup curve based on today’s tests (the actual curve is surely much smoother – ours is a bit lumpy since FTP increases in our in-game tests were rounded to the nearest whole watt):

Example: if you averaged 250 watts for 15 minutes, Zwift’s system would calculate your FTP as 250*.893=223 watts. If your current FTP setting was less than 223 watts you would get an FTP increase notice when ending your activity.

If this all feels too technical for you, the good news is you don’t need to know how it works. It’s automatic! What’s important for Zwifters is that the new FTP detection algorithm is more flexible than the old one, as it considers efforts from as little as 8 minutes all the way to 60 minutes in length. And this should result in a more accurate automatic FTP setting for more Zwifters, which can only be a good thing.

Note: as before, Zwift’s automated FTP detection will only ever increase your FTP, not decrease it.

To learn more about FTP, read How (And Why) to Take an FTP Test on Zwift >

Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

• Fixed an issue that could cause Zwifters riding with RoboPacers to have their Drops multipliers unexpectedly reset.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the edges of some gravel roads to end abruptly.
• Fixed an issue where virtual shifting may not return to the default gear when switching between ERG and SIM modes during a workout.
• Improved connection reliability for the Elite Sterzo Smart steering device.
• Fixed an issue that could cause your avatar to not be centered in the Garage preview when selecting head gear, glasses, or customizing facial characteristics.
• The elevation shown in the home screen is now more accurate for the routes Sleepless City in Makuri Islands and Wandering Flats in Watopia.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the Repack Rush progress bar to not reset after restarting the course.
• Fixed an issue that could show an incorrect lap count when late-joining an event after the first lap had already been completed.
• Fixed a crash that could potentially occur when joining an event via Zwift Companion.
• Android
  • Fixed an issue that could result in missing ground textures at the top of the Temple KOM in Makuri Islands.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when browsing the Garage.
• iOS, Apple TV
  • Fixed an issue that could result in missing ground textures at the top of the Temple KOM in Makuri Islands.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when browsing the Garage.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

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

We’ve also selected videos about getting started on Zwift, how to level up faster, and rocker plate first impressions.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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

Got a Great Zwift Video?

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

This got my attention. As you may know, I’ve published a lot of in-game performance data over the years, including the popular Tron vs Top Performers chart showing how Zwift’s Tron bike performs against other fast frame+wheelset combos in game.

“Disruptive changes re: bike performance”? What was Jon thinking of doing?

We chatted that day, and Jon shared a few key points:

• The fastest and slowest “standard” frames in Zwift are currently only separated by ~22 seconds in our standard ~50-minute test (see performance charts). Jon’s hunch was that this gap was too small and didn’t reflect real-world physics.
• With garage upgrades coming soon to Zwift, the team saw a need to increase this separation between frames in order to avoid weird situations like an upgraded slow frame (think Zwift Steel or similar) outperforming a fast frame like the Specialized Venge S-Works.
• If Zwift was going to change the performance of in-game frames, they wanted those changes to be backed by science. (While Zwift isn’t trying to be a simulator, in-game speeds have always been based on real-world physics whenever possible.)

With that in mind, Jon and his team were planning a visit to the Win Tunnel at Specialized headquarters in Morgan Hill, CA. Would I be interested in joining them?

Of course I would.

And that’s how I arrived here in late October:

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

The Team

It was dark o’clock when I left my house in Kelseyville, CA to drive three hours south to Specialized HQ in Morgan Hill. I grabbed a quality espresso, then met up with Zwift’s team to get security badges so we could access the Win Tunnel. Zwift employees in attendance were:

• Jon Mayfield: VP Head of Game (and Co-Founder of Zwift)
• Mark Cote: VP Head of Product
• Scott Campbell: Senior Director of Game Design
• Mike Bhatt: Senior Technical Game Designer
• Nick Kalkounis: Director, Product Management
• Joseph Battisti: Global Product Marketing – Game & Content

Also with us was Lionello Bardina, R&D Engineer Aerodynamics from Specialized. His job was to run the tests while answering lots of questions and generally overseeing the tunnel’s usage.

At first this seemed like a lot of cooks to have in the kitchen, but I soon learned that when it comes to robust wind tunnel testing, you need a small army! We had the tunnel booked for two days, and we were scrambling throughout both days to set up and complete all the planned tests.

Some of the guys were working on setting up actual bikes – swapping out pedals, adjusting geometry, swapping out wheels, and properly attaching it to the tunnel’s apparatus.

