Looking for a challenge on Zwift? Zwift featuring lots of climbs like Alpe Du Zwift, a replica of the IRL Alpe Du Huez, Ven-Top, the replica of the famous Mt. Ventoux. One of Zwift’s most popular climbs is Alpe Du Zwift, a popular climb for Veveresting, and daring races. Here are the 5 hardest climbs on Zwift.
Ven-Top
Ven-Top was added in the June 2020 update, and this climb is by far the hardest climb on Zwift. The climb was used for the virtual Tour De France, where riders climbed to the Chalet Reynard banner. The Ven-Top route takes you up 5,033 feet in 13 miles. This climb is a virtual replica of the Mt. Ventoux climb that the Tour De France sometimes goes through. The climb features some pro cyclists, or former pro cyclists names written on the roads to help push you to the finish. Once you crest the top you are going to do a small loop, which will then lead to the long descent. With an average gradient of 8%, this is an incredibly challenging climb, and you’re going to need those gears!
Alpe Du Zwift
Alpe Du Zwift was added back in 2018, and since then thousands of riders have done this climb. Alpe Du Zwift is known for the Yeti that can sometimes be spotted towards the top of the climb. There is also is spinning “wheel of fortune” where you can score a Lazer helmet, KOM gloves, or Lightweight Meilenstein wheels. The climb is 3,399 ft (1,036 m) over the course of 21 hairpin turns. The climb is 7.5 mi(12.2 km) long, and typically takes around 1-1:30 to complete the climb. The average grade is slightly more than Ven-top, with an average grade of 8.5%.
Innsbruck KOM Reverse
The Innsbruck KOM is another replica of a real life climb. The climb is not very long, and only slightly less steep than the other two climbs. This climb is an average grade of 6.9%, and is 3.5 miles long. This is not a very popular climb as only a few routes go through it, Lutcher(Lutcher CCW), and Achterbahn. This is still one of the harder climbs as the climb has a few steep bits that you really have to push through to get over the hump. The climb takes around 20-40 minutes depending on your ability.
Epic KOM Reverse
The Epic KOM reverse is a very popular climb. This side of the Epic KOM is shorter than the Epic KOM, which is a longer way up the climb. The Epic KOM reverse is however steeper than the other side. This climb is very similar to the Innsbruck KOM reverse. The climb is just slightly longer, but not as steep as the Innsbruck KOM reverse. The climb is 3.8 miles long, and an average grade of 5.9%. The climb typically takes around 20-40 minutes.
Bologna TT Climb
This is one of the most popular routes for time trials, the route is short, and includes a very steep climb at the end. This is a replica of the Bologna TT climb from the Giro. The beginning of this course is very flat and fast, but once you hit the final ~2 miles, the road will start going up… The average gradient of the climb portion of the climb is 9.6%, the grade hits over 15% at some points of the course, making it very hard to pedal. The climb is 1.3 miles long, and it ends at the upper lap banner. One way is approximately 15-40 minutes long depending on how fast you are going.
