countryside tour zwift race

Countryside Tour

• 15.8km   ( + 206m )
• 185m   ( + 0m )
• Makuri Islands

Distance: - km

Altitude: - m

• Tarmac: 10.8km (68%)
• Wood: 1.1km (7%)
• Dirt: 4.0km (25%)
• Upcoming Events

No events on this route today.

Zwift launches a new world called Makuri Islands

New Japanese inspired fantasy landscape goes live on June 1st

After various social media posts teasing the launch of something new, Zwift has today unveiled what it's been working on with the release of an all-new virtual world, to be known as the Makuri Islands. 

The new world, according to Zwift, won't be a replica of a real-world location. Instead, it is a fantasy landscape inspired by the culture of Japan.

The first map to be rideable within the new world will be known as Yumezi, 53 miles of new roads that are "a fantastical countryside destination inspired by Japanese culture," according to the announcement's accompanying press release. 

• Best turbo trainers : A roundup of the best-rated smart trainers
• Cheapest Zwift setup : Where to find turbo trainers in stock, the best deals and a guide on how to get onto Zwift
• Zwift compatible trainers : Smart trainers that can be used with indoor cycling apps

Zwift says the Yumezi map will feature a mix of roads, dirt roads and cobbled surfaces. Making up the surrounding scenery will be a mixture of open fields and ginkgo forests, each filled with waterfalls, temples, cherry blossom trees, and even mystical creatures. 

The map is set to be predominantly flat, however, there's still something for the climbers as the shortest route, 'Sea to Tree', measures just 3.3km in distance and climbs 108m per lap. 

The new world will enter regular rotation on June 1, however, it will also be available to ride as a 'guest world' throughout today.

Routes within Zwift's Yumezi map 

• Sea to Tree (3.3km/108m elevation)
• Kappa Quest (9.1km/140m elevation)
• Chain Chomper (13.6km/184m elevation)
• Countryside Tour (15.9km/185m elevation)
• Flatland Loop (13km/99m elevation)
• Two Village Loop (12.8km/88m elevation)
• Spirit Forest (8.5km/135m elevation)
• Three Village Loop (10.6km/93m elevation)

According to Zwift's PR Director, Chris Snook, there are plans to add maps to the Makuri Islands world, but he was coy on details or a timeline: "There are plans to expand Makuri Islands," he confirmed, before adding "I'm afraid you'll have to wait for more news on the next expansion". 

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Despite confirming that the Makuri Islands world is inspired by Japanese culture, and despite the obvious connection to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, Snook insists that the launch isn't related to the upcoming Games. 

"The new world is not associated with the Olympics," he explained. "Nor is it a replica of any real-world location. Yumezi is a fantasy map inspired by Japanese culture."

It was recently announced that Zwift had partnered with the UCI - cycling's governing body - and the International Olympic Committee to create the upcoming Olympic Virtual Series . It's not yet confirmed whether any of those races will be ridden in the new Makuri Islands, but Snook promises an announcement on the 27th May. 

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. 

On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.

No.22 releases stunning 3D-printed titanium aero bike

Vuelta a España tech gallery - Superlight paint, dinosaur names, and aero computer shrouds

Primož Roglič 'had the legs' and back in command at Vuelta a España with summit sprint win

Most Popular

• Subscribe to newsletter

It's going to be so great to have you with us! We just need your email address to keep in touch.

By submitting the form, I hereby give my consent to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of sending information about products, services and market research of ŠKODA AUTO as well as information about events, competitions, news and sending me festive greetings, including on the basis of how I use products and services. For customer data enrichment purpose ŠKODA AUTO may also share my personal data with third parties, such as Volkswagen Financial Services AG, your preferred dealer and also the importer responsible for your market. The list of third parties can be found here . You can withdraw your consent at any time.  Unsubscribe

Niewiadoma Wins Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift After Dramatic Finale on the Alpe d’Huez

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) won the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (TdFF) by a scant 4 seconds over defending champion and pre-race favorite Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime), when she rode what amounted to a time trial up the iconic Alpe d’Huez. Pauliena Rooijakers (Fenix-Deceuninck) finished third in the GC standings, 10 seconds adrift.

At the start of the breathtaking final stage of the race, the 29-year-old Polish rider had a lead of 1:15 over her Dutch rival, due to Vollering’s crash 6.5km from the end of stage 5, which caused her to lose 1:47 to Niewiadoma. SD Worx was widely criticized after that incident for not sending support riders to her aid. Instead, a bruised Vollering had raced desperately on her own to limit her losses.

Still, she appeared to have recovered from the crash, and when what remained of the peloton approached the top of the first of two HC climbs of the stage, the Col du Glandon (19.9km @ 7.2%), she burst out of the bunch. The move came on the steepest part of the ascent, with 2.3km left to climb and 53.6km left in the 149.9km stage from Le Grand-Bornand to the Alpe d’Huez.

When she crested the climb, accompanied on the breakaway by Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa–B&B Hotels) and Rooijakers, she had a lead of 57 seconds over Niewiadoma. Cavallar was eventually dropped and Vollering and Rooijakers raced towards the Alpe d’Huez (14.9km @ 7.9%), with the defending champion doing most of the work. The relationship remained the same on the ascent, with a clearly frustrated Vollering working hard to increase her lead. But when Niewiadoma reached the bottom of the climb, she was only 36 seconds behind. So Vollering had to gain at least another 30 seconds on the ascent and win the stage to win the yellow jersey.

🏆 @KNiewiadoma writes history as 3rd winner of @LeTourFemmes 2023 💛 @demivollering 2022 💛 @AvVleuten #UCIWWT #TDFF2024 ©️ A.S.O. pic.twitter.com/dF3MNDhzsJ — UCI_WWT (@UCI_WWT) August 18, 2024

And she nearly did. The gap reached 1 minute with 10.7km left to climb, and it seemed that Vollering was about to take her second TdFF in succession. But she had little gas left in the tank, while behind her Niewiadoma threw everything she had into the pursuit. And she received a big helping hand from Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez), who put in a mighty shift in front of her.

Meanwhile, Vollering easily outsprinted Rooijakers to take an impressive but bitter victory while Niewiadoma continued her lung-bursting sprint to the finish line. She made it, but by a hair, 1:01 adrift, as Vollering’s 10-second bonus for winning the stage was not enough to win her this most dramatic race.

When she was informed that she had won the yellow jersey, Niewiadoma sat on the road and wept from joy and exhaustion. “I went through such a terrible time on this climb [of the Alpe d’Huez], so to arrive at the finish line to learn that I’ve won the Tour de France is insane, it’s mind-blowing,” she said. “The whole stage was such a crazy rollercoaster. Like I had a really bad moment on [the Col du] Glandon. Then, on the descent, I was able to rebuild myself. I was so lucky to have Lucinda Brand, so thank you to Lidl-Trek; they did a great job getting us closer to Demi and Pauliena.”

A deflated Vollering also shed tears at the finish, saying later: “At this moment [I’m feeling] not so good. First of all, I feel really empty after today’s effort, but of course, also I’m a bit disappointed that I couldn’t win the yellow jersey by just four seconds. That’s a bit sour for me at the moment.”

She then went over the moments in the race which led to her narrow defeat. “If I would jump on the bike a little bit earlier [after crashing]. If I would win in Liège [on stage 4, where she finished second] from Puck [Pieterse]. If yesterday [on stage 7] I attacked a bit earlier. There are so many ifs, but you don’t buy anything from ifs, so I can think very long about that, but it only makes me sad. I think the way how I raced today, I can be proud of that.”

She also mentioned the fact that she had raced mostly unaided after the Col du Glandon, while Niewiadoma benefited from the help of Lidl-Trek’s Lucinda Brand, whose work at the front of the Polish rider’s group in the runup to the Alpe d’Huez took more than 20 seconds out of Vollering’s lead.

Kasia Niewiadoma Talks the Hunger for Women’s Tour de France and the Joy of Finally Riding It

This was as much a race Niewiadoma won with her grit and determination as it was lost by SD Worx because of their questionable strategy. First of all, why have Vollering make her attack from so far out instead of waiting for the Alpe d’Huez? On the Col du Glandon, she took 57 seconds out of her Polish rival in just 2.3km.

So it’s reasonable to assume that if she’d gone on the Alpe d’Huez in the same group with the new Tour champion, she might have taken enough time back for the victory. But when it was time to step on the pedals on that final climb, she had almost nothing left.  As Vollering put it: “I just tried to keep riding as hard as I could, but I was really empty so it was really hard.”

The team put four SD Worx-Protime teammates into the early breakaway to get them over the Col du Glandon so that Vollering would have help in the runup to the Alpe d’Huez. But when she reached the Glandon climb, there was only one teammate, the indefatigable Niamh Fisher-Black, to help her. After that she was on her own.

And, second, if they had sent some team support riders back to help Vollering after the crash, could they have cut her losses by at least 5 seconds. Probably. They also would have saved her some of the energy she expended in her desperate sprint on stage 5, the energy that might have been useful on that fateful final climb.

Yes, it’s a magnificent victory for Niewiadoma, who deserves full credit for her courage and determination. But it can also be regarded as a failure for a team that should have known the race better and treated its champion better. But this will all be water under the bridge by the end of the year, when Vollering leaves SD Worx-Protime for another team. In any case, this edition of the TdFF was dramatic from beginning to end and it culminated in one of the most exciting days of racing I have ever seen.

