Join Zwift Racing League Season 2

The first season of Zwift Racing League (ZRL) was incredibly successful, with over 6,000 racers participating worldwide in over 1000 teams. Kudos to our partners at WTRL for organizing the biggest Zwift race series to date.

After a short rest for the holidays, it’s time to get back to racing! Season 2 kicks off January 12, building on Season 1’s success to create a race experience that’s bigger and better than ever for Zwifters of all types.

At its core, cycling is a team sport. Therefore ZRL is a team-based points competition, with riders participating in a mix of regular road races and team time trials (TTT). There are separate races for men’s and women’s teams, and mixed-gender teams can also participate in the men’s divisions.

Season 2 is 8 races long, with events happening every Tuesday from January 12-March 2.

If you’re looking to get involved in the ZRL scene but haven’t yet joined a team, this post is for you. Read on!

Rider Requirements

Several requirements have been set up to ensure fun and fair racing for all. To participate in ZRL Season 2 you must have a:

• ZwiftPower account
• WTRL.racing account
• Proven ZwiftPower category: you should have enough recent races on ZwiftPower that your category (A, B, C, D) isn’t in question, and the team you race with should be competing in this category or higher.

Joining a ZRL Team

Most established Zwift teams have organized signups to help their members find a group of teammates racing in their desired time zone.

If you’re not already on a team, write a quick post on the WTRL Zwift Racing League Facebook group sharing a little about yourself and which time zone(s) you’d like to race. Teams looking for riders will reach out.

Note: the Season 2 team signup deadline is January 9th, but you can join a team after this date.

Race Training Tips

Looking to boost your Zwift racing performance? Check out our Zwift Racing Training Plan which uses race simulations, sweet spot intervals, and race start work over 4-6 weeks to get you primed for speed.

Not ready to commit to a structured training plan? Races make for a fun and challenging workout! Just find one that fits your schedule and give it your best shot.

If you get dropped from the front pack, don’t worry. Most people do when they first start racing. Just find a group of riders and work together. Once you’re finished, make sure you take time (usually 24-48 hours) to let your body recover. Remember: recovery days are when you actually get stronger!

Get an Edge

Remember these top tips for Zwift racing (most apply outside as well!):

1. Warm up beforehand, because the start is always a hard effort
2. Use the draft to conserve energy whenever possible
3. Attack every punchy climb to avoid being dropped
4. Know the route so you can pace yourself, move to the front before important climbs, etc
5. Save useful powerups and deploy them strategically

For more racing tips, read our Rolling or Circuit Race and Flat Race posts.

More ZRL Info

For more information on all things ZRL, visit the wtrl.racing page.