Tour of Watopia 2020 Details

Route Description

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We begin on Fuego Flats at the spawn point, moving clockwise around the desert loop until it drops us off on Ocean Blvd. Take Ocean Blvd toward the Fishing Village (away from Downtown), turn left toward the Italian Village, then another left at the fountain to head toward the Volcano.

Ride partly around the Volcano clockwise, then make our way through the downtown start/finish line and onto Ocean Boulevard before a quick left back to Fuego Flats for the final false flat haul toward the desert arch for the finish.

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

The Watopia “Flat Route” was added when Watopia’s Ocean Boulevard came online in late December 2015. It includes the undersea tunnel and marina sections, plus the back half of the original Hilly Route.

Route Description

Watopia’s “That’s Amore” is aptly named, since it is the only running route which takes you through the full Italian Villas section. Released in the September 30, 2018 update, this is a twisty route on mostly mixed-use roads.

You’ll begin by running northward through the start/finish and into the tunnel to downtown. Loop around onto the main road, which takes you over The Esses in a reverse direction. Cross JWB bridge and you’ll find yourself on the cobbles of the Italian Villas. Continue out of town past the waterfall and over the 360 bridge, then turn back onto the run path for a lap finish.

Route Description

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This loop begins just before the Fuego Flats start pens, taking you out to the desert for a flat and fast first half of the route. Leaving the town of Saddle Springs around 6 miles into your ride, the road ramps up a bit then begins to descend through the sequoia grove. The landscape is changing!

Hanging a right on your descent through the trees puts you on the road through Titans Grove, and this section has a completely different feel from the desert. With tight twists and constantly changing gradients it can feel like a rollercoaster at high speeds – so take a moment to slow down and enjoy the scenery. (Unless you’re in a race – then you’d better hang on tight!)

The reverse version of this route is functional. Simply flip a u-turn to take it all in the opposite direction.

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

Begin in downtown Watopia and head out Ocean Boulevard for a nice flat warmup before the first climb. Enjoy the ocean tunnel, wave to the whale, then head up to dry land for a dusty trip through the fishing village and a short, snaking climb up to Watopia’s main “Hilly Route”.

You’re now on the Hilly Route in the reverse direction. You’ll cross the 360 Bridge then pass Hank’s Gas Station, where the reverse KOM begins. Give that first pitch a good hard kick, then try to hold some speed for the rest of the climb, which isn’t nearly as steep.

Drop down from the KOM banner, ride through downtown Watopia again, then it’s over the Esses and a quick descent onto the timed reverse sprint over the JWB (Julynn Washington Bridge).

Catch your breath after the sprint as you hit the cobbles of the Italian Villas, then turn right and head down the snaky descent to the fishing village once more. You’re on Ocean Boulevard, but in the reverse direction. As you climb out of the ocean tube, take a deep breath and get ready: the forward KOM is just up the road!

The forward KOM is shorter and steeper than the reverse. Go as hard as you’d like, keep that power up over the flat top, then enjoy your descent. You earned it!

Over some rollers and past the noisy waterfall you’ll ride through the Italian Villas once more, hit the forward sprint section, cross the JWB, then hit the short, straight kicker into the Esses.

Keep your speed up through the Esses by modulating your power just right, then it’s one final kick to the finish in downtown Watopia. You did it!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

This loop begins just before the Fuego Flats start pens, taking you out to the desert for a flat and fast first half of the route. Leaving the town of Saddle Springs around 6 miles into your ride, the road ramps up a bit then begins to descend through the sequoia grove. The landscape is changing!

Hanging a right on your descent through the trees puts you on the road through Titans Grove, and this section has a completely different feel from the desert. With tight twists and constantly changing gradients it can feel like a rollercoaster at high speeds – so take a moment to slow down and enjoy the scenery. (Unless you’re in a race – then you’d better hang on tight!)

The reverse version of this route is functional. Simply flip a u-turn to take it all in the opposite direction.

