Haute Route 2021 FAQ

General Discussion
1

What is Haute Route Watopia 2021?
Haute Route gives amateurs a taste of what pro racing feels like. Zwift makes indoor training fun. Together, we provide a world-class Haute Route experience from the comfort of home.

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Haute Route isn’t for the faint of heart! With over 3,500 meters of climbing over three back-to-back days, it’s one of the toughest challenges Zwift offers. Are you up for it?

How do I register for Haute Route Watopia 2021?
We’re just as excited as you are! Visit zwift.com/hauteroute and sign up to any stage to register!

When does Haute Route Watopia 2021 start and finish?
It begins February 26 at 0:00 UTC and ends February 28 at 23:59 UTC

What if I miss a stage?
Events like this don’t come around too often, and are only available for a limited time, so just making it to the start line is an achievement.

If you miss a stage, you won’t be eligible for the in-game kit and won’t be featured in the full Haute Route GC on Zwift Power. Complete as many stages as you can, but just know that there will be more epic events in the future—don’t sweat it if you can’t make every stage.

How many stages and what routes are there for Haute Route Watopia 2021?
There are 3 stages in Haute Route Watopia 2021.
Stages 1 and 2 will use custom variations of The Pretzel and Mega Pretzel routes.
Stage 3 takes place on Watopia’s Quatch Quest route. For more info on the stages, check out zwift.com/hauteroute.

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Can I do a stage more than once?
Yes, but doing so will only count towards that specific stage’s completion. Also, if you’re taking part in the General Classification (GC) and complete a stage multiple times, it will take your best time.

How do I take part in the General Classification (GC)?
We’ve got you covered! Check out this article for everything you need to know to take part in the GC.

Will the General Classification results be verified?
No, results on GC will be just for fun—and bragging rights.

Will I unlock route badges?
Stages 1 and 2 of Haute Route Watopia 2021 finish just before completion of the full course length. If you continue riding after finishing Stages 1 and 2, you’ll unlock the route completion badges for The Pretzel and Mega Pretzel, respectively. For Stage 3, you’ll unlock the Quatch Quest route badge by completing the stage.

What do I get for completing Haute Route Watopia 2021?
Complete all 3 stages, and you’ll come away with a brand new 2021 Haute Route kit in game!

This kit is great! How can I get one?
You’re in luck! In partnership with premium cycling apparel brand Le Col, we’re providing the opportunity to purchase a real-life kit or tech tee inspired by the design of the in-game Haute Route Watopia 2021 kit. Grab your gear on Le Col’s site today!

I’m not seeing an earned unlock for Haute Route. Where is my unlock?
No worries. Unlocks during Haute Route require you to log out and back in to Zwift. Check out our article for these steps.

Can I keep the Colnago V3Rs bike?
The Colnago V3Rs is assigned to all participants during Haute Route Watopia 2021. To keep the Colnago and use it outside of the event, you must purchase it from the Drop Shop.

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I plan on completing Haute Route 2021. What other rewards can I earn?
Outside of unlocking the Haute Route 2021 kit, when you complete any one stage, you’ll receive a £50 Le Col reward and a link to enter into a prize drawing on the Haute Route website. That prize drawing may earn you a spot at a real-life three-day Haute Route event in Europe—and maybe more!

How do I opt-in to make sure I don’t miss any emails?
Simply update your email preferences. Check out our article for steps.

What should I do to prepare?
We’ve got you covered, our Support Hub has everything you need to get ready. For basic info on getting started, check out this article.
If you’re looking for more helpful tips on getting ready for event day, check out this article.

What can I do if one or more of my events hasn’t been saved or the kit hasn’t been unlocked after completing all three stages?
There can be many technical reasons your activity didn’t count. Among them are game crashes, logging in on multiple devices, working out after finishing a stage, or not completing the final lap.

The best way to ensure your activity is counted towards event completion is to save and exit after you have finished the stage. If you run into any of the above issues and have completed most of the stage, please reach out to us—we’re here to help!

How do I listen to the audio briefings?
Great question! Check out this article for steps.

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Is the Colnago in the drop shop yet? Cant seem to find it.

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@Oliver_ZRace_Central
You’re right, it’s not in the current game client 1.0.61590. There will be new game version released before Haute Route begins next Friday.

