British Cycling launches virtual ride series on Zwift

British Cycling has today launched an eight-week series of races and workouts on Zwift. Races will take place on Tuesday and Thursdays and workouts on Wednesdays.

The series is intended for people to have fun and stay active during the global uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic.

How to get started with Zwift
Everything you need to know to try racing in Zwift

Great Britain Cycling Team women’s endurance academy coach, Emma Trott, said: “We’re in an entirely unique situation that means there’ll be no racing for a while, but it’s important that we try to find some sense of normality in all this. For us, that’s training and staying connected not just with each other, but the cycling community.

“Moving things online is a really fun way of keeping that connection and we’re all looking forward to people joining us over the next few weeks.”

There are designated women’s races and, as with many events on Zwift, races are categorised according to your watts per kilogram.

Races are 30 minutes long and time trials are 10 miles long, while workouts are based around intervals. Events will be held on various courses.

You can visit the Zwift website to sign up for a seven-day trial. After your trial period ends, Zwift costs £12 per month for British Cycling members and £15 per month for non-members.

Other online turbo training services have also made efforts to reach more users in response to the coronavirus situation.

Yesterday we reported that Zwift rival RGT Cycling has announced it is making all of its Premium features available for free – it’s usually £12.99 a month.

BigRingVR has also launched a free challenge and rides.

You can find details of both midway down yesterday’s live blog.

British Cycling Zwift series

Race – all races are 30 minutes long and will be hosted on different courses

Tuesday 24 March – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Tuesday 31 March – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Tuesday 7 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Tuesday 14 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Tuesday 21 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Tuesday 28 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Tuesday 5 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Tuesday 12 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Workout

Wednesday 25 March – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – big gear / low cadence session

Wednesday 1 April – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – under-over intervals session

Wednesday 8 April – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – sweet-spot session

Wednesday 15 April – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – threshold pyramid session

Wednesday 22 April – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – 40-20 intervals session

Wednesday 29 April – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – sprint pyramid

Wednesday 6 April – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – minute on / minute off

Wednesday 13 April – 12:00pm and 19:30pm – 3 x 10-minute intervals

Time Trial – all races are 10 miles long and will be held on a mix of courses

Thursday 26 March – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Thursday 2 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Thursday 9 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Thursday 16 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Thursday 23 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Thursday 30 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Thursday 7 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm

Thursday 14 April – 12:20pm and 19:30pm