Team Velos is a longstanding Zwift club and racing team that aims to help riders of all abilities improve their fitness while having fun and competing in a supportive environment.
The club hosts nine group rides weekly, including beginner-friendly events that engage riders in entertaining ways, a competitive sprint training event with monthly winners and prizes, a climbing-focused event to develop “Grimpeurs” (cycling’s climbing specialists), and Poursuite de la Lanterne Rouge: a C-paced ride that includes optional challenges including a chase of the red beacon and featured as one of the Great Group Rides on Zwift.
Team Velos also hosts three weekly races: an individual time trial, a chase-style race, and the Monuments Race inspired by pro cycling’s Spring Classics and stage races.
To learn more about Team Velos, go to: teamvelos.co.uk
Introducing the Pretzel Endurance Group Ride
Velos launched the Pretzelfest on 2 November 2024 as a weekly 2-hour group ride with an ‘After Party’ to encourage those wanting to complete all the Pretzel routes on Zwift. The event soon evolved to encompass all of Zwift’s epic routes, and now features a rotating monthly schedule of increasingly difficult routes to keep the event varied and interesting for its many regulars. Although the Pretzel ride officially ends after two hours, many riders stay on to support one another in completing the longer routes.
Each week, two pace groups start together, with the yellow beacon averaging 2.5 W/kg, and the red beacon 2.0 W/kg. The mass start enables everyone to participate in the ride chat and move between the two pace groups. A rider might start wanting to push a harder pace, then ease back to the red beacon group and finish at a gentler pace; or set off easier, then push higher watts to reach the faster group. A single field promotes camaraderie between the two pace groups, and others in the red beacon crew function as traditional sweeps supporting struggling riders.
During each Pretzel ride, the Yellow Beacon messages on a wide range of performance issues including cycling endurance training, nutrition, strength training, and related topics. This is interspersed with plenty of entertaining chat, including joke contests and quizzes to help the time fly with lots of laughs.
About the Ride Leaders
The Pretzel endurance ride was conceived by longtime Velos teammate and Yorkshire resident David Pickles, General Manager of The Gym Group — one of the largest fitness centers in England. David is also a certified personal trainer and owner of OnelifePt Coaching. David leads the Yellow Beacon group, and started the event with teammate Alicia Caron who leads the Red Beacon group. Alicia is a long-time cyclist in Massachusetts, working as a physical therapy aide trained in injury prevention, recovery, and performance. A lifelong athlete, she has extensive experience in strength and conditioning.
Says David Pickles: “Helping people collect hard-to-reach route badges is part of what we do, which sometimes results in our team riding 5+ hours because someone needed to complete The PRL Full. This event was designed to attract riders who want endurance training and enjoy an element of cycling that many avoid due to boredom. While the ride was founded with the idea of enjoyable zone 2 training, it has created a lively following that helped us grow together. Beyond our two pacing groups, there are bad jokes, silly quizzes, practical tips to improve training, and a team who loves helping others. Not only has the ride evolved, but so has the team. This has been the first Velos event for some riders, many of whom became regulars and so comfortable they joined our lead/sweep crew. Our two sweep teams never give up, since helping others is sewn into the fabric of Velos. We simply try to extend that to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th hour of your training rides.”
Velos owner Stephen Whitcombe adds: “Velos launched its first endurance ride, the Routebagger Challenge, in February 2022, and it immediately gained a following since ticking off the tougher badges is so much more fun with company. But we were able to support that ride only once a month, so the Pretzel event was a perfect evolution since it offers something for everyone: two pace options, a great endurance session for those with limited time, and fantastic support to the end for those wishing to complete extremely tough routes like the Four Horseman, PRL Full, 25 Volcano laps, and Uber Pretzel. Feedback has been tremendous, and many Zwifters make this a must-ride event on their weekly schedule.”
The last week of every month is always the toughest route, and August features one of the most challenging in Zwift: the Uber Pretzel (128.8km, 2335m of elevation)!
The ride is on Saturday, August 30 at 11am UTC/7am ET/4am PT. Sign up here:
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