At the end of 2024, Zwift introduced the Zwift World Series, a multi-event series to replace the Grand Prix events that had come before. In that series our team had done very well, with the men winning in 2023 and the women taking the title in 2024. Both our men's and women's teams were participating in the new series and looking to challenge not only for the team competition, but the new individual GC title too. Our new Verge team kits were looking fresh, and we were ready to race!
When the series was originally presented to us, there was no team element included. But after some conversations with Zwift, we were able to get a team component added. In the end, team scores would be made up of the points from the team’s top 3 riders. This actually suited us very well, as both squads were suffering with issues with rider sickness and availability.
Each squad was given 3 race passes to give to riders who would automatically compete in each race, with anyone else having to earn a place through one of the qualifier races. For the men’s team, this wouldn’t be an issue, but it created a real headache for the women’s team, which didn’t have three riders who were available for every race.
The competition kicked off on September 19th, with the final race set for January 30th. But as we’ll see, due to a systemic issue with the most popular indoor trainer’s software, not only was the whole competition thrown into disarray, but so was the men’s challenge for the title. In the end, the series concluded on April 24th, three months later than planned. Nevertheless, the team rallied together, adapted and fought valiantly to do the best the best they could.
The men’s competition
Things started off well in the first race with Michał finishing in 3rd and Ollie coming in 8th. That helped put the team into second place on the team leaderboard. But all that hard work would soon be undone in race two with #trainergate hitting the team hard. After a hard-fought race, Michał provisionally finished in 2nd (taking the GC lead) and Ollie Jones in 5th, with the team being bumped up to the top spot. But the celebrations would soon turn to dismay.
After the race had finished, Michał was contacted by Björn at AthleteAnalytiX, highlighting irregularities in the data transmitted from his Wahoo Move. The initial findings were inconclusive, other than to say that there was an unknown issue with how the trainer was calculating power at high intensity. Michał wasn’t alone, and would be one of many riders to have their results annulled, despite not personally being at fault and having done everything within their power to ensure the trainer operated properly. This was a deeply disappointing situation for everyone involved and meant that the team lost vital points, and Michał’s GC contentions were DOA. What was especially galling was that these annulments were only announced right before the UCI Eracing World Championships (hosted on the competitor platform MyWhoosh). Nevertheless, these live finals allowed the boys to race live and show what they are made of with Lionel taking 2nd, Michał 7th, and Ollie in 9th. Special mention to Kate McCarthy from New Zealand, who had also been annulled, getting the final word and the rainbow jersey!
Ahead of Round 3, there was a question mark whether the team should continue with the series. But with Ollie still in a good position in the GC, and everyone on a high from the Worlds, we decided to press on. The maths was against us in the team competition, but we would see how well we could do.
Despite knowing riders were unable to trust their trainers, Zwift allowed the racing to continue. Luckily, the boys got through it with no issues, and Ollie took 4th with Lionel in 5th. The race for the GC was on!
However, during this time, Zwift had continued to see trainer issues come up and they eventually decided to pause the series to allow trainer companies to fix their software. Noting:
This season in the Zwift World Series we have seen, and we continue to see, a much higher volume of issues with hardware accuracy than we ever have in the past. Unfortunately, this has resulted in many annulments, race-to-race uncertainty for athletes, and created considerable challenges for our performance verification team and commissaire. We understand and empathise with the strain that this has put on riders throughout the series and this is not something we can allow to continue.
Sadly, this came too late for Michał and our team ambitions, but overall was the right thing to do. A long pause ensued and we were even unsure whether we would get to race the final two rounds. However, the trainer companies were given time to fix their issues and the new dates were finally announced.
Round 4 finished with both Lionel and Ollie squeezing into the Top 10 on Shisa Shakedown, and doing exactly what was necessary for Ollie to keep hold of the jersey. All eyes were now on the final race.
