Zwift takes me off timed courses

I’ll be on a loop or course and the timer has started and shows what my last few times were sometimes. Then all of a sudden, a turn appears and zwift takes me off a timed course I’m trying to beat my last time on. How do I tell zwift to keep me on a timed course without staring at screen and micromanaging turns?

Only certain courses are timed.

Lots of good info in here.

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AThanks. I choose “just ride” but sometimes I get on a course just riding and want to see how I’ll do but then it’ll take me off the timer into a different route. How can I keep the timer going and stay on route when just riding? Thanks

Joe Graviss

Personal and unneeded info removed

You need to choose one of the loops that have a timer not all loops have a timer.

LAP JERSEYS

The orange jersey is given to the fastest riders around the main route on a particular course, in either direction. For Watopia that’s the “Hilly Route“, London it’s “London Loop” and Richmond it’s “2015 UCI Worlds Course.”

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AThanks, but when I get on a loop with a timer, it’ll turn me off of it. When a timer starts, I should be able to stay on it by default. What’s happening now is the default is unless you choose a timed route, you may not stay on it. Make it so if a timer starts,
it doesn’t stop until you finish what started it.

Personal and unneeded info removed, again.

You need to make sure you are picking one on the courses Gerrie posted. Like on Watopia it would be the Hilly Route, which has a timer and a Jersey.

Also, make sure you are not posting personal info or unneeded info from replying from an email

Thanks Paul. The point is I do not pick a course, do not want to pick a course. But when I’m “just riding” I’ll enter a course unbeknownst to me and the timer at the top of the screen will start. When that happens, many times I want to
continue on the course to try and beat my best of last 30 days that shows up on the side. But Zwift will take me off the course and the timer stops thus frustrating me after I’ve put in effort to improve a time. Please tell Zwift to keep people on courses
when timers start as the default. We can always make a turn to get off if we want, but don’t know which way to turn to stay on and that takes too much effort and movement when your working hard. So please make the default to stay timed when the clock starts
all the way to the end of whatever we are getting timed on. Thanks!

Joe Graviss

Ok, I think you are confused on the way it works.

Only certain routes are timed and have Jerseys associated with them. Another thing to remember is that a few routes start in the same place. If you select to ride the Volcano Flat route the lap timer for the Hilly route will show in the top. Another thing is that the time will not always stay and neither with the leader board for the entire route even if you are on a timed one.

Please look at the link that @Gerrie_Delport posted that has all the timed routes.

It is ok to not pick a course , but then you have to know the map so you can make the correct turns. How do you start a ride without picking a route? you have to pick something to get started, even if you do a event you are on a particular route and Zwift will follow that route until you make your own turn then it is up to you to navigate.

If you look at the two roads I posted below you will see that the hilly route overlap the flat road on a lot of points.

Watopia’s “Hilly Route” was the very first route on the island. It includes KOM and sprint sections in both directions.

Watopia Flat: does not have a timer

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Thank you. I think we may be getting closer. You asked “how do you start a ride without picking a route?”

That’s easy. When I log in, I simply start peddling and I’m riding wherever Zwift has us that day. Sometimes I look closer and choose the option “just ride” and off I go. I rarely if ever choose anything other than just ride.

But then I’ll notice I’m getting timed on something and will want to see it through and wish the default was once a timer starts on the “just ride” option, then Zwift keeps you on the timed course until you finish it so you can see how
you did.

Thanks,

Joe Graviss

You could be on a timed course, but the timer will not stay there for the entire route. It will be there at the beginning and the end.

What are you using for zwift? PC, Iphone, Android, Apple TV? Is it updated, do you not have world choice? I guess it does automatically choose a route for you, but you can’t just start pedaling without clicking on just ride, ride with a follower, or training/workout (at least on windows PC, not familiar with other OS).

So even if you don’t choose you are still on a set route, and Zwift will keep you on that route if you don’t make any manual turns.

Look at the image below, #1 and #2 show the option to select a World (red) currently Watopia is selected. Next look at the green this is the route that Zwift will follow once you start riding, currently it is “Road to Sky” . If you want to ride something different you need to click on the Orange (Marked as A)

So with all this said there is no way for Zwift to know that you want to follow the rout with the timer if you don’t select it at the start. Zwift will want to keep you on the route that you selected at the start.

