For the casual Zwifter, Zwift offers many things—group rides, workouts, challenges, and even racing! Zwift Clubs are an additional component, and many of these clubs organize racing teams for series options such as the Zwift Racing League, WTRL Team Time Trials, Iceni Women’s Racing Series, Zwift Women’s Racing Series, and Ladder League. Racing with a team is fun and can help make the long winter months pass quickly!
With that in mind, here’s some basic advice on how to choose a Zwift Club. Your first contact might be through a club-hosted group ride, or maybe a club member has approached you and asked if you might like to join, or you may have noticed that some riders have a club name in brackets behind their name (such as Betty Ryder [Power Pedals]). Regardless of how you noticed them, if you’re interested in joining, now’s the time to dig into what makes this club special! Some considerations might include:
Language
For organization and during races, team members often communicate via audio or text. A great first question is “What languages do your teams use for communication?” Then decide if you would be comfortable communicating with them given their response.
Time Zones
A racing series may offer many time zones, so be sure to discover which time zones the club has teams racing in and look for overlap with your preferred time zone.
Category Placement
Not every club fields teams in every category, and of those who field teams in your category, not all will field teams at your level within your category. Find out if the club you’re considering fields teams of riders similar to you.
Category Advancement
Category advancement is natural as riders progress. It may be worth inquiring about room on teams above your riding level in case you are fortunate enough to cat up.
Women’s-Only Racing
Not every race series offers women-only options, but many do. If you want to race within women’s fields you should find out if the club you are joining offers women’s team racing.
A Few Extras
If you already know what kind of racing you like, ask if the club participates in that type of racing (e.g., team time trials, points racing, distance events). If you are interested in outside racing and want to use the same team for that, find out if they also do outside racing. If you are a rider looking to advance your skills, inquire about clinics within their club or mentorship programs.
Finally, is this club friendly? Are they helpful? Would you enjoy being a part of this group?
In Summary
Finding a Zwift Club that you can belong to and race with might take some time, but with careful planning, you too can find a great group of people to spend your indoor riding with!
For women, a great place to begin your search is our extensive list of women’s teams.
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