Want to be part of one of the most exciting new race formats on Zwift? (Don’t just take my word for it, those that have taken part so far have called it “Game changing”, “A blast” and “The most enjoyable races I have taken part in.”) Read below to learn all about the Zwift Club Ladder!
Innovation, Collaboration
A collaboration between Team Electric Spirit Co., TT1, Sunrise Racing, and Rhino Racing, the Zwift Club Ladder promises to be one of the most exciting new formats on Zwift in a long time. Currently midway through its first season, nearly 30 teams are involved, with over 400 riders having taken part in races so far.
Leapfrog Ladder League
The league is a team-based one operating in a leapfrog ladder league format. Never heard of that before? It’s a particularly popular format in racquet sports, so you may have taken part in one at your local tennis club. It works through a series of challenges, with each team free to choose who to play by challenging teams up to 5 places above them in the league to a race on the course of their choice. They then race against that team and if they win, leapfrog above them in the standings, and bump their opponents down.
Points Format
The races themselves are run in a head-to-head team format, with two teams of 5 riders going up against each other. The winning rider scores 12 points, through to 1 point for 10th. The points are then totalled up, with the team with the highest combined points winning the match. If you’ve not previously raced in a 5v5 team format like this, it makes for hugely tactical racing as teams look to outsmart their opponents.
One Big League
An innovative feature of the league is the way it mixes all abilities into a single uber league together. Each individual team is made up of a squad of riders based on Zwift Racing Rank, and upon joining the league for the first time they will be ranked accordingly against current teams.
From there, the only boundaries in who they race are those within 5 places in the league, whether they are riders of a higher “category” or not. While this might seem daunting at first, we are already seeing teams taking the scalp of those that would traditionally race in a higher “category”. The format in particular helps with this, as very rarely do pure watts win the day in such a tactical racing format. The fluid nature of the league also means it never ends, the battle is not to be at the top of the table at “season end” but to climb as high as you can and continually battle the challengers around you to keep your spot. This also makes it very easy for teams to join or leave the league on an almost ongoing basis.
Scheduling Flexibility
For captains and managers pulling their hair out at chasing riders for a set time every week, the flexibility of organizing for the league is a breath of fresh air. It allows teams to fit racing around their schedules and other racing commitments, with the power to choose their opponents, race dates, times, and courses.
This does mean there is a bit more involvement from captains required to pick courses and set races up themselves using Zwift Clubs. Hence, it’s not quite as simple as turning up to ride, so we do ask that everyone interested in participating takes the time to read the race book carefully before deciding if you want to sign up.
Get More/Sign Up
If all that was not enough to whet your appetite, how about checking out some of the race action in a recent Swedish Zwifters v Team Electric Spirit Co. battle:
Or head on over to the league website to check out the current standings and upcoming fixtures: https://ladder.cycleracing.club/
Read all that and want to come battle? Sign up here and we’ll be in touch very soon.
Questions or Comments?
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