The lawsuit alleges that Chen Shi, its former employee, worked at Apple from January 2020 to June 2025 as a Sensor System Architect. Apple claimed that Shi had signed an employment
The quote
ClickFix is a social engineering
Table of Contents
Now in its 16th round, Zwift Racing League continues to take racing to the next level on Zwift! Team signups for the first round of the season are now open.
This page contains everything you need to know about the current ZRL round, and is updated as WTRL announces new details.
Zwift Racing League (ZRL) is team-based racing for all abilities. It’s also the world’s largest virtual cycling competition, with over 30,000 riders of all abilities participating in each of the past two seasons!
Organized by WTRL, this is a team-based points competition spanning multiple weeks, with teams divided into divisions based on time zones and ability. Races take place every Tuesday, and the season is divided into distinct rounds with brief breaks in between.
ZRL is Zwift racing at its highest level. Its unique structure and varied race formats drive serious Zwift racers to show up week after week while providing a place for new racers who jump in and find their first team home.
Each year, Zwift + WTRL collaborate to modify ZRL’s structure with the aim of engaging as many racers as possible. The vast majority of these changes are announced before the first round of each season, which means here in the first round of 2025/26, we have a lot of changes! Some of the details haven’t yet been ironed out, but we’ll tell you what we know (with our comments in italics), and update this post as we learn more.
One thing that isn’t changing: riders are still categorized based on Zwift’s Pace Group Categories, just like previous ZRL seasons. While Zwift Racing Score is a factor in WTRL’s team ranking algorithm, it does not determine your team’s category (A/B/C/D).
Each ZRL round comprises weekly races which are either scratch races, points races, or team time trials (TTT). Scratch Races and Points Races are both actually points-based in terms of final results, but Points races include intermediate segments while Scratch Race points are all earned at the finish line. TTT winners are the teams who complete the race course fastest, with team time taken from the fourth rider across the line.
We kick off the season with a team time trial on a route we know nothing about! Watch this space for details on the new Southern Coast Cruise route…
Our first points race of the season takes us on a figure-eight tour of Urukazi’s lower roads on a route that is quite flat, except in the one spot where it isn’t. That dirty Mech Isle climb will be a key selection point, especially on the final lap!
Our first scratch race of the season is held on two different routes, based on category. A and B squads will race on Country to Coastal, looping around the Yumezi countryside and Urukazi harbor. C and D squads head to Turf N Surf, which takes in the same Urukazi harbor roads but begins and ends on Neokyo’s flat, permadark streets.
Our final race for this round is on a new route whose details aren’t yet in game. We assume based on the name that it includes elements of Seaside Sprint and the Jarvis loop, but we’ll wait to update this post once we have more information.
Some divisions and start times get tweaked between each round, so use the table below to find a current time slot that works for your team.
Team registration opens August 19, 2025 at wtrl.racing/zrl-registration, and closes September 13, 2025 at 00:00 UTC.
ZRL is a team-based competition – you cannot sign up as an individual rider. Teams can have up to 12 racers rostered, but only 6 can race in each event. Teams must have at least 4 riders on their roster, and a rider can be rostered on no more than 2 teams per round.
Want to race, but don’t have a team? Here are seven ways to find a team:
If this is your first time racing on Zwift, here are a few tips to get you started fast:
If you’re unfamiliar with a particular week’s race course, join a ZRL recon ride! These happen multiple times per day and are led by experienced racers who may share route info and racing tips as you ride.
Find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon >
We recommend checking out WTRL’s Zwift Racing League page for rules, team registration, results, and more. They also have a Help Center with lots of useful info, and their Facebook page is the place to go for discussion of all things ZRL.
You may also share questions or comments below!
The KICKR CORE Zwift One may now be the most popular smart trainer in the world, thanks to its competitive price point as a standalone product and being sold as the default trainer with the Zwift Ride smart frame. A couple of weeks ago, Zwift and Wahoo began promoting the trainer at a reduced price.
And now today, we’re seeing the price has dropped even further: down $85 in the US, £90 in the UK, €99 in the EU. If you’re looking for a good price on a reliable smart trainer, this is the lowest I’ve ever seen the Wahoo KICKR CORE Zwift One. Shopping links below (these are affiliate links – your purchase helps support Zwift Insider):
If you are in the US and purchase your KICKR CORE Zwift One through Zwift, you can check a box on the main page to get free Zwift Play controllers ($50 value) with your purchase:
This doesn’t seem to be an option in the UK and EU.