If you make manual turns it is then up to you to know where to go.

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By default then, you will always be on the same route becuase Zwift stores the last route you rode in each world.

So, for example, in Watopia…

  1. One day, you probably chose the Flat Route or Volcano Flat. You spawn somewhere on the hill between the ocean tunnel from the volcano and the ‘Downtown’ start/finish line and begin riding down the hill.

  2. you pass under the banner and the ‘Hilly Route’ timer begins ticking away at the top of your screen. But - you didn’t choose the Hilly Route! You’re on Flat or Volcano Flat, so your avatar turns left onto the Ocean Road. Now, you’re off the hilly route - so the timer disappears and you’re upset because Zwift is piloting you around on the route you seleced by NOT selecting a different route in the start menu!?

Is that right?

Because you never select anything different - this scenario will repeat over and over again, forever.

So… pay attention to the routes on startup. Look at the Map of each route as you click through them so you’ll have at least some sense of where each goes in relation to the others.

If you want to stay on the hilly route and keep that timer going? Choose hilly route!

A famous Canadian once said “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice!” :laughing:

BTW… just go straight at the ocean road intersection and you’ll hit the KOM climb. Even if you don’t figure out how to navigate the entire hilly loop on your own, at least you’ll be able to complete the timed segment on the KOM easily - because there are no other turns before the top!

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Thanks. You’re the third or 4th person I’ve talked to about this and appreciate you taking the time very much. When I log in, I choose the “just ride” option 99.9% of the time. I end up wherever Zwift is that day, and usually
don’t care and like the changes and variety. BUT wherever I end up, I always end up seeing a timer start on the screen. All of you have explained what the program does.

Here’s what I’m asking it to do or change to:

All I’m asking is if you are just riding, no matter where or how many times Zwift puts me there, that if you enter a timed course and the timer shows up on the screen, that we get to stay on that timed course unless we turn out of it.

Right now the default is to turn out of it if you didn’t do it last time that is stored for me.

So can you change the default (or whatever you have to do) that if a timed course is entered while just riding, I can stay on that course unless I click out of it please?

Personal and unneeded info removed again.

2 things.

  1. You should have create a Feature Request (I can change it to that if you like)

  2. If you start on a Timed Course that does not mean the timer will be shown the entire time (if you want it there the entire time, again create a Feature Request).

You need to make sure you are selecting a course that is actually time also. You can start on the Volcano Flat route, but the timer for the Hilly Route will be shown, but you will be turned off of it to follow the Volcano Flat route.

Ok I get what you are asking but how will that work. Lets look at the two maps I posted above: Hilly Route and Watopia Flat.
Lets say you choose to do the flat route clockwise when you go past the start banner and the timer will start for the hilly route but you will continue straight at the 0.5km point intersection (because you chose to do the flat route).
But with your request this will force the rider to turn up the KOM at 0.5km, so how will someone be able to ride the watopia flat if every time the Hilly timer start at the start line it forces him to stay on the Hilly course.
And these are not the only routes that use the same section of road.

By not choosing you still choose to ride the selected route and zwift will keep you on that route.

A better feature request will be to have the option to click on the timer and then zwift will follow that segment.

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That’s not a bad idea.

As noted above, making this the ‘default’ can’t work because it would have to override the route I’ve taken the time to select, and then force me to provide some input (i.e. ‘turn out of it’) to stay on my original course. In that case, really, what’s the point of choosing the route I want to ride in the first place if, at every timed segment I cross the software is going to make me deviate from that route automatically?

Gerrie’s idea is a good alternative, since it would give you what you want with a single click while not screwing up every other rider who doesn’t want to be forced onto a different route from the one they chose at startup.

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OK, thanks. Doing Gerrie’s idea is fine, better than what we have now.

But it seems like I’m not making myself clear—I do not choose a route—I choose “just ride”. Unless that means choosing a route, then so be it.

Sometimes I choose the jungle route, fire and ice, whatever, but mostly it’s just ride and when a timer starts I get kicked out and would prefer to stay in without having to take my hands off the handlebars, or at least only one click.

Can you all enter the feature request please?

Thanks.

Joe Graviss

Again personal info and other unneeded data need to be removed.

If you choose a route with no timer then you will get turned off and not see it anymore.

You can create a new Feature Request, changing this one would not be ideal.