Marianne Vos won the Škoda Green Jersey when Charlotte Kool failed to take advantage of her big lead in the points classification race from having won both the stage 1 and stage 2 bunch sprints. But as soon as the race became lumpy, she could not keep up with the peloton and finally abandoned early on stage 7, the first high mountain stage, citing fatigue.

Vos then took a series of intermediate sprints and easily won the green jersey over second-place Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), by 170 points to 110.

Final GC Standings

• Kasia Niewiadoma, Canyon-SRAM 24:36:07 2. Demi Vollering, SD Worx-Protime +  4 secs
• Pauliena Rooijakers, Fenix-Deceuninck  +  10
• Evita Muzic, FDJ-Suez +  1:21
• Gaia Realini, Lidl Trek + 2:19
• Cédrine Kerbaol, Ceratizit-WNT + 2:51
• Sarah Gigante, AG Insurance–Soudal + 7:09
• Lucinda Brand, Lidl-Trek + 8:06
• Juliette Labous, DSM-Firmenich-PostNL + 8:07
• Thalita de Jong, Lotto Dstny + 8:12

Stage 8 Results

• Demi Vollering, SD Worx-Protime 4:34:14
• Pauliena Rooijakers, Fenix-Deceuninck + 4 secs
• Evita Muzic, FDJ-Suez + 1:01
• Demi Vollering, SD Worx-Protime same time
• Gaia Realini, Lidl Trek + 1:31
• Cédrine Kerbaol, Ceratizit-WNT + 3:15
• Valentina Cavallar, A rkéa–B&B Hotels   + 3:34
• Sarah Gigante, AG Insurance–Soudal+ 5:10
• Niamh Fisher-Black, SD Worx-Protime + 5:14
• Lucinda Brand, Lidl-Trek + 7:06

Articles you might like

First Strike: UCI’s Yellow Card System Launched at Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2024

Naturally, safety has always been crucial in professional cycling — given the sport’s inherent risks and the high speeds at which races are contested. Over the years, various measures have been used to protect riders and other race participants, including improvements in race equipment, stricter…

Reminiscing the Beauty of La Vuelta and Spain as a Cycling Oasis with Alberto Contador

The final Grand Tour of the season, La Vuelta a España, is finally here so it’s naturally the talk of the town of the wider cycling community – including our podcast host Matt Stephens. Matt welcomed none other than Alberto Contador in his virtual studio…

My Path to Winning the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift by Kasia Niewiadoma

To be the winner of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift feels surreal—like a dream I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Even though a couple of days have passed since that final climb up Alpe d’Huez, the reality hasn’t fully sunk…

La Vuelta Café Guide for the Sweet-Toothed: Andalusia Edition

Grand Tour after Grand Tour, we see those athletes crushing records and showing us that no matter how hard we try, we won’t get there. At least not at that level. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the finer things in cycling, though. And now,…

• Privacy Settings
• Action Cams
• Drone Reviews
• Google (Pixel Watch)
• Power Meters
• Wahoo Fitness
• Weight Scales
• Everything Else…
• Best GPS Watches Buyers Guide
• Best Bike GPS & Cycling Tech Buyers Guide
• Bike Smart Trainers Guide
• Smart Trainer App Guide
• DCR Sports Gear I Use List (2023)
• The Girl’s Sports Gear I Use List (2023)
• Photography Gear I Use
• Baby/Child Gear We Use
• How-To Guides & Tips
• Race Reports
• Paris Swim/Bike/Run Resources
• Paris Restaurants (DCR Favs!)
• Virtual Tour de France
• L'Étape du Tour & Discovery Rides
• The New French Worlds
• Discussion (62)

Virtual Tour de France & L’Étape du Tour on Zwift: Everything You Need to Know

Today ASO and Zwift have announced a Virtual Tour de France, which will start taking place this weekend with 23 Men’s UCI WorldTour teams, and 16 Women’s UCI WorldTour teams racing. The truncated event won’t quite mirror that of the real Tour de France. After all, it’s only 6 hour-long stages over three weekends instead of the usual 21 stages that are usually 3-5 hours in length each. Plus, riders can only compete in a maximum of three (men) or four (women) stages – with the aim of it being more akin to a team event than an individual one.

Still, some of the biggest names in professional cycling will participate – including Chris Froome, Marianne Vos, Geraint Thomas, Anna Van der Breggen, and more.  The Virtual Tour de France (that’s the official name) stages will also be broadcast on regular TV in over 130 countries, complete with webcams showing the riders suffering away in their living rooms, or posh Mediterranean homes.

But the real winners here are probably regular Zwifters who get not one, but two new Zwift worlds worth of virtual roads to ride. These new roads ‘reimagine’ regional parts of the French countryside, while also replicating the famed Champs-Élysées and Mt. Ventoux. Oh, and there’s a non-pro event, l’Étape du Tour, where you can ride some of those routes now. And then ‘Discovery’ rides where you’ll be able to ride what the pros rode from the previous weekend.

Phew. All of these details are painstakingly outlined below. With that, let’s dive in.

Virtual Tour de France:

Now, I’m basically going to slice this section into two parts. First, is the super-quick Cliffs Notes version, and then second is all the nitty-gritty details. So, to begin, here’s the bulleted ‘give me the facts quickly section:

• It’s a 6 stage event: Stages 1 & 2 are in a dressed up variant of Watopia, whereas Stages 3, 4, 5, and 6 are in a new France virtual world
• The Stages are semi-fictional: While it would have been nice to see all of the new French roads mirror some real-world counterpart, the reality is that with the exception of Paris and Mt. Ventoux the terrain doesn’t actually align to a specific real-world locale
• The race will take place over three weekends: Starting this weekend, one stage on Saturday, one on Sunday. Rinse/repeat for the next three weekends
• There’s both a men’s and women’s race: Parity, look at that!
• There are 23 men’s teams competing, and 16 women’s teams competing: So in a nutshell, basically all the major UCI WorldTour teams that would normally be at the Tour de France (men), and at the Giro Rosa (women)
• It’s more of a team race than an individual one: A team can only have 4 riders per stage, and those individual riders can only compete in a maximum of three stages for the men, and four stages for the women
• There are jersey/team/GC winner categories: Like the real TdF, you can pick up a KOM jersey or a new rider jersey. And by ‘you’, I mean those professionals. Heck, there’s even a Twitter poll for “Most Combative” rider planned after each stage
• The overall winner is points-based: While normally for the Tour de France the overall winner is time-based, in this case it’s based upon points assignments from each stage
• It’s being broadcast on TV: In short, if there was a TV station broadcasting the Tour de France planned, it’s likely now broadcasting the Virtual Tour de France

Ok, let’s step back and start with with the Stages:

Stage 1: Saturday 4th July – Watopia’s Hilly Route : 36.4 km (4 x 9.1 km, hilly stage) Stage 2: Sunday 5th July –  Watopia’s Mountain Route , 29.5 km (682 m of ascent, mountain stage) Stage 3: Saturday 11th July, – Representing North-East France, 48 km (flat stage) Stage 4: Sunday 12th July – Representing South-West France, 45.8 km (2 x 22.9 km laps, hilly stage) Stage 5: Saturday 18th July – Replication of Mont Ventoux, 22.9 km (finish at Chalet-Reynard, mountain stage) Stage 6: Sunday 19th July – Replication of Paris Champs-Élysées loop, 42.8 km (6 laps of the circuit)

So, as you can see, the first two stages are within the existing Watopia world, albeit dressed up in Tour de France banners and such. After that, the event moves to Zwift’s new French world and Paris world. They’re separate worlds, but more on that later.

These routes/roads are designed to represent given regions of France, rather than replicate a specific road or Stage. The exception to that though is the finale in Paris on the Champs-Élysées, and then the climb of Mt. Ventoux. However, note that for Stage 5 of the Virtual Tour de France, the riders will not ride to the top of Mont Ventoux. Instead, they will finish at Chalet-Reynard, which is roughly 2/3rds the way up.

Here is a nifty mini-gallery are the elevation profiles of each of the Stages. Once I have the actual VeloViewer links (I just have imagery right now), I’ll link to those.

Ok, next, to the riders. Well, actually, let’s start with the teams. That part is a bit easier. Here’s the men’s:

– AG2R La Mondiale – Arkea Samsic – Alpecin-Fenix – Astana Pro Team – B&B Hotels – Vital Concept p/b KTM – Bahrain McLaren – Bora Hansgrohe – CCC – Cofidis – Circus – Wanty Gobert – Deceuninck-Quick-Step – EF Pro Cycling – Groupama FDJ – Israel Start-Up Nation – INEOS – Jumba Visma – Lotto-Soudal – Mitchelton-SCOTT – NTT Pro Cycling Team – Rally Cycling – Sunweb – Total Direct Energie – Trek-Segafredo

And here’s the women’s teams:

– Ale BTC Ljubljana – Arkea – Boels Dolmans – CANYON/SRAM Racing – CCC-Liv – Ceratizit-WNT – Drops – FDJ – Nouvelle Aquitaine – Futuroscope – Lotto Soudal Ladies – Mitchelton-SCOTT – Parkhotel Valkenburg – Rally Cycling – TIBCO-SILICON Valley Bank – Trek-Segafredo – TWENTY20 – Sunweb – Valcar-Travel & Service

Ok, that huge list of teams complete, what about the actual riders?

