This week, the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix returned to its roots with a short and explosive points race on The Muckle Yin in Scotland. Round 5 of the Zwift Grand Prix saw the 16 men’s teams return for 23.7km on one of the toughest courses on Zwift. There were five intermediate sprint points along the route, each offering FAL (First Across the Line) points to the first ten riders, scored from 10 points down to 1 point.
40 points were on offer to the first riders across the finish line, with a long list of points available for each position behind. Placing multiple riders in the Top 20 could propel a team to victory. But would it be a worthy strategy to forgo the intermediate sprint points and focus on the finish? We’d soon find out.
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There were also power-ups available at each intermediate sprint, plus the banners in between. Each banner had a specific power-up on offer, which riders could choose to use or keep before the next banner. Some riders used their power-ups right away, while others held on for key moments of the race. In the final kilometers, the race winner played his cards – or should I say power-ups – perfectly.
At the Breakaway Brae Reverse sprint, Holden Comeau (Saris | Nopinz) took the points ahead of Kjell Power (Movistar eTeam) and Bjoern Andreassen (Wahoo Le Col). Lennert Teguels (ABUS – Synergy) was 5th across the line, and that was just the beginning of his massive points haul.
The next sprint (Sgurr Summit North) would break the peloton apart for the first time, and it was Martin Maertens (Toyota Elite ECycling) who led across the line ahead of Marc Mäding (Beastmode p/b Rose) and Lionel Vujasin (Coalition Alpha). Teugels finished 6th in the sprint, bringing ABUS – Synergy’s points total to 16 in a tie for the lead with Coalition Alpha.
Chris Dawson (Wahoo Le Col) used his Anvil power-up to go clear of the peloton before the third intermediate sprint: Breakaway Brae. Power earned big points again with second across the line, with Teugels taking third.
Now at the halfway point of the race, the riders’ legs were starting to get tired. The next sprint would shatter the field into pieces, and it was Michał Kamiński (Coalition Alpha) who led out the sprint on Sgurr Summit South. The strongest riders were all showing themselves at the front of the race, and Teugels took the 10 points, with Mäding in second and Maertens in third.
Riders scrambled to deploy their Steamroller and Anvil power-ups on the descent of the Sgurr Summit, and by the time they reached the bottom, only 25 riders were left in the front group. Tired legs turned into exhausted legs as Josh Harris (BL13 p/b Level Velo) and N. Fryett (Restart) went all-in on the Clyde Kicker. The American took the points ahead of Harris and Andreassen, but the big move was coming up fast.
Maertens, Teugels, and Andreassen had saved their Anvil power-ups for the descent off of the Clyde Kicker, and the trio went clear of the pack with 1.4km to go. Teugels was pushing the pace until 1.1km to go when Maertens went over the top of the Belgian and used his Aero power-up to gain speed on the descent.
Just like that, Maertens had put on a Zwift power-up clinic, earning a five-second gap and soloing to the victory. The German took his second win of the Zwift Grand Prix season, while Mäding won the sprint for second, and Teugels crossed the line in third.
Lennert Teugels scored at every intermediate sprint to help propel ABUS – Synergy to victory with 139 points. After trailing the entire race, NeXT eSports pb Enshored put two riders in the Top 10 and two more in the Top 25 to earn 121 points and 2nd place on the day. Coalition Alpha finished 3rd ahead of a tightly packed group that included Beastmode p/b Rose in 4th, and Toyota Elite ECycling in 5th.
There was a big shake-up in the Zwift Grand Prix overall standings as Wahoo Le Col dropped off the podium after finishing 7th in Round 5. ABUS – Synergy continues to lead the series ahead of NeXT eSports pb Enshored, while Coalition Alpha moved onto the podium in third.
Coming Up Next
The 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix continues next week with Round 5 – Women’s Team Time Trial on Triple Flat Loops. All 16 teams will start with five riders, with their time taken from their third riders across the line.
Round 6 of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix will return after the holiday break, on January 11th, 2024, with the men’s and women’s Epic Points Race. Both Zwift Grand Prix fields will take on the PRL Half course, completing four ascents of Box Hill before the iconic finish line in London.
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