ZWIFT: FINDING FRIENDSHIP IN A PANDEMIC

ZWIFT: FINDING FRIENDSHIP IN A PANDEMIC

How the revolutionary virtual platform became far more than just a training tool


The clock ticks slowly. You twiddle your thumbs and start to feel restless. Out of the window, the outdoors looks inviting. It’s a clear day and the sun is shining. But everything is closed, there’s no cafes, restaurants or cinemas to go to. You’ve done your supermarket shop and the government has given strict instructions to avoid “non-essential travel.” The year is 2020. And we’re locked down.

The cycling world isn’t immune to these restrictions. Everywhere, races have been postponed and all planned training sessions are cancelled for the foreseeable future. With growing concern over the strain on the health services, group rides with clubs and teams are off the cards. Your bike sits in the corner, tempting, but another solo slog around the lanes? You miss the company, the chats. Shooting the breeze with your friends about their training plans for the week. Is this really the reality of the next few months? 

For some, it didn’t have to be.

“We all loved it and couldn't wait to get onto it, because it was company. It was the only time you really spoke to other people in the club.”

London-based rider Steve Cave was one of many who found solace in the world of Zwift during last year. While headlines were made about the rise of e-racing and the virtual Tour de France, there was another side to this software, one that went much deeper than rankings on a results sheet. 

All over the world, a community of amateur cyclists discovered a replacement for the group rides that had, for so long, shaped their weekends. Zwift Insider reported an all-time high of people using the indoor training platform in April 2020, with the number of users riding simultaneously tipping over 30k for the first time in Zwift’s history. As of late November, Zwift's subscriber base had grown by 270%. We witnessed a seismic shift in attitudes towards virtual riding, as people rediscovered a new social side of cycling that they thought had been snatched away. Zwift was no longer a platform for the most techy among us. Instead, it had become a crucial part of any cyclist’s armoury.


READ MORE

From the Editor: No. 135 - Giro

From the Editor: No. 135 - Giro

Dear Reader, Johnny Green was the former road manager of the Clash, a sardonic, literate, poetic and sharply dressed chancer from Kent whose natural habitat...

Leggi di più
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes 2025 Preview - Can Demi Vollering finally get her win?

Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes 2025 Preview - Can Demi Vollering finally get her win?

The last round of Ardennes week is the toughest challenge yet – who will come out on top?

Leggi di più
My ongoing three-year battle with cancer, by Lidl-Trek manager Luca Guercilena

My ongoing three-year battle with cancer, by Lidl-Trek manager Luca Guercilena

Lidl-Trek manager Luca Guercilena was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the autumn of 2021 aged 48, an aggressive but treatable type of chronic cancer. For...

Leggi di più
‘I listened to my DS for a change’ - Perseverance has finally paid off for Puck Pieterse

‘I listened to my DS for a change’ - Perseverance has finally paid off for Puck Pieterse

Fenix-Deceuninck rider claims her first Classics win at La Flèche Wallonne

Leggi di più
Has order been restored? Tadej Pogačar is the King of Huy

Has order been restored? Tadej Pogačar is the King of Huy

No one could come close to the world champion when he attacked on the final climb of La Flèche Wallonne- what does this mean for...

Leggi di più

READ RIDE REPEAT

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Get closer to the sport than ever before.

Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines.

SUBSCRIBE