Scott has launched the new Fastlane electric road bike, with the Premium spec dropping the claimed weight under 10kg.
The new bike shares its geometry and some components with the non-assisted Scott Addict endurance bike (the non-RC version) and is made of the same HMX carbon fibre as top specs of that bike. There are three Fastlane specs at launch, with prices of £6,399, £7,299 and £11,099.
The Fastlane is built around the TQ HPR40 ebike motor system, which has enabled Scott to produce a stealth ebike with a slimline profile that’s not that different from a pedal-powered bike.
Scott claims an 865g frame weight for the HMX carbon frame, with the fork adding 353g, both comparable weights to a non-assisted performance race bike. Scott says the aero tube profiles help to extend the battery range.
Wide tyres are now pretty much standard on new road bikes and the Fastlane is equipped with 34mm tyres, which Scott says enable you to take on a range of surfaces. There’s clearance to go as wide as 38mm, the same as the Addict.
The Fastlane has an integrated rear light, powered by the main battery, and the option to connect a front light to the battery, too. As with the Addict, bolts under the front of the top tube enable you to add a Syncros frame bag.
The TQ HPR40 motor is claimed to provide assistance comparable to a gentle push on the back.
TQ offers three motors: the HPR40, HPR50 and HPR60, with their suffixes denoting their torque output. Scott has chosen to use the lowest-torque HPR40 motor for the Fastlane, which is also the most compact and has a 200W power output, rather than the larger motors’ 300W and 350W respectively.
The TQ HPR40 motor’s claimed weight is 1.17kg and Scott compares its assistance to a gentle push on the back. It’s also claimed to be quieter and to incorporate software that enables it to learn from the rider’s style and adapt to their assistance needs.
The display unit integrates into a bar end.
The controls are also slimline, with the three assist levels selected via the third button on the Shimano Di2 shifters and a display unit that replaces a bar-end plug, and shows the battery charge and the assistance mode.
Scott has chosen TQ’s mid-capacity 290Wh down-tube integrated battery with a 1.46kg claimed weight, so the motor plus battery contribute only 2.63kg of the Fastlane’s total weight.
There’s an integrated rear light and the battery can also power a front light and other electronics. Nils Laengner/Scott Sports
Despite the stealth implementation, the HPR40’s battery can still power lights and other peripheral electronics. The TQ system can also be paired with a cycling computer via ANT+ to provide a wider display of motor stats.
The HPR40 is the same TQ motor unit as used by Canyon in its Endurace:ONfly electric bike, which also boasts a sub-10kg weight in its top spec and which we rode at its launch event in Girona.
Scott Fastlane spec details
There are three versions of the Fastlane, with prices starting at £6,399.
Scott is offering the Fastlane in three specs: Premium, 10 and 20.
It equips the Fastlane Premium and 10 specs with a one-piece Syncros carbon bar/stem, with an integrated Torq tool, which enables you to fettle all the bolts on the bike.
This week, the second round of Zwift Racing League 2025/26 kicked off with a team time trial on Greatest London Flat. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t make it any easier by getting the start time wrong…
Once again, I’m racing with team Coalition Delusion in the Lime B1 Development division. Read on to learn how our race unfolded!
Shortest Warmup Ever
It was Tuesday at 9:55am here in Northern California when I glanced at my phone, opening the Companion app on a whim. I’m still not sure why I did it.
But it’s a good thing I did. Because Companion told me my ZRL race started in 12 minutes. I thought it was still over an hour away!
I’ve given up trying to understand how daylight savings changes work in ZRL, or in Zwift events as a whole. I had assumed my races were still at 11am like they were in Round 1, and I hadn’t even looked at my start time after signing up for this first race.
Panic immediately set in. Could I be ready to ride in 12 minutes? Would my lack of a warmup ruin my performance?
Mentally tossing those thoughts aside, I dashed downstairs as I yelled to the wife, “Gah! My race starts in 12 minutes and I thought it was an hour away!”
I rushed into my bedroom and started grabbing what I needed. I’ve done this, slowly, hundreds of times before. But it sure feels like a lot of stuff when you’re in a hurry!
Bibshorts
Jersey
Sweatband
Gloves
Socks
HRM
I put all that on and hustled upstairs, turning on my Zwift computer while my sainted wife filled a couple of bidons and grabbed me a sweat towel. Seven minutes to go. Pull on the shoes.Climb on the bike.
Happily, my computer already had the latest Zwift update installed, plus it boots up fast. I changed my in-game kit to Coalition’s, changed my name so it included my pull number (I was rider #6) and team name, switched to the Cadex Tri bike with DT Swiss 85/Disc wheels, and joined the pens with around 4 minutes to go. It was a good thing we were the 7th team to start (at 10:07) instead of the first (at 10)!
Our sixth man joined the pens with just a minute to go (cutting it closer than me, Fabian), and I even had a spare minute to fire up OBS and get my race video recording for posterity (see it at the bottom of this post). Whew. Let’s race!
This being the first race of a new round, and only my fourth race with Coalition Delusion, I’m still getting to know my team and their strengths. Captain Neil had our pull order worked out, with a bit of help from the Zwift TTT Calculator:
When the clock hit zero, it was go time. I’d been spinning my legs for a few minutes, but I was far from warmed up. Happily, I was the last guy on the list to pull, which means I’d have a few easier minutes before needing to ramp it up to 370 for 60 seconds!
Settling Into a Strong Pace
We rolled out like pros, getting into a single file quickly despite the rollers at the start that can make it difficult to hold formation. Teammate Chris M was on Discord as our DS, not racing but playing a vital role in calling out what’s going on and making decisions so we didn’t have to.
We settled into a rhythm, calling out what time on the ride clock we’d be pulling to each time we took to the front and when we were about to pull off. I’d forgotten to fire up Sauce for Zwift, so I clicked to do that, giving us extra visibility into time gaps for teams ahead and behind.
As we turned right onto Northumberland Ave, I could see we were doing well, having put time into all the teams I could see in Sauce: to up the road and two behind. A good start, but could we hold the pace?
We ramped up the effort a bit on Northumberland, the first proper uphill of the course. While you have a pull order with power targets in a TTT, that’s your target on flat ground. For a team to maximize their overall speed, they need to push over those targets on climbs. And if you need to, you can ease and drop below the target on descents. The same rules apply in outdoor time trials, because… that’s how physics works.
Bless this Mess
Things got a bit messy formation-wise as we continued our race, so I reminded everyone on Discord that riding 2-3 meters behind the next guy is helpful in TTT races. You still get a full draft, but you aren’t constantly overlapping wheels and pushing each other out of the draft. It gives you breathing room. So we tried to stretch our line out a bit, with varying degrees of success.