Others were taking notes, so data could be properly analyzed in the days to come. And of course Lio was manning the helm, sitting behind the computer to control the tunnel, run the actual tests, and gather the data for later analysis.

A Note About Mark Cote

Within a few minutes of hanging out in the Win Tunnel, I came to the realization that there was a lot I didn’t know about Mark Cote.

Mark came to Zwift in early 2021 as the Senior Director of Content Programming after 12+ years at Specialized. We sat down for a nice Zoom chat just a few weeks after he arrived at Zwift, and he struck me as a likable, smart dude who could lead teams well and also wrap his head around data and make it actionable.

He was also a longtime Zwifter, having joined the platform in the early beta days of Jarvis Island. And he earned extra points when he saw my Venge ViAS in the office and shared that it was still the most aero bike frame they’d tested at Specialized at speeds over 30mph!

Mark has been at Zwift for almost 4 years now, and he’s currently leading the product teams at Zwift.

When we arrived at the Win Tunnel, Mark took charge. He stated the goals of the testing and explained the methodology we’d be using. Then as we got the first bike in the tunnel and the tests began, Mark started telling stories.

It turns out, he graduated from MIT in 2007 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. And he wasn’t just anyone at Specialized: he led the development of the aero program and the design and build of the Win Tunnel with a few other key leaders at the company.

While he worked his way to leadership positions at Specialized and now Zwift, he’s also a brilliant engineer and aerodynamicist. And it was downright fascinating to hear him explain exactly how the Win Tunnel works while sharing memories of a scrappy team of employees and interns building and launching the audacious tunnel on a shoestring budget.

The Tests

The team’s main goal for these tests was to establish a realistic delta between the slowest and fastest frames in Zwift.

(There were secondary goals of testing various wheelsets and different rider positions to gut-check the game’s wheel and rider physics as well. But I’m going to save that discussion for another post.)

So we tested a pile of frames, including:

• Stinner Steel (which the Zwift Steel frame is modeled from)
• Specialized Allez Sprint
• Specialized Tarmac SL6
• Jon Mayfield’s S-Works Shiv
• My Pinarello Dogma F
• Specialized Tarmac SL8
• My Specialized Roubaix SL4
• Specialized 2020 Venge
• Buffalo Bike

Bikes were tested with a basic alloy wheelset, as well as more advanced carbon hoops and even (in some cases) a disc wheel. The Win Tunnel is super precise, and it was amazing to look at the data and see how it could detect the difference between various setups at various yaw angles.

Jon had asked me to bring my Roubaix, because he had a hunch that some of the “slower” carbon frames would actually perform worse in the Win Tunnel than the steel frame. And you know what? He was right. My Roubaix was slower than the Stinner. Mark chalks this up to the cable routing and larger tubes.

(But I still love that bike. I realized as it was sitting in the Win Tunnel that I’ve ridden over 50,000 miles on Zwift on that bike. It may not be the fastest frame outdoors, but it’s certainly been a great bike.)

After Hours

Of course, no Zwift outing would be complete without a ride. So after the first day we went for a spin. Here’s the crew lined out, with Jon in the wind:

Over the course of two days and a few meals, Mark Cote shared a lot of insider info about Specialized and the Win Tunnel that I’m not allowed to share here. We even got a sort of after-hours tour of some key rooms on campus, most of which were labeled “no photography.” Fascinating.

Specialized is turning 50 this year, and after looking at everything they do and how they do it, you begin to understand why. (And no, it’s not just because they have “Donut Thursdays” in the cafeteria each week. Although it was an epic selection of donuts + espresso.)

The Results

After two days of tests, Zwift’s team took all the data back to the office so they could crunch numbers and compare Zwift’s current frame performance to the wind tunnel data.

It turns out Jon’s initial hunch was correct: the difference in performance between Zwift’s slower and faster frames is smaller than it should be. Therefore, Jon and his team are planning to stretch that ~22-second difference into 65-70 seconds over an hour on a flat course, so in-game frame performance deltas more closely match what cyclists experience in the real world.

They plan to keep the fastest frames at their current CdA settings, while progressively slowing all other frames to effectively “spread out” the performance spectrum of in-game bikes. It’s worth noting that the overall aero performance “ranking” of frames in game lined up nicely with the test – that is, the fastest stuff in game is the fastest stuff in the tunnel. It’s really just the ranges (how much faster) that will be modified.

This change will be rolled out sometime in early winter, potentially soon after the new year. The tweaked frame performance will roll out along with the Garage Upgrades/Halo Bikes feature, so some of the performance lost in the slower frames can be reclaimed via upgrades if riders desire.

