Zwift’s 10-Year Celebrations Continue With 2024 Tour of Watopia

October 1, 2024

The five stages have been specifically chosen to celebrate Zwift’s landmark anniversary and take Zwifters on an exhilarating journey through time

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The route for the 2024 Tour of Watopia has been announced with five spectacular stages set to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary and take Zwifters on a journey through time, experiencing Watopia like never before. The first four stages include a greatest hits of fan-favorite routes from the last decade, allowing Zwifters to rediscover some of the most beloved courses Watopia has to offer, whilst also sampling some of the newest areas of this vast, virtual land. The fifth stage remains a mystery, though, with participants having to wait until Tuesday 12th November to access a brand-new island which can currently be seen rising slowly from the ocean…

Each stage will be open to runners and riders, with cyclists able to tackle three different distances (short, standard, and long) and runners choosing between standard and long-distance options.If Zwifters take part in any of the scheduled group events – which will take place every hour, on the hour, between Tuesday 15th October and Tuesday 18th November – they’ll be rewarded with double XP (experience points), meaning they can buy more items from the drop shop, unlock new parts of Watopia, and also unlock unique kits and benefits as they level up at twice the normal speed.After its successful introduction last year, stages can also be conquered on-demand, earning 1.5 XP along the way, and everyone who takes part in the tour will also have the opportunity to unlock new, limited-edition products.

The stages are as follows:

Stage 1 – launching Tuesday 15th October (with live events available between 15-21 Oct): Downtown to Volcano via Epic

All three cycling options start in downtown Watopia and then follow the undulating Whole Lotta Lava (short), Figure 8 (standard) and Watopia Mountain (long) routes.

Key landmarks on Figure 8 include the Hilly KOM (0.9km at 5.5%) and Hilly KOM Reverse (2.4km at 2%) which date back to April 2015, making them the oldest climbs on Zwift. The JWB sprint also features on the Figure 8 and Watopia Mountain routes. This is the oldest sprint on Watopia and is named after Julynn Washington, who was a prominent early Zwifter. Watopia Mountain also includes the Epic KOM which, at 9.5km, was the longest climb on Zwift when it was introduced back in March 2016.

The standard (5km) and long (10km) run options both feature sections of Whole Lotta Lava.

Stage 2 – launching Tuesday 22nd October (with live events available between 22-28 Oct): Jungle to Alpe du Zwift

The tour heads into the Mayan Jungle on the short Jungle Circuit and standard Serpentine 8 routes, which first appeared back in October 2017, meaning riders will have to swap their road bikes with MTBs to get through this one.

The long route, however, tackles the Road to Sky and features the fearsome Alpe du Zwift (12km at 8%), which made its debut five years ago and is modelled on the real-world Alpe d’Huez, complete with 21 leg-sapping hairpin bends.

The standard (5km) and long (10km) run options both feature sections of Road to Sky.

Stage 3 – launching Tuesday 29th October (with live events available between 29 Oct-4 Nov): Fuego to Titans

The tour travels east for stage three and the Tempus Fugit (short), Sand and Sequoias (standard) and Eastern Eight (long) cycle routes all visit the Fuego Flats Desert, which dates back to 2019. The two longest rides also head into the forest to scale the Titan’s Grove KOM (2.6km at 2.2%), while Eastern Eight incorporates the flat, underwater roads of Ocean Boulevard. Fun fact; Tempus Fugit is currently Zwift’s most popular route.

The standard (5km) and long (10km) run options both feature sections of Sand and Sequoias.

Stage 4 – launching Tuesday 5th November (with live events available between 4-11 Nov): Southern Coast to The Grade

Taking on the Going Coastal (short), Mayan 8 (standard) and Itza Party (long) routes for the penultimate stage of the tour, both Going Coastal and Itza Party include the coastal road expansion that was first introduced in October last year. While Going Coastal has no climbs of note, Itza Party serves up four ascents, including a tricky summit finish on the Itza KOM (3.75km at 3%).

The standard (5km) and long (10km) run options both feature sections of Mayan 8.

Stage 5 – launching Tuesday 12th November (with live events available between 12-18 Nov): To be revealed

Zwifters might have noticed something unusual appearing from the ocean, just off Watopia’s coast, in the last few weeks… Could they be ancient structures? All will be revealed on Tuesday 12th November when stage five explores this new, exciting and historic land.

Registration for the Tour of Watopia is open now, and once each stage has launched, there will also be the chance to ride each one, any time, before the tour concludes on Sunday 24th November.

Find out more by clicking here.

The 10-year celebrations don’t stop there

To mark this landmark occasion, Zwift is also running a special promotion between 30th September and 7th October. Customers that purchase any trainer on Zwift.com will receive a set of Zwift Play controllers worth £99.99/$99.99/€99.99!

And in addition to that, Big Birthday Bash Rides are also taking place between 3rd and 7th October, giving Zwifters the opportunity to ride with stars such as Mathieu van der Poel, Sir Chris Hoy and athletes from CANYON//SRAM Racing.Find out more by clicking here.