Display Virtual Map Layers for Zwift activities

[optimisticprom]

Zwift has been around long enough that now when you see a map in your feed of route that is half in the ocean off the coast of the Solomon Islands, you know exactly what you're looking at. But what if we didn't have to guess at the virtual route?

It would be nice to be able to select a map type (or even better, have it be the default map type for Zwift rides) to have the fictional map display instead of the real life coordinates based Solomon Islands map. Maybe @eschlange already has something like this ready and Strava developers could work with him to implement.

Heatmap of fictional routes in the middle of the ocean

[Jane]

Hello @optimisticprom 

​​Thanks for submitting your idea. It has been reviewed by our moderation team and is now open to voting.

The idea title was edited to better reflect the suggestion so it can be easier for others to search and vote on. Thank you for your contribution.

[authalic]

This is my main complaint with Strava and its handling of virtual rides in Zwift. It really kind of makes Zwift rides look ridiculous and confusing to anyone who isn't a Zwift user, and it defeats a lot of the functionality and usefulness of Strava when you can't see where you went.  I wouldn't think that it is too difficult to detect when an event is uploaded from Zwift, then swap out the basemaps to show Watopia or Makuri Islands or the other course maps.

[fabianring]

First time I used Strava and Zwift I was pretty confused what is happening and why it isn’t showing a matching map. I needed to do so some research. 

I was pretty underwhelmed when I found out that this isn’t even a feature yet.

How come two million dollar companies can’t make that happen. It would be profiting both parties and thousand of users. 

If your team don’t have the capacity to do it just hire the guy who already programmed a workaround. 

[stclaus]

I fully agree - this is exactly what cam to my mind when I started using Zwift.

[Mikareme]

It would be great. When will we get this nice feature? I hope soon !

[BrianSi]

I believe the larger issue for Zwift is impeding customer acquisition. There is a sizeable addressable market whose first introduction to Zwift is via Strava. I dismissed Zwift as a hack product for several years subconsciously simply because of the Strava map display over water. Likewise, I have had friends ask me not "What is Zwift", but "What is wrong with Zwift" because their only exposure is the Strava map. Every potential customer "touch point" is meaningful. Perhaps Strava is unwilling to help.

[MrT1]

Yes, absolutely agree!!