Concluding Thoughts, and What’s Next

Getting into the Win Tunnel is every road cyclist’s dream, so it was a huge privilege to be a part of Zwift’s visit to Morgan Hill. As I spun the pedals in the drops into a 50kph wind, I thought, “Zwift has taken me a lot of places, but I never thought it would take me here!”

I like that Zwift has chosen to take another look at bike performance. I’m impressed that they approached the task rigorously, with two long days of testing at the Win Tunnel. And I’m stoked that the result of all this work will be in-game bike performance that more closely matches the real world.

The upcoming changes are based on accurate, repeatable tests of real-world performance, so as much as I like to poke holes in things, there’s just not much here to complain about.

I’ve got a couple more articles planned on topics related to the Win Tunnel visit. First, we’ll be talking about the rider CdA testing that was done, and the results. (The goal is to make the CdA of our avatars as accurate as possible, which is sort of an impossible task when you consider the various body shapes, riding positions, and clothing of riders. That said, there’s probably room for improvement in Zwift’s current model.)

There will also, undoubtedly, be follow-up articles sharing updated performance numbers for frames. My bots are already complaining about all the miles they’ll have to put in!

Your Thoughts

What do you think of Zwift’s plans to modify frame performance, and what do you think of their approach to the problem? Share below!

Yesterday Zwift rolled out a much-anticipated addition to Watopia, the game’s largest and most popular map.

With only 5km of fresh pavement, the addition may seem rather small. But it’s a very significant stretch of 5km, because it’s the return of Jarvis Island, the first road ever ridden on Zwift.

So it’s a throwback to Zwift’s 2014 roots, which feels quite fitting and nostalgic as Zwift celebrates its 10-year anniversary this season. Read on to learn more about the Jarvis expansion.

New Routes

This expansion adds a 4.8km loop connected to the Volcano Circuit via a short spur (see white road above). Six new routes have been added to the game, each using the new loop in different ways.

The new routes are free-ridable and earn achievement badges the first time they’re completed. These routes are also available for event scheduling via Clubs if you have the latest version of Zwift’s Companion app.

Deca Dash

52.4km distance
500m elevation

Start in downtown Watopia, then head over to Jarvis Island for 10 clockwise laps. Ends at the sprint banner.

Read more >

Waisted 8

30.7km distance
144m elevation

It’s Watopia’s Waistband, but in reverse, and with a clockwise lap of Jarvis Island thrown in.

Read more >

Triple Twist

24.4km distance
200m elevation

Takes in the Volcano Circuit and Jarvis Island clockwise before returning to a Hilly Route reverse loop with a finish at the Jarvis Sprint.

Read more >

Coast to Coast

24.1km distance
164m elevation

A point-to-point route beginning at the coastal start pens and finishing with a CCW lap of Jarvis Island.

Read more >

Loopin Lava

18.3km distance
212m elevation

A CCW loop of Jarvis Island followed by the Volcano Climb before descending and finishing at the Jarvis Island lap banner.

Read more >

The Classic

8.8km distance
64m elevation

Simple and sweet. This is literally the route that started it all! One CCW loop of Jarvis Island, beginning with a lead-in from downtown Watopia and ending at the lap banner.

Read more >

New Route Badges

Each new route also has a route badge, so you’ll earn a chunk of XP and the achievement badge the first time you complete the route!

• Deca Dash: 1000XP
• Waisted 8: 615XP
• Triple Twist: 400XP
• Coast to Coast: 480XP
• Loopin Lava: 285XP
• The Classic: 100XP

There’s also a badge for “The Classic Run”, just for the runners.

A Grand Entrance

The first time you enter Jarvis, be sure to have your sound turned on! Zwift has put together an epic unveiling sequence, and it will only happen the first time you enter Jarvis. We recorded it for posterity:

Sightseeing Tour

The new road can be broken down into three areas. Here’s a quick photo tour progressing around the loop counterclockwise.

Italian Villas and Lap Arch

Take a right as you enter Jarvis Island, waving hello to the bear sculpture (is that Jarvis the bear… with Scotty Squirrel on his back?) and you’ll find yourself passing some familar-looking buildings. These were the inspiration for Watopia’s Italian Villas.

After riding through the lap arch, look right to spot the Queen Mary, a nod to Zwift’s Long Beach headquarters.

