Beginner racers fall into one of two categories: those who have raced IRL but not on Zwift, and those who haven’t raced indoors or out, but want to give it a try in a safe place like Zwift. Zwift Beginner Racing (ZBR) is a new club hosting events to help both types of riders better understand the sport in a club-neutral environment.
To help both groups of riders, ZBR hosts group rides where the ride leader shares their experience and knowledge of racing on Zwift. For example, their next event is Monday’s “Zwift Beginner Racing The Ins and Outs of Sprinting” in which “The ride leader is an experienced Zwift racer and will provide insight into how to set up for sprints and all the key points to get you over that line as fast as possible.“
Upcoming Events
Currently. ZBR events are held on Mondays and Wednesdays and rotate between the following:
- Introduction to Virtual Racing
- Sprinting Practice
- Rolling/Undulating and Short Climbs Practice
See upcoming events at https://www.zwift.com/events/tag/zbr >
ZBR ride leaders message the group during events and are also on a Discord voice channel (https://discord.gg/PpCQzfuFdW) so event participants can communicate via either method.
Beginner Race Discussion
In addition to hosting events to introduce people to racing, ZBR provides new racers with a Facebook and Discord presence to discuss racing and to provide visibility for events that are focused on beginner racers. (ZBR defines Beginner events as those with a pen supporting a Zwift Racing Score (ZRS) of 0-150 or Category D with 0-1.7 w/kg.)
Zwift Beginner Racing is open to anyone interested in learning about racing and trying it out.
In addition, ZBR would love to add new ride leaders interested in sharing their knowledge of racing!
Related Links
Questions or Comments?
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The GTR Silver, Bronze and Copper series mentioned here a few days ago is another safe place to start. Small fields but competitive races, all “beginner friendly”.
This is a nice idea. It’d be good if it could be run at higher power levels too. There are plenty of people with enough power to be placed in A and B categories but seem to have no idea how to apply that to a race situation.
I remember the original ZBR group in the earlier days of Zwift, Zwift Beginner Rides.
Yup. James Bailey ran the first Zwift Beginner Races then. I raced one Dec. 18, 2018.
That link doesn’t seem to have any events yet.
I’m definitely interested in Zwift racing during Cyclocross season to maintain that race pace fitness during the week.