Well…this is where it gets a bit messy. See, the riders aren’t competing for themselves. Instead, they’re competing for their team. Zwift and ASO have mandated the following two things:

Rule #1: No more than four riders per team per stage Rule #2: No male rider can race more than 3 stages total, and no female rider more than 4 stages total

As such, this is more of a team PR event (and honestly, in my mind, a hugely disappointing aspect). There are however still various jerseys that can be won, and then the team decides which rider will wear that jersey the following day (after winning it).

When it comes to jerseys, the points scoring varies with each jersey/awards:

GC Winner (Yellow Jersey): First 25 riders receive points at finish King/Queen of the Mountain (Polka Dot Jersey): First 10 riders on Stage 5 Ventoux finish, first 5 riders on Stage 2 Epic KOM finish, and first 3 riders on any other Category 3 climbs Sprint Jersey (Green Jersey): First 10 riders on intermediate and final finishes Young Rider (White Jersey): First 10 riders born after Jan 1st, 1995. This category is not combinable within a team, only the highest ‘winner’ gets the points Most Combative (No jersey): This is a daily Twitter poll where the three most combative riders are offered, and points are given based on the Twitter poll placement

The amount of points varies widely within each jersey for each ‘win’. For example for the Yellow Jersey the points for a stage win start at 50 points, then 40 points for 2nd place, 35 for 3rd place, all the way down to 1 point for 25th place. Whereas for the green jersey, it’s simply 10 points for the sprint winner, 9 points for 2nd, and so on down to 1 point for 10th.

Of course, that’s all just collecting points. The actual awarding of those jerseys is an incredibly complicated affair. However, the main thing you’ll want to know is how tie-breakers are handled within points for a given jersey (including the GC). And in that case, if two teams have the same number of points, then for the GC it’ll defer to the highest place rider of that finishing stage.

For the sprint jersey it’ll first defer to most stage wins, then most intermediate wins, and then best GC ranking. For the KOM/QOM jersey it’ll defer to most 1st place CAT 1 finishes, then CAT 2 finishes, then CAT 3 finishes, and finally failing everything else best GC ranking. For the young rider jersey it’ll tie-break to the highest U25 rider in Paris. Same goes for overall team win tie-breaker if required, which will be highest place team rider to determine the win between the ties.

Last but not least, here’s the rough broadcast dates/times, the women always go first, and the men follow basically an hour later:

Stage 1: July 4th @ ~15:00 CET / 06:00 US Pacific / 23:00 Australia AEST Stage 2: July 5th @ ~15:00 CET / 06:00 US Pacific / 23:00 Australia AEST Stage 3: July 11th @ ~14:45 CET / 05:45 US Pacific / 22:45 Australia AEST Stage 4: July 12th @ ~14:45 CET / 05:45 US Pacific / 22:45 Australia AEST Stage 5: July 18th @ ~14:50 CET / 05:50 US Pacific / 22:50 Australia AEST Stage 6: July 19th @ ~14:45 CET / 05:45 US Pacific / 22:45 Australia AEST

These will also be broadcast on Zwift.com too, as well as the following broadcasters:

Worldwide: GCN App Zwift.com Europe: Pan-Europe (incl UK): Eurosport & GCN Denmark: TV2 Sport Norway: TV2 Sport/TV2 Sumo France: FranceTVSport Belgium Walloon: RTBF Belgium Flemish: VRT Netherlands: NOS Portugal: RTP2 Spain: Teledeporte Sub-Saharan Africa: Supersport Americas: USA: NBCSN Canada: FloBikes Asia Pacific: Australia: SBS Japan: J Sports China: Zhibo.tv New Zealand: SKY Sport Pan-Asia-Pacific: EurosportAsia & GCN

Also of random note, is that if you’re a professional rider in these races you must be in the starting pen 30 minutes prior to the start of the race (though are allowed off your bike), and the riders must stay in the game on their bikes until the Team DS is alerted by officials they can get off their bikes.

And as far as cheating and accuracy? Well…let’s be honest, people are doing this from their homes with what is little secondary validation. Also, it’s largely a PR event. Meaning that unlike some of the provisions that would be in place for an in-person Zwift event (such as validated rider weigh-ins or disallowing access to the trainers/power meters), those won’t apply here.

Still, Zwift is taking some precautions here. Riders must submit video weigh-ins in advance of the race, and Zwift says that each team is doing a specific equipment and validation check with a Zwift individual responsible for that team. There aren’t however going to be any post-race verifications with ZADA for this, nor is there any prize money on the line. Instead, all the events are in support of Le Tour United, which is raising money by ASO for Emmaüs, Secours populaire français, Jeugdfonds Sport & Cultuur, BiJeWa, and Qhubeka.

L’Étape du Tour & Discovery Rides:

Now, unless you’re one of the pros riding, then you’ll instead want to be riding within the Virtual l’Étape du Tour de France. Now, normally l’Étape is a physical event with around 15,000 riders that can ride a real Tour de France stage each July from that year’s Tour de France. This is typically a mountain stage in the Alps or Pyrenees, and is a one-day affair.

However, with that postponed for now, a virtual version of that will take place in Zwift (literally dubbed Virtual L’Étape du Tour de France). While still considerably shorter than the real thing, it’ll run over three different weekends. So while the pros will race two stages each weekend, you’ll race one stage each weekend. There are 16 different race sessions per weekend to choose from to get that Stage finished. Here’s the event details:

Stage 1: July 4th/5th – Zwift Watopia’s Mountain Route: 29.5km with 682m of ascent Stage 2: July 11th/12th – Zwift France’s Casse-Pattes Route x2 laps: 45.8km with 155m of ascent (emulates South-West France) Stage 3: July 18th/19th – Zwift France’s Mont Ventoux Route: 22.9km with 1,539m of ascent (finishes at top of Mont Ventoux)

In addition to that, you’ll be able to ride the same routes as the pros for the week following each pro race. So basically:

Week of July 6th: Just the Watopia routes you’ve already got access to Week of July 13th: The France World routes Week of July 20th: The France & Paris world routes

These will be accessible via group ‘Discovery’ rides, that include the specific routes from the weekend prior. These rides will be scheduled every 2 hours all week long. Of course, knowing how Zwift typically works, this means you’d be able to likely finish the group ride and keep on going to explore other aspects of the France map. In the case of Paris, that’s a separate map, so you wouldn’t be able to connect from the first map to the 2nd map.

Speaking of which, let’s talk new Zwift Worlds.

The New French Worlds:

The best bit of news here is all the new pavement for Zwifters. And that actually comes in two worlds, not one. There’s the France Zwift World, and then there’s the Paris one. I know, it’s confusing – Paris isn’t part of France. Don’t worry, as much of the rest of France would tell you, they don’t see Parisians as from their world either.

In any case, BOTH of these worlds will become part of the standard Zwift guest world rotation starting after the Virtual Tour de France. Zwift’s head of PR Communications, Chris Snook, confirmed this earlier today saying “these worlds will join the regular guest world rotation soon after the Tour de France”.

However, you’ll actually be able to ride these new routes earlier than that. Each week after the pros race, Zwift will host so-called ‘Discovery Rides’ every two hours on Zwift, which will feature the routes from the previous weekend of racing. More on that in the previous section.

Ok, so details about these new worlds are still somewhat thin. But to begin, the new ‘France’ map is fully interconnected between the routes, so if we remember back to the Virtual TdF Section, we’ve got the following portions:

Stage 3: Representing North-East France, 48 km (flat stage) Stage 4: Representing South-West France, 45.8 km (2 x 22.9 km laps, hilly stage) Stage 5: Replication of Mont Ventoux, 22.9 km (finish at Chalet-Reynard, mountain stage) Stage 6: Replication of Paris Champs-Élysées loop, 42.8 km (6 laps of the circuit)

However, this divides up into the two new worlds:

A) France World: Including Stages 3, 4, 5 B) Paris World: Just the Paris Champs-Élysées loop of Stage 6

Within the French world, that’s a single cohesive map that you can ride 8 different Zwift Routes, though that includes going over certain roads both directions and loops and such. Essentially there are two loops, and then one out/back to Mont Ventoux.

The France routes are as follows:

Casse-Pattes: 14.2mi /22.9km with 508ft/155m Douce France: 14.9mi /24.0km with 436ft/ 133m Petite Boucle: 37.8mi / 60.8km with 1,584ft / 483m La Reine: 14.0mi / 22.5km with 3,953ft / 1,205m (finishes at Mont Ventoux midpoint, Chalet-Reynard) R.G.V.: 14.9mi / 24.0km with 436ft /133m (Douce France in reverse) Roule Ma Poule: 14.2mi /22.9km with 508ft / 155m (Casse-Patte in reverse) Tire-Bouchon: 37.8mi / 60.8km with 1,584ft / 483m (Petite Boucle in reverse) Ven-Top: 12.9mi / 20.8km with 5,049ft / 1,539m (Mt. Ventoux replica) Notable: There’s also a road that connects from couple-mile/km long road that connects from the upper loops to the start of the Ven-Top route. It doesn’t have a specific name on the maps, but is included on La Reine.

