Woman Racer Spotlight: Wendy Weaver

Name: Wendy Weaver

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland 

How did you get into cycling? I got into cycling many years ago after my hypermobility got too bad to run anymore. I still wanted to do high-intensity cardio but most activities hurt my knees. I thought cycling would too and so avoided it for a long time until a friend gave me her bike to try, and it was a revelation!

I soon got my own bike and haven’t stopped cycling since. That was maybe ten years ago but I’ve been indoors only for the past five years after a very close call with a UPS van. With enough to keep me more than occupied on Zwift, plus Scottish weather, potholes, and awful drivers outside, I only cycle indoors now.

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I have been racing on Zwift since last November, so a bit more than a year.

Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes virtual team Coalition, Ourea and Desire when in ZRL.

What do you love most about racing? I am not competitive in any part of my life except Zwift. I cannot state a favourite part of racing because it’s really tough going at times, but I think the overall achievement is what’s important at this point. For me, it’s looking at the little gains I make in my performance every single time I race, and watching myself (virtually) achieve things I couldn’t do the week before or the month before. 

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I love the TTT because I’m a sociable rider and even though we are honing our technique as a team, we have a great laugh too,. It makes the time go so much faster and the effort feel less hard. 

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? My favourite racing series for women is Tour de Zwift. I love it! About three years ago I was in a TdZ race, all female but all ages too, with 78 other women and I came third. This was a massive achievement and it was me at peak fitness, since then I have had some setbacks with my fitness and hypermobility. But joining the Coalition last November has been a game changer for my riding.

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? My favourite type of race is TTT, I joined Ourea last November (2023) and joined a bunch of strangers who already knew each other and were used to riding together and I’m not going to lie, I didn’t enjoy it at first. I wasn’t fit enough, I was falling behind, I didn’t understand how to control my speed and would shoot forward or lag behind and one thing I hate is being a hindrance. I considered quitting and finding something easier but that’s not me, so I worked at it. My fitness picked up naturally over the weeks and months and my technique improved too, and now nine months on, as I mentioned, I look at the small improvements. I now have the ability to not only keep up but to lead the team on my turns and buddy up with strong riders who still challenge me to go harder, longer and faster. 

What is your favourite food to eat post race? Greek yogurt and raisins! 

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? My advice to anyone wanting to get into racing for the first time is absolutely do that, don’t give up and don’t be intimidated by those in front of you leaving you behind, one day soon you’ll be able to stay in the pack! Work hard, take guidance, persevere and you will improve, you will see your worth in a team and you will love it!

Any upcoming race you are looking forward to?  I totally look forward to my Thursday TTT with my team every week, even when the route is hard, because I have the support and encouragement from my team!