Name: Beccah Niesen
Hometown: Healdsburg, California
How did you get into cycling? Right after college, my husband jumped from college rowing to biking, and I thought he was nuts. Having rowed for nearly a decade, I couldn’t imagine a replacement for the connections I made while rowing and the feeling of being in a boat with my teammates – so I instead settled into nearly two decades of light jogging, easy triathlon-ing, and pretty much languishing athletically. After having my second son I felt the need for a stronger athletic outlet, and my husband finally convinced me to try Zwift. I was lukewarm until I started racing in women-only fields in 2022.
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I’ve been racing on Zwift since January 1, 2022.
Are you part of a Virtual team? Absolutely! I’ve been a member of The Coalition for over 2 years. Â
What do you love most about racing? Tactics, strategy, and my teammates. They inspire me, lift me up when I’m down, encourage me, and make me want to be better.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? Anything with my teammates honestly, but a good chase race can’t be beat in my mind. I love the concept of working with the group you are with instead of against them. TTT’s with my women’s team is a close second.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? I’m torn on this one. ZRL has great field sizes for women’s only racing, but I’m not a sprinter and sometimes I feel the courses favor one style of racer. I love the Tour de Boudicca, the 3 day race series is a super interesting challenge in itself, field size and talent pool participating is awesome, and there’s something for every racer. It almost feels like the back-to-back racing brings you closer to your competition. I also love the FEARless championship, which is a longer race that usually happens in December, as it takes a lot of strategy to race in those longer races.
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? I convinced my ZRL teammates to try some crazy tactics on a points race, using our powerups sequentially as a team resource instead of individually. We didn’t have many sprinters, so going super long for sprints was our only chance for points – and we successfully pulled off breakaways twice. For me, this was super fun because it was crazy, and perhaps unwise… and so satisfying to see it work out. Â
What is your favourite food to eat post race? Usually I don’t eat after a race, as I feel the need to lay on the cold bathroom floor…
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Don’t do it alone! Racing can be fun in itself, but racing with a group of teammates adds so much to the experience. And, I would pass along some great advice I received, which is to set yourself small goals and absolutely revel in meeting those goals: one sprint, one section, one minute of staying with the group. Whatever it is, just be proud of yourself for meeting that goal.
Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? Â Tour de Boudicca 6.0!
Where can people follow your racing adventures? On Zwift, of course!