The KOM and Forest

After passing the Queen Mary, you’ll feel the road tilt upward as you enter the forest and pass the Jarvis KOM start line right where the big trees begin. With its tall sequoias this area feels a lot like Watopia’s Titans Grove. Hear some down-home pickin’ as you pass the Banjo Cafe, then you’ll cross not one but two bridges before finishing the KOM. (That second bridge is a steep one!)

The KOM finishes in a ride-through tree like you’ve seen in Watopia’s Sequoia Circle, then you can descend back to flat ground for a sprint. (Note: if you travel in the other direction, there’s a KOM going the other way, too. They both share the same finishing arch in the ride-thru tree.)

The Sprint

Return to flat ground and it’s time for a sprint to finish off your Jarvis Island lap. You’ll pass the start of the KOM (in the other lane, going the other way), then the sprint start line is upon you:

It’s a short and flat sprint, and like the KOM there’s a segment in both directions.

New Leaderboard Segments

Jarvis Island has three arches, and each arch is an endpoint for segments in both directions. That means six new leaderboard segments:

• Jarvis KOM
• Jarvis KOM Reverse
• Jarvis Sprint
• Jarvis Sprint Reverse
• Jarvis Lap
• Jarvis Lap Reverse

Your Thoughts

Got questions or comments about Zwift’s newest (and oldest) road? Share below!

Zwift version 1.78 begins its phased rollout today. It includes the much-awaited Watopia expansion, plus a refresh to the HUD’s minimap, two more Training API partners, and more…

Watopia Expansion: Jarvis Returns!

The big news in today’s update is the opening of a loop of fresh tarmac in Watopia! But it’s not just any loop… it’s the loop that started it all. Here’s an intro from Jon Mayfield:

The expansion is basically 5km of new tarmac. It’ll make a great race circuit with its KOM and sprint segments each lap. There are six new routes available which make use of the new pavement:

• Deca Dash: 52.2km, 500m elevation
• Waisted 8: 30.7km, 144m elevation
• Loopin Lava: 18.3km, 212m elevation
• The Classic: 8.8km, 65m elevation
• Coast to Coast: 24.1km, 164m elevation
• Triple Twist: 24.3km, 201m elevation

Note: you can free ride any of these routes once you’ve updated to version 1.78. But also, Tour of Watopia stage 5 begins today, and it features three of the new routes: Deca Dash, Looping Lava, and Waisted 8.

The first time you enter Jarvis, be sure to have your sound turned on! Zwift has put together a super cool unveiling sequence, and it will only happen the first time you enter Jarvis. We recorded it for posterity:

We’ll be publishing more info on this expansion in the coming days, as well as creating official Strava segments for the new routes and leaderboard segments. (Strava limits us to 5 new segments per day, so… it takes a little while.)

Until then, you might want to check out Zwift’s homepage for this expansion.

New Minimap Route Profile

This update also includes the first phase of a promised minimap refresh. In Watopia only (for now), you will see a new route overview profile at the bottom of the minimap.

The profile clearly shows your full route, your 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.

Two notable things from Zwift on this feature. First, they’re saying, “This feature will be rolling out to additional Zwift worlds over time.” Secondly, if you venture off your route or make a u-turn, the profile view will return to the legacy view instead of showing your route (since you are no longer on your route). Zwift says, “This is something that will be addressed in a future release.”

For more, see today’s video from GPLama:

CoachCat and JOIN.cc Integration

Two more partners have gone live with Zwift’s Training API. From Zwift’s update notes:

Workouts will now seamlessly sync from CoachCat (FasCat Coaching) and JOIN.cc. CoachCat is the industry’s most advanced AI-powered coach, which analyzes your data the moment you finish a ride and instantly provides coaching feedback. Use AI to optimize your training preparation, execution, and recovery. JOIN.cc is a highly adaptive AI-driven training platform designed to fit seamlessly into your busy life. With intuitive guidance, pro-level workouts, and a supportive community, you’ll have everything you need to reach your full potential.

We’ll talk about JOIN and CoachCat more in an upcoming post.

New Routes and Badges

Interestingly, not included in the release notes are four new route badges added to the achievement list:

• Petite Douleur (France): apparently our Rebel Route is being added to the game! Read our original writeup >
• London Flat (London): a brand new route we haven’t heard of. Watch this space for details ASAP.
• Outer Scotland (Scotland): another Rebel Route getting into the game. Read our original writeup >
• Tair Dringfa Fechan (Watopia): the winning entry for the ZRL round 2 design contest

None of these routes are available yet to ride in game, but them showing up in the achievement list means they’ll be arriving very soon.

