Club Spotlight: Wahoo eSports

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/ 

The second race of Zwift Racing League 2026/27 Round 1 happens on Tuesday, September 29, and we’re in Innsbruck for a scratch race on the popular Innsbruckring.

Let’s dig into the course layout, powerups, bike decisions, and strategic options for teams.

Looking at the Route

Each lap of Innsbruckring is 8.8 km, and A/B teams will race 4 laps (35.4km, 309m elevation) while C/D will race 3 laps (26.6km, 232m elevation).

Innsbruckring is popular for races and has featured twice in ZRL: as a points race in 2022/23 and as a scratch race in 2023/24. While the exaggerated route profile below looks lumpy, it’s quite flat and uneventful for most of the lap. Especially in a scratch race, where only your finish position matters, the Leg Snapper climb will be the key selection point on each lap:

The Leg Snapper KOM begins when you cross the short bridge and the road tilts sharply upward 5km into your first lap. At 430 meters long with a steady average gradient of 6.9%, this climb will force a selection each and every lap! Be prepared for an all-out 50 to 75-second effort to stay in touch.

Keep hammering over the top of the Leg Snapper to get back up to speed on the descent immediately following. You can even use the aero powerup you got at the banner if you’d like, then recover a bit on the descent and even through the sprint (where you’ll get a feather powerup) if you’re in the front pack, as riders won’t be pushing hard since this is a scratch race.

The pack will be strung out, and gaps will have formed thanks to the Leg Snapper. This is where riders face a decision. If you’re in the front group, do you keep pushing to hold the gap? If you’re in a chase group, do you try to bridge up? Typically in multi-lap scratch races on Innsbruckring a group of riders is dropped over the Leg Snapper, then rejoins the front pack a few minutes later after the front pack eases. This is especially true on the first lap, and becomes less true as the race drags on through subsequent laps.

On the last lap, you commonly see the front pack keeping the pressure on after the Leg Snapper, so dropped riders stay dropped all the way to the finish.

Speaking of the finish: this finish always feels like a drawn-out sprint. Riders often try to go long, but are unable to hold it. Patience is crucial here, and you’ll want to maximize the use of your powerup. Holding an aero will be crucial for the finish!

Read more about the Innsbruckring route >

PowerUp Notes

Specific powerups are assigned to each arch: a 250 XP bonus at the start/finish arch, the aero boost at the Leg Snapper KOM arch, and a feather at the sprint arch.

Aero Boost (helmet): makes you more aerodynamic (reduces your CdA by 25%) for 15 seconds. Use at higher speeds (flats and descents), especially when no draft is available (although it is still useful when drafting). This is the powerup you want to be holding going into the finish.

Lightweight (feather): reduces your weight by 10% for 30 seconds.
Use on climbs, when weight matters the most. This is a handy powerup for the Leg Snapper, and it’s long enough to last for the majority of the climb. The downside is, you’ll have to forgo the 250 XP bonus at the start/finish if you want to hold onto it for the Leg Snapper!

Bike Recommendations

Bike recommendations for this race are simple, thanks to how Zwift has set up the current crop of in-game road bikes. You’ll want to pick one of the top “aero all-arounders”, the best of which are:

• Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 or SL8
• Cannondale Supersix EVO Lab 71 (Team Edition is even faster)

Wheel choice feels a bit trickier here, because it seems like we need to choose between the most aero wheels (disc wheelsets) or better climbing wheels (to help you survive the Leg Snapper). Lucky for you – I tested it! Here are the Leg Snapper times for three of the top contenders, using the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9 frame at 6 W/kg (450W):

• Shimano DURA-ACE C99/Disc: 56.50 seconds
• Princeton CarbonWorks Wake 6560: 56.25 seconds
• SwissSide HADRON Ultimate 650: 56.23 seconds

My take is: go with the disc wheelset. (And the DT Swiss 85/Disc or Swiss Side 850/Disc will also work just fine, as they perform essentially the same as the Shimano disc.) You’ll lose a quarter-second on the Leg Snapper, but you’ll be faster on the flats and in that final sprint.

Halo upgraders: your Tron bike is also a good option on this course. It’s as fast up the Leg Snapper and around the course overall as the fastest road bike combos.

Of course, your frame’s upgrade status should impact your decision.

Related: All About Zwift’s New “Bike Upgrades” Functionality >

For more info on bike and wheelset performance in Zwift, check out:

• Speed Tests: Tron Bike vs Top Performers for head-to-head comparisons of various frame and wheel combos.
• Fastest Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level: Determine the fastest setup available to you.
• Bike Frame Charts: For precise performance data on all road frames.
• Wheel Charts: For precise performance data on all wheelsets.

More Route Recons

Lots of recon events are scheduled on upcoming ZRL routes, led by various teams. See upcoming ZRL recons for this race at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon.

Additionally, riders in the Zwift community do a great job every week creating recon videos that preview the courses and offer tips to help you perform your best on the day. I’ll add them below as I find them!

J Dirom

Nathan Krake

John Rice

TacticalWatts

Strategic Options

How will these races unfold, and what strategies will riders employ in the second race of round 1? Here’s what I predict:

• Hold On To Your Aeros: Riders wanting to contend in the final sprint will 100% want to hold onto the aero powerup they receive the last time up the Leg Snapper.
• Close the Gap: In typical Zwift races, the pack breaks up over the Leg Snapper + Sprint, but chase groups will often rejoin the front group in the “uneventful” 6.8km that follows. I predict this will happen on laps 1, 2, and 3, with few riders rejoining the front each lap. But on that final lap, I bet the front riders will push to stay away!
• Four Hard Kilometers: Lighter riders and anyone who lacks sprint power may want to attack on the final Leg Snapper to drop the pure sprinters, then try to stay away to the finish. Teams may strategically execute attacks, with one rider going off the front while the rest sit in. The ensuing chase will make the final 4km of the race difficult for everyone.
• Survive and Sprint: This is what most riders will be doing. The goal is to do minimal work to stay in touch with the front pack over the Leg Snapper (“sagging the climb” helps), then be in contention on the final sprint.

Your Thoughts

Any insights or questions about this race? Share below!