TOUR OF WATOPIA: PREPARE TO RACE

Welcome to Tour of Watopia! With five stages across the world that started it all, this is our most rewarding event of the year. Together with riders all over the world, you’ll put your fitness to the test as you race for the podium.

Zwift takes racing to a new level. With unique environments and cool ways to enhance your performance, races are just as fun as they are fast. Open to everybody, they’re friendly competitions with a global community as dialed in as you are. This post helps get you set for the starting line. If you’re brand new to Zwift and need to gear up, watch this How To video if you’re riding, and this How To video if you’re running.

HOW TO FIND A RACE

From the Tour of Watopia homepage, click into each stage page. You’ll see a description of the stage, the available dates, and the scheduler feature for upcoming events. Choose the RACES button. Now pick a day and the corresponding time that works for you.

WHAT TO DO ON RACE DAY

WARM UP

Make sure you give yourself a good 15 minutes before the race begins to get warmed up. Most races go hard out of the gate, so there won’t be a warmup once the event starts. This is also a good time to make sure all your connections—heart rate monitor, cadence, and trainer—are calibrated and working properly. We notify you in-game when your event is about to start, so don’t worry about losing track of time while warming up.

PREPARE FOR FAST STARTS

Just like in real life, everyone is excited and fresh at the start of the race. Be ready to take off hard from the get-go. You may even have to push it above your category level for a bit as the pack settles in. This initial burst usually only lasts for the first mile or so, as racers begin to find riders at similar levels to work with.

KEEP EVERYTHING CLOSE 

Before the race begins, make sure your water bottles are full, sports nutrition is within reach, and a dry towel is handy. Don’t forget to switch your fan on!

KEEP IT FUN

When you race on Zwift, you’re allowed—even encouraged—to pivot away from conventional racing methods and turn the whole thing on its head. Change your tactics. Shake it all up. Form an impromptu breakaway and step on the gas during climbs. All in the name of fun. 

THE DRAFT EFFECT

To better mimic the real world, take full advantage of drafting. Simply put, if you’re riding on someone’s wheel, you can put out less power and still stay with them. This essentially allows you to ‘rest’ while someone else does the work. It’s a good tactic to use, but don’t expect someone to let you sit on their wheel for an entire ride. Catch your breath and take a pull.

INTERACTING WITH OTHERS

Learn how to chat with friends and rivals and motivate them with a Ride On.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjeLZDycZqw&list=PLjaxpWLm1cBfWUU0AKWCOusaZMaf_yxFv&index=31&t=0s

USING POWERUPS

Zwift PowerUps are like superpowers! They give you a temporary edge in the game. Pop a PowerUp and surge ahead of the pack. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMb8LJjhmUU&list=PLjaxpWLm1cBfWUU0AKWCOusaZMaf_yxFv&index=30&t=0s

Ride On.