Phew, got all that? Good. Here’s a few more screenshots of those routes:

Oh, and then there’s the Paris routes. There’s just two of those, simply going forwards and backwards the same loop:

Champs-Élysées: 4.1mi / 6.6km with 127ft / 39m Lutece Express: 4.1mi / 6.6km with 127ft / 39m (Champs-Élysées in reverse)

The route profile is pretty straight-forward:

And here’s a gallery of images from it:

Again, these routes will become available as regular guest worlds in the normal Zwift calendar following the conclusion of the Virtual Tour de France, which of course ends later in July. Zwift doesn’t have an exact date, but did note it’s not waiting until the real Tour de France to release these. Also, you’ll be able to ride the specified routes following each pro weekend, as well as within the l’Étape du Tour.

When you ride the France World routes however, it’s notable that your completed workouts will appear overlaid on Strava in New Caledonia, sorta like Watopia appears overlaid on a Pacific Ocean island. However, the Paris Champs-Élysées route will actually overlay atop Paris (like how Richmond does).

Oh, one last thing, Zwift’s Chris Snook did make one final comment about the France map specifically, staying that “For launch, there will be eight routes, but there’s a heap of expansion room in France.”. Just to leave that nugget there…

Undoubtedly this will dramatically increase visibility for Zwift as a platform, making it more visible via broadcasting to the numerous partner broadcast networks in 130 countries. As a result, it will undoubtedly increase Zwift subscriber numbers. I don’t however think it’ll do much (if anything) for ASO or the Tour de France, except all but the smallest amount of publicity. It will however raise a slight bit of awareness for some of the teams and their sponsors (ideal at a time where many teams are struggling to stay afloat).

But I think the real value here for Zwifters is simply more virtual pavement. While a Tokyo addition was reportedly planned for this summer (tied to the Olympics), that got pushed back till a later date. Instead, now we’ve got two new worlds, one of which sounds like it’ll be expanded upon going further. Though I do think this does probably re-ring the bell on so-called Guest World choice paradigm a bit. Previously you didn’t really have that many overall locales – so having 2 guest worlds + Watopia was fine. But as the number of worlds expands, so does the desire for people to have more flexibility in where they ride. With Zwift numbers dramatically up from where they were earlier this year or 18 months ago when Guest Worlds were announced, it’s probably time to re-visit that.

There’s also the reality that, based largely on self-inflicted communications stumbles this past weekend, a lot of Zwifters are still asking for more focus on current aspects of the game. Teams have been promised for nearly a year, and it’s been three months since the team beta rolled out with no visible expansion beyond a single beta team. And while the new worlds do benefit regular Zwifters, the Tour de France race partnership has brought up questions again on whether Zwift is a software company that services its paying end users, or a media company for occasional race sponsorships. Sometimes those two overlap well, whereas other times their goals appear at odds with each other.

Still, I’m interested in seeing where this goes beyond this year. Will this be a one-off due to COVID-19, or will Zwift and ASO find a way to bring a Tour de France 2021 that still includes pros? Ideally, by that timeframe, the pros are spending their time riding real-world races. Speaking of which, I’d like to see where this can shift next year towards having riders actually race the entire event, so as to make it more similar to the real world Tour de France that ultimately features a single rider standing atop the podium for their efforts over the entire event. Until then though, there’s no doubt this is the biggest event in sports tech, and will likely even take the cake for the biggest esports event as well in terms of global viewership.

With that – thanks for reading!

FOUND THIS POST USEFUL? SUPPORT THE SITE!

Hopefully, you found this post useful. The website is really a labor of love, so please consider becoming a DC RAINMAKER Supporter . This gets you an ad-free experience, and access to our (mostly) bi-monthly behind-the-scenes video series of “ Shed Talkin’ ”.

Support DCRainMaker - Shop on Amazon

Otherwise, perhaps consider using the below link if shopping on Amazon . As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot. It could simply be buying toilet paper , or this pizza oven we use and love.

Related Posts

Post a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked. If you would like a profile picture, simply register at Gravatar , which works here on DCR and across the web.

Comment -->

Subscribe me to the newsletter

I would like to support DCR and enjoy ad-free DC Rainmaker ($20 per year).

 Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.

Click here to Subscribe without commenting

Add a picture

62 Comments

it’s likely not broadcasting the Virtual Tour de France.?????????

Odd that the race finishes at Chalet Reynard, yet the Ven-top route appears to go to the observatory?

Was going to say the same, why do the screen shots show riders on the final 100-200m to Ventoux observatory when the article says the stage finishes at Chalet Reynard. The route from Bedoin to Reynard is tough but through the forest and not the iconic Ventoux that everyone thinks of.

If you check the profile, in the article, that is to the top of Ventoux (22km) not to Reynard which is only about 15km.

So it looks like it is indeed the full Ventoux climb.

That Stage 5 in the Zwift TdF starts well before Ventoux, which is what makes it confusing. But it definitely only goes to Reynard. The exact route used for that stage is La Reine, which starts off in the rest of the France world and makes it way over to Ventoux.

The imagery of the top is actually showing l’Etape (you can see it written on the finishing banner).

I suspect the reason they aren’t finishing at the top is purely for TV reasons (too long including the warm-up).

Thanks Ray,

But presumably the map goes to the top of Ventoux? Otherwise why would they show the Ventoux observatory in the press screen-shots.

Finishing at Chalet Reynard would be like releasing the Alpe du Zwift and having it finish at Huez Village.

Correct, it goes to the top, and is used in l’Etape and the rest of the Zwift France world, it just isn’t used in the TdF race.

I agree with you, but, I’m also not at Zwift HQ/ASO HQ.

maybe its too windy on top for the TV ;)

Related point: with the observatory on the right hand shoulder of the riders at the summit of Ventoux, it implies theyve ascended from Malaucene not Bedoin otherwise itd be on the left hand shoulder. Im guessing this is a minor error /to make the composition of the picture look good, rather than both ascents.

I think that’s actually a valid angle. They just haven’t double-back yet to the parking lot. When I did it, you see that angle right before you make a sharp turn up to the tower.

Though, not sure why they’d put the banner there, versus at the tower parking lot.

Also, for those that want a laugh on how young I looked: link to dcrainmaker.com

As you approach the summit from Bedoin, the observatory is on your your right hand side all the way up from Chalet Reynard. Only in the final 100m does after the hairpin and steep final ramp is it on the left.

Strange for the pros not to go to the top on Mont Ventoux?

I can only assume that they wanted the stage to be more than just start at the foot of the mountain and go uphill for an hour.

This is great news, more Zwift tarmac! Let’s hope they have the Northern ascent of Ventoux already in the works to create a looped route from the valley section. Zwift publicity department should have kept the update under wraps until this announcement and save a load of grief from impatient zwifters!

> Now, unless you’re one of the pros riding, then you’ll instead want to be riding within the Virtual l’Étape du Tour > de France. Now normally l’Étape is a physical event with around 15,000 riders that can ride a real Tour de France stage each July from that year’s Tour de France. This is typically a mountain stage in the Alps or Pyrenees, and is a one-day affair.

> However with that cancelled for this year, a virtual version of that will take place in Zwift (literally dubbed Virtual L’Étape du Tour de France).

Afaik l’Etape du Tour is not canceled, I received a mail last week that it will be hapenning on the six of september (ie this mail snippet in french) :

` Comme initialement prévu, la date retenue se situera le weekend suivant le Grand Départ, à savoir le dimanche 6 septembre 2020.`

Ahh, I missed that – great! Will update.

I wonder if the idea of not allowing riders from the same team to compete on more than 3 stages came from Zwift or was derived from teams’ desires not to have some of their riders “stuck” to competing on Zwift for 6 days over a 3 week period during training camp. Still, it’s very disappointing and will likely make the competition a lot less fun to follow.

I would guess the rule is so Rohan Dennis doesn’t win all the stages. Which could increase the fun – depending on who you are.

I’m sure that’s exactly it. They should have accelerated things and done this earlier so that riders weren;t faced with the immediate realities of the (real) UCI calendar. Still, I think it will be fun to see a different group of pros just kill it for an hour… just for bragging rights :)

> Spain: Teledeports

The Spanish channel is “Teledeporte” (aka TDP)

Thanks! That was originally from the full ASO/Zwift listing. Corrected!

L’Étape du Tour isn’t cancelled Ray, it is on the 6th of September

Yup, already updated! You may be seeing a cached version. Thanks!

If we join a Discovery ride up Ventoux, will we be allowed to continue riding up and down it as much as we’d like after the first ascent? Sure hope so, as we could move our virtual Everesting attempt the weekend of July 24 from the Alpe to Ventoux to try something new.

That’s my assumption, based on how Zwift events typically work.

It would be cool if Zwift could account for the Everesting craze by setting aside specific times for Ventoux Everesting attempts. It would be good to have a “get on the bus” day when sprinters and rouleurs could enjoy the “scenery” at a more humane pace;)

Ray, Please have a look to your advertising partners. I get hate-ads on your site against migration.

That’s not good. I’ve never heard or seen of that, and I don’t accept political ads.

All ads go through Google Adsense, and they don’t accept them either (hate content of any sort, they do accept political content, but I have that as ‘Not Allowed’). If you’ve got a link or name or such where it went to, I’d love to know so I can at least add a black-list ban there.

I have send you an mail using your contact form. I can provide a screenshot if needed.

Thanks, much appreciated for the detail.

From that information I was able to find the ad, and block them for showing anything here. I was able to see that specific ad was showing exactly four times on the site. Three times today, and one time on June 10th. I cannot see in Google Adsense which ‘Category’ they belong to oddly, so I’ll follow-up with them if that organization has mis-categorized itself or under some odd category that’s not politics or law/etc…

Thanks again!

