Woman Racer Spotlight: Femke Vaessen-Bril

Name: Femke Vaessen-Bril

Hometown:Dieren (Gelderland)

How did you get into cycling? My husband has been a cyclist for as long as I have known him, during COVID the swimming pool (I used to be a speed swimmer) was closed so I had to do something different. Tried running for half a year but that wasn’t my thing. After 17 years of nagging, I agreed to try my husband’s bike and indoor trainer in October 2020. From the very first minute I fell in love with both road and e-cycling.

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? 3,5 years (started December 2020)

Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes, SYNERGY race team and TeamNL

What do you love most about racing? The fun! Racing is a great sports effort, getting better every time, trying new tactics and lots of fun with others. With two children it’s sometimes a struggle to get everything planned and organised, but with Zwift it is so easy to exercise at home whenever you want to get together with Teamies. 

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love the TTT working together as a team getting 1% better each week, and points races with sprints.

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Tour de Boudicca, Iceni, Tiny Races, Women’s Racing Series, Fearless Team Championship and Wahoo le Col besides ZRL of course. 

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Winning the WTRL TTT world championship in February 2022 with the team. I haven’t raced outdoors yet, but my most memorable outdoor rides are the Alpe d’Huez with my son (9 yrs in 2022) and the Mont Ventoux with my daughter (7yrs in 2023).  

What is your favourite food to eat post race? First I drink a protein shake mixed with water and after that I treat myself with ice cream or another dessert and a cold 0.0% beer.

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Have fun! Start in D or C pen (if you haven’t done a FTP test) look at what other riders are doing, watch learn and don’t expect to win right away. Be patient results will come!

Any upcoming race are you looking forward to? Yes, my first outdoor race. I’m going to participate in the 8-hour team race on Zandvoort, the F1 racing circuit in June.

Also, not a race but a great event, on the 6th of June I’m going to try to cycle up the Alpe d’Huez 6 times to raise money for the Dutch Cancer Society.