Virtual (indoor) racing
BathCC has a long and storied history of racing, but we are moving with the times. Virtual racing on Zwift is taking off and BathCC is in on the action!
As a club, we have a growing number of members that enjoy virtual riding on Zwift. Even before the events of 2020 forced us to rethink our ride and racing calendar, we had started to run events on Zwift. Over the 2020 lockdown, Bath CC played a big role in getting some local interclub Zwift racing events, which have now evolved into the British Cycling South Region WTRL Zwift Racing League.
Not sure if it’s for you? Here’s a video that Joe Gregory put together talking to various club members about what they get from Zwifting.
Getting started
If you are interested in participating in some Zwift racing, please ask to be added to our Zwift WhatsApp group. There are some things that you’ll need to do in order to be race-ready:
- We race on Zwift. (https://www.zwift.com/). Here’s a handy article that explains what you need to get started: https://road.cc/content/feature/213282-how-get-started-zwift
- You’ll need to have an account on ZwiftPower, and for that to be linked to your Zwift account. Here’s a handy article that covers the setup process (and also explains some of the basics of Zwift Racing): https://zwiftinsider.com/how-to-race/ Our ZwiftPower club is here: https://www.zwiftpower.com/team.php?id=393
- For races, heart rate monitors are preferred or sometimes required.
For race communications, we use Discord (https://discord.com/). Discord can be run on a mobile (Apple iOS or Android) or a laptop (Windows / Linux / Mac). It’s worth spending a bit of time making sure you’ve got your microphone setup so that it can hear your voice without also picking up the noise of your trainer. Headphones or bluetooth speakers might be helpful. You might also need to look at the ‘push to talk’ option. To join the BathCC Discord server, ask for a current invite link in WhatsApp.
Until Zwift introduce club kit, we race in Road.CC kit. Here’s a guide on how to unlock it (needs a Zwift running on a computer).
Racing
Bath CC is currently participating in the new Zwift Racing League run by WTRL – https://www.wtrl.racing/Zwift-Racing-League.php – Every Tuesday night we have multiple teams, across the range of categories.
- Bath CC Lansdown: Men, Division A
- Bath CC Royals: Women, Division B
- Bath CC Camden: Men, Division B
- Bath CC Belgrave: Men, Division B
- Bath CC Cavendish: Women, Division C
- Bath CC Norfolk: Men, Division C
Races alternate each week between scratch races and TTT.
Team Time Trial (TTT)
Perhaps the best racing Zwift has to offer? TTT is made possible by the smart guys that run the WTRL. It takes a bit of extra organisation, but the outcome combines the fun of Zwift, the competition of the race and the extra drive of taking part as a real team.
The WTRL guide to TTT is here: https://www.wtrl.racing/ttt/TTT-Rules-and-Info.php – if it’s your first time doing a TTT then be sure to read the ‘Race Day’ section in advance, although your team captain will talk you through the details. In summary:
- Sign up on the website in advance (your team captain will give you a link to click and sign-in to WTRL, which should auto-add you to the right event and pen in zwift)
- Watch out for the ‘start delay’ time from your team captain (probably via the team WhatsApp group)
- Make sure you join the race pen before the start time (even if your start delay is 10 mins, you have to be in the pen before the zwift event starts)
- From the time the event starts and the time your team starts, you must wait in the pen. You can do this by simply sitting and waiting, or by putting yourself into pairing/garage screens.
- When the time reaches ‘event start + start delay’, your team should start pedalling for real. If you’ve been keeping warm pedalling, you must be careful to come to a complete ‘0 power stop’ before you exit pairing/garage screens.
Tip: Make sure you know how to put yourself in warmup mode (on laptops, in the ‘pairing screen’, on mobile devices go in to the garage and to the Bike Change area) before the race. If it’s working, you can pedal without your rider moving in the real world. You’ll need to do this so that you can keep warm while waiting for the groups start time. You can practise this in regular zwift, don’t wait til your first race. You’ll know it’s working if you are pedalling but your zwift avatar & the world around them aren’t moving!