Maybe a little bit off-topic, but apart from the Tokyo world for the Olympics, didn’t they as well plan for a new world for the UCI e-sports world championships (whatever the correct name is). Do you already have any news on this?

I am very surprised to see pros and pro teams happy to share racers data such as power/HR….. it is usually a well hidden data and only specific part of it is released when a performance is too outstanding… Even if the data is not shown it is send to Zwift so it is there somewhere.

Thanks, great post as usual ! When this came out on cyclingnews clear as mud, I was hoping for exactly such a precise and well documented piece. Any idea how the virtual bike situation will play out ? Everyone on Zwift/Tron bikes equivalent (maybe disguised for sponsors) or each team will use it’s own bike sponsor as already implemented ? If so I’m Worried for FdJ, No Lapierre in Zwift as far as I can remember… Just hope we won’t have to go through the whole Cam Jeffers charade again, although admitidly, I agree this is mostly a PR thing and results should not be taken too seriously. All in all, great news, that Ven Top route is going to be excellent.

This sentence needs a bit of attention (although I think I know how it will end :) )…Meaning that unlike some of the provisions that would be in place for an in-person Zwift event (such as validated rider weigh-ins or disallowing access to the trainers/power meters).

Here’s how it ends: Nothing.

Will Zwift be verifying Froome’s treadmill for the Ventoux stage?

“Lutece Express: 4.1mi / 6.6km with 127ft / 39m (Champs-Élysées in reverse)”

Going wrong-side up les Champs, and clockwise around l’Étoile? Don’t people get excommunicated for suggesting something like that?

This is Zwift going too far with Ventoux. Does this now mean that I will need a treadmill in case the camera moto suddenly stops, Richie Porte and I collide with it and then I have to run part of the way up the mountain? Do I then need to attach a yellow child’s mavic bike with the wrong pedals to my home trainer? I mean I simply can’t afford all this new kit.

Ineos is going to love this because it opens the door to many additional ways of cheating

“on whether Zwift is a software company that services its paying end users, or a media company for occasional race sponsorships” Well said, Ray! I’m one of those who complained about their really worse communication concerning this update. And I even more complained that they seem to focus on publicity instead of doing a lot of homework concerning their software. Yes, I WILL enjoy the new routes. But I would even more enjoy a lot of bug fixing and enhancements beside new routes. Actually I don’t feel very serviced by them – but they never complained getting my money every month ;-)

That last image put a smile on my face. It’s a true replica of the event now.

Dumb question, but is this instead of the Tour that was rescheduled or well?

The Tour is rescheduled to start Aug 29th. They’ve set out numerous measures how they (ASO) believe they’ll be able to execute that.

I’m pretty skeptical it’ll go on (or if it even makes sense to), but, we’ll see….

Super excited about this! Love the new tarmac!! thanks for the excellent write up too!!

HI First, I’m not a zwift user, and only ride for fun. But I love watching TDF Now I see on Strava that friends use zwift all the time, and while this virtual TDF is for the pros, wouldn’t it be fun if we could join the race to see if we could ride with the pros? So only you could see yourself in the race with the pros, and that would only be open for 50-100km of a stage!

just a thought… I sometimes feel I could ride with the peloton (ok maybe for only 30min on the flat!)

keep safe and healthy

Stuff like this has already happened, e.g., with Cancellara chasing down a huge herd of Zwifters: link to zwiftinsider.com

Very helpful, DC, thank you! Heckuva piece of work.

I’d quite like Zwift and Strava to work together to sort the maps out properly!

Thanks for this! Any info on whether there is a requirement regarding the Trainer Difficulty setting for the virtual TdF?

None to my knowledge, but I can check with Zwift.

I’d love to see that sort of thing actually locked by the race organizer when you enter a given event. I feel like there’s such potential for a ‘Race Organizer Dashboard’, to be able to set all sorts of things like that. Perhaps there already is, but I haven’t heard of it.

I’ve honestly never understood why it’s even an option in a race. If the goal is realism, then people setting it to 10% Trainer Difficulty just isn’t that. I know it doesn’t technically change your power output, but of course it changes the difficulty of a climb, because you can spin at 100rpm much easier than grinding away at 50 or 60RPM for a hard climb. After all, if there was no difference, then we wouldn’t see racers purposefully setting it crazy low. ;)

AFAIK there is no difference in power, effectively it just gives lower gearing. Since lower end trainers have lower maximum torque resistance, wouldn’t forcing them to use 100% “difficulty” increase the likelihood of riders exceeding their trainer’s limit and actually getting an advantage? (asking for a friend)

It’s true there’s no difference in pure power to speed in Zwift. However, in reality, there is.

For most people, they’re more efficient at higher cadences. So if you’re at 10% trainer difficulty, then you can easily spin at a much higher cadence than at 100% on climbs grinding away at 60RPM. As such, many racers will set it super low.

Personally, I always just set mine for 100%. I’m trying to replicate the terrain, so anything less isn’t doing that.

Seems nuts to me that Zwift couldn’t do what they did with the London map and have you jump on the metro and appear in Malaucene or Bedoin or wherever, rather than have two discrete maps. I’m keen to ride Zwift’s Ventoux and see what it’s like, but I think If I want the challenge I’ll stick with RGT.

Very informative, had seen the advertisement of Zwift , but had created more questions than answers. Good job ,?

Is the Tour doube-draft or regular? I would assume for all real pro races the would do double.

I’m also curious about the trainer difficulty setting! And whether all team’s bikes have the same weight and aero characteristics. Lastly whether there is a choice of trainer? Hot tip from Lama on the Kickr Core’s slight overestimation of power at the top end ?

Saturday I rode L’Etape du Tour. The climb to the radio tower was challenging. The course was well designed and the event went without a hitch. Riding with over 5000 other Zwifters was fun and a nice distraction from the current stream of bad news. I am glad that I bought my Wahoo Kickr Core a month before the lockdown. Thank you Zwift for a very enjoyable event and thank you DC Rainmaker for a very comprehensive review. Here is a picture from the event. Yes, I know that I did not post the best of times, but I am old(er) and I am riding with a broken rib and two additional cracked ones. ?

You did it that’s what matters. I’m 73 and I completed it. A very satisfying experience!

• Twitter Facebook Strava YouTube Instagram RSS

I’m DC RAINMAKER…

I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.

You'll support the site, and get ad-free DCR! Plus, you'll be more awesome. Click above for all the details. Oh, and you can sign-up for the newsletter here!

Here’s how to save!

Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.

With TPC (The Pro's Closet), you'll save $40 on purchases over $200 with coupon code DCRAIN40 for tech and non-tech purchases!

Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!

Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!

Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!

Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!

Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit , which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!

Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!

FAQ’s

I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.

• Do you have a privacy policy posted?
• Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
• Will you test our product before release?
• Are you willing to review or test beta products?
• Which trainer should I buy?
• Which GPS watch should I buy?
• I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
• I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
• I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
• What kind of camera do you use?

View Them All Here →

5 Easy Steps To The Site

In Depth Product Reviews

You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget.  If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my  in-depth reviews section .  Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos!  I aim to leave no stone unturned.

Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.

Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here , and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here , all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there.  Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day?  I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list , from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things).  And to compliment that, here’s  The Girl’s (my wife’s) list . Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

Have some fun in the travel section.

I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.

My Photography Gear: The Cameras and Equipment I Use Daily

The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “ My Photography Gear ” post for your curious minds! It’s a nice break from the day to day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!

The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List

Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list . But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.

• Subscribers

Tour Femmes’24 Final Stage 8: Vollering Just Short of the Overall!

Niewiadoma wins the final overall.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage Report: The 8th and final stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift produced a thrilling finale on l’Alpe d’Huez with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) securing the GC win as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) took the stage victory. Vollering rode incredibly to win the stage, followed across the line by Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 4 seconds, with Evita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) third at 1:01 and Niewiadoma fourth, in the same time, which was enough to secure the Yellow Jersey and GC glory for Niewiadoma by just 4 seconds. Vollering finished the race in second place overall, with Rooijakkers completing the podium in third at 10 seconds and Muzic fourth at 1:21.

The last kilometre of stage 8

Shayla Gutierrez (Movistar), Barbara Malcotti and Marit Raaijmakers (Human Powered Health) and Josie Talbot (Cofidis) didn’t start the last stage. There were 116 riders on the road as the peloton rolled out of Le Grand-Bornand ready for the 149.9km challenge to Alpe d’Huez, via Col du Glandon.

Ahead of the first categorised climb of the day, the Col de Tamie (27.2km, Cat.2, 9.5km at 4%), a strong 22 rider break formed, comprising of Mischa Bredewold, Christine Majerus, Blanka Vas and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Franziska Koch (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal), Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ), Riejanne Markus and Fem Van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ceratizit-WNT), Kristen Faulkner and Noemi Ruegg (EF-Oatly-Cannondale), Liane Lippert and Olivia Baril (Movistar), Silvia Persico and Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), Katrine Aalerud and Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobilty), Camille Fahy and Celia Le Mouel (St-Michel-Mavic-Auber93).