I might have pushed on Discord for a cleaner formation, but what I was seeing in Sauce showed that we were still putting time into all the teams we could see. At the 16.6km mark we passed the team ahead, the BZR Lions. These poor guys had their work cut out of them, because they started with only four riders! I gave them a ride on as we passed…
Suffering In the Hills
Through the subway, then out into the countryside. This is where the work begins on this course! You’ve got a small climb up to the base of Box Hill, then a series of shallow, draftable climbs through the park area. We ramped up our power on the climbs, but also reminded each other to hold formation since the climb were quite draftable. Sauce said I was saving 40W drafting on the climb, and by the end of this tough section we were less than 30 seconds from catching the next team up the road.
Chris was on Discord, dishing out the positivity: “You’re flying, guys. Keep doing what you’re doing, this is awesome.”
Down the other side, into the Underground, then the next challenge reared up: the escalator ramp! Chris reminded us of the best approach to this tricky section: ramp up before you get to the bottom so you carry momentum up the climb, then keep pushing over the top.
I was first over the top, which gave me a welcome chance to ease up and let the team pass, with Fabian starting another long pull and me catching the tail end so I could sit in for a bit.
One Rider Down
We still had all six riders at this point, but I could tell Dylan, the rider ahead of me, was struggling. I was on his wheel, and he let a big gap open to the four riders ahead. Uh oh! He didn’t call for help, and was able to push hard and close the gap. A noble and strong move, but I think it pushed him past the redline. Seconds after closing the gap he sat up. Parachute pulled. Well done, sir.
We caught the next team (Foudre) at the 24.8km mark, then kept pushing. Fabian and I had been taking longer pulls, and we were both feeling it. We called out our pull lengths, shortening them so we could hold on to the finish.
The Foudre team sort of sat in our draft for a bit, making things a bit messy and not dropping off until around 26.1km:
(This happens often in TTT races, and I think it’s generally not intentional. It’s hard for the passing team to increase their power even more in order to gap the passed team quickly, and the team getting passed doesn’t want to ease up to let the gap form. So instead, the passed team gets sucked into the draft of the passing team until the elastic snaps!)
Andrew’s Disappearing Act
At the 26.4 mark, our team of five suddenly became four when Andrew disappeared. He was the middle rider in our formation when it happened, too, which really confused things. Fabian was dropping back after taking his pull, Neil had just started his, then Andrew disappeared, leaving Neil 20 meters off the front and the rest of us wondering how that gap opened up!
Andrew appeared again as Fabian started pushing to close the gap. I was feeling the effort, but I knew Fabian was too, having just taken a pull, so I upped the power and came around him to try to pull Fabian and Robert up to Andrew and Neil. Andrew disappeared again, and we climbed up Northumberland, catching Neil halfway up.
That’s when DS Chris noticed Andrew had disappeared. (It’s only in watching my video that I’m seeing what happened earlier.)
Up Northumberland, we were clearly all on the rivet. “Is anyone able to go?” Chris asked, looking for someone to take a pull. *crickets*
Eventually, team captain Neil got on the front (chapeau!) then suddenly, Andrew appeared again, 3 seconds up the road. What a stud! (Anyone who’s ever had an Internet dropout on Zwift knows how hard it is to stay with the other riders when they disappear from the screen and you lose their draft and position. He must have pushed hard to keep his speed higher than ours.)
With 3km to go, the five of us turned right onto the Classique course for our finish. Chris put together an ad-hoc order and we kept rotating through, complete with Andrew disappearing again mid-pull. But we kept our speed up, then went all-in with 400 meters to go. Empty the tank!
I averaged 493W for the final 30 seconds, pushing hard on tired legs. Our final time, taken off our fourth rider, would be 42:51.16.
We knew we had beaten the teams we could see on screen. And the results screen that popped up showed us in 1st place, but I wasn’t sure if that results screen works the way it should for a TTT. (In hindsight, I think it does.)
After cooling down, I headed over to the WTRL website to see if our results were up yet. And they were… and we’d won!
Overall, I was happy with my performance on the day, as I was able to take 60-second pulls, help close gaps, and generally be an asset and not a liability for the team. That’s the beauty of racing in the B Development division… I’m not constantly struggling just to hold on!
Traditional team Discord snapshot
The team did well as a whole, too, of course. While we could certainly tighten up our formation and get even faster, a win in the first race bodes well for this round. Next week is gonna be a tough one, but that’s part of racing ZRL. See you then!
Your Thoughts
How did your first race of round 2 go? Share below…
The new Skarper companion app brings full control to what I believe is the smartest ebike conversion kit you can buy.
Skarper’s revolutionary DiskDrive Ebike Drive System impressed me massively when I tested it last year.
It combines great power delivery, low weight and being an ebike converter that, uniquely, can be fitted in seconds and removed just as quickly.
I’ve been impressed by ebike converters from the likes of Boost, Swytch and Cytronex. However, the downside is that once you’ve fitted any of those conversion kits, your bike can’t be restored to its former non-assisted state.
The Skarper unit simply clicks into place and can be removed in seconds. Russell Burton / Our Media
The beauty of Skarper’s groundbreaking solution, which clicks on and off, is that your bike remains a bike. It only becomes an electric bike when you want it to be.
The Skarper system can be shared across multiple bikes, making it a great-value option.
The only niggle I had with the system was the lack of information; with no on-bar display or controller, you have to look at the lights on the unit to check on battery level and current mode. That’s not easy when riding, and not being able to change modes while pedalling seemed like an oversight.
The new Skarper companion app enables you to check firmware, and changes colour as you swipe through the modes. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
I called out for an app to make the system complete and Skarper has answered my prayers. I’ve had the Beta version of the new Skarper app on test for a couple of months now, and it’s just what I wanted.
The app converts your smartphone into a speed display; it also shows the battery level, and you can switch between Eco, Cruise and Turbo modes by swiping the display left or right.
It will also show warnings if something is amiss with the system, and you can check the firmware is up to date within the system settings. There’s an odometer for the unit, too.
The Skarper kit delivers smooth power thanks to clever programming. Russell Burton / Our Media
The Beta version has these simple functions, but Skarper tells me it will continue development and is looking into expanding the features of the free companion app soon.
The official roll-out of the Skarper companion app is set for early December.
Several winners of Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling prize have declined their nominations following the charity’s decision to exclude trans women and non-binary people from the award.
The charity has produced a list of notable women in cycling every year since 2017. It says the winners are “making cycling more accessible and inclusive to all and shaping the future of cycling”.
But this year, Cycling UK limited its eligibility criteria so only biological women could be nominated, citing a Supreme Court ruling from earlier this year.
