Name: Kari Bartlett
Hometown: Sacramento, California
How did you get into cycling? It’s a long story, and it all happened because of triathlons. I was a competitive swimmer as a kid and then got into running in my twenties, and cycling actually wasn’t enjoyable to me back then – it was just a sport you had to do in order to get from the swim to the run part of a triathlon, and it wasn’t something I sought out to do. Oddly enough, I learned how to ride motorcycles and loved it, but riding bicycles just didn’t have the same allure.
As time went on, it meant a lot to me to do well with endurance races and multisport training, and I decided to give Zwift a shot since cycling was my weakest sport… that’s when something clicked and I got into cycling as a sport and began to really enjoy it and start doing it consistently. That change only just happened during the pandemic but it’s been transformative, and now cycling is fun!
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I think early 2021 was my first official season of racing.
Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes! I’m fortunate to actually split my time between two teams – the Herd of Little Penguins by day (EMEA), and ATP by night (Americas time zones).
What do you love most about racing? It is physically and mentally challenging, and every race you do is a chance to learn and become stronger and smarter. Especially those races where your strategy doesn’t work or something just totally fails, there are always takeaways and lessons to be learned.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? It’s probably a tie between scratch and iTT races. Scratch races can be really dynamic because you’re watching the pack and trying to predict when attacks might happen, but iTT is the race of truth – it’s just you and the clock.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? I have a soft spot for the Iceni series, since that was the first women’s race series I completed. It’s been awesome seeing how much the start lists for Iceni have grown over the past couple of years! Also, the Tour de Boudicca has been a really awesome race to follow each year. I haven’t been able to do it myself but have friends that participate, and it’s fun to hear about their stories from each stage.
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? This is a tough one to answer! Outside experience… riding the Ironman Kona bike course. It has a lot of history, and hearing the stories beforehand from other people is one thing, but actually being out there riding it yourself and having your own experience is hard to describe. One of my Herd teammates, Lauren, actually came along to Kona as support crew – we met through Zwift and were teammates for ZRL, and discovered that we only lived about 30 minutes apart. Having her there experiencing Kona during race week was super cool, especially knowing how much Zwift racing had contributed to building the bike strength I needed to even qualify for that race!
Inside racing experience… it was probably my first ever Zwift race, funny enough! It was something I just jumped into, hoping I could figure it out as I went. I didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know anything about race tactics, and absolutely turned myself inside out just trying to stick with the pack. When the race was over I thought to myself “that was so fun, when’s the next one?” That’s pretty much the same way I feel after most races!
What is your favourite food to eat post race? I’m from California and we have no shortage of good breakfast burritos here! Anything with potatoes, eggs, and a little rice and guacamole will hit the spot.
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Everyone starts out as a beginner – try not to be too nervous, and know that you’ll improve the more often you race. If you’re comfortable with saying hi and chatting in the pen, do it!
Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? The rest of 2024 is going to be local. I’m doing a couple sprint tri races, including my first gravel triathlon – plus of course looking forward to the new season of ZRL and Iceni!
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