Woman Racer Spotlight: Charlotte Colclough

Name: Charlotte Colclough

Hometown: Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK

How did you get into cycling? When I was a child, family holidays often involved mountain biking trips. I then joined a local cycling club when I was 16 and started doing time trials and road racing. I enjoyed it so much I road raced most summers for the next 20 years!  

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I started racing on Zwift at the end of 2020, so almost 4 years now.

Are you part of a virtual team? I race for the CRYO RDT.

What do you love most about racing? I love to push my body and try to get the most out of myself during racing. I also really like the fact that it is such a great escape from any other stresses or worries. Racing requires so much concentration that you forget everything else for that period of time. And the feeling of satisfaction when you get a great result is hard to beat!

What is your favourite style of race? I enjoy quite rolling, longer distance attritional races. I prefer the scratch race format too.

What is your favourite Zwift women’s series? My favourite women’s races are the Zwift Racing League women’s ones. They always have a good selection of courses and formats to make it exciting and give all the different types of riders a chance.

What is your most memorable racing experience? I was fortunate enough to race at the Olympic Esports Series finals in Singapore last summer. This was an incredible experience racing in front of a big audience against some of the world’s strongest women. The mixed team format and short races made it very exciting racing, and it was fantastic to meet some of the other riders in real life, too.

What is your favourite food to eat post race? A post-ride pizza is always a favourite!

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Try to have a ride around the course before the race. It’s always really helpful to know where the key climbs and sprints are and sections of changing gradient so that you can measure your effort and be ready for any attacks there. Also, don’t forget to use the powerups and think carefully about where to use them!