The ruling found that references to ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act refer to biological women and biological sex.
The case was brought to the Supreme Court by gender-critical campaign group Women For Scotland, which is financially backed by JK Rowling, after two Scottish courts rejected its arguments over the 2010 Equality Act’s definition of a woman being limited to people born biologically female.
Cycling UK said on its website: “We have received legal advice which says that for our awards to continue to comply with the law we have to limit who can be nominated to biological women only.”
The charity’s decision has now come under fire from nominees of the 100 Women in Cycling Award.
Last week, Megan Joy Barclay, who runs the women’s development programme at Herne Hill Velodrome, declined the award.
In the letter Barclay wrote to Cycling UK, and posted on Instagram, she said: “Thank you for the recognition, I’ve enjoyed your women’s 100 list from afar for years and am flattered to have been chosen. Unfortunately I am going to politely decline the award as a result of your trans-exclusionary policy this year.
“I know that women are incredibly underrepresented at all levels of cycling as a result of years of marginalisation, inaccurate depictions of our capabilities, and binary ideals around what sport should be and look like. We now see the same thing happening to trans and non-binary riders and it saddens me that a sport I love will make the same exclusionary mistakes again.”
“I hope you will reconsider how these awards are run next year to ensure all women and non-binary people are included as we work towards better representation in cycling,” Barclay continued.
Cycling Weekly covered Barclay’s withdrawal from the award on 5 November and, since then, other nominees have turned down a place in the 100 Women in Cycling.
Sarah Ruggins, who holds the Land’s End to John O’Groats record, said in a statement on Instagram that she is declining the award due to the selection criteria.
Ruggins wrote on Instagram: “I will not accept recognition from a committee that has chosen to align with the Supreme Court’s definition of “woman” as sex at birth. This stance excludes trans women and other minorities, denying the dignity, inclusion, and opportunity they deserve.
“Sport is about belonging, not barriers. Trans women are women. Their exclusion from women’s categories and spaces sends a message that undermines the very principles of fairness, respect, and unity that sport is meant to uphold.”
The Bristol-based cycling guide and coach Claire Sharpe also declined the award because Cycling UK “didn’t mean all women”, she said in an Instagram video.
“If they don’t want to ride with all women, that’s not the kind of ride I want to be on anyway,” Sharpe added.
Athlyn Cathcart-Keays, founder of Roll Models, which empowers women and “marginalised genders to ride adventurously, independently, on their own terms”, said: “I cannot accept recognition from an organisation whose position excluded members of our community. Celebration means nothing if it comes at the expense of others’ belonging.”
The Green Party councillor Saskia Heijltjes also posted on Bluesky, saying she had asked to have her name and face removed from the awards.
The New Forest Off Road Club, which aims to grow representation in the outdoors, said that it understands from Cycling UK that the 100 Women in Cycling initiative is about “decentering the male perspective” and that to do that “we need trans voices too”.
In response to the criticism, Sarah Mitchell, chief executive at Cycling UK, said: “Cycling UK is absolutely dedicated to making cycling open and welcoming for everyone. This change to the awards doesn’t alter our strong commitment to including and supporting all those who cycle, including transgender and non-binary people. We truly believe cycling is for all, and we’ll keep working towards that goal.
“We also plan to review the overall format of our 100 Women in Cycling Awards ahead of the tenth anniversary next year – as there may be new and better ways to champion diversity and inclusivity in cycling.”
Zwift’s latest update includes a new frame from London-based Brompton, and it’s sure to turn some heads! The first Brompton in game, the P Line, will feature in an upcoming Virtual Brompton World Championship series (watch Zwift Insider for a post with details). Here’s what it looks like IRL:
Brompton sells several models: an A, C, G, P, and T Line. The P line is a lighter, performance-oriented 4-speed titanium and steel build.
We’ll all be riding the P Line during the Virtual World Champs events, but you can purchase it to keep today. To do so, you’ll need to be updated to game version 1.101+. You’ll also need to be at level 10+ with 600,000 Drops to spend! Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:
“Ride a British icon. The folding bike hand built in London since 1975. Portable, foldable, unstoppable. Probably not aerodynamical… but mega fun to ride!”
It’s rated just 1 star for aero and weight, so we didn’t expect this frame to be anything close to a fast contender. Still, since the 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!
Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Brompton P Line wheels on the un-upgraded version of the frame.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The P Line isn’t a terribly aero bike, and that’s reflected in its performance in our flat tests. It turned in a time 7.8 seconds slower than our baseline Zwift Carbon bike.
That makes it the third-slowest bike on Zwift, approximately on par with the Zwift Safety Bike.
Climb Performance
The Brompton’s climbing performance is, comparatively, much worse than its aero performance. Which seems a bit unfair, given this is the P Line with its lightened frame and a stated weight of only 21.8lb! That puts it just 20 seconds behind the Buffalo Fahrrad (which weighs around 50 lbs IRL, but is much lighter on Zwift) in a full climb up Alpe du Zwift.
It also means it’s the second-worst climbing road bike in Zwift (not counting gravel or MTB), with a time 96.5 seconds behind our baseline Zwift Carbon bike.
Upgrading the Brompton P Line
Like all frames in Zwift, your Brompton can be upgraded in five stages. It is grouped with entry-level road bikes, so only the first three stages yield performance improvements. The Brompton P Line’s upgrade stages are as follows:
Ride 100km, pay 25,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
Ride 130km, pay 50,000 Drops for a weight reduction
Ride 160km, pay 75,000 Drops for a drivetrain efficiency improvement
Ride 190km, pay 100,000 Drops to enable a 5% Drops bonus when riding this bike
Ride 220km, pay 150,000 Drops to enable a 5% XP bonus when riding this bike
You can expect a fully-upgraded (level 3+) Brompton P Line to be approximately 28 seconds faster on a flat hour and 36 seconds faster on an hour-long climb vs the “stock” Brompton P Line.
Upgrading the Brompton P Line
Like Zwift’s mountain bike frames, the Brompton P Line can use only one wheelset in game, aptly named the “Brompton P Line.” So you won’t be able to upgrade the bike’s wheels for improved overall performance.
Conclusions
The Brompton P Line isn’t going to set any speed records on Zwift, but it sure will turn heads. With Bromptons being popular among commuting Brits, I predict we’ll see lots of IRL Brompton owners buying this bike as a fun addition to their Zwift garage, for use in non-competitive, easier efforts.
A Note About Colorways
Notably, Zwift has included two different colorways with your Brompton P Line purchase. (I’m not sure this has ever been done in the past.) You have the standard one-color look, which includes a color slider. Then you have a funky custom paintjob that includes the Tour de France logo on the top tube. See both below:
Questions or Comments?
