From the editor: This is the first in what we hope will be a series of articles highlighting Zwift teams. But we need your help to make that happen! If you lead a team on Zwift, we’d love to share an article telling the story of your team and what makes it special. Email [email protected] to get started.
From Community to Competition
What started in 2017 as a group of riders brought together by a shared love of cycling has grown into a thriving Zwift community with around 200 selected members to date — from riders taking their first foray into competitive racing to some of the fastest athletes in the world.
That journey has always been about more than results.
Early Days to the Big Stage
Wahoo eSports was established in 2017, at a time when Zwift racing was still finding its feet, and the idea of organized esports cycling was still very much in its infancy. Two of the club’s earlier sponsors helped the team get off the ground – Science In Sport (SiS) launched a new product (SiS Turbo), and Le Col‘s first-ever ‘indoor kit’ was a direct collaboration with the club.
Since then, the club has grown and gained momentum alongside the sport, both in esports and out on the road. The club’s riders, both former and present, have competed across the Zwift racing calendar, taking part in all of the major events and race series over the years, including the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, Zwift Games, Zwift Grand Prix, and of course, the Zwift Racing League along with Wahoo’s own soon-to-be-announced Winter Series and its yearly Club Championship.
For the club, competing at the highest level has always been an important part of its identity. But it’s only one part.
Today, the membership stretches across all categories and abilities, both male and female riders, including a number of active professionals, national champions, and record-breaking athletes currently within the club. Just to name a few:
- Chris Dawson (5-time Irish Elite male XCO National Champion)
- Rick Van Urk (Dutch male Virtual National Champion)
- Mika Söderström (multiple Swedish Road, National TT, and esports Elite female Champion)
- Rachel Brown (CE:UK British Elite female National Champion)
- Lizi Brooke (British Women’s National 100-Mile UK Time Trial Champion)
- Illi Gardner (3-time winner of the British National Hill Climb Championships, and holds the fastest two Everesting times recorded by a female rider)
- Zoë Thorpe (Silver medal in 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships and Bronze medal in 2022 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships)
Former riders include Georgina Hunter-Bell, who has gone on to become the reigning World Indoor and European Champion in the 1,500 meters on the world stage, and Ed Laverack, former Continental Pro and 2019 UK Hill Climb Champion.
Having riders capable, past and present, of competing at the very highest level is something we’re incredibly proud of — but what matters just as much is the community behind them.
Racing is Only Part of the Story
It would be easy to look at a club with riders competing in major Zwift events and assume that everything revolves around racing.
That’s not Wahoo eSports entirely.
At its heart, Wahoo eSports is community-driven and run by riders from all walks of life, riding at different times of the day – and with an active Discord channel to keep us all together and in the loop. The club wants people to enjoy riding together, improving together, and being part of something bigger than simply chasing results on a leaderboard.
There’s a place for the seriously competitive riders, but there’s also a place for those who simply want some company on the bike, a bit of motivation through the winter, or the opportunity to ride alongside people who share the same passion throughout the year.
That mixture is what makes the club work. Our faster riders provide inspiration and experience, while the wider membership provides the energy, camaraderie, and atmosphere that keeps people coming back – and hanging out.
Great Partners Make a Difference
As the club grew, we’ve also been fortunate to build relationships with some fantastic sponsors and partners who share our enthusiasm for cycling and esports.
The club’s main title sponsor is Wahoo Fitness, whose backing has been hugely important to the club – also proud to work with EZ Loyalty, Precision Fuel & Hydration and Veloskin. Having companies like these involved allows us to support our riders, offer club-only discounts to the community while continuing to develop what the club can offer.
The club will be starting the 2026-2027 Zwift Racing League (ZRL) series with a new jersey design that’ll surely grab the attention of the eSports peloton.
Looking Ahead
After almost a decade of racing, riding, and building the community, the goal remains much the same as it was in 2017: bring people together on the Zwift platform through love of esports.
The club is always keen to welcome new riders from around the world who genuinely want to be part of the team.
Whether you’re male or female, an experienced esports racer or someone looking to take that next step, we’d love to hear from you. You don’t have to be chasing podiums to be part of the club — we have members that span all categories, and if you’re a B-category rider or better (A or A+) and fancy getting involved in the Zwift Racing League over the winter, there’s plenty of opportunity to get stuck in.
The competitive side of Zwift continues to evolve, and so will we. But the community remains at the center of everything we do. From a small club established in 2017 to a 200-plus strong community competing on some of the biggest stages in Zwift racing, it’s been quite a ride.
And we’re only getting started.
Prospective riders applying for membership can fill in this contact form: https://forms.gle/SquprCwiyqGhsvRW7
Find Us:
- Instagram: instagram.com/wahooesports
- Facebook: facebook.com/groups/344033917272573/
nice insight to a great team