In 2015, with a series of test races, I set out to create a different type of racing. Where it mattered not whether one had a power meter or riding on zPower, whether they were Cat A neo-pros or Cat D fighters. I wanted to make racing as accessible as possible for everyone not only to enter but also to win, without the need to jump through various hoops to be allowed at the start line. This led me to create the original Zwift Handicap Race.
ZHR then developed into a philosophy of creating events of a different mould, many of which have been replicated by other organisers. On top of the handicap time trials, we’ve had three Grand Tours, mass-start time trials, the first Zwift group training rides, underground racing, the group handicap races that became the Hare & Hounds, races that cater specifically to climbers, endurance training rides, the Mountain Goat race on custom courses, the Man vs Mountain race where Cat A & B took a longer route to the finish than Cat C & D, Ladies-only races (long before there were any ladies’ teams), endurance sub-2w/kg group rides, Clydesdale racing, the 100km Audax leaderless rides, a social Weekend Group Ride, and Masters age-group racing.
I've pushed the boundaries of whatever technology was available to me but I'm no coder - it's thanks to Zwift HQ and the team behind ZwiftPower that make it possible for me to think up new challenges. I’ve had to limit the events I host, where it would be too much work or impossible to run them, e.g., Elimination, Points, team time trials, relays, nationality-based races, stage racing, and more group rides across all abilities. Sometimes, changes in the setup of Zwift or ZwiftPower means that it is no longer possible to run an event, unless I can modify it.
FAQs
Does ZHR have a racing team?
We do - Team ZHR. For me as an organiser, it’s about creating rides for riders; as a racing team, it’s about fun, inclusivity, support, and being more like a community cycling club. Always open, all levels and ages welcome, regardless of gender. We don’t have a women-specific team (yet!) but Cassie is our team captain.
Why don’t ZHR races require heart rate monitors (HRMs)?
Heart rate is highly individual, so nobody is capable of saying whether a rider’s rate is high or low; I’ve trained riders whose max heart rate was 140bpm, with others warming up at 180bpm. Even with a consistent picture of data across various events, heart rate can vary wildly from day-to-day due to environmental conditions, illness, fatigue, overtraining, coffee, asthma inhalers, adrenaline, anxiety, etc. As an organiser, requiring a rider wears a HRM would tell me nothing other than they were alive; it adds another barrier for riders and, besides, it can be easily cheated to simulate a specific heart rate.
Why does ZHR allow zPower riders?
Contrary to popular myth, they are not cheats and their power does not necessarily read high. Yes, it is more unpredictable and can result in unreliable data, but a blanket ban is overkill and I will look at riders’ performance on a case-by-case basis. Not everyone has the money to buy a trainer specifically for Zwift, making do with whatever they have at hand; requiring them to buy one would be another barrier. I believe that by encouraging such riders to join the racing community, they will become hooked and eventually invest in a new trainer; this has happened on numerous occasions since ZHR’s inception in 2015.
What about transparency?
While I believe that racing for prize money should have as many checks as possible, this can only be truly achieved when racing live. ZwiftPower has gone a long way to eradicating to most obvious forms of cheating but power meters can be skewed, even if using two different sources; HRM signals can be hacked; ANT+ signals can be simulated; weigh-ins can be cheated, even when captured on live video. So, as determined cheats will find a way to gain an advantage and there’s no way of either knowing this or stopping them from entering a race, I made the decision in 2015 to open up racing to as much of the community as possible, rather than limit it by placing numerous barriers for riders to clear.
Zwift’s results are flawed because they allow riders to enter the wrong category or group, cheats are allowed to prosper, no rules can be applied to them, and organisers have no control whatsoever over them. This is especially critical in ZHR races, which are not standard mass-start events where categories don’t matter. Using ZwiftPower as the results service means I can enforce race rules, apply and remove DQs, manually amend results, set up leagues, and stop cheats from posting screenshots on Strava bragging how they’re such great racers.
Why doesn’t ZHR have more group rides?
ZHR is just me. Although volunteers have helped with rides in the past, I’m always on the lookout for people to lead regular rides. As a cycling coach, I’ve had to give up Zwift rides because of new sessions and classes, or been unable to take over those run by volunteers when they had to give them up. I would love to host group rides every day of the week and across different timezones but there’s only so much riding I can manage! If you’re able to lead a regular ride, please do contact me.
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