Southern African Winter Series — Rules

A five (5) week racing series, 30 June – 28 July 2026.

Overview

Anyone is welcome to join, but two (2) separate logs are kept:

  1. an Overall log; and
  2. a Southern African log — for anyone living within any of the following countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho.

Both logs are also kept by Mixed category and Ladies-only category, all within the standard Zwift Racing Score categories. Each racer's best 4 scores count toward the overall score, so you can miss a single race and still be competitive.

Points are scored according to finishing position within your group. The series comprises 3 × Scratch races (one flat, one climb and one rolling), 1 × Individual Time Trial (iTT) and 1 × Crit race.

Zwift Racing Score categories

Zwift's standard 5-tier system divides riders into the following Racing Score brackets:

CategoryRacing Score
Cat A690 – 1,000 points
Cat B520 – 690 points
Cat C350 – 520 points
Cat D180 – 350 points
Cat E1 – 180 points
Schedule
WeekRaceDistance & elevation
1 Douce France (France) — flat & fast 24.2 km · 137 m
2 Legends and Lava (Watopia) — climb up Titans Grove Rev. KOM, finishing on top of Volcano KOM 24.7 km · 352 m
3 iTT on Hot Laps (Watopia) — 4 laps of the Volcano circuit, finishing on top of the Jarvis KOM 23.5 km · 149 m
4 Sand and Sequoias (Watopia) — non-standard finishing line 31.4 km · ~200 m
5 Downtown Dolphin (Crit City) — 10 × 2 km laps, fast & furious with a sting mid-lap 19.6 km · 170 m
Racing rules
  • Races are categorised according to the standard Zwift racing average-watt split. Please ensure you enter in the correct category.
  • For results to be valid, a power source (smart trainer or power meter) and a heart-rate (HR) monitor are required.
  • zPower riders and those not wearing a HR monitor will not appear in results.
  • Kindly maintain an open Strava profile so the organiser can validate your performance. Unrealistic performances may be disqualified.
  • You must be resident in a Southern African country to qualify for the Southern African league table. Everyone is visible in the overall league table.
  • If you are upgraded to a higher category during the series, you automatically carry half your accumulated points across to the higher category.
  • If you are downgraded to a lower category during the series, you automatically carry all your accumulated points across to the lower category.
Category consideration

A few riders currently qualify for a lower category based on their Racing Score. However, after their next race they are likely to upgrade automatically, which means they would lose 50% of their accumulated points under the current rules.

It may therefore be more beneficial to race in the higher category from the outset, rather than upgrading later and sacrificing points already earned. This helps riders retain their points while ensuring fair, consistent competition across categories.

Example: one of the CMC riders scored 99 Racing Score points in a single race. If you are borderline, we recommend riding one category up to be safe.

Any questions — contact Mario on +27 83 266 1937.

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