At the top of the Tamie climb Ghekiere strengthened her position in the Mountain classification reaching the summit first, followed by Bredewold, Majerus and Adegeest. By the time the break reached the intermediate sprint at km 53.4km at Aiguebelle (Val D’arc) they had a 2:50 gap over the bunch. Wiebes won the sprint, ahead of Majerus and Barrel. Approaching the Col du Glandon (98.5km, HC, 19.7km at 7.2%) the peloton accelerated and the gap to the break was quickly reduced to 1:30 as the climb started.

The likes of Faulkner, Fahy, Wiebes and Persico were dropped by the break early on the Col du Glandon climb. 1:00 was the gap from the peloton to the front of the race 15.5km from the summit of the Glandon, with Lippert, Brand, Magnaldi, Aalerud, Smulders, Arzuffi and Adegeest riding clear of the remainder of the escape, their former companions in the lead group dropping back into the bunch on the climb. Ghekiere was one of those who fell back on the ascent, then also dropping behind the peloton having expended so much energy in her epic win yesterday.

Valentina Cavallar (Arkea-B&ampB Hotels) attacked from the main group and went solo at the front, overtaking what remained of the break, 5km from the summit of the Glandon. The race then exploded as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) distanced the wearer of the Yellow Jersey, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) with her first attack, 2.5 kilometres from the top of the Col du Glandon, with only Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) managing to follow the 2023 Tour winner, as they joined Cavallar at the front. Those three went over the summit 57 seconds ahead of Niewiadoma, who was in a group with Gigante, Realini, Muzic, Brand and Kerbaol. As Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) was not one of the point-scoring first 8 riders over Glandon summit it confirmed the polka dot jersey for Ghekiere.

Vollering initially left Rooijakkers and Cavallar behind on the first bends of the descent, but the pair soon rejoined her, only for Cavallar to eventually lose contact with the Dutch pair. Rooijakkers fought hard to stay with Vollering on the last kilometres of the descent and with 25km to go the pair were still together, 1:15 ahead of the Yellow Jersey group. Under Lucinda Brand’s leadership for Lidl-Trek and at the service of Gaia Realini, that group reassembled at the Verney dam, 25km from the finish. Niewiadoma, Kerbaol (3rd in the GC after Stage 7 at 37 seconds), Muzic (9th at 1:25), Realini (12th at 1:49), Brand (13th at 2:01), Fisher-Black (28th at 7:26) and Cavallar (36th at 14:22) were all present and ready for the final battle.

When the climb of Alpe d’Huez (149.9km, HC, 13.8km at 8.1%) commenced the gap between the front two and the chasing GC leader’s group was 44 seconds. A reduced chasing group of Niewiadoma, Realini and Muzic were only 39 seconds behind Vollering and Rooijakkers 12.6km from the finish, but as Vollering pressed on the gap was back up to 1:05 with 10km to go. By the 5km to go marker the difference between the two groups was 59 seconds as the tension mounted. Although Vollering would go on to reach the finish line first just ahead of Rooijakkers, Niewiadoma’s fourth place finish behind Muzic was enough to seal the Yellow Jersey.

Stage winner and 2nd overall, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime): “It feels very sour that I lost by just four seconds. Because before the Yellow Jersey was very secure on my shoulders, but then the stupid crash was there and I lost it actually there. It’s really painful to know now that it was not enough today. Normally I would also be able to do it, but today I had a lot of pain in my back. It was a big fight against myself on Alpe d’Huez. I tried to fight with everything I had. I know that we have an event in Holland and there are a lot of people fighting every year for a good charity for cancer research. All those people fight all the way to here [Alpe d’Huez]. Today I was thinking about this. I could never give up, that was what I did, but it was not enough. I won two stages, one time second and one time third, I had a very good Tour de France, only one day was a bad day.”

Final overall winner and 4th on the stage, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM): “That was a real rollercoaster of emotions. On the descent [of the Glandon] I was able to rebuild myself, refresh and I was so lucky to have Lucinda Brand there, so I think we also have to say a big thanks to Lidl – Trek because they did a great job for us. On Alpe d’Huez I knew that I just had to pace myself right, so that I could give my best in the last 5 km, so that I could minimise the gap as much as possible. To be honest I lost the faith again. In the radio they were screaming so much in the last 2 km and to be honest I went through such a terrible time on this last climb. I hated everything, to then arriving at the finish line and learning that I had won the Tour de France, which is insane! It is so mind blowing because there are so many people that I am thankful and grateful for, starting with my husband, my family, my whole team, my coach, who put in so much work to prepare me for this, and my friends! This is dedicated to so many people who contributed to the victory!”

# Thanks to ASO for the stage details. #

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 8 Result: 1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 4:34:14 2. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:04 3. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:01 4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM 5. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 1:31 6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT at 3:15 7. Valentina Cavallar (Aust) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 3:34 8. Sarah Gigante (Aus) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 5:10 9. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) SD Worx-Protime at 5:14 10. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 7:06.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Final Overall Result: 1. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM in 24:36:07 2. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:04 3. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:10 4. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:21 5. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 2:19 6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT at 2:51 7. Sarah Gigante (Aus) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 7:09 8. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 8:06 9. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 8:07 10. Thalita de Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny at 8:12.

Alastair Hamilton has been a pro team mechanic on the road, track and mountain bike and worked for the Great Britain team at the World championships in all disciplines. Since moving to Spain and finding out how to use a computer, he has gone from contributor of Daily Distractions at the 2002 Vuelta a España to editor at PezCyclingNews.

PEZ at the Movies: Migration

VUELTA’24 Stage 2: Groves in the Vuelta Sprint Groove!

Private: LOMBARDIA’24:

Private: WORLDS’24 Men’s Road Race:

Private: Gear Break:

Private: VUELTA’24 Stage 10:

Comments are closed.

• LATEST NEWS
• TECH N SPEC
• N.A. RACE HUB
• READER’S RIGS

Polka Dot jersey Justine Ghekiere conquers Tour de France Femmes stage 7 as Niewiadoma holds onto yellow

Belgian victorious from breakaway, Vollering and Niewiadoma in stalemate in first Alpine battle

• Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Polka dot jersey leader Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance - Soudal) roared to victory on stage 7 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as the race hit the alps.

Ghekiere was the only survivor from an early breakaway of six. She attacked the group on the penultimate climb of the day and held off the fast finishing favourites to take the biggest win of her career.

Behind, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) could not shake yellow jersey Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), but beat the Pole in the sprint for third behind Maeva Squiban (Arkea-B&B Hotels) who had attacked earlier in the final climb of the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt.

Vollering had attacked the yellow jersey on two occasions on the final climb, but Niewiadoma was equal to the reigning champion's accelerations on an ascent which was not difficult enough to cause serious damage. The SD Worx-Protime leader had to settle for a four bonus second gain and sits in 8th, 1:15 down, ahead of the final showdown on Alpe d'Huez tomorrow.

Dutch starlet Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) finished 7th on the stage to move up two places into the runner-up spot behind Niewiadoma. Meanwhile yesterday's winner Cedrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) slipped to third in the general classification. 

It was a breakthrough performance by Ghekiere, who was joined in the early move by team-mate Julie van der Velde. She has topped off a strong performance by her AG Insurance-Soudal team throughout the week.

"I really have no words. I think I'm dreaming, it's crazy," she told Eurosport after the finish.

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

"I really want to thank my team today. The whole team in the beginning was in the front and protect me...to get me also in the breakaway. Especially, a really, really big thanks to Julie [van der Velde]. She rode a really strong race. She did everything for me to get me in the best position to start this climb and to save as much as possible energy. This victory is also for Julie."

Ghekiere had multiple goals out on the road. The 28-year-old won all but one of the classified climbs in the stage, extending her lead in the polka dot jersey. For much of the day, the stage win was only at the back of her mind. 

"When I took the last points," she replied when asked when she started to think of winning the day. "Then I was really dead and I thought I just go my own pace, and I could stay away. I can't believe it."

Vollering sprints to third ahead of Niewiadoma atop Le Grand-Bornand

How it Happened

This was the day that everyone expected the battle for the maillot jaune in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to really kick off. As it happened, events earlier in the week had already gone some way to shape the events of the day. The big question was whether reigning champion Demi Vollering's injuries would prevent her from closing the gap on leader Kasia Niewiadoma.

It was a constantly undulating day which included five classified climbs. The opening 45 kilometres before the first official ascent were a deadlock in terms of attacks, with several attempts made, but none sticking. The big news early on was the abandonment of Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), winner of stages one and two. Kool was one of a glut of early leavers, including British riders Anna Henderson (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Becky Storrie (dsm-firmenich-PostNL).

The peloton stayed together over the first climb of the day, the fist category Col de la Croix de la Serra. Puck Pieterse won that one ahead of her polka dot jersey rival Justine Ghekiere.

As the riders traversed towards the next climb, six riders went clear. They were Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Sara Martín (Movistar), Sarah Roy (Cofidis), Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health), Ghekiere and her team-mate Julie van de Velde.

Belgian Ghekiere was able to take full advantage of her time up the road, winning the climbs of the Côte de Bois d'Arlod and Côte de Cercier. Vos was similarly successful, taking the intermediate sprint in Frangy to extend her green jersey lead to an almost unassailable point.

The gap to the breakaway sustained between four and five minutes for much of the stage, and remained so as the breakaway approached the finish with its two second category ascents. Behind the big teams shared the duty on the front as they tried to bring them back.

The peloton shed its dead-weight on the penultimate climb of the day as FDJ-Suez lifted the pace in support of Evita Muzic. Ahead, Ghekiere left her breakaway companions behind as she looked to strengthen her grip on the polka dots, perhaps with ambition for more.