Round 5 was set on Power to the Tower – a brutally hilly final stage. But we knew this was the perfect kind of stage for us: hard. We went into the race with one plan – protect Ollie at all costs. We had a list of riders who were still reasonably in contention, and kept a close eye on them – everyone else was irrelevant. Whilst Lio had started the series underpowered, he was now at the top of his game and went on the attack, breaking away from the main group with no other GC contenders going with him. Meanwhile, Ollie and Michał kept the pace high on the climbs, but let it be known that it would be for other title contenders to make the first move. As the race went on, the main group got smaller and smaller – until we knew that Ollie had it in the bag up the final climb. It was the perfect display of a team working in unison and at it’s best. We were able to attack off the front with Lionel and play a tactical game behind with our other riders. The series might not have gone exactly to plan, but we finished in style and were able to show our pedigree and ambition.
Lionel Vujasin, captain of the men’s team, had this to say:
It was a weird season to say the least, but I think the long interruption played in my favour. A Top 5 in the overall came as a bit of a surprise, to be honest. Race 1 & 2 were not good for me, as I was building towards the World Championships, and I didn't prepare well for those two races. The results were not what I would traditionally expect, especially on a course like Richmond, where I lost valuable points, which in hindsight, cost me a podium spot in the GC.
After Worlds, we had Round 3 in Yorkshire, and I committed to helping Ollie protect the leader’s jersey and ended up having a really good day that propelled me to the Top 10. With the long interruption, I took time to refocus and took strength from my Zwift Games podium. I ended the season on a high and managed to podium in the last race and make my way to the Top 5 overall while enjoying Ollie winning the whole series!
Despite racing as only a trio, from a team standpoint, we should be proud to end up in the Top 3. Of course, we could have won it if it weren’t for systemic trainer issues that affected Michał, but this was out of our hands. Anyway, it's always a pleasure to race with the boys and share the highs and the lows with them. I wouldn't trade with any other team! Next year... Next chance!
Ollie Jones, winner of the General Classification, had this to add:
Ever since the announcement of the ZWS last year, it was something that the team at knew one of us had to win. We’ve always been there or thereabouts with podiums, but it’s been a while since one of us closed out the overall in one of these major series. The ZWS was the perfect opportunity to make this happen as we were all of the same opinion that the format and parcour was the best in recent times too.
After a bit of bad luck in the first couple of rounds for Lio and Kami, it was pretty clear that the overall would have to fall on my shoulders. The rest of the series definitely wasn’t plain sailing either, with having to race with multiple fractured ribs in Round 3 and then a whole lot of life happening during the hiatus between rounds 3 and 4. It was really difficult getting myself prepared both physically and mentally after the hiatus. During that time period, I lost my mum to cancer, moved house, and my wife got pregnant. Ultimately, I was lucky that I didn’t have to race Rounds 4 and 5 on the original dates while that was going on. I heavily relied on my teammates to get me through the final round, where we played a clinical defensive race. Lio dragged the race out until there weren’t enough numbers left in the group for Jasper Paridaens in 2nd place to overtake me, while Kami stayed with me at all times in case of emergency. In the end, everything myself and my teammates put into me winning the ZWS has made it one of my proudest accomplishments as a cycling esports racer.
And with that, the series was done.
Final positions
- Ollie Jones – Winner 🏆
- Lionel Vujasin – 5th
- Michał Kamiński – 18th
- THE COALITION – 3rd 🥉
The women’s competition
In the women’s elite series, things started off well for the team in Round 1 with Lou Bates coming in 3rd, Anne Nevin in 8th and Alice Lethbridge in 14th. This helped put the team into 2nd position overall, just as the men had done. The perfect start!
However, with Lou unable to race the rest of the series, the team were up against it. Luckily for them, Stefanie Sydlik had come through the qualifiers for Round 2 and would end up being our highest placed rider at the finish line in 13th. Anne and Alice also making into the Top 20.
In Round 3, we actually had five riders in the race – the only time the squad would be this big. Ellexi Snover had also got a place through the qualifiers and the squad was joined by Gökçe Paul. It would be Stef coming through again as our top-placed rider finishing in 10th, Anne in 16th and Alice in 20th. Whilst the team was consistent in getting three riders into the Top 20, the team’s position fell off the podium.
