Peak trainer season is here and whether you’re a seasoned Zwifter, new to the platform or thinking of joining the global Zwift community during the holidays, you can be sure there’s something for you to enjoy on Zwift this season.
As we head into year’s end, many cyclists around the world will be looking forward to Rapha’s Festive 500, an annual event that sees cyclists aim to ride 500k between Christmas and the New Year. For the second year running, virtual miles count which means you can be more flexible with your time than ever before. Worried the potatoes will burn? No problem, jump off and take a look! Festive 500 events are live on Zwift now - https://www.zwift.com/ca/rapha-festive-500.
Winter is also the season for MASSIVE mass-participation events. None are bigger than the Tour de Zwift, a multi-stage event series that annually sees hundreds of thousands of cyclists and runners take part. Warm up events kick off from Jan 3rd 2022, with Stage 1 beginning Jan 10th. New for this year, longer stages will be held over weekends to ensure the Tour de Zwift can flex with your schedule. Full event details will be unveiled with the opening of registration on December 21st.
Tour de Zwift isn’t the only major challenge event you’ll want to mark on your calendar. Also returning in January for the fifth time is the Zwift Fondo series. Held across the first weekend of every month from January-March, the zFondo series will offer three route choices for each stage (Bambino, Medio, and Gran) providing every Zwifter with a unique personal challenge.
For those seeking an even bigger challenge, then they should check out the Rapha Rising event series and the Wahoo Climbing Mission. Rapha Rising will be a three-stage challenge event held over consecutive days taking place over the last weekend in February. More details will be unveiled in the new year. The Wahoo Climbing Mission sees the return of missions on Zwift. Held over four weeks, beginning Jan 24th, the Wahoo Climbing Mission will see Zwifters tasked with the challenge of climbing 20,000ft, with additional unlocks at 10,000ft and 15,000ft. Best start training!
Speaking of… we have some great training experiences planned over the coming months. We have teamed up with WHOOP to host the WHOOP Training series, running Jan 3rd-Jan 23rd. Lionel Sanders will be leading a number of workouts for the triathlon community, Tinman Running will be leading the run events, with riders from EF Pro Cycling looking after the cyclists. WHOOP’s 24/7 physiological performance tracker, based on heart rate, provides insights into your Strain and Recovery. These insights allow you to determine if you are fully recovered and ready to train hard or if you should take it easy that day. These recommendations are scored and color coded into three categories: Green Day - Ready to perform; Yellow Day - ready for moderate activity; Red Day - take it easy today. Zwift and WHOOP will be offering different workouts for all three Red, Yellow, and Green days.
Also taking place in January will be the INEOS Grenadiers Virtual Training camp. The world’s most successful stage-racing team of their generation, INEOS Grenadiers, will be sharing their training expertise with Zwifters having the very special chance to ride with some of the sport’s biggest stars.
Like the idea of riding with your heroes? Zwift will be hosting rides with many professional cyclists, triathletes and runners. For an easy way to find a chance to ride or run with one of the stars, head to https://www.zwift.com/events/tag/ridewithpro.
For those with an eye to compete, how could we not talk about racing on Zwift?! Zwift’s biggest racing league returns on January 11th with leagues catering to all abilities and timezones. If you want to join in the fun with thousands of others this January, registration is open now at https://www.wtrl.racing/zrl-registration/.
In addition to ZRL, Zwift has recently launched Z Racing Chase races, held weekly every Wednesday. Chase races are a unique format allowing riders of all abilities to go toe-to-toe. Riders that sign up to a Z Racing Chase Race will be auto-categorised and entered into a group with racers of equal ability, based on past performances in Zwift races. Groups start in waves with the fastest riders setting off last. The name of the game is to catch or to not get caught, with the first over the line taking the glory. If this sounds like your thing, you can sign up for a race here - https://www.wtrl.racing/zracing-chase-race/.
Of course, exploring Zwift’s ever-expanding roster of roads remains one of the best reasons to turn the pedals. Zwift will be releasing new routes, with more badges to collect, every single month from December to March. There’s never been a better time to be on Zwift!
Zwift has thousands of events taking place around the clock, 365 days a year, for riders all over the world. Many of these events and event experiences wouldn’t be possible without our fantastic community. Community events are full of innovative new formats and benefit from experienced ride leaders, so make sure you check these out!
About Zwift
Zwift is the fitness company born from gaming. We’re dedicated fitness enthusiasts, experienced video game developers, and disruptive thinkers. Play is in our DNA and we know fun fuels results.
Zwift utilizes massively multiplayer online gaming technology to create rich, 3D worlds ripe for exploration. Join thousands of cyclists and runners in immersive playgrounds like London, New York, and Paris as well as our very own Watopia.
Our app connects wirelessly to exercise equipment: bike trainers, treadmills, and more, so your real world effort powers your avatar in the game.
From friendly races to social rides and structured training programs, Zwift unites a diverse community in pursuit of a more fun, immersive and social fitness experience.
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