What do you think of this new addition from Brompton? Share below…
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike’s performance relative to others may also change. We don’t always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
If you’re on an A or B team, you’ll be racing two laps of Rising Empire, and this guide is for you. C and D teams will be on Everything Bagel (click here for that race guide).
There’s much to discuss, including crucial course segments, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options. Let’s go!
Looking at the Route
New York’s Rising Empire is 20.7km long with 375m of elevation gained per lap. A and B teams will be racing two laps of the course for a total of 41.4km and 750m of elevation. Here’s the lap profile:
Let’s discuss the key parts of this route, from start to finish…
Glass Road Ramp @3.1km and 23.8km (800 meters, 5%): This first proper climb of the race arrives as you exit the paved tunnel and transition to glass roads, and it always drops some riders. That said, this is a points race, so smart riders will conserve their energy for the bigger climbs up the road that really count in the end.
New York KOM @8.5 and 29.2km (1.4km, 6.3%) (FAL + FTS): The first points segment of the race, New York’s KOM is no joke, boasting some double-digit inclines across its triple stair-step layout. Fair warning: the average gradient is 6.3%, but it’s much steeper in places.
Powerup at KOM arch
The descent immediately following is steep and long enough that gaps can open up, especially if riders are supertucking, using anvil powerups (see below), or both! Watch out, especially if you are a lighter rider.
NY Sprint Reverse @12.3 and 33km (230 meters at 0%) (FAL + FTS): How cruel of WTRL, to hide the sprint points behind an intimidating KOM! But it is what it is. Those who make the front group after what’s sure to be a selective first KOM will fight for points on this sprint segment, which begins slightly downhill and ends slightly uphill.
Powerup at sprint arch
New York KOM Reverse @15.8km and 36.5km (1.1km, 8.1%) (FAL + FTS):: Shorter and steeper than the forward version of the KOM, the Reverse is especially punishing because there’s some significant climbing on the lead in. The climbing begins when you move from the paved to glass roads around 14.9km in, and it climbs steeply to the official start line of the KOM Reverse at 15.8. (It’s a bit confusing, because you’ll ride through the forward KOM’s start line first. But that’s not your start line! The KOM Reverse begins after you cross the forward KOM’s start line, then turn right.)
Powerup at KOM arch
Again, expect a fast descent immediately following this KOM. Using a supertuck and/or an anvil can help you bridge up to riders ahead, attack your group, or just sit in the wheels and recover more easily.
Powerup first time through lap arch
Once you ride through the lap arch, you’re halfway there! Lap two, of course, has the same key features as you see listed above.
Finish at Lap Arch (41.4km): The race ends on an uphill kicker ~200 meters long, but don’t wait until the road kicks up to start pushing! The fastest finish comes by pushing the power into the slight descent with ~500 meters to go, building speed you can carry all the way to the line. Both the feather or aero powerups are helpful here, with the aero being the most helpful at A/B speeds.
Powerups will be given at each arch, with equal probability to each of the three possible powerups. That means a total of seven possible powerups are available throughout the race.
Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. These will be most helpful on the steepest parts of the NY KOM (forward and reverse).
Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.) Useful if you’re contesting the sprint for points, attacking on a descent, or going all in for the finish.
Anvil: makes you heavier for up to 15 seconds, so you can descend faster. It won’t hurt you, as it only adds weight when the road is at a -1.5% decline or greater. Use this on downhills. Pair it with a supertuck to go extra fast with zero effort!
Bike Recommendations
This race’s four key climbs definitely make us steer away from pure aero setups and look at climbing bikes and all-arounders instead. Because while a more aero setup has a pure time advantage on laps of the full course, that time advantage evaporates if you get dropped on the first climb!
Our recommendation, then, is to use the new ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels paired with one of these bikes:
Of course, your frame’s upgrade status should impact your decision. A fully upgraded Aethos will outclimb the other four frames, but that’s not the case when comparing un-upgraded versions.
Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.
Additionally, riders in the Zwift community do a great job every week creating recon videos that preview the courses and offer tips to help you perform your best on the day. Here are the recons I’ve found (comment if you find another!)
J Dirom
John Rice
Strategic Options
Points Distributions, Rising Empire
This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.
Central Park is an attritional place, especially when the course heads up to the glass roads. Climbers are going to love this race, because all the points are hidden behind tough KOMs, and the number of riders able to hold onto the front will continue to drop as the race progresses.
I predict riders will fall into three groups:
Made for this: Pure climbers will surf wheels on the paved roads, then light it up on the glass roads. Especially up the first KOM, they’ll push hard to drop as many riders as possible, so there’s less competition on the points segments up the road.
Puncheurs: If your VO2 power lets you compete on NY-length KOMs, but you’ve also got some pure watts in your sprint legs, you may just be in the sweet spot to grab a lot of points in the race. (Alternatively, if the climbers rip your legs off on the KOMs, but you still survive in the front group, you can at least repay the favor by taking the sprint points.)
I’m a survivor: Not sure how you’ll fare on one KOM, let alone four? You’re not alone. At least ZRL’s FAL points structure gives everyone something to fight for. Remember: every point matters, and sometimes you can chase back on the descents following the KOMs!
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
If you’re on a C or D team, you’ll be racing one lap of Everything Bagel, and this guide is for you. A and B teams will race two laps of Rising Empire (click here for that race guide).
There’s much to discuss, including crucial course segments, powerup usage, bike decisions, and strategic options. Let’s go!
Looking at the Route
C and D teams will be on New York’s Everything Bagel route for a total race length of 34.9km with 527 meters of elevation gain.
This route is basically never flat, so you will need to stay alert and constantly modulate your power to maintain an ideal pack position throughout the race. Let’s look at the key sections of this race course…
New York KOM Reverse @ 2.9km (1.1km, 8.1%) (FAL + FTS): The NYC KOM Reverse climb is an interesting one, because it’s really two climbs. First you’ve got the lead-in of ~800m, then the actual timed segment which is 1.1km long. Make no mistake – the effort will begin at the bottom of the lead-in, and it will be an all-out slugfest because riders know that all the intermediate bonus points will go to the group that makes the front selection.
Powerup at the KOM arch
The descent immediately following is steep and long enough that gaps can open up, especially if riders are supertucking, using anvil powerups (see below), or both! Watch out, especially if you are a lighter rider.
NY Sprint @13.2km (150 meters, -4.3%) (FAL + FTS): the first points segment of the race is this technical sprint. It begins with a kicker before the start line, then the actual sprint is downhill and fast. Mind your pack position and timing.
Powerup at the Sprint arch
Glass road climb from 19.1-20.5km: though not a points segment, this climb is long and steep enough that it will force yet another selection.
