Zwift has patched its new premium Colorado River Sunrise route within hours of a viral screenshot exposing a roadside indiscretion, erecting virtual barriers and adding a cheeky “When You Gotta Go” sprint segment to its Zwift Plus tier. The online training platform moved quickly to address the issue after rider Sam Sky spotted a figure crouched in the bushes and shared photographic evidence that spread rapidly across social media.
The incident occurred along the newly launched real-world video route, part of the Zwift Plus subscription package that debuted last week with promises of “the most powerful experience to date.” Sky posted a screencap to the Zwift Ride Owners Facebook group on Monday, writing, “Zoom in on the green circle. I saw a guy taking a dump by the side of the road during my session this morning on the new videos.” The post garnered over 1,000 likes in less than 24 hours, prompting a deluge of jokes and swift corporate action.
Viral screenshot exposes figure 4.5km into the route
Sky first noticed the crouched figure approximately 4.5 kilometers into the Colorado River Sunrise course during a training session Monday morning. The screenshot, shared in the Zwift Ride Owners Group on Facebook, showed the person positioned in roadside bushes along the virtual highway. As Sky told Canadian Cycling Magazine, “I got a ton of comments on the photo I posted and over 1,000 likes in less than 24 hours.” The image quickly became an infamous example of quality-control issues in the platform’s expansion into real-world content.
Zwift deploys barriers and sprint segment to obscure the view
Developers responded within hours on Tuesday, implementing two changes to the route. First, they erected new road barriers to block the sightline of the figure. Second, they added a new sprint segment officially titled “When You Gotta Go,” a humorous acknowledgment of the situation. Independent Zwift Insider Eric Schlange detailed the update on his website, writing that Zwift had “responded within a few hours by erecting new road barriers to block the view… and by adding a new sprint segment called ‘When You Gotta Go!’ Amazing.” Zwift also confirmed the footage would be removed, with a spokesperson telling Road.CC the issue was being addressed the same day it was reported.
Premium tier launch overshadowed by real-world video mishap
The Colorado River Sunrise route represents Zwift’s first-ever real-life playthrough, part of the costly new Plus tier that also includes a personalized coaching platform. Rather than generating headlines for these features, the launch instead drew attention to the unexpected roadside addition.
