Woman Racer Spotlight: Tine Myrheim

Name: Tine Myrheim

Hometown: Asker, Norway

How did you get into cycling? I have always been active doing different kinds of sports, from football to cross-country skiing to volleyball. I didn’t really start to get into cycling before 2017, as a prep for a MTB fondo a couple of my football friends got me to take part in. The cycling really took off during covid when everything was locked down, I just started to like it more and more. 

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I remember my very first race on Zwift, and I believe it was the spring of 2018. It was a mess, didn’t have a clue about what I was doing.  I believe it was Watopia’s Waistband, signing up in B as a low D rider at the time. Just went with the group that had the most signups, thinking they would go easy in the beginning.  I was so wrong about that. It didn’t take long before I learnt about race craft, etc, doing different kinds of races. 

Are you part of a Virtual team? I am fortunate to be a part of two teams. The HERD (also captain of the ZRL team Little Penguins) and SNOW.  

What do you love most about racing?  The camaraderie amongst us, the way we push each other to reach our best, and most important to me the friendships I’ve been so lucky to have gotten over the past years. 

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I would say points races with sprints and short punchy climbs are the ones that speak to me the most. The tactics aspect of it is something I like. It is also where I feel I have my strengths in races. 

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? I haven’t done much outside of ZRL, but I would say I do like that kind of race series. 

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Inside, easy. My team became the women’s B world champions in ZRL the very first time they did the playoffs in 2021! The team did amazing and it is still something I am proud to have taken part of. I do not race outdoors but I must say having IRL meetups is the best part. With the HERD ladies I’ve done the Amstel Gold Race fondo twice, and last year we met up in Germany. No doubt this is the best part when it comes to the Zwift platform, meeting all these awesome people would not have happened if it hadn’t been for zwifting.  

What is your favourite food to eat post race? I do love to have some chocolate after a hard race, or a chocolate recovery drink.

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Races take off fast, so be well warmed up and ready to go hard for the first 2-3 minutes. Also, get to know the power ups, how they work, and when to deploy them since they are a big part of the game. Draft like a queen (like some say) and have a great time. Do not be afraid to race, we all started from scratch and it is funny how fast it gets addictive. 

Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? It is not any races I will take part in, but I am excited about the next IRL meetup that will happen again this summer somewhere in the U.K. 

Where can people follow your racing adventures? They do say if it isn’t on Strava, it didn’t happen. Strava is where you will find me.