Refreshed In-Game Emotes Experience

A late addition to the release notes, Zwift has refreshed the emotes experience in game, giving them a new look and having them show above riders’ avatars when triggered:

The Ride On emote now triggers a Ride On bomb as well, just like if you triggered it via the Companion app or Play controllers.

The rollout of this refreshed experience is limited, currently, but our guess is if all goes well, it’ll roll out to everyone in the next two weeks:

Email Opt-In Unlock

This is a fun one. Zwift has a “a fun email coming to everyone’s inbox” next month. (We aren’t allowed to say what it is, but trust us – you’ll want to see it. Because it’s all about you!) They want to make sure Zwifters have opted in to receive emails from Zwift, so you can receive this email.

To do so, visit zwift.com/settings/emails and enable the toggle.

As a thank you, you will receive the new Watopia Postal Service hat, inspired by Sinbad’s classic holiday character. (If you are already opted-in, you will get the hat automatically in your garage.)

More Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

• Recently added routes are now shown with a “new” tag in the Route screen.
• After selecting an activity within a Challenge (like Cardio Crusher or Route Chaser: The Grade), you can now see the activity’s details before starting.
• Fixed an issue that could cause Play controllers to not automatically reconnect when starting Zwift.
• Fixed an issue that could cause your Strava connection to be unlinked from your Zwift account if Strava’s servers were unavailable.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the Pinarello Dogma F paint job icons in the Garage to be blurry.
• Fixed issues that could potentially occur with virtual shifting when using the Wattbike Atom.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the intersection selector to appear earlier than intended when descending the Radio Tower KOM.
• Windows
  • The Ultra graphics profile is now enabled for the following graphics cards: Radeon RX 7900 GRE, RX 7800 XT, RX 7700 XT, RX 7600 XT.
  • The High graphics profile is now enabled for the following graphics card: Radeon RX 7600.
• iOS, tvOS
  • New Zwifters will see a refreshed welcome experience when starting Zwift for the first time.
• Android
  • New Zwifters will see a refreshed welcome experience when starting Zwift for the first time.
  • Fixed an issue that could potentially cause Play, Ride, or Click controllers to not connect after completing one Zwift session and then starting a new session.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

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

The last Strava leak of new roads was Eric Min’s ride in Neokyo in November of 2021. But today, Zwift co-founders Eric Min and Jon Mayfield appear to have ridden together on the upcoming Watopia expansion.

See Jon’s ride on Strava, titled “Only time I’ll have the KOM jersey” >
See Eric’s ride on Strava, titled “Zwift Expansion — the early peek!” >
See Jon’s ride on Zwift.com >
See Eric’s ride on Zwift.com >

Some screenshots from Strava:

I reached out to Jon Mayfield when I saw his ride, and he told me, “Last time I ever had a KOM and a sprint jersey was back on the day we launched the original Jarvis.”

Digging Into the Data

Looking at the Strava map of Eric and Jon’s rides with a little help from ZwiftMap for Strava, we can see the shape of the new roads and that they connect to existing Watopia roads via a spur from the Volcano Circuit:

If that shape looks familiar, you may be an OG Zwifter. It’s the exact shape of Jarvis, the original Zwift island. After months of speculation, we’ve found our answer: Zwift is bringing Jarvis back! A fitting move for the 10-year anniversary.

Jon’s activity shows the loop’s profile as he rides a counterclockwise lap first, then flips a u-turn to ride it clockwise:

Eric’s ride used a route titled “Deca Dash” (you can see the route name at the top-left on the minimap, which is sporting a fresh route profile that I’m sure will be released soon):

The Deca Dash route appears to be 10 laps of the new loop (hence the “Deca” name) for a total of 47km. This indicates that the new loop is 4.7km in length.

Looking at Jon and Eric’s rides in the Companion app confirms that each lap also includes sprint, KOM, and lap leaderboard segments, in both directions. Currently they’re simply titled “Jarvis KOM”, “Jarvis Sprint” and “Jarvis Lap”:

The screenshots give us some metrics for two of the segments:

• Jarvis KOM Reverse: 1.3km at 3.1%
• Jarvis Sprint Reverse: 200 meters at 0.2%

Availability

Zwift has said Watopia’s expansion will be available to ride in Tour of Watopia events beginning tomorrow, November 12. So my guess is we’ll all be in Watopia-Jarvis very soon.

Your Thoughts

Excited for some fresh roads, scenery, and leaderboard segments? What are your thoughts on Zwift’s latest expansion? Share below!