Wahoo’s KICKR CORE is the most popular budget direct-drive smart trainer on the planet today, and it has only grown more popular since it began shipping with the Zwift Ride. With solid specs and proven reliability, the KICKR CORE’s success is no mystery: it’s an affordable trainer that meets or exceeds the needs of the vast majority of Zwifters.
A few key specs for the KICKR CORE Zwift One:
Read our full KICKR CORE Zwift One review >
The KICKR CORE Zwift One ships with the Zwift Cog installed in place of a standard cassette. The Zwift Cog is made for trainers using Zwift’s virtual shifting, and is simply a single sprocket surrounded by a housing. (You only need one sprocket since virtual shifting changes the trainer’s resistance to mimic a gear shift, instead of changing a physical sprocket on a cassette.)
All About Virtual Shifting in Zwift >
The included Cog is the orange “version 2,” which is adjustable and quieter than earlier versions. This Zwift Cog easily adjusts left to right between 10 different sprocket positions for the straightest chainline, and rubber rings and other changes to the housing make it noticeably quieter than previous Zwift Cog versions.
All About Zwift Cog: Versions, Installation, and More >
Cycling tech’s many niches, from streamlined time trial bikes to fat-tired adventure bikes, are part of what makes it so fun. Perfectly embodying this spirit is this super-lightweight Brompton-inspired folding bike.
Created by weightweenie.b, this carbon fibre folding bike tips the scales at 3.935kg – nearly 50 per cent lighter than Brompton’s lightest model, the 7.45kg T Line.
Weightweenie.b is a small group of weight weenie Brompton enthusiasts dedicated to sharing their knowledge on folding bikes that break the UCI’s minimum weight limit – as charmingly niche as it gets.
While the frame isn’t made by Brompton, it features the same folding mechanism as the British icon, with the bike folding into three parts, and the rear wheel tucked under the frame.
Weightweenie.b says the bike is made by CarbonDryJapan, and is currently out of production – as are many of the components.
The creator of the bike says he stumbled upon the frame through a local collector and decided to dedicate it to a 3.X build – that being a bike that weighs under 4kg.
The lugs, which house the folding mechanisms, are made from CNC-machined aluminium and are bonded to the carbon fibre tubes.
Carbon weave features on nearly every component – this is the perfect bike for pootling around the paddock at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The bike has a single brake, with a Brompton-specific Ciamillo B1 biting into the carbon rim. This is paired with an Extralite brake lever.
In recent years, we have seen lightweight component manufacturers eyeing up the lightweight Brompton space, with Schmolke releasing a range carbon parts last year, including rims, handlebars and seatpots.
While an impressive feat of engineering, weightweenie.b says this bike has been created for the soul, and as a statement as to how light a folding bike can be made, rather than something truly practical to be ridden day-to-day. That doesn’t make it any less charming.
Cycling tech’s many niches, from streamlined time trial bikes to fat-tired adventure bikes, are part of what makes it so fun. Perfectly embodying this spirit is this super-lightweight Brompton-inspired folding bike.
Created by weightweenie.b, this carbon fibre folding bike tips the scales at 3.935kg – nearly 50 per cent lighter than Brompton’s lightest model, the 7.45kg T Line.
Weightweenie.b is a small group of weight weenie Brompton enthusiasts dedicated to sharing their knowledge on folding bikes that break the UCI’s minimum weight limit – as charmingly niche as it gets.
While the frame isn’t made by Brompton, it features the same folding mechanism as the British icon, with the bike folding into three parts, and the rear wheel tucked under the frame.
Weightweenie.b says the bike is made by CarbonDryJapan, and is currently out of production – as are many of the components.
The creator of the bike says he stumbled upon the frame through a local collector and decided to dedicate it to a 3.X build – that being a bike that weighs under 4kg.
The lugs, which house the folding mechanisms, are made from CNC-machined aluminium and are bonded to the carbon fibre tubes.
Carbon weave features on nearly every component – this is the perfect bike for pootling around the paddock at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The bike has a single brake, with a Brompton-specific Ciamillo B1 biting into the carbon rim. This is paired with an Extralite brake lever.