The same trainer issues that had affected the men’s race were also present in the women’s competition, and the race series was paused at the same time. Where this had helped the men’s squad, the opposite was true for the women. Round 4 would prove to be the worst result for the team – finishing in 8th in the team placings. Nevertheless, Stef finished strong again in 13th.
By the time Round 5 came around, we were down to only two riders, with Stef and Anne waving the flag for the team. After a very hard race, Stef finished in 17th and Anne in 23rd. Not having three riders greatly affected the team points and meant the squad’s original ambitions would have to wait for another season. That said, despite all the challenges the team faced, finishing in 4th in the team competition is impressive and a testament to the riders who fought every single race.
Well done to Anne who finished 8th in the GC and to Stef who had to come through the qualifiers but finished in 14th in the GC with only 4 race results. If Stef had been able to race in Round 1, she would have finished around 6th in the GC! Amazing work by you both.
The team will now regroup and rebuild ahead of the next season. We know we have the riders to challenge for the title and hope to be back competing at the pointy end in a few month’s time.
Alice Lethbridge, captain of the women’s squad
ZWS started well for the coalition women, with the team placing 2nd on race one and Anne winning a season pass. Unfortunately, as the season progressed, over half the riders were lost due to illness and work commitments when the races were rearranged. Despite this, Anne and Stef were able to continue racing, placing 8th and 14th in the final GC and helping secure 4th place in the team competition. Overall, it was a good result for a very depleted squad over a long series. We’re hoping for better luck next season where we can field a squad that can challenge for the title again.
Final positions
- Anne Nevin – 8th (5 races)
- Stefanie Sydlik – 14th (4 races)
- Alice Lethbridge – 25th (4 races)
- Lou Bates – 49th (1 race)
- Gökçe Paul – 50th (2 races)
- THE COALITION – 4th
Community and Beta members also take part
A special mention has to go out to our non-elite riders who also took to the start line in the ZWS. David Kowalski who has been promoted to Beta squad was also racing and was able to accrue points in both the second and last race, finishing in the GC in 67th. Michiel Balcaen (a former Beta squad member) also raced the initial races – scoring in the second. Whilst he decided to step down and didn’t finish the series, those points also allowed him to finish in 97th.
We also had some Coalition community members taking part in the qualifiers. Even though they didn’t place well enough to race at the elite level, we hope you enjoyed the process. Well done to Becca Niesen (who also helped DS the elite women in the series!), Larissa Lunel, Erik Mitchell and Mathew Bassett.
Final thoughts
Well, what a series – with all the highs, lows, and dramas we have come to expect over the years. There are definitely some positives to take away from so many months of racing, and some learnings too. Whatever comes next, you can guarantee that The Coalition will be there, racing our hearts out and going for the win.
Rhys Howell, Team Manager of The Coalition
I am incredibly proud of how all our riders responded to the challenges of the ZWS and immensely happy for Ollie in getting the win in the GC. Overall, it was an interesting format, and I liked having both a team and an individual component to the series. That said, some age-old problems are still not being properly addressed in elite eracing. Mainly, this comes down to data accuracy. We are still using power-guessers in indoor trainers instead of devices that accurately measure power and torque. What’s more, we are still seeing large fluctuations in rider weight which is arguably unhealthy and unfair. Both of these issues could be addressed with standarised hardware provided to riders. I hope we will see future enhancements in this area, as it’s been an issue for many years. I also hope that one day we will see live racing and some form of trophy and/or medals for those who finish on the podium. We have won countless titles during our time racing on Zwift, and have not been able to truly celebrate – other than that time we cracked open bottles of champagne in our garages and balconies. But to end on a positive note – thanks to all the riders and all the fans that supported us throughout the series. We are truly grateful!
Whatever form the next iteration of elite eracing takes, you can guarantee that The Coalition will be there and fighting our hearts out.
If you are interested in finding out more about the series then you can rewatch all the races here and the full leaderboards are published here.