New Badges (for Unreleased Routes), Re-Sorted

Zwift has re-sorted the list of route badges, grouping them, it appears, by map then sorting them by release date (oldest to newest).

But the bigger news here is 7 new badges, which are attached to the Watopia expansion arriving November 12 for stage 5 of Tour of Watopia!

You can see the new route names are:

• Deca Dash
• Waisted 8
• Loopin Lava
• The Classic
• The Classic Run
• Coast to Coast
• Triple Twists

KICKR BIKE Gearing Visualization

While not mentioned in Zwift’s release notes (because the functionality has been in game for a while, just waiting for Wahoo to update firmware), today Wahoo released firmware updates for KICKR BIKE v2 (firmware version 2.2.22) and KICKR BIKE SHIFT (firmware version 1.21.18) enabling the display of your current virtual gear on the Zwift HUD.

This will be an especially welcome upgrade for KICKR BIKE SHIFT users who have no gear display on the bike itself.

And yes, we asked: Wahoo says, “this feature won’t be coming to the KICKR BIKE v1.”

Garage Auto-Sorting

When the Drop Shop was released in 2019, Zwifters did what cyclists do: we bought every bike we could afford.

Since then, the community has been asking for ways to better organize our crowded Zwift garages. Could we “favorite” are top setups? Sell used frames or wheels back? Or even just delete some we’ll never use?

This update contains the first garage sorting update ever (as far as we know). Zwift says, “Items in the Garage (frames, wheels, kit) are now automatically sorted by most recent use.”

Until now, frames and wheels have simply been sorted alphabetically. Now, they will be sorted chronologically based on last use.

In our tests, it appears that there’s no limit to how many frames or wheelsets show in this chronological list. That means for now, you’ll have the alphabetically sorted list of frames and wheels, and then as you select new frames or wheels to use, those will be moved to the top of your lists. Eventually, your frame and wheel lists will be topped by the handful of frames or wheels you use.

Friend Notifications

Zwift has always been a social platform, and this week’s update includes a small tweak to help riders connect a bit more easily. Zwift says, “Looking for a friendly wheel to join? Zwifters will now receive a notification when a friend starts Zwifting in the same world. Simply use the Teleport feature to join them.”

Here’s what the notification looks like in game:

BRAEk-fast Crits and Grits Route Opens

Scotland’s new BRAEk-fast Crits and Grits route, raced recently for the last event of ZRL Round 1, is no longer event-only. It is open to free ride whenever you’d like, and yes, there’s an achievement badge with 415 bonus XP attached.

Tour of Watopia Workouts Bonus XP

If you’ve been riding Tour of Watopia events and routes, you know there are XP bonuses available. Riders earn 2x the usual XP when riding in ToW events, and 1.5x the usual when riding a ToW route on demand.

Now, with this week’s update, if you do a workout on a ToW route, the XP you earn will be increased by 1.5x.

Learn how Zwift calculates XP for workouts >

So if you’re looking to knock out a scheduled workout, but also like the idea of earning extra XP, choose one of these routes:

• Mountain Route
• Figure 8
• Whole Lotta Lava
• Road to Sky
• Serpentine 8
• Jungle Circuit
• Eastern Eight 
• Sand and Sequoias 
• Tempus Fugit
• Itza Party
• Mayan 8 
• Going Coastal

Beacon Bugs Begone

In the past, if you were on a group ride with a designated leader (yellow beacon) or sweeper (red beacon), things could get a bit confusing if one of the beacons left mid-ride.

This week’s update includes a tweak for PC and Mac users so the beacon will switch to an alternate designated ride leader or sweeper after 1 minute instead of the previous 10 minutes.

More Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

• Runners can now open the Pairing screen and continue running in-game at the same time.
• The gradient percentage shown in the dynamic elevation display now changes more smoothly during a climb.
• The symbol for the distance indicator in the HUD has now been updated to provide 100% (IYKYK) clarity.
• The font size in the left section of the HUD has been increased to improve readability.
• The estimated difficulty and duration for the Navig8 and Power to the Tower routes in Watopia are now more accurate.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the Zwifters Nearby list to not be visible when fan viewing another Zwifter in an event paddock.
• Fixed an issue where the virtual shifting gear indicator was not displayed after pausing a workout.
• Fixed an issue that could potentially cause flashing orbs to appear on the Epic KOM in Watopia. 
• Android: Fixed an issue that could prevent Bluetooth devices from reconnecting after a disconnection.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

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