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

This is the flattest route in all of Zwift as the time of its release, with only 16m (52′) of elevation gain from start line to finish. There are some ~1% false flats, but they are barely noticeable as you fly through the picturesque desert.

There are lots of landmarks in Fuego Flats to help you keep your bearings. First you pass the cliff dwellings near the first turnaround loop, then you hit the forward 500m sprint segment. Next you’ll ride through the old town of Desert Flats (watch for the steam engine to come roaring through) then through a gap in the rocks to a hidden oasis complete with a waterfall and dinosaur fossils.

Continue on and you’ll ride into Saddle Springs, the 1950’s-inspired resort town where you’ll make your turnaround before heading back home. Just after the turnaround you’ll cross the start line of the 7km “Fuego Flats Reverse” segment which ends at the same rock arch where the forward sprint ends.

You’ll ride through this arch, around the first turnaround loop (the one with ruins of cliff dwellings) then finish the route with a second effort on the 500m sprint segment.

Route Description

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Zwift created this route using GPS data to perfectly match the incline and distance of the storied climb with its 21 hairpin turns. The climb to Alp d’Huez actually has two different finish points: the “tourist version” and the Tour de France version. Alpe du Zwift matches the tourist version, which is ~2km shorter with 40 meters less climbing than the TdF. In all, Alpe du Zwift is 12.24km (7.6 miles) long, with a total elevation gain of over 1000 meters (3400′)! Read more >

If you choose this route for a freeride you’ll begin just a few hundred yards before the jungle start pens. Events on Road to Sky now begin in the jungle start pens.

So whatever type of ride you’re doing, you’ll drop into the jungle, wave to the sloth and enjoy a little gravel riding before you hang a right and head up the Alpe.

The route ends at the KOM banner atop Alpe du Zwift.

Route Description

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Watopia’s “Volcano Climb” is essentially the Volcano Flat route with the corkscrew climb up the the volcano thrown in. It’s a nice route to hit if you want a mostly flat route, with one fairly steady (3.7km @ 3% grade) climb thrown in.

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

Begin in downtown Watopia and head to the Ocean Boulevard tunnel, where you’ll turn left at Sequoia Circle before climbing back into the open air and beginning your climb up the Epic KOM.

The Epic KOM is 9.5km long and averages 3.9%, but the final few kilometers feature some flats and descents, so you know the climbing section average well over 3.9%.

When you reach the KOM banner and wave hello to the ibex, don’t stop pedaling… you’ve still got some work to do! Instead of immediately descending you’ll turn left to take on the daunting Radio Tower climb. This is the steepest sustained climb in the game, and it doesn’t help that you’re climbing on snow/ice, which rolls slower than pavement!

Pro tip: once you get to the top, you can catch your breath before zipping down the steep incline. This is a great place to grab speed-related achievement badges like Speed Demon (40mph), Daredevil (50mph), or even the secret 100KPH badge!

After descending from the Radio Tower you can enjoy a long, almost coastable descent down the Epic KOM’s backside. This will take you to the docks of the Fishing Village, where the road winds up to the Italian Villas and across The Esses before dropping you back in downtown Watopia for the finish.

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

We begin with a 4.6km (2.9 mile) lead-in from the starting pens (Strava segment here).

Once you ride through the Volcano Circuit start/finish banner the actual route begins, taking you around 2/3 of the standard Volcano Circuit CCW route. But instead of completing the circuit you’ll hang a left onto the Volcano KOM, ride up to the top, then descend back to sea level. Only then is it time to complete your Volcano Circuit CCW lap!

When you ride through the start/finish banner you’ve completed one lap of “Whole Lotta Lava”. Most events on this route are 2-4 laps in length.

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

The jungle loop itself is almost 8km in length. In the forward direction, you roll through the lap banner at the loop’s lowest elevation, then ride a gradual climb (~3%) to cross the dizzying heights of the rope bridge. Soon enough you are zipping downhill to the bottom of the valley for another lap.

