Just completed Serpentine 8. It states 19.3km but to complete it is actually 26.5!!
Why not just put 26.5km!!!
hi @Joe_White
Welcome to the forum.
Because the loop has a lead-in, you have to ride to get to the start.
1 Like
Yeh I realise that but you still have to ride 26.5km to complete!!! So why not put that is all I’m saying, it’s the same with other courses as well !
The main factor in the distance statements is that the route is repeated, without the lead-in, if you continue riding with no input of turns.
For instance, the volcano circuit is stated as:
Length:** 4.1 km (2.5 miles)
Elevation: 17 m (56‘)
Lead-In:** 1.3 km (0.8 miles)
If you ride the circuit 1 time you ride the total of the lead-in plus the circuit however, if you ride the circuit 10 times for the badge you ride the lead-in once and then each following circuit is the stated route length. Thus the need to differentiate between lead-in and route.
Hope this clarifies.
JWR
4 Likes
Okay. I’ll bite. What about routes that don’t finish where they start, like “Tour of Fire and Ice”? Why can’t that one just be total distance necessary to complete the route, rather than having a 2.8 km lead-in?
1 Like
Consistency. It makes sense for all the route distances to work the same way, loops or not.
We should be praising Zwift for this! 
1 Like