Train with former world champions Philippe Gilbert and Anna van der Breggen
In the latest offering from Zwift, you can join two of the world’s biggest stars
Zwift has seen a sharp rise in demand over the last few weeks, as cyclists get used to life on lockdown.
While many are using the indoor training app for races and workouts, Zwift are making sure we can also stay in touch with some of the biggest professional cyclists in the world.
With no clear indication of when racing will return, pros like Annemiek van Vleuten and Simon Yates have taken to the roads of Watopia during the current crisis.
Zwift has now announced the latest heroes taking to Zwift to ride alongside regular users – former world champions Philippe Gilbert and Anna van der Breggen.
The Classics stars will be the hosts in the new Zwift Royal Classics Series, a collection of Classics inspired workouts running throughout April.
Lotto-Soudal rider Gilbert and Van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) will be leading select rides, with the workouts designed by Kevin Poulton who coached Mathew Hayman to Paris-Roubaix victory in 2016.
Zwift CEO Eric Min said: “It’s an honour to have these two great champions leading this series for us.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“The Classics are races that all us cycling fans love to watch and dream of taking part.
“While it’s only ever a select number of the very best who get to battle it out, I look forward to getting a small taste of the physicality of these races on Zwift this month.”
>>> You can now buy a gym spec Wattbike Icon for your home
This new Zwift series aims to give riders a taste of the relentless accelerations and stresses that characterise the cobbled Classics.
Starting on March 30 and running through to April 20, you can sign up to these events via the Zwift Companion app.
Earlier this month, British Cycling announced its own series of races, workouts and time trials on Zwift, to encourage people to stay active during the lockdown.
The eight-week series of races kicked off this week.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
I'm not into cake stops - but - I made an exception to rate five British delicacies in one ride
Of all the cakes named after places in the north-west of England, which is the tastiest? Simon Warren sets out to sample them all in a single epic ride
By Simon Warren Published
-
The Rugby Flyer flies again: the story of the first sub-hour '25' time trial
How one record-breaking bike – and the memory of the man who rode it – live on
By James Shrubsall Published
-
My best winter ever: Why I shaved my legs for my first Zwift race
After a month of hard training, it’s finally race day. Can I win the 10-mile time trial?
By Tom Davidson Published
-
My best winter ever: My new coach is a three-time Olympic champion - I’m guaranteed to win my first Zwift race
There have been ups and downs in my training for the 10-mile time trial. It turns out I groan when I dig deep
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'The Earth’s circumference is 40,075km and I went over 45,000km': Meet the cyclists riding the furthest and the longest from the comfort of their homes
In search of indoor riders who go beyond the bounds of accepted norms, Steve Shrubsall tracks down a cast of characters who leave blood, sweat and traces of their soul on the turbo trainer
By Stephen Shrubsall Published
-
Real-world success: top-ranked Zwifter crushes first 'real' bike races
"Outside always felt like this unicorn, something mystical or magical that I couldn’t do," says American Esports elite Kristen Kulchinsky
By Christopher Schwenker Published
-
How to challenge yourself on Zwift without entering a race
Building up to more demanding routes, setting PBs up the Alpe du Zwift, hunting out the in-game segments – there are so many ways to push yourself without taking to the virtual start-line
By Anna Marie Abram Published
-
Zwift’s new Hub One smart trainer ditches the cassette for compatibility with 'almost any 8-12 speed bike'
The Hub One offers ‘virtual shifting’ similar to a smart bike - with the resistance changes handled internally, there’s no reason for more than one sprocket
By Anna Marie Abram Published
-
All the essentials to get started cycling indoors (on a budget – or not)
Indoor cycling is a fast, efficient way to get fit, here is all you need to get started and beyond
By Luke Friend Published
-
From Watopia to Witheridge Moor: Transferring eRacing talent to the road
Can you turn e-racing performance gains into road racing success? CW’s Stefan Abram puts his Zwifting progress to the test by embarking on his first full season on the road
By Stefan Abram Published