New York KOM @ 24.4km (1.4km, 6.3%) (FAL + FTS): the second time up the NY KOM, but on the forward side this time. It’s steeper this way.
Powerup at the KOM arch
Again, expect a fast descent immediately following this KOM. Using a supertuck and/or an anvil can help you bridge up to riders ahead, attack your group, or just sit in the wheels and recover more easily.
NY Sprint Reverse @28.1km (230 meters at 0%) (FAL + FTS): riders, especially in groups, will carry a head of steam into this sprint from the just-finished descent of the NY KOM. You’ll want to consider how these higher speeds affect your approach to this final intermediate segment of the race, including the option of holding your anvil until you’re closer to the bottom of the descent.
Powerup at the Sprint arch
The finish here is flat and fast, with most of the final kilometers being slightly downhill. Tip: Typically, wins go to riders who sit in the draft as long as possible, as riders tend to poke their nose into the wind with long attacks on this finish.Be patient.
Powerups will be given at each arch, with equal probability to each of the three possible powerups. That means a total of five possible powerups are available throughout the race.
Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds. Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. These will be most helpful on the steepest parts of the NY KOM (forward and reverse).
Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting.) Useful if you’re contesting the sprint for points, attacking on a descent, or going all in for the finish.
Anvil: makes you heavier for up to 15 seconds, so you can descend faster. It won’t hurt you, as it only adds weight when the road is at a -1.5% decline or greater. Use this on downhills. Pair it with a supertuck to go extra fast with zero effort!
Bike Recommendations
This race’s two key climbs definitely make us steer away from pure aero setups and look at climbing bikes and all-arounders instead. Because while a more aero setup has a pure time advantage on laps of the full course, that time advantage evaporates if you get dropped on the first climb!
Our recommendation, then, is to use the new ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels paired with one of these bikes:
Of course, your frame’s upgrade status should impact your decision. A fully upgraded Aethos will outclimb the other four frames, but that’s not the case when comparing un-upgraded versions.
Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.
Additionally, riders in the Zwift community do a great job every week creating recon videos that preview the courses and offer tips to help you perform your best on the day. Here are the recons I’ve found (comment if you find another!)
John Rice
J Dirom
Strategic Options
Points Distributions, Everything Bagel
This chart shows the maximum points a team of 6 could earn in a race with 60 participants. To learn how ZRL points races work, see this post.
Central Park is an attritional place, especially when the course heads up to the glass roads. Climbers are going to love this race, because all the points are hidden behind tough KOMs, and the number of riders able to hold onto the front will continue to drop as the race progresses.
I predict riders will fall into three groups:
Made for this: Pure climbers will surf wheels on the paved roads, then light it up on the glass roads. Especially up the first KOM, they’ll push hard to drop as many riders as possible, so there’s less competition on the points segments up the road.
Puncheurs: If your VO2 power lets you compete on NY-length KOMs, but you’ve also got some pure watts in your sprint legs, you may just be in the sweet spot to grab a lot of points in the race. (Alternatively, if the climbers rip your legs off on the KOMs, but you still survive in the front group, you can at least repay the favor by taking the sprint points.)
I’m a survivor: Not sure how you’ll fare on one KOM, let alone four? You’re not alone. At least ZRL’s FAL points structure gives everyone something to fight for. Remember: every point matters, and sometimes you can chase back on the descents following the KOMs!
Your Thoughts
Any insights or further thoughts on this race? Share below!
Electric bike safety is creating headlines for all the wrong reasons. When used correctly, the risk of fire when charging an ebike battery is very low to non-existent for ebikes sold by reputable brands – and the same is true of quality conversion kits.
However, all non-folding electric bikes, regardless of their origin, were banned from Transport for London’s network in the Spring of 2025, and the mainstream media has latched onto reports of homes being gutted by fires and videos of explosions when charging electric bikes.
London Fire Brigade has reported 165 ebike and e-scooter fires in 2025, up until the end of September. It says this year is shaping up to be the worst ever, with a fatal fire in Wood Green and 80 firefighters called to another fire at a block of flats in North Kensington, both in June.
Now, home insurers are nervous about the risks associated with electric bike storage and charging at residential premises, and there are calls for a certification scheme to prove battery safety.
“Risks due to illegal and modified bikes”
Insurers’ knickers are “in a twist” over the risk of ebike battery fires, according to Bikmo’s Gemma Gernaubs. London Fire Brigade
According to Gemma Gernaubs, chief experience officer at specialist bike insurer Bikmo: “From an insurance standpoint, it’s obvious that home insurers are getting twitchy about ebikes. And while the incidents of fires are comparatively low, they’ve been reported enough to get insurers’ knickers in a twist.
“The irony is, the majority of these incidents are due to unregulated, illegal and modified bikes – the exact same bikes specialist cycle insurers wouldn’t touch with a barge pole.”
London Fire Brigade’s investigations suggest this is true. It points to products bought from online marketplaces as the culprit in many of the ebike fires it attended and plans to work with the government to help strengthen legislation around the sale of ebike components.
Catch-all exclusions
Aviva’s Hannah Davidson: “We would always advise customers to be aware of the fire risk from lithium-ion batteries.” Electrical Safety First
In the absence of any way to identify a safely converted ebike or a complete electric bike sold by a reputable brand, there’s a risk that insurers will just insert a clause in their home insurance policies refusing to cover all electric bikes, regardless of their provenance.
Hannah Davidson, senior underwriting manager, home and lifestyle at Aviva, told us: “Under an Aviva home policy, customers can store an electric bike in their home. We would always advise customers to be aware of the fire risk from lithium-ion batteries and protect themselves and their properties from potentially devastating outcomes.
“Under an Aviva policy, there are no terms or conditions that would restrict cover where an electric bike is stored indoors. However, we would encourage customers to ensure that the bike is used and charged in accordance with manufacturer instructions,” she continued.
Lemonade insurance specifically covers ebike fires, though, stating on its site: “Lemonade’s home insurance policies will cover fire, smoke, or explosion damage caused by an ebike battery – whether you’re a contents-only customer or also have a buildings policy.”
On the other hand, it says: “It’s also important to note that we may not cover a claim if your bike has been modified in a way that does not comply with UK laws, such as modifying your electric bike to go faster than 15.5mph.”
Is certification the solution?
Momentum seems to be gaining for a certification scheme for electric bike components and a ban on non-certified ebike parts (the Bicycle Association recently launched its ebike Safety Register and in April 2025, the UK government launched an inquiry into ‘dangerous’ ebikes). But it’s not clear how projects such as these will develop and over what timescales.
