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For many, the arrival of winter means one thing; training shifts indoors. With fewer daylight hours, cold temperatures and the risk of ice on the roads, a lot of riders choose the turbo trainer over outdoor rides. However, as is the case with many aspects of cycling, indoor training is divisive. Some riders avoid it at all costs, preferring to brave negative temperatures and snow rather than sit stationary in their garage, whilst others enjoy retreating to their pain-cave for an hour (or several) of suffering. Personally I sit somewhere in the middle. There are sessions year-round that I will opt to do indoors, simply because the quality is better but for a long endurance ride I far prefer being outside. However I am stubborn enough that if the weather is bad and I simply can’t face the outdoors, I can slog my way through 4 hours in Watopia.
This perhaps was not the case when I first started cycling and indoor training meant staring at a wall for hours on end, or completing the Netflix back-catalogue of terrible movies. The emergence and rapid growth of Zwift and other virtual cycling platforms means that it’s now possible to enjoy a group ride, tackle a sportive or battle for a race win all from the (dis)comfort of your own home. I was actually a relatively late convert to Zwift but in the last 4.5 years have ridden more than 42,000 virtual km, raced in the Elite Zwift World Series and competed in 2 e-sports World Championships. During a week of bad weather a few weeks ago I finally tackled the 173km London PRL Full route (IYKYK) in my longest virtual ride to-date, crossing the line in 4 hours 55 minutes and kept sane by 80s and 90s playlists, top-tier snacks and excellent (virtual and in-person) company.
Virtual racing is an excellent way to maintain some race sharpness over the winter, as well as providing training motivation. It’s accessible to everyone, from beginner to elite, and is another pathway into the sport (and one that’s particularly attractive to individuals who might be nervous of riding and/or racing on open roads or in a bunch). In fact the discipline has grown to the point that there have now been 5 Cycling Esports World Championships, with the 6th edition to be held live in Abu Dhabi on MyWhoosh on 15th November.
Closer to home and following the success of the inaugural series earlier this year, CTT is organising a Winter Time Trial Series on Zwift, kicking off on 12th November. Each event will take place on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and will be repeated the following Saturday at 9am. The series is designed to welcome everyone from experienced testers to those who have never before taken part in a TT event. Entry is free and riders can take part in as many, or as few, events as they wish. To qualify for inclusion in the Series Championships, riders must complete at least 7 (4 x flat, 2 x rolling, 1 x mountainous) of the 14 events to qualify for the final positioning. More information can be found on the dedicated social media channels - See Related Links.
My desire to stay warm and dry, and avoid cleaning my bike will undoubtedly mean that I will be a regular visitor to Watopia this winter so I hope to see many of you on the (virtual) road!
CTT Zwift Winter Series FACEBOOK PAGE
CTT Winter Series DISCORD
CTT Zwift Club via Zwift Companion
An extremely successful inaugural edition of the Cycling Time Trials Zwift TT Series saw 125 different competitors (14 women) race over the 6 rounds.
Each route took place in a different Zwift world and mirrored a category in the new Tribes competition.
10 men and 5 women qualified for the overall standings by participating in at least 3 races, with their finishing position in each race being converted into points, and victory being decided by the lowest points total.
In the open competition it was a close battle between Ian Inglis (Vive Le Velo) and Judah Rand (Kingston Wheelers CC) but in the end it was the former who triumphed, winning 4 of the 6 rounds (with Rand taking the honours in the other two). Karl Norris (360VRT) took the final podium spot, finishing third in 4 of the 6 races.
In the women’s competition Cara Rawlinson (Tactic Sport UK Race Team) finished in the top spot with a total of 37 points in the overall competition but 4 in the female competition. Hazel Smyth (Vive Le Velo) and Andrea Parish both secured their standings in the overall competition by racing in the final round, with Smyth taking the honours of fastest female on the Bologna course to finish second in the overall standings.
A special mention should go to Judah Rand and Karl Norris for competing in all 6 races!