Zoom World

Racing and Training has gone virtual! From Ironman World Champions doing at home Ironman’s (check out Jan Frodeno’s fundraising event from his home in Girona this past weekend) to the new Ironman VR series and even Zwift cycling races where triathletes are competing with some of the best cyclists in the world (luckily bike handling skills are not needed), the multi-sport world has changed amidst Covid 19.

Check out some of these great videos that show how different pros have been handling the virtual racing/training world.

Virtual racing is now all the rage and training has had to change as well. At Human Powered Racing we are following a training plan that continues to be adjusted and reshaped as races are postponed and cancelled. Not being able to train with team mates and friends has been tough, but we have been able to come together on Tuesday and Thursday evenings via Zoom to ride together “virtually”. While not quite the same as being on the roads, coming together on trainers once a week has allowed us to “suffer” through some tough workouts and provide some motivation to keep going. Seeing Avatars on Zwift is great, but when you have the opportunity to see your team mates actually working hard in a workout it can make you dig that little bit deeper than you might otherwise.

The virtual nature of our team has not been all about training however, we are having a weekly happy hour each and every Friday where we can all check in, enjoy a favourite beverage and discuss training, racing, the state of the world and the latest Netflix series that everyone is enjoying.

More than ever this whole situation has brought home how an individual sport like triathlon is actually a very social one. In starting Human Powered Racing years ago I knew it was that social aspect of a team sport that I really missed. The social/physical distancing world we are living in has made me appreciate that even more. I know that many of the training groups and clubs in Victoria and beyond are going through the same thing, so when this is over (and it will end one day) we should all have a little more appreciation and gratitude for our friends, competitors and training partners who make what we do something so real and so human that it can never be replaced “virtually”.

While many races are moving indoors and into the virtual world, be sure to check out how we are changing the nature of the Triathlon of Compassion in 2020 so that all athletes, regardless of how high tech your equipment, will be able to race.