“The insurance industry is a slow-moving ship and building the process to design, roll out and accredit a nationwide certification program will take months, if not years. In the meantime, we’ll probably see more home insurers imposing tighter restrictions and even bans on the indoor storage of e-bikes,” says Bikmo’s Gernaubs.
There’s a risk of a knee-jerk reaction from insurers, with the consequence that electric bikes end up being kept outdoors or in less secure locations.
“At Bikmo, we haven’t had a single damage claim for a fire, but 80% of our claims are for theft. If expensive ebikes suddenly start living outdoors because of home insurance storage and charging bans, we risk seeing a real spike in theft and vandalism claims. It’s a real concern,” concludes Gernaubs.
Just in time for indoor cycling season, Zwift has launched their biggest world expansion in 5 years, bringing 31km of new roads to Zwift’s New York world. Learn all about these new roads in our video picks this week!
This week’s videos include overviews of the expansion and several race experiences from stage 4 of Zwift Unlocked.
Zwift New York Expansion & New Power Segment Feature
Learn everything you need to know about Zwift’s New York expansion and the new Power Segment feature launched alongside it.
Zwift New York Expansion: First Look + Power Segments!
Watch as Tariq from Smart Bike Trainers shares key details about Zwift’s New York expansion.
Brutal First Race on Zwift’s New Roads – Zwift Unlocked | Stage 4 | Spinfinity
Manuel Essl races on the new New York expansion in stage 4 of Zwift Unlocked. Can he hold on to the finish?
Zwift New York is Still Terrible
Erik Lee, aka Don’t Get Dropped Cycling, does his first race on the new roads in New York.
My Worst Zwift Race so Far
To finish this week’s New York expansion theme, watch as Jessica Strange discusses her brutal race on the New York expansion.
Got a Great Zwift Video?
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!
Zwift version 1.101 begins its phased rollout today. It included an unannounced Drop Shop addition, home screen UI updates, and power PRs added to the Ride Report screen. Read on for details!
Brompton P Line Added to Drop Shop
Not included in the release notes, but available in this release nonetheless: it’s the Brompton P Line! Brompton sells several models: an A, C, G, P, and T Line. The P line is a lighter, performance-oriented titanium and steel build.
The P Line is available to Level 10+ riders for 600,000 Drops. While we don’t expect any standout performance from this bike (rated 1 star for both aero and weight), we’ll be performance-testing it and publishing the results in a separate post ASAP.
This bike was added to the game because Zwift is hosting a “Virtual Brompton World Championships” the week of November 17-23. Watch for more details here on Zwift Insider this week!
Activity Card Updates
With today’s update, Zwift is beginning a phased rollout over the next few weeks that introduces updated Activity Cards on the Zwift Home Screen. Compare the old and new cards below:
You can see the new cards are wider and shorter than the old ones. The actual information they contain hasn’t really changed, though, and we’d still love to see more info than a simple lap count on lapped events. Hopefully Zwift will continue to improve this layout as they roll out the new cards in the coming weeks.
Power PR Highlights
If you set a new power best during your ride, this will now be listed in the Ride Report screen:
While some of Zwift’s PR tracking is based on your past 90 days, I’m told these power highlights are for all-time power PRs. I assume power PRs tracked are for the same intervals as we see in our online profiles at zwift.com, which display 90-day bests for 5 sec, 15 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, 3 min, 5 min, 10 min, 12 min, 15 min, 20 min, 30 min, and 40 min power.
“Join a Zwifter” Relocated
Join a Zwifter has moved from one of many cards on the Home Screen into the top navigation:
This lets us see at a glance how many friends are riding, then click to see details and actually join a rider.
Shimano DURA-ACE C36
With this release, Zwift removes the Shimano DURA-ACE C40 wheels from the Drop Shop, replacing them with the newer and (supposedly) lighter C36 wheels:
There’s one problem, though: the game is showing the new C36 wheels as rated 1 star for weight! Assuming that was a misconfiguration, I reached out to Zwift. They confirmed it will be fixed in the next release, two weeks from now.
Once I’ve got my virtual fingers on the newly-lightened wheels, I’ll run speed tests and publish the results.
Note: Like other Drop Shop removals, this change means if you already own the C40 wheels, they’ll stay in your garage. But you won’t be able to purchase the C40 wheels once you’ve installed Zwift v1.101. Which isn’t a big deal, considering they aren’t top performers.
Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:
Fixed an issue that could cause devices to alternate between Connected and Connecting statuses in the Pairing Screen when connected via Wahoo Direct Connect (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
Fixed an issue that could cause HoloReplays to not appear in the Zwifters Nearby list.
Fixed an issue where the Volcano Jersey and PR symbol was shown as a white square in the center HUD.
Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum > (link coming soon)
Questions or Comments?
If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!
Dangerholm’s latest project is these prototype aero rims with ludicrous proportions that may shape the future of gravel wheel design.
The new gravel wheels feature a massive 52mm width and 70mm depth, and are said to be optimised around 2.1 to 2.25in mountain bike tyres.
Dangerholm, whose real name is Gustav Gullholm, says the project is purely experimental, blending aerodynamics and new ride characteristics, with zero production plans.
The prototype was done in collaboration with the Canadian design and engineering firms Faction Bike Studio and Lx Lab.
While the wheels aren’t for sale, they may break the ice for more radical designs down the line.
Dangerholm says the best width combination in testing was 2.25in, with only a small trade-off to 2.1in in width, but more air volume to play with. Dangerholm
We have seen gravel tyres becoming wider and wider over the past couple of years, with brands and racers seeing the benefits of increased grip and a more cushioned ride feel.
The theory came from road tyres, where the traditional thought of thinner tyres being faster due to less drag was put to bed.
Dangerholm says tyre size has been something that’s left him scratching his head when it comes to regular gravel bikes.
“Sure, I get that a 40-45mm tyre can be really fast on fine hardpack, but otherwise I didn’t really see the appeal of trading away the wide yet relatively lightweight MTB tyres,” he says.
Mountain bike tyres tend to offer more grip than gravel tyres. Dangerholm
This new prototype has been designed around 2.1 to 2.25in mountain bike tyres, with Dangerholm saying: “I have nothing but positive things to say. So much so that I don’t want to move back to 30mm rims no matter the weight savings.”
“Going with a 45mm internal width is pushing it to the extreme end of the spectrum, but I’d rather test the max size option right away and learn from it.
“Oftentimes, when experimenting, you want to find the limit by pushing a tiny bit too far, then step back a little. My guess is that a 40-42mm internal width rim with thick sidewalls to maintain a 50-52mm external width would be the optimal numbers.”
A drop-bar Scott Spark was used to display the wheels. Dangerholm
This puncture resistance enables riders to run lower tyre pressures, meaning they can achieve a more cushioned feel on rough gravel surfaces.
