Racer to Racer: Beth MacIver
ZWIFT COMMUNITY

Racer to Racer: Beth MacIver

ON June 24, 2021 by Zwift

When you’re one of the few people chosen for a WorldTour team’s eRacing squad, you must know a thing or two about Zwift racing!

In early 2021, Beth MacIver entered the Movistar Team Challenge, where talent scouts watched riders compete in a series of virtual racers. Her strong performances helped land her a spot on the new Movistar eTeam, along with four other women and five men.

MacIver, a cyclist from Scotland, joined Zwift in October 2019.

“I had moved to university to a much busier city so Zwift seemed like a good way to continue cycling in an unfamiliar place,” she says. “It’s also an amazing way to maintain top-end fitness over the winter months!”

A competitive athlete at heart, it wasn’t long before she entered some races. MacIver joined Team CRYO-GEN and began climbing the ranks, getting better and better as she learned all the tricks of Zwift racing. Since joining Movistar, she’s won a stage of the Zwift Racing League with her powerful sprint and finished second in another.

Recently, Beth talked with us about how she got into racing on Zwift, what she’s learned, and advice for becoming a better racer.

For more from Beth, follow her on Instagram!

Zwift: How long have you been racing on Zwift, and how did you get started? What was your first race like?

Beth MacIver: I’ve been racing on Zwift ever since I got it. I’ve always loved being competitive in sport and Zwift racing was the first type of bike racing I did! My first race was great fun! It was a 34km race on NYC’s Everything Bagel … so quite brutal for my first race! I raced in the C category and I managed to place 2nd!

Z: You were recently selected for the new Movistar eTeam. Congratulations! What has that been like so far? Has anything surprised you?

BM: Thank you very much! It’s been absolutely brilliant, it honestly feels like a dream! I think what has surprised me the most is how lucky all of the eTeam have been. We have received all of the team kit (including the bike!) as all of Movistar’s sponsors are invested in the eTeam and want to help us reach our potential! I am so grateful to the team and sponsors for this!

Beth and her team-issue Canyon Ultimate

Z: How does your team work together in races, and what part do team tactics play on Zwift?

BM: Team tactics play a huge part in Zwift racing. We will share important information (key points in the route, bike/wheel choice, etc.) with each other and do a recon of the route so we know what to expect! For TTT’s we will all be on Discord to ensure we’re able to communicate with each other during the race. For scratch races, we would come up with a plan before, blast our music during and have an endorphin-filled debrief afterwards.

Z: What do you consider to be your strengths, and how do you use them effectively in races?

BM: I think that a strength of mine probably is bunch sprinting. It’s been a bit of trial and error in order to get this right – there’s still plenty of error! I’ve found it’s important to know the profile of the finish, know how long you’re able to maintain your sprint for and how quickly you can snap into sprint mode.

Z: What have you learned NOT to do in a Zwift race?

BM: I have learned not to burn too many matches (easier said than done)! Zwift racing can be very punchy so you find yourself in the red a lot of the time. I’ve found that it’s also about conserving as much energy as possible. You have to be aware of what the other riders are doing around you, so when they’re going easy, you have to ease off too. And when there’s an attack, don’t be too late to react… it’s not easy closing gaps on Zwift!

Z: What’s your favorite Zwift race course and why?

BM: The 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit in Yorkshire. It’s so difficult but I love the kind of efforts it pulls out of you. It always makes for a very exciting race!

Z: Do you have any pre-race rituals? How about post-race?

BM: My main goal pre-race is to try and stay as stress-free as possible. In the Premier Division of the ZRL there are a number of things you have to remember (dual recording, weigh-in video, zoom camera) so I try and give myself plenty of time beforehand to ensure I’m ready on time. Post-race is all about recovery. This includes a good cool down and plenty of food and water!

Z: Do you have any favorite workouts that help you in races?

BM: My favorite workout on Zwift is one from the 2020 edition of Zwift Academy. It’s called “7. VO2 Development”. Get ready to feel the burn!


Beth’s favorite Zwift workout: Zwift Academy 2020’s “7. VO2 Development”

Z: What’s one thing (or a few, if you like) you would tell new Zwift racers to help them perform their best?

BM: The best advice I can give is don’t quit. Some races will suit your strengths and others might not. These weaknesses you identify present an opportunity for improvement. It’s important you don’t think of something as a “weakness” when it’s actually a “work in progress!”