As Ghekiere held the gap at around 2:30 over the top of the climb, the peloton had decreased in number to around twenty, with all the favourites present apart from Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner, whose GC bid faded.

Demi Vollering launched an initial move before the final climb, but the yellow jersey was glued to her back wheel. Vollering's team-mate Niamh Fisher-Black then took control as the favourites began the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt towards the finish line. Maeva Squiban (Arkea-B&B Hotels) made a speculative move at the foot of the climb.

The gap to Ghekiere was failing to budge in the right direction for the favourites. As the domestiques disappeared in the closing kilometres, co-operation was weak as riders such as Evita Muzic attacked without making progress.

Sitting 8th on GC, Pauliena Rooijakkers made a move under the 4km to go banner. Seconds later, Vollering moved again with the yellow jersey again on her wheel. The group was shrinking as the strongest came to the fore, just six riders remained alongside the yellow jersey as they caught Rooijakkers. The pace cooled off and the group swelled.

Ghekiere stayed strong, powering up to the finish a Le Grand-Bornand more than a minute ahead of Squiban, who held off the favourites to take second place.

Niewiadoma accelerated with a few hundred metres to go and only Vollering could follow. The Dutch challenger was able to move ahead of Niewiadoma in the final sprint, but couldn't put any time into her on the road.

On one of only two opportunities for Vollering to challenge for yellow in the mountains, the SD Worx-Protime rider could only close the gap by four seconds and move two places higher on GC, into 8th.

In many ways, stage 7 is only an aperitif ahead of a colossal final stage, where all will be won and lost.

Tour de France Femmes 2024 stage seven: Champagnole > Le Grand-Bornard (167km)

1. Justine Ghekiere (Bel) AG Insurance - Soudal, in 04:26:58 2. Maeva Squiban (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels, +1:15 3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +1:23 4. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, at same time 5. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ, +1:27 6. Thalita De Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny, +1:28 7. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck 8. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL 9. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck 10. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek, all at same time

General classification after stage seven

1. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, in 20:00:52 2. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck, +27s 3. Cédrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT, +37s 4. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +1:01 5. Thalita De Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny, +1:09 6. Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Lidl-Trek, +1:12 7. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck +1:13 8. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +1:15 9. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ, +1:25 10. Justine Ghekiere (Bel) AG Insurance - Soudal, 1:27

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Dan Challis is a freelance journalist based in the Scottish Borders. As well as writing for Cycling Weekly and CyclingNews, Dan also writes a weekly newsletter called Global Peloton.

Has the move to wireless shifting for Campagnolo's premium Super Record groupset improved the rider experience?

By Tim Russon Published 20 August 24

Three-time Vuelta winner takes over the overall lead after beating Lennert van Eetvelt and João Almeida

By Tom Thewlis Published 20 August 24

"I've gone through such a terrible time on this climb. I hated everything," shares the yellow jersey victor.

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 18 August 24

Vollering wins the stage, but comes up just short to win the race overall. Rooijakkers second, Muzic third.

By Dan Challis Published 18 August 24

The full general classification, along with the latest stage result, and the standings for the other jerseys

By Cycling Weekly Last updated 20 August 24

Eyes turn to Alpe d’Huez showdown as GC battle stalls on Le Grand-Bornand

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 17 August 24

By Cycling Weekly Published 16 August 24

Kasia Niewiadoma maintained her lead in the yellow jersey on an action-filled day in north-east France

By Adam Becket Published 16 August 24

The dsm-firmenich PostNL rider came down in the same crash which saw Demi Vollering hit the deck

"We have to wait and see how it feels tomorrow morning. But I assume I will be able to continue the Tour tomorrow," says the race favourite

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 15 August 24

Useful links

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• Vuelta a España

buyers-guides

• Best road bikes
• Best gravel bikes
• Best smart turbo trainers
• Best cycling computers
• Editor's Choice
• Bike Reviews
• Component Reviews
• Clothing Reviews
• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Advertise with us

Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

• Visit Our Blog about Russia to know more about Russian sights, history
• Check out our Russian cities and regions guides
• Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to better understand Russia
• Info about getting Russian visa , the main airports , how to rent an apartment
• Our Expert answers your questions about Russia, some tips about sending flowers

Russian regions

• Amur oblast
• Buryat republic
• Chukotka okrug
• Jewish autonomous oblast
• Kamchatka krai
• Khabarovsk krai
• Magadan oblast
• Primorye krai
• Sakha republic
• Sakhalin oblast
• Zabaikalsky krai
• Map of Russia
• All cities and regions
• Blog about Russia
• News from Russia
• How to get a visa
• Flights to Russia
• Russian hotels
• Renting apartments
• Russian currency
• FIFA World Cup 2018
• Submit an article
• Flowers to Russia
• Ask our Expert

Kamchatka Krai, Russia

The capital city of Kamchatka krai: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky .

Kamchatka Krai - Overview

Kamchatka Krai is a federal subject of Russia located in the Far East of the country, in the Far Eastern Federal District. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the capital city of the region.

The population of Kamchatka Krai is about 313,000 (2022), the area - 464,275 sq. km.

Kamchatka krai flag

Kamchatka krai coat of arms.

Kamchatka krai map, Russia

Kamchatka krai latest news and posts from our blog:.

26 May, 2024 / Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - the City of Volcanoes .

11 September, 2023 / Kamchatka - the Land of Bears and Foxes .

11 April, 2019 / Amazing Landscapes of Kamchatka .

13 April, 2017 / North of Kamchatka - view from above .

21 December, 2016 / Flying over diverse Russia .

More posts..

News, notes and thoughts:

17 October, 2011   / An explosive eruption is taking place at Russia's Shiveluch volcano, located in the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting no fly zones to be imposed in the region. Ash plumes have risen to 34,500 ft (10.5 km).

History of Kamchatka Krai

The first people inhabited Kamchatka in the early Neolithic. Since the Stone Age, the tribes of Koryak, Itelmen and Ainu settled in this territory. The total population mainly engaged in hunting and fishing was sparse. In the 17th century, Russians began to explore Siberia and the Far East. In the 1730s, permanent Russian population appeared and because of its scarcity it largely mixed with the natives.

In 1849, Kamchatka oblast was formed with the center in the town of Petropavlovsk port (present Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky). In 1909, Kamchatka guberniya (province) was formed. October 20, 1932, Kamchatka oblast was established as part of Khabarovsk krai.

January 23, 1956, it became an independent region. Koryak Autonomous Okrug was located on its territory. October 23, 2005, a referendum on the unification of Kamchatka oblast and Koryak Autonomous Okrug was held. In 2007, a new federal subject of Russia appeared - Kamchatka krai.

Beautiful nature of Kamchatka

Kamchatka scenery

Author: Vyatcheslav Kozlov

Kamchatka landscape

Author: Alexey Usov

The lake in the caldera of a volcano in Kamchatka

Author: Korotnev A.V.

Kamchatka Krai - Features

Kamchatka Krai occupies the Kamchatka Peninsula and the adjacent part of the mainland, Karaginsky Island and Commander Islands. The northernmost point of the peninsula is located at the latitude of Arkhangelsk, the southernmost - Kiev (Ukraine). The Bering Sea (the Pacific Ocean) washes the territory in the east of the region (the length of the coast is more than 2,000 km), the Sea of Okhotsk - in the west (about 2,000 km).

Kamchatka is a zone of volcanic activity, there are about 300 large and medium-sized volcanoes, 29 of them are active. Klyuchevskaya Sopka stratovolcano is the highest mountain on the peninsula and the highest active volcano in Eurasia. About 14,100 rivers and streams flow through the region. The main rivers are Kamchatka (758 km), Penzhina (713 km), Talovka (458 km), Vyvenka (395 km), Pahacha (293 km), Apuka (296 km), Ukelayat (288 km).

Fauna is represented by a variety of species, the largest land mammals are brown bear, snow sheep, reindeer, moose, wolverine.

The region’s economy is based on fishing industry (fishing and seafood processing), agriculture, production of natural gas, coal, non-ferrous metals, electric power industry (including the development of non-conventional geothermal energy), tourism. Kamchatka krai has only three cities: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (181,300), Yelizovo (38,700), Vilyuchinsk (22,500).

Climate of Kamchatka

The climate is subarctic in the northern part of the region, temperate maritime, monsoon - on the coast, continental - in the interior districts. Winters are long and snowy, the average temperatures in January and February range from minus 7-8 degrees Celsius in the south and south-east, minus 10-12 degrees C in the west, to minus 19-24 degrees C in the center and north.

Summers are short, usually cool and rainy, the average temperatures in July and August range from plus 10-12 degrees C in the west, plus 12-14 degrees C in the south-east, to plus 16 degrees C in the central part.

Tourism in Kamchatka

More than 14.5% of Kamchatka Krai refers to specially protected natural areas. The six zones called “Volcanoes of Kamchatka” are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List: the Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve, the caldera of Uzon volcano, Bystrinsky Natural Park, Natural Park Nalychevo, South Kamchatka Nature Park, Klyuchevskoy Nature Park.

The summer-autumn period is favorable for climbing volcanoes, ecotourism, coastal cruises on the Avacha Bay, sport hunting and fishing, rafting, diving, kayaking in the sea, ornithological and scientific-educational tourism, golf.