Dangerholm says he has to give credit to Zipp’s XPLR wheels, which opened his eyes to using wider tyres.
“The aero aspect was a big deal, but I’m one of those riders who really dislikes a squirmy feel from my tires which has had me riding some pretty high tyre pressures,” he says.
“But now, with 32mm inner width rims paired to 40-45mm tyres, I could suddenly drop the pressure while having improved stability, along with better comfort, grip and rolling speed on the rough stuff.”
The staggered rim profile is designed to offer better aerodynamics. Dangerholm
In this project, Dangerholm has also focused on aerodynamics, saying: “The aerodynamics is quite self-explanatory, with the 52mm-wide and 70mm-deep rim profile hopefully improving the aerodynamics enough to provide some gains.
“Sure, you’re fighting an uphill battle from the start with a knobby wide MTB tyre, but that also means that you have a big reason to improve it.”
Explaining how Faction shaped the industrial design and overall look of the wheels, Dangerholm says: “I was expecting maybe 2-3 options, but early on I was presented with a whole bunch of different rim shapes to consider. And not only that, but various graphics too, which were surprisingly helpful as it accentuated the designs even further, making them easier to compare.”
Only four rims are being made and there are no plans to go into production.
Extralite HyperSmart 3 hubs are used to keep the weight of the wheelset down. Dangerholm
EF Pro Cycling is currently selling its old team bikes – and with big discounts.
The team has two models of Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4 Hi-Mod for sale on its website, from the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Available in sizes from 44cm to 58cm, the 2024 model has the biggest reduction. The bike comes with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, with an FSA Gossamer Pro crankset (and either a Dura-Ace or Ultegra cassette and chain), plus FSA wheels, a Prologo saddle and Vittoria tyres.
The bike is on sale for £3,848, which is over £8,000 less than the consumer replica version, which Ash Quinlan described as “one of the few all-round race bikes to feel truly at home wherever you ride it”.
The 2025 EF Pro Cycling Cannondale SuperSix is on sale for £4,509. This bike also has a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, but with an FSA K-Force team-edition crankset and the option to upgrade the wheelset.
The 2025 EF Pro Cycling Cannondale SuperSix Evo. EF Pro cycling
EF Pro Cycling says its pros raced and trained on these bikes, and they’ll only be on sale for a limited time.
Although the graphics on both bikes include Cannondale’s top-spec Lab71 branding, EF Pro Cycling says the bikes are Hi-Mod specification. This means they will have a very slight weight penalty over the Lab71 bikes.
Q36.5’s latest announcement might come as a surprise. The Italian cycling clothing brand hasn’t revealed a new winter jacket or jersey. Instead, it announced today that it is releasing a new set of pedals made in collaboration with the power meter manufacturer SRM.
And that’s where the second surprise comes in. The new release is not a power meter pedal system; it’s a design that reduces stack height.
Q36.5 founder Luigi Bergamo is said to have discovered the advantages of a low stack height while testing the setup with an ultra-thin sole construction and a specific cleat attachment system.
Bergamo asked Ulrich Schoberer, founder of SRM, if it would be possible to design pedals that reduced stack height even further than the best road bike pedals.
Following a few further conversations, and just over six months later, Schoberer is said to have presented Bergamo with a working prototype.
The new pedals will only be available with Q36.5’s Unique Pro Shoes. Q36.5
It’s generally considered that the lower the stack height – the distance between the centre of the axle and the top of the pedal body – the higher your pedalling efficiency. This means a low stack height can be better, although a reduced stack height isn’t going to lead to a big jump in performance.
Q36.5 says its new pedals will be available exclusively with its Unique Pro Shoes. “The new game-changing pedal and shoe system reduces pedaling stack height by over 8mm relative to existing systems, offering the most direct and efficient power transfer on the market,” Q36.5 claims.
However, the brand hasn’t provided a specific stack-height measurement.
Typically, the best road bike pedals have a stack height of between 8mm and 12mm, with some power meters having a slightly higher stack.
It appears that the pedals will be available in a range of colours. Q36.5
The complete stack height of a pedal system also includes the cleat. This means the most popular clipless pedal systems for the road typically have a system height of around 15mm.
The Wahoo Speedplay pedals have a stack height that is lower than other big brands, at either 8.5mm or 11.5mm, depending on your setup.
The road pedal with the lowest stack height is the Ekoi PW8. It has a stack height of 8mm, but it requires a specialist shoe made by Ekoi and costing £450.
If Q36.5 is reducing stack height by more than 8mm compared to existing systems, it’s likely we’ll see a figure in a similar ballpark to Wahoo and Ekoi’s pedals.
But we’ll have to wait until December for a final answer – and to find out the price.
The Marin Lombard E is no longer a commuter bike for city slickers, instead a do-it-all electrically assisted rig built to tackle urban streets, dirt roads and the occasional cheeky path into the woods.
The Lombard has morphed from a commuter bike into an electric gravel bike, equipped with a 400Wh battery and Bosch’s SX motor, along with wide gravel tyre clearances and relaxed geometry, to boost its utility beyond the 9-to-5.
The Lombard E comes in two models, with one enjoying a more tarmac-focused build and the other with an eye on more challenging terrain.
There’s plenty of scope to add luggage and bottles to the Lombard. Andy Lloyd / Marin
Marin says the Lombard E is “a multi-surface drop bar dream machine that laughs at terrain changes”, which gives us a taste of what the brand believes the two bikes can do.
Both bikes have room for wide 50c tubeless tyres to help smooth the way, and a geometry that’s relaxed rather than racy.
Combined, this should result in a ride that’s suitable for a huge range of applications, boosted by both frame and fork luggage-carrying mounts.
Both models are based around the same Series 4 Beyond Road alloy frame, which has a dropped top tube for improved standover height and skinny stays to add an element of compliance to the frame.
There’s a pair of bottle bosses, while the Universal Derailleur Hanger provides plenty of drivetrain future-proofing.
At the front, a carbon fork is used on both models to help take the sting out of the trail.
Bosch’s Performance SX motor drives the Lombard E bikes. Andy Lloyd / Marin
The Bosch SX Sprint ebike motor is powered via a 400Wh battery in the down tube. A Fidlock locking mechanism secures the cover on the underside of the down tube, from which the battery can be dropped for charging in the house if required.
The top tube holds the basic Bosch System Controller, with five bars denoting battery levels and coloured LEDs showing which of the four ride modes is engaged.
A simple switch on the bar enables easy toggling between modes.
The Lombard E1’s drop-bar cockpit. Andy Lloyd / Marin
The Bosch Performance SX motor offers 60Nm of torque with 600W of maximum power and up to 400% assistance – it can give out up to four times the power that you apply via the cranks.
