The lure of some sort of competitive racing in 2020 saw the cycling world shift its talents off the road and onto Zwift. Where most mere mortals would be lagging behind front runners in awe, an elite batch of riders under the Team Heino banner crushed all in their way.
“I don’t know if I would have ever gone on it [Zwift] if we hadn’t had the whole pandemic and lockdown,” Alice Lethbridge admits.
The Heino superteam have come together from across the world and from modest backgrounds to beat their better-funded Canyon and Movistar competitors. Boasting a supreme cohesion as a racing unit, their domination has been near absolute, winning every race of season one and two of the Zwift Racing League as well as all but two of the season three series. It’s even more impressive given their formation during the Covid-era in locations across the world. This leads to team training sessions and bonding a tricky hurdle to negotiate.
“Some teams are more based in one country, but during the first series because everyone was in lockdown we were actually managing to always generally meet up on a Sunday evening European time which would be Monday morning for Vicki [Whitelaw, based in Australia]. One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about Heino is the team spirit there.”
She adds that the team’s Facebook Messenger group is very active and not just with cycling chat. “We were joking just today that we think we’ve convinced another one of our team-mates to get a pet because we kept sending them our cute pet pictures,” she says.
Esta historia es de la edición June 10, 2021 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 10, 2021 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Is pro racing getting more dangerous?
There are many factors that contribute to the perceived greater risks. One that does not get any attention is the greater importance of UCI points and the need to constantly collect them to avoid relegation.
A Saturday in Hell
It's the most brutal race of the year - 29.2km of the worst cobbles northern France has to offer, over 17 agonising sectors, starting in Denain and finishing in the iconic Roubaix velodrome. For the men, it's referred to as a Sunday in Hell, but for us, hell comes a day early.
Gitane - Tour de l'Avenir
Classic French brand's homage to a revered amateur race
6 WAYS TO THINK YOURSELF FASTER
However flawless your physical preparation, the mind has a tendency to throw a spanner in the works come the big day. James Witts offers six ways to keep the brain onside with the body
MAURICE BURTON'S - SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
9 life lessons from Britain's first Black cycling champion
PEAKS PRACTICE
The Peak District is home turf for Manchester-based British pro riders and has been the formative terrain of top domestic riders for decades. Adam Becket finds out why it's so effective
Zeb Kyffin: stepping out of the fish bowl
TDT-Unibet's British rider tasted the team's first World-Tour event at the Amstel Gold Race. Adam Becket finds out how the day went
Thomas to go for 'very top step' at Giro
Welshman and Ineos ready for duel with Tadej Pogačar, reports Adam Becket
Brown and Niewiadoma beat Vollering
SD Worx-Protime are far from unbeatable in 2024, as team misses out in Ardennes Classics
Pogačar lays down marker for Giro d'Italia
Liège win signals Slovenian's readiness for clash with Geraint Thomas, reports Adam Becket