Zwift’s 10th anniversary celebrations continue with the Tour of Watopia! | 3bikes.fr, your Cycling, Gravel & Triathlon magazine

Zwift, the global online fitness platform, unveils the route for the 2024 Tour de Watopia with five spectacular stages designed to celebrate the brand’s 10th anniversary and take Zwifters on a journey through time, (re)discovering Watopia like never before.

Source: Press Release

The 2024 Tour de Watopia route includes five stages. The first four stages highlight iconic routes from the past ten years, allowing Zwifters to rediscover some of Watopia’s most popular circuits while exploring new areas of this vast virtual universe. The fifth stage, still mysterious, will be revealed on Tuesday, November 12, when participants will discover a new island slowly emerging from the ocean…

Each stage will be open to runners and cyclists, with different distances for cyclists (short, standard, and long) and two options for runners (standard and long). If Zwifters participate in one of the scheduled group events – which will take place hourly, between Tuesday, October 15 and Tuesday, November 18 – they will see their XP doubled, allowing them to buy more items in the shop, unlock new areas of Watopia, and obtain unique outfits and benefits. They will thus progress twice as fast as usual.

After their successful debut last year, stages can also be completed on demand, offering 1.5 times the usual XP, and everyone who participates in the tour will have the opportunity to unlock new limited edition products.

Stage 1

October 15 to 21: Downtown to Volcano via Epic

All three cycling options start in downtown Watopia and then follow the hilly routes of Whole Lotta Lava (short), Figure 8 (standard), and Watopia Mountain (long). The running options (5 km standard and 10 km long) include sections of Whole Lotta Lava.

Key points on the Figure 8 route include the Hilly KOM (0.9 km at 5.5%) and the Hilly KOM Reverse (2.4 km at 2%) which date back to April 2015, making them Zwift’s oldest climbs. The JWB sprint also features on the Figure 8 and Watopia Mountain routes. It is Watopia’s oldest sprint, named in honor of Julynn Washington, a pioneering Zwifter. Watopia Mountain also includes the Epic KOM which, at 9.5 km, was Zwift’s longest climb when it debuted in March 2016.

Stage 2

October 22 to 28: Jungle to Alpe du Zwift

The tour heads to the Mayan Jungle on the short Jungle Circuit and standard Serpentine 8 routes, first appearing in October 2017, requiring cyclists to swap their road bikes for mountain bikes for this stage.

The long route takes the Road to Sky and includes the imposing Alpe de Zwift climb (12 km at 8%), which debuted five years ago and is inspired by Alpe d’Huez, with its 21 hairpin bends.

The running options (5 km standard and 10 km long) include sections of Road to Sky.

Stage 3

October 29 to November 4: Fuego to Titans

The tour moves east for the third stage. Participants will ride Tempus Fugit (short), Sand and Sequoias (standard), and Eastern Eight (long) which all pass through the Fuego Flats desert, dating from 2019.

The two longest rides also head into the forest to climb the Titan’s Grove KOM (2.6 km at 2.2%), while Eastern Eight takes the flat underwater roads of Ocean Boulevard. Fun fact: Tempus Fugit is currently Zwift’s most popular route.

The running options (5 km standard and 10 km long) include sections of Sand and Sequoias.

Stage 4

November 4 to 11: South Coast to The Climb

This stage follows the Going Coastal (short), Mayan 8 (standard), and Itza Party (long) routes. Going Coastal and Itza Party pass through the coastal road, introduced last October. While Going Coastal does not include any notable climbs, Itza Party offers four ascents, including a tough summit finish on the Itza KOM (3.75 km at 3%).

The running options (5 km standard and 10 km long) include sections of Mayan 8.

Stage 5

November 12 to 18: To be discovered later

Zwifters will undoubtedly notice something strange emerging from the ocean, just off the coast of Watopia, in recent weeks… Could it be ancient structures? All will be revealed on Tuesday, November 12 when the fifth stage explores this new historic and exciting land.

Registration for the Tour de Watopia is now open. Once each stage is launched, it will also be possible to ride them at any time before the end of the tour, on Sunday, November 24.

To ride on Zwift

The Zwift Ride Smart frame that we tested earlier this summer and which can be mounted on various smart indoor trainers is available for purchase at a price of €799.99.

Always operational, it is designed to integrate seamlessly with a compatible smart indoor trainer and bring Watopia to life better than ever before. From its integrated controls to its virtual shifting, and an easily adjustable frame, you can give your whole family a unparalleled experience in Zwift.