The included Sprint mode is targeted at e-gravel riders, offering a more dynamic feel to its power delivery. It gives up to 280% assistance and is built for steep climbs and fast sprints.
Choose your ride
The Marin Lombard E1 out in nature. Andy Lloyd / Marin
Two models are available, the Lombard E1 and the Lombard E2.
The Lombard E1 is the base model, coming with slicker file-treaded tyres and designed for a more urban audience.
The Series 4 aluminium frame is fronted by the carbon fork, while Shimano provides both the GRX-level 12-speed 1x drivetrain and hydraulic brakes.
The Lombard E1 is priced at £3,399 / $4,299 / €3,899 / CAD$4,999
Marin’s dirt-ready Lombard E2 gravel bike. Marin
The Marin Lombard E2 is built for the more adventurous rider.
The Vee Tire Co Quickstyk tyres have a more pronounced tread for better off-road grip. In addition, there’s a Trans-X gravel dropper post in the seat tube to help get the saddle out of the way when tackling more technical paths.
Shimano provides its GRX wireless Di2 12-speed groupset.
The Lombard E2 is priced at £3,999 / $5,299 / €4,699 / CAD$5,999.
This season, Zwift is leaning heavily into the Zwift Camp concept, launching a three-camp series that kicked off with Zwift Camp: Baseline on September 15.
Next week (Monday, November 10) the second Camp of the season begins. Named “Zwift Camp: Build”, it’s a 5-stage workout series all about pushing yourself in targeted workouts to build performance at particular intervals. Dive into all the details below!
Build Basics
After Zwift Camp: Baseline showed us our power bests across various intervals, Zwift Camp: Build is here to push us to train and get stronger.
The Camp consists of five different workouts, spread across five weeks. You can finish each workout once and complete the Camp, but you can also do a workout multiple times if you’re looking for additional training.
The workouts target the same approximate time intervals as Zwift Camp: Baseline tested, plus a longer bonus effort up Alpe du Zwift:
5-second power
1-minute power
5-minute power
20-minute power
60-minute power (bonus!)
What’s New
Zwift is using lots of different game and HUD features to make their latest Zwift Camp as effective and engaging as possible.
Instead of standard ERG mode workouts, Zwift Camp: Build uses route-based workouts and on-screen prompts to guide you through a training effort tailored to Zwift’s virtual parcours
RoboPacers will be put to use in stages 4 and 5 to help riders pace their efforts
On-screen scripts will recommend enabling HoloReplay for stages 1, 2, and 3, so you can try to beat your previous efforts
Lap Splits and Ride Stats HUD elements will be automatically enabled to give you a mid-ride picture of your workout
Using HoloReplays to chase your past effortsRoboPacers help you hold target pace
Workouts + Schedule
Stages can be completed as on-demand (solo) efforts whenever you’d like, or you can join a scheduled group event. Note: on-demand rides of stages 4 and 5 will not include RoboPacers.
Stage 1: November 10-16
Ride six laps of Glasgow Crit Circuit, putting in a maximual 5-second effort on the Champion’s Sprint each lap.
Ride up The Grade for a tough threshold workout and FTP test, with 5 different RoboPacers set up at different target times to help you pace your effort.
Training Target: Lactate Threshold/FTP Estimate (~20 minutes)
Complete all 5 Stages: Zwift Camp: Build cycling kit
Personal Dashboard
Zwifter will have a Zwift Camp: Build dashboard which includes a progress meter and your power bests across the target intervals. This will be available at zwift.com and in the Companion app.
Access your dashboard at zwift.com/zwift-camp-build/dashboard > (going live soon)
2025/26 Zwift Camps
This is the second of three Zwift Camps planned for this year’s 2025/26 peak Zwift season:
Think of Shimano cranksets and you probably imagine today’s shiny black anodised alloy designs, perhaps with a hint of polished alloy. Look back a couple of decades, and Shimano cranksets were always polished silver alloy.
But for a (very) brief period between the two, Shimano sold the 10-speed Dura-Ace FC-7800-C crankset – the C signifying ‘carbon’ – alongside its standard 7800 silver crankset, which it had launched in 2003.
Produced in exceedingly small numbers, we’ve found one of these near-mythical carbon cranksets for sale on eBay for £1,200 at the time of writing – a price that would net you a modern Dura-Ace 12-speed power meter with change to spare.
Almost mythical
The Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 carbon cranks were fitted to a few Colnago bikes at the 2007 Tour de France. blank
We were very excited back in 2007, when we spotted the carbon crankset on a Specialized bike ridden by the Gerolsteiner pro team at the Tour de France grand départ in London.
Some of the Rabobank team’s Colnagos were also kitted out with the crankset – naturally paired with a threaded bottom bracket because this was in the time before press-fit took over.
Also, note the alloy pedals and external mechanical groupset cables – a different era, indeed.
Despite the attention it garnered, the Dura-Ace FC-7800-C crankset was made in a run rumoured to be between only 500 and 1,000 units.
Shimano has never sold another carbon crankset, with the 10-speed Dura-Ace 7900 reverting to alloy when it was launched in 2008.
Complicating matters slightly is the existence of some prototype versions of the cranksets, which have occasionally been offered for sale.
Noted Cannondale and cycling tech esoterica collector, Marcel – who goes by Nikeshox3000 on Instagram – told us he was sceptical when he saw one of these cranksets for sale: “I did a couple of hours of research before I bought it because I thought it was fake.”
In a post about the cranks, he says they were ridden in 2007, a year before their official release.
“I don‘t know how many prototypes exist(ed), but in more than half a decade I have only come across this pair, apart from the ones shown in news articles from back in 2007,” he adds.
“They did not have logos, the chainrings looked like regular 7800 rings, and the carbon quality and layering is really rough.”
Shimano’s competitors have gone big on carbon cranks, though, with both Campagnolo and SRAM fabricating their cranks from carbon for their pro-level groupsets.
The carbon crank arms conceal an alloy spider. Shimano
According to Marcel, despite their outward appearance and some reports to the contrary, “the cranks are true carbon cranks, not alloy wrapped in carbon as some sources state”.
“Shimano, however, used an alloy core for the spider to stiffen the construction,” he adds.
There’s also a steel spindle, and the crankset weight is quoted at 609g. By comparison, a modern Dura-Ace R9200 crankset weighs around 690g.
The specific crankset listed on eBay ships with 52/39T chainrings – the only option Shimano offered – with 172.5mm cranks.
The seller says it has been ridden for around only 500km.
It’s described as being in reasonable condition, with a scratch on the left arm’s screw cap and some scuffing on the right arm. It’s complete with its box, installation tool, instruction manual and certification.
