Zwift Badge Hunt
In my previous articles (links below) on the Zwift program, I have discussed how I began using the program, how it works with cycling, and added information as to how it works with running as well. A fourth article addressed the constant improvements Zwift has done which keeps the program exciting and engaging, in which I mention the badges!
Badge tally progress: When you free-ride on any route on Zwift (as in not participating in any programmed event like a race or fondo) you can use the direction arrows at intersections and change where you travel on the coure. But if you ride the given route you started on without deviating from that route and complete it- you get a badge as well as added bonus points which brings your level up a notch. And a hit of dopamine LOL.
My new winter fitness goal is to get badges on every route in every “world” in the Zwift universe that is not an event. You can see my progress from the images below taken from the Companion App on my phone. Out of 49 badges available, for example in Watopia, I have 38 of them- which means I completed those 38 routes without altering direction. In the past, I would change directions to avoid a huge time consuming climb for example. Many of the badges not yet achieved in any of these worlds are the longest routes and/or the routes with lots of climbing.
For example, the unfinished routes in France include the 5036 feet of climbing route Ven-Top which is a GPS accurate virtual replica of the Tour de France famous Mont Ventoux with numerous switchbacks. I have only done this climb twice since joining Zwift in December 2019 and it takes me nearly two hours- or it did back then. It’s been a couple years since riding it.
Anyway, chasing badges will force me to work on the climbs, especially. The distances are not usually an issue. I have even done a 100-mile ride on the program a couple years ago. Of course, choosing a route to ride will depend on how much time I have available. I likely won’t be able to chase a badge on a route that might take three hours to ride on a weeknight and thus pursue those on weekends.
[1] https://dennisbmurphy.medium.com/journey-to-watopia-72b9d3c7fc08
[2] https://dennisbmurphy.medium.com/watopia-and-running-aa4979829a29
[4] https://medium.com/@dennisbmurphy/zwift-updates-equal-constant-improvement-7e595e48abb2
