BIG Zwift update! Watch our first ride on 19km of new roads in Watopia

Starting today, users of the virtual indoor cycling platform Zwift can make use of 19 kilometres of fresh tarmac and eight new courses in Watopia. We've had a spin on the latest Watopia expansion and reckon we've got a sneak peek of things to come!

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The Zwift expansion adds 19km of new (virtual) roads to Watopia's Southern Coast, linking the Fuego Flats with the Mayan Jungle.

The new routes will be available to Zwifters starting on Wednesday 25 October with the version 1.51 game release. This begins rolling out from 4pm and is expected to reach all users by Friday.

All Zwifters will be able to experience the new roads during Stage 5 of the Tour of Watopia. After this, Zwifters will need to be at level 10 or higher in the game to access these new roads, unless riding with a friend or as part of an event.

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Zwift says: "The Southern Coast contains some of the most lush and diverse parts of Watopia, and offers some of the most stunning views on the whole island. The new road will take cyclists to never-before-seen locales and settlements that are excited to welcome cyclists, share their unique character, and are sure to become a favourite destination for all kinds of riders."

In addition to the expansion, Watopia also receives a refresh with fresh graphical treatments with this game release. We're also told to keep our eyes peeled for hidden Easter eggs... 

The new road closely hugs Watopia’s coast and is relatively flat. There are four new sprint segments: Stoneway Spring, Acropolis Sprint, Sasquatch Spring, and Woodland Sprint, so you can expect the new roads to be used in races soon.

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The new roads have allowed Zwift engineers to design eight new routes – some of Zwift’s longest. Here are the names, 'distances' and 'elevation' for each of them: 

• Coast Crusher (34km and 172 meters of ascent)
• The Big Ring (48km and 268 meters of ascent)
• Accelerate to Elevate (41km and 1,152 meters of ascent finishing atop the Alpe du Zwift)
• Shorelines and Summits (46km and 776 meters of climbing including the Epic KOM)
• Sugar Cookie (33km and 250 meters of climbing)
• Going Coastal (16km and 63 meters of climbing)
• Temple Trek (6km and 25 meters of climbing)
• Canopies and Coastlines (22km and 124 meters of climbing)

'Accelerate to Elevate' piqued our interest, as it looks like a great new way to ride the Alpe - a 25km-ish flat warm-up followed by an hour or so of pain!

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While riding the new routes, we also spotted this mysterious-looking road (above) perhaps part of a future update. The new Southern Coast road navigates around the back of the Epic KOM. Could we see a new way to climb up the mountain in the near future, and if so what climb would you like it to emulate?

The only comment regarding this from Zwift was this: "In the future, Watopia’s construction planners expect to use the new causeway as a backbone for additional new roads, giving Zwifters access to other remote parts of Watopia that are not currently developed for cycling."

Let us know if you'll be riding the new roads on Zwift in the comments section below...