The winter-spring season is favorable for heli-skiing, dog sledding and snowmobiling, skiing, snowboard, sport hunting, ski tours, swimming in hot springs and ice fishing.

Tourism in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is associated with visits to museums, ski resorts near the city, climbing volcanoes and a trip to the Pacific coast (Khalaktyrsky beach).

Some museum attractions can also be found in Ust-Bolsheretsk, Ust-Kamchatsk, Milkovo, and Esso. The main hot springs are located in the village of Paratunka. Ethno-tourism events are held in the villages of Esso and Anavgay.

National parks and reserves

• Nalychevo Natural Park . This park is one of the most visited places because it is located about 25 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The valley of the Nalycheva River, surrounded by active and extinct volcanoes of Avacha and Dzendzur-Zhupanovsky groups, is the main part of the park. Also there are thermal springs.
• Bystrinsky Natural Park . It is located near the village of Esso. The main attractions are Lake Ikar, Koryak camp “Chiu-Chiv”, Evenk camp “Menedek”. In late February - early March, the Day of Reindeer Herders is celebrated here and the sled dog race “Beringia” starts in one or two weeks.
• Klyuchevskoy Park . The park is situated near Klyuchi and Kozirevsk villages. The main attractions are the Kamchatka River, glaciers and 13 large volcanoes.
• Yuzhno-Kamchatsky Natural Park . This park is located 60 km south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and is known for Mutnovsky volcano, the caldera of Ksudach volcano, Khodutkinskiye thermal springs, Ksudachinskie sources.
• Kronotsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve - one of Russia’s oldest nature reserves. The main natural attraction of the reserve is the Valley of Geysers - one of the largest geyser fields in the world and the only in Eurasia.
• Koryaksky State Natural Reserve located in the north of Kamchatka.
• Komandorsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve located on the Commander Islands.

Kamchatka krai of Russia photos

Kamchatka - a great place for tourist trips.

In the mountains of Kamchatka

Author: Paul Strishko

Camping in Kamchatka

Author: Aleksandr Goldyrev

The river at the foot of the volcano on Kamchatka

Pictures of Kamchatka Krai

Hilly terrain in Kamchatka

Author: Arnold Jaworski

Kamchatka fox

Author: Slava Pavlyuk

Kamchatka - the land of active volcanoes

The volcanic eruption in Kamchatka

The volcanic eruption in Kamchatka Krai

The questions of our visitors

The comments of our visitors.

You have such a beautiful land, so breathtaking. I first saw a video on TV (RT) about Kamchatka and would like to obtain more information about poople and customs of the region. Thank you for your nice website.

I am Sicilian with only one volcano (Etna) that is very lonely and small compared with your Kamachatka land of volcanoes. Sincerely, visitor.

• Currently 3.09/5

Rating: 3.1 /5 (185 votes cast)

• Create Zwift Account
• How To Get Started On Zwift
• Zwift Course Maps
• How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
• Women’s Racing on Zwift
• Links Every Zwifter Must Have
• More “Get Started” Posts
• Training & Nutrition
• Zwift Hacks
• How Zwift Works
• Course Calendar
• RoboPacer Calendar
• Climb Portal Calendar
• Upcoming Events
• Game Updates
• Top Wheel-On Trainers
• Top Direct-Drive
• Top Direct-Drive >$900
• Exhaustive Trainer List
• XP Basics for Riders
• XP Basics for Runners
• Kit Unlock Codes
• Master List of Badges
• Frames & Wheels
• Master List: Routes
• Master List: Climb Portal
• Master List: KOMs
• Master List: Sprints
• Master List: Rebel Routes
• Downloadable Watopia Map
• Speed Tests
• Race Calendar
• Women’s Teams
• Racer Spotlights
• More Women’s Racing posts
• Watopia Map and Other Posters
• ZI Indoor Cycling Kit

Which Bike Should I Use on Zwift’s Makuri Islands Routes?

Zwift launched Yumezi, the first map on its new Makuri Islands world , early this week. It includes ~27.6km of roads, and ~8.6km of those roads are dirt.

This has some astute Zwifters asking the question – which bike should I use for these mixed routes? On Zwift, different road surfaces roll at different speeds depending on which wheels you are using (read “ Crr and Watt Savings of Zwift Wheel Types ” for details).

Standard road bike wheels are the fastest choice on Pavement, Brick, Wood, Cobbles, and Ice/Snow surfaces. Mountain bike wheels roll fastest on Dirt surfaces. And Gravel wheels fall somewhere in between, rolling faster on Pavement than MTB wheels, but slower than road bike wheels.

Things start getting complex when you’re talking about routes that have climbs and descents, because gravel bikes are much lighter than MTB, meaning they will outclimb them, especially if the dirt gets steep. And it gets even more complex when you’re talking about routes with a mixture of surfaces!

One such route is Kappa Quest . This route is essentially a dirt KOM climb, a dirt descent, then a mixed dirt/pavement connector road from the bottom of the KOM descent to the start of the climb.

We ran some Kappa Quest test laps at 300W steady with a 75kg rider using five different bike setups. Here are the results:

A few observations:

• The Gravel and MTB perform nearly identically on the climb, when using the stock Zwift wheels for each. This means the faster-rolling MTB Crr is being equalized by the Gravel bike’s lighter weight. If the road got steeper, the Gravel bike’s lead would increase. If it got flatter, the MTB would move ahead.
• The MTB is the best dirt descender, which isn’t a surprise, since it’s the heaviest of the three and the has the lowest Crr in the dirt.
• The Tron bike grabs a lot of time on the tarmac, but not enough to get a faster overall lap. And while the Gravel bikes with stock wheels are slightly slower than the MTB on the dirt sections, it makes up for that lost time by outperforming the MTB on the tarmac by 10 seconds.
• The overall winner is the gravel bike with the ENVE G23 wheels (the Roval Terra CLX perform identically), because they have a lower Crr than the stock gravel wheels.

Where Do You Want Your Advantage?

Bike choice on some Yumezi routes may come down to picking your advantage. Do you want an edge on the dirt climb? The dirt descent? Or the pavement? The advantage you select will mean a disadvantage elsewhere, so choose carefully!

On a race around Kappa Quest, the big moves will happen on the KOM climb. So it would seem that the Gravel bike would be the smartest choice for this route, since it gives the biggest advantage on the crucial climb where effort is highest. It also rolls faster than the MTB on pavement, and turns in the overall fastest times.

To Swap, Or Not to Swap?

Swapping from one bike to another is often done heading in and out of the Jungle Circuit in Watopia. With a little practice, it takes around 15 seconds to hit the brakes, make the switch, then get back up to speed.

Does swapping bikes make sense on Yumezi? Probably not, since the overall advantage gained isn’t enough to outweigh the 30-second cost of swapping to one bike then swapping back again.

The only exceptions that I can see to this would be

• The Countryside Tour route , which is a great candidate for a one-way bike swap in a single-lap race (see note below).
• Races with a custom distance which end atop the Temple KOM. This means you don’t have to swap back to the gravel bike, so your 15s swap cost will be easily made up by the speed advantage to the top.
• Slower riders: if you ride at 3 w/kg, you’ll see a bigger time advantage by using the gravel bike on the Temple KOM. C and D racers should look more closely at swapping than B and A racers.

Route Recommendations

Given all this, here are my recommendations for which type of bike to use on each Yumezi route during a race:

• Chain Chomper : go with a Road bike since there’s so much tarmac. Try to drop any MTB and Gravel riders early, before the dirt begins. And just be confident that even if the MTB or Gravel riders drop you on the dirt climb, you’ll be able to claw them back on the long paved descent to the finish line.
• Countryside Tour : go with a Road bike since there’s so much tarmac. But consider swapping to Gravel before starting the climb, then staying on your Gravel bike through the paved descent to the finish line (it’s not worth the time lost to swap back).
• Flatland Loop : definitely Road bike. No dirt roads on this route!
• Kappa Quest : Gravel bikes gives you the most balanced advantage.
• Sea to Tree : definitely Gravel bike, as this is almost entirely a dirt climb.
• Spirit Forest : Gravel bikes gives you the most balanced advantage.
• Three Village Loop : definitely Road bike. No dirt roads on this route!
• Two Village Loop : tough call. 3km of dirt, 9.8km of paved roads. Pick the gravel or road bike, then use your advantage to ride strategically and drop anyone who made the opposite pick!

If you’re not sure which Gravel or MTB to pick, read our report on Gravel Bike Performance and Mountain Bike Performance .

Your Thoughts

What do you think of my bike picks, and the logic behind them? Have you tried different bikes on Yumezi yet? Share your thoughts below!

Related Posts

44 COMMENTS

Get Started on Zwift

Newest Featured Posts

Zrl route design competition: vote now, racers: iceni women’s series begins september 7.

Support This Site

Write a post, shop through us, donate or advertise. Learn more

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Zwift tips and news every 2 weeks! Click to subscribe.

Zwift Adds “Block User” Option

Picking a team on zwift, race zwift’s climb portal starting in september, pondering the possibilities: zwift academy and zwift community college.

This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent

[email protected]

Latest articles, top 5 zwift videos: injury recovery, zwift ride, and alpe du zwift, woman racer spotlight: samantha profumo, popular categories.

• Racing 1307
• Training & Nutrition 663
• Interviews 497
• Routes & Maps 385