In the days before the internet and Zwift, the British Cycling scene consisted of 3 key pillars (in my opinion). These were your local bike shop, your local cycling club, and the latest edition of the Cycling Weekly magazine.
The world’s oldest cycling magazine
In 2021, Cycling Weekly is celebrating its 130th anniversary. It is actually the world’s oldest cycling magazine, first published by the Dangerfield Printing Company in January 1891. It is the only cycling magazine to be published weekly, the latest copy being available every Thursday in newsagents across the UK.
The magazine’s longest-lasting contribution to the sport was the creation on 4 April 1930 of the British Best All-Rounder (BBAR) competition for individual time trialists. The BBAR competition is a national event aimed at finding the time-trialists who can claim to be the best over a range of distances. However, all riders who attain the appropriate standard are recognised. It ranks riders by the average of their average speeds in individual time trials over 50 and 100 miles (160 km) and 12 hours for men, and over 25, 50 and 100 miles (160 km) for women.
Cycling Weekly on Zwift
When looking through the events on Zwift, I was delighted to see a time trial event hosted by Cycling Weekly. So I reached out to their Editor, Simon Richardson, to get more information.
Simon told me that last year, as a result of the global pandemic, people were missing their local, friendly cycling events, particularly the weekly “Club 10.” For the benefit of our non-British readers, the “Club 10” is a reference to a weekly 10-mile time trial that is most notable in the springs and summers as cyclists can be seen racing along the British country lanes.
With this in mind, Simon and his team contacted Zwift with the intention of recreating the local British institution of the “Club 10”. Before long the “Cycling Weekly Club 10” was born, linking back to the roots of Cycling Weekly and the creation of the BBAR.
The event takes place on Zwift every Wednesday (6pm GMT/2pm EST/11am PST) and is now sponsored by British clothing brand HUUB. Results are published in the magazine and online.
About the event
These TT events take place on different courses every two weeks, to cater for the abilities of different riders, for example, there is the flat course of Tempus Fugit to contend with, which is contrasted by Bologna’s hard and punchy climb. This is designed to ensure that the event remains competitive and also ensures people have to think about equipment selection as that can have an impact on timings and results. The event is well attended with around 250 weekly competitors.
- What: 10 mile individual time trial
- When: Every Wednesday, 6pm (GMT)
- Course: Variety of courses including Tempus Fugit, London 8, Bologna, Tick Tock, Innsbruck, rotating every 2 weeks
- Entry: Go to Zwift.com/events/tag/cyclingweekly
Having raced the event myself, I can testify that the field is very strong, competitive and predominantly British, with the top 10 men pushing mid to late 5 w/kg, whilst the top 10 women were pushing a little under 5 w/kg. With a large field and with both sets of competitors starting at the same time in an organised system via the time trial conveyor belt, there is always someone to try and “chase down,” making you dig deeper than perhaps you would normally do.
Past winners
For the last several week’s Pete Younghusband has been winning the event, along with Cassy Smith, however, I did spot a victory for Zwift Insider’s very own Ed Laverack, with a time of 22:43 in week 6, on the Bologna course.
One past winner, Callum McQueen, used the Cycling Weekly event to showcase his talent and was recognised by the Canyon cycling team and as a consequence, has now secured a spot on their development team. At 21 years old, he is certainly a rider to watch out for in the future.
Summing Up
Looking at the results on Zwift Power, it is evident and no surprise that the mainstays of the event are British cyclists. So if you fancy testing yourself against “the British” and want to take part in this very traditional event, then sign up and have a go!
Remember, if you win, your name will be published in the weekly magazine and if you are an international winner and not able to pick up a copy to see your name in print, I am sure Simon would send you a copy for posterity.
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