Tour of Watopia is one of Zwift’s largest tours, and arguably the most popular tour. This is because it features double XP, helping riders to level up and obtain new gear in the game. The Tour of Watopia 2023 is very similar to previous years, but with a few new additions. This year’s tour takes place from March 6th and run through April 16th.
Automatic Bike Swaps
First, Zwift will automatically switch riders’ bikes in various portions of the course. For example Zwift’s press release says that, “Zwifters will automatically switch to a Big Wheels trike and ride like they did as a child on major descents on selected segments in stages two, three, and five. On stages three, four, and five Zwifters will also automatically swap from their chosen bike to a mountain bike for the Jungle Circuit, ensuring that all riders have the right bike for the terrain.” Pretty cool.
Double Double XP
What?!? If you are already on the level 50 fasttrack, you will get double the XP you are currently getting, making it so that you would get 80 XP for every kilometer that you ride, and 120 XP for every mile that you ride.
Power Ups
Power ups will have double the length, making riders super fast when used properly. Make sure to time and use your power ups wisely! Note: since double draft is already enabled for this event, the drafting boost will be even more powerful.
Costumes
Similar to the automatic bike swaps, as riders enter certain portions of the course, they will be switched to different costumes(either the dino or the kaiju).
Unlocks
This year, we’ve got a slightly different design from the 2022 designs.
Completing 1 stage will unlock the cap, 3 stages will unlock the shoes, and 5 stages will unlock the full kit.
Courses
There are quite a few different courses and variants, so this is going to be a more concise version. For an in-depth look at the routes, head over to the Zwift Insider article: https://zwiftinsider.com/tow-2023/. Note: the routes are in the following order: longer route, regular route/women’s route, shorter route.
Stage 1: Mar 6-12 – “The Flats” —> Triple Flat Loops // The Magnificent 8 // Tempus Fugit
Stage 2: Mar 13-19 – “Long Haul” —> Big Foot Hills // Out and Back Again // Watopia’s Waistband
Stage 3: Mar 20-26 – “Queen Stage” —> Quatch Quest // Mountain Route // Volcano Climb
Stage 4: Mar 27-Apr 2 – “Jungle Love” —> Dust in the Wind // Road to Ruins // Serpentine 8
Stage 5: Apr 3-9 – “Victory Lane” —> Big Loop // Three Little Sisters // Sand and Sequoias
Make up stages will be available from April 10th through 16th. This is a good opportunity for those who already completed the stages that they needed to to join in and get some more XP.
A separate article for the runner’s will be coming out in due time. Any questions or comments? Let me know in the comments section below!