Please update your client when it drops.

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How much further do you need to ride past stage finish lines to unlock the Pretzel and Mega Pretzel badges?

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@Tim_Walker1

I’m told it’s a few kilomoters longer than the custom routes for Haute Route. Zwiftinsider has details on the Megapretzel and The Pretzel routes that will unlock the badges.

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My numbers may be off some, so worth checking. It appears the full Mega Pretzel, Stage 1, is almost 67 miles plus a lead-in. The “modified” version is 34.5 miles + a lead-in. Stage 2 appears to end at 33.7 miles for the modified Pretzel, the full route is 45 miles plus lead-in. The last stage Quatch Quest does not appear to be modified.

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7

All - please update to game client 1.10.0 (v1.0.63185) before starting Haute Route this weekend. It contains art assets (like the aforementioned Colnago) needed for Haute Route.

The PC and Mac versions were released a few minutes ago.
iOS / Apple TV / Android will go live later today.

8

Why are the Haute Route events listed as “Ride” and not “Race”? At least on zwifthacks-dot-com (I am unsure where else this info is available). Will there be a result end-screen, and will the event be using “race” physics (e.g. for downhill coasting)?

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What is race physics, I am not aware of any difference between race and ride physics.

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Search for “All About Zwift’s Updated Race Descent Dynamics - Zwift Insider”

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I’m not buying that it still works that way. I haven’t seen anyone mention this in these forums, and that article is from a really long time ago in Zwift terms (given how often things get tweaked).

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12

given how often things get tweaked broken by “updates”. There FTFY :rofl:

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13

Looking at the C group starting list for the 6am PST (2pm GMT) event Friday morning, the top 25 participants are well beyond the C group limits with 20 minute power numbers way above 3.4w/kg. In fact there’s an A+ rider on there. This is going to make the start of the event a bloodbath with the bulk of the real C riders spat out the back of the pack at the gun.

I looked at the D group and it’s even worse with a huge number B and C riders topping the list; I’d guess 40. The B group doesn’t have near the problem; maybe 5 riders out of category.

Zwift, you gotta fix this for these kind of events. There is truly no excuse for this to still be going on here. And the Haute Route events are an essential part of the Zwift canon. I’m gonna be riding the C event and I’ll report back afterwards.

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14

Hear, hear

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@Jonas_H
These are epic, difficult rides that some will treat as races. We also welcome riders who want to challenge only themselves over these grueling rides.

@Mark_Crane_TOG_G_65y
If you care about the General Classification results: pick one event category (A/B/C/D/E) and ride in that category across all three stages.

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The super tuck is definitely different between race and group ride. It is a lot more efficient in a race. I rarely do formal group rides, but did one this week and supertucking at 70km/h still saw guys pulling away from me that wouldn’t happen in a race.

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No, I care about having an event that’s paced according to category. I MIGHT be able to hang with the second group of these sandbaggers but that’s all it’s going to be. The C riders that are in the 2.6-3.0w/kg range will have no chance and end up riding the entire event in small packs instead of having an enjoyable “race”. There is no excuse for letting these miscreants ruin the event for riders that can’t perform at that level.

Take a look at the 6am event starting list: ZwiftPower - Login
Or the 5am start: ZwiftPower - Login
Click on the C group, then sort by 20 minute power. It is not a pretty picture. I know what’s going to happen at the gun.

Fix this please.

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They are DQ’ing people in ZP - 20 of the top30 in Cat C in the event I just did were UPG’ed - didnt stop me trying to compete with them given ZP Live results is busted, so that was fairly frustrating.

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Is the kit the same as the one we unlocked in the workouts ? Is it the same kit as last year ?

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Seems like a fun event series! I do think precisely for these type of events it would be very useful to have an ‘E’ pen assigned to allow anyone to ride the event in Fondo/group style (i.e. ‘E’/‘Fondo’ riders can see and draft anyone that participates regardless of Pen, but riders choosing for a ‘race’ category will not see and draft ‘E’/‘Fondo’ riders). It could sort out quite a number of riders looking to participate with different intentions. Ideally Zwift could automatically place out-of-cat riders in this E-pen as well.

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