Zwift 2024 Tour of Watopia Announced

The route for the 2024 Tour of Watopia has been announced with five stages set to celebrate Zwift’s 10th anniversary.

Zwift notes that… “The first four stages include the 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 November 12 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 October 15, 2024 and November 18th – they’ll be rewarded with double XP (experience points). This can be used to purchase virtual items from the Zwift Drop Shop, unlock new parts of Watopia, and also unlock unique kits and benefits as riders level up at twice the normal speed.

After an introduction last year, stages can also be conquered on-demand, earning 1.5 XP along the way, and everyone who takes part in the virtual tour will also have the opportunity to unlock new, limited-edition products.

2024 Tour of Watopia stages

Stage 1 – Downtown to Volcano via Epic – launching on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 (with live events available between October 15-21)

• 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 route 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 Love.

Stage 2 – Jungle to Alpe du Zwift – launching on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 (with live events available between October 22-28)

• The tour heads into the Mayan Jungle on the short Jungle Circuit and standard Serpentine 8 routes, which first appeared back in October 2017. The long route, however, tackles the Road to Sky and features Alpe du Zwift (12km at 8%), which made its debut five years ago and is modeled 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 – Fuego to Titans – launching on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 (with live events available between October 29 and November 4)

• 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.
• Zwift 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 – Southern Coast to The Grade – launching on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 (with live events available between November 4-11)

• 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 – New route to be revealed – launching on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 (with live events available between November 12-18)

• Zwifters might have noticed something unusual appearing from the virtual ocean, just off Watopia’s coast, in the last few weeks. All will be revealed on Tuesday, November 12, when stage five explores a new virtual 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, November 24, 2024.

Zwift