The entire circuit is dirt, and while this was only a visual change when the Jungle was first released, Zwift modified the rolling resistance of dirt in October 2019 and again in 2023. Now, different bike wheels perform differently in the Jungle, making your wheel choice especially strategic when racing!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

The jungle loop itself is almost 8km in length. In the forward direction, you roll through the lap banner at the loop’s lowest elevation, then ride a gradual climb (~3%) to cross the dizzying heights of the rope bridge. Soon enough you are zipping downhill to the bottom of the valley for another lap.

The entire circuit is dirt, and while this was only a visual change when the Jungle was first released, Zwift modified the rolling resistance of dirt in October 2019 and again in 2023. Now, different bike wheels perform differently in the Jungle, making your wheel choice especially strategic when racing!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

The jungle loop itself is almost 8km in length. In the forward direction, you roll through the lap banner at the loop’s lowest elevation, then ride a gradual climb (~3%) to cross the dizzying heights of the rope bridge. Soon enough you are zipping downhill to the bottom of the valley for another lap.

The entire circuit is dirt, and while this was only a visual change when the Jungle was first released, Zwift modified the rolling resistance of dirt in October 2019 and again in 2023. Now, different bike wheels perform differently in the Jungle, making your wheel choice especially strategic when racing!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

The jungle loop itself is almost 8km in length. In the forward direction, you roll through the lap banner at the loop’s lowest elevation, then ride a gradual climb (~3%) to cross the dizzying heights of the rope bridge. Soon enough you are zipping downhill to the bottom of the valley for another lap.

The entire circuit is dirt, and while this was only a visual change when the Jungle was first released, Zwift modified the rolling resistance of dirt in October 2019 and again in 2023. Now, different bike wheels perform differently in the Jungle, making your wheel choice especially strategic when racing!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

The jungle loop itself is almost 8km in length. In the forward direction, you roll through the lap banner at the loop’s lowest elevation, then ride a gradual climb (~3%) to cross the dizzying heights of the rope bridge. Soon enough you are zipping downhill to the bottom of the valley for another lap.

The entire circuit is dirt, and while this was only a visual change when the Jungle was first released, Zwift modified the rolling resistance of dirt in October 2019 and again in 2023. Now, different bike wheels perform differently in the Jungle, making your wheel choice especially strategic when racing!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

The jungle loop itself is almost 8km in length. In the forward direction, you roll through the lap banner at the loop’s lowest elevation, then ride a gradual climb (~3%) to cross the dizzying heights of the rope bridge. Soon enough you are zipping downhill to the bottom of the valley for another lap.

The entire circuit is dirt, and while this was only a visual change when the Jungle was first released, Zwift modified the rolling resistance of dirt in October 2019 and again in 2023. Now, different bike wheels perform differently in the Jungle, making your wheel choice especially strategic when racing!

Route Description

If you know your Watopia routes, the easiest way to understand this route is as two laps of Volcano Flat followed by a lap of Volcano Climb ending at the volcano KOM banner. This means the first 36km (22.4 miles) of the route is quite flat, but the final volcano climb wraps it up in painful fashion. In fact, nearly half the route’s vertical gain comes in the final 4km!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

Watopia’s “Volcano Circuit CCW” route is nearly identical to the “Volcano Circuit” route, except you travel in a counter-clockwise direction on the circuit. To get to the circuit you must first ride ~2.6km from the spawn point, travelling through a glass bridge to arrive at the volcano.

Once you arrive you will continue to be routed around the 4km circuit in a counter-clockwise direction. A lap counter visible just after the circuit banner indicates the number of laps you have completed.

Route Description

Route profile by ZwiftHub – the place to plan and track your route achievements!

Watopia’s “Volcano Circuit” route takes you around and through the volcanic island in a clockwise direction. To get to the circuit you must first ride ~2.6km from the spawn point, traveling through a glass bridge to arrive at the volcano. Once you arrive you will continue to be routed around the 4km circuit. A lap counter visible just after the circuit banner indicates the number of laps you have completed.