In recent years, we have seen lightweight component manufacturers eyeing up the lightweight Brompton space, with Schmolke releasing a range carbon parts last year, including rims, handlebars and seatpots.
While an impressive feat of engineering, weightweenie.b says this bike has been created for the soul, and as a statement as to how light a folding bike can be made, rather than something truly practical to be ridden day-to-day. That doesn’t make it any less charming.
Intense Factory Racing and J-Tech have developed 3D-printed brake guards to protect brake rotors and calipers in wet weather, with the team’s testing showing they offer an improvement in performance and predictability.
Brakes are one of the most important components on your bike, so it’s crucial they’re powerful, predictable and consistent. But wet and mucky condition can impact their performance: Water can cool your rotors, which causes inconsistent braking, and dirt can reduce friction.
So brake covers like these can help downhill racers go faster by offering them more consistent braking performance – a marginal gain, but with downhill racers separated by such fractions of a second, mods like these can make a difference in terms of race results.
Brake covers are nothing new – the iconic Cannondale Fulcrum was partly defined by its brake covers, but they’ve been largely forgotten about since. So why bring them back in 2025?
“Our brief from the Intense Factory Race Team was primarily to keep contaminants off the rotor and caliper,” says Jim Williams of J-Tech.
“We wanted to get rid of the reduction in braking performance after riding through a big puddle, or an extended section of trail where it is cold or wet, and you’ve been off the brakes for a while. Rotor guards reduce the chance of finding yourself in this situation.”
The guards were developed for Joe Breeden, who’s no stranger to wild inventions – just look at his energy-saving handlebar end caps, and a custom shock lockout for a Öhlins coil shock, both of which were made by J-Tech.
“To make the rotor covers, we 3-scanned the areas concerned, designed and prototyped parts in-house on our own machines and tested with the team,” says Williams. “We had to outsource production of the front covers as we just couldn’t fit them in our printers due to the size.”
The covers weigh around 100g each. While this slight increase in unsprung mass is a disadvantage to the bike’s suspension performance, the team feels the increased braking performance outweighs this.
The covers surround only part of the rotor. In testing, J-Tech found larger covers would impede wheel removal and could become unstable at high speed, flapping around and distracting the rider.
The front guard fits to the fork via the stanchion guard mounting points found on the EXT Vaia fork used by the IFR team. It’s affixed using top hat spacers and longer bolts, which Williams says creates a precise and secure fit.
On the rear, the J-Tech team settled on a simple zip-tie mount to the seatstay and an interference fit with the sides of the brake caliper for more stability.
The covers also help insulate the braking system, improving performance. “There’s a temperature point at which disc brakes work optimally,” explains Williams.
“In wet, muddy conditions, the ambient temperature tends to be lower, and water splashing up can cool the brakes further.” The insulating effect of these covers retains heat, keeping brake temperatures closer to where they would be in dryer conditions.
J-Tech was initially concerned that the insulation effect might be too great at the rear, and subsequently incorporated cooling vents into the rear covers.
However, J-Tech says it hasn’t tested this thoroughly yet. It will soon record temperatures in different conditions and with varying disc rotor sizes, while adjusting the venting. “From here we can work out what the optimum amount of cooling is and if we actually need any at all,” explains Williams.
“It’s early days in terms of getting the full benefits from these parts, but team riders already say that keeping water and mud off the brakes makes a huge difference to braking performance in wet conditions,” finishes Williams.
But are there also aero gains to be had? Much like a wheel, a spinning disc rotor creates turbulence as it spins through the air. Could disc brake covers reduce aerodynamic drag?
Williams says that aero is certainly something that can be explored with further development, but the biggest gain from the covers is consistently powerful brakes in wet/muddy conditions.
These rotor guards are not currently on sale but we will let you know if J-Tech puts them on sale.
One way to stay motivated riding indoors during the long winters is to make your pain cave somewhere you enjoy being. In this week’s top video, watch as one Zwifter shares how he put together his dream Zwift setup.
We’ve also decided to include videos about Zwift racing, using Zwift for marathon training, a review of the Zwift Cog and Click, and a comparison between Pack Dynamics v4 and 5.
Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!