Woman Racer Spotlight: Vinnette Powell

Name: Vinnette Powell 

Hometown: Leicester and now Kent, United Kingdom 

How did you get into cycling? I am a runner so I use cycling to cross-train. I did indoor cycling at gym first, then heard about Zwift from Strava athletes and it sounded interesting. I really invested in it when Covid hit and wanted to keep up my fitness. I worked throughout Covid as a health care worker, so any spare time I had had to be in isolation, and that’s where Zwifting came into play!

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? 2 years now 

Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes, was headhunted by eSRT to join their D category women’s team. I thought it was a joke at first! Then thought what the heck let’s just do it! It could be fun! They are really supportive and when I joined it opened up a whole new world of women’s racing! 

What do you love most about racing? The fact you race against other women around the world without leaving your home! 

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love TTT – working and communicating with the team about tactics over Discord is always a thrill and also can be very entertaining! The Sunday Minis are also a great HIIT workout to improve endurance and sprint training. 

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Oh I absolutely love them all! My fave has to be the ICENI and Zwift Women’s Racing Series – competing against ladies with similar abilities to you, in different styles of racing formats, with both individual and Team GC competitions really keeps you coming back for more! I also did my first Tour de Boudicca with 3 races over 3 days. I thought I couldn’t last all 3 but I did – I surprised even myself!

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Most memorable was Zwift Womens Racing Series 2 on Mountain Mash – I sprinted out the gate wanting to get a lead on the rest of field (as I am a horrible climber) and got a third of the way up the climb before getting caught by the pack! I didn’t win, of course, but still managed to come 11th out of 28!

What is your favourite food to eat post race? I’m never hungry post race, but I do drink a large glass of chocolate milk! 

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Give it a go! We’ve all been where you are, you are never alone in women’s racing, they are all very supportive! 

Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? ZRL and ICENI! 

Where can people follow your racing adventures? On Zwift Companion App!