Watts Up in Watopia: Black Celebration Series
Keys to growing our endurance sports are reducing the barriers to participation and providing opportunities for athletes who may not otherwise have discovered our sports.
Listening to the stories of athletes of color in the US helps us identify what those barriers are specifically for them and what types of opportunities for participation make a difference.
Not limited to Black history month in the US, the Zwift Black Celebration Series runs throughout the year and includes events which feature Zwift-affiliated Black athletes and organizations.
Participating in the events and workouts is certainly one way of supporting the Black community and Zwift’s efforts toward equity, diversity, justice, and inclusion. Another way is to listen to the podcasts featured on the series rides to hear the experiences of Black athletes in our endurance sports.
For example, road and criterium racers, Rahsaan Bahati and Justin Williams, share their stories of coming up in the sport and navigating congested urban training areas, food deserts, and cycling teams that did not understand their particular needs. Learn how Bahati and Williams are changing the sport of bike racing to provide opportunities and lower barriers of participation for youth of color. See Part 1 and Part 2 of their conversation on the Zwift Power Up podcast.
Their stories and others in the Zwift Black Celebration Series can serve as a launching off point to learn more about the stories of athletes of color in your specific sport and geographic area. For example, read about the experiences of three Black triathletes, Heather Toney, Shaunna Payne Gold, and Yvonne Spencer, who examine barriers and misconceptions that prevent more athletes of color from joining the sport of triathlon.
Becoming familiar with the stories of athletes of color can move us to action in our individual and collective attempts to make endurance sports more welcoming and supportive.
Ride leads for the month of February include:
Saturday, February 5: The Black Foxes and Rahsaan Bahati
Saturday, February 12: David Lipscomb
Saturday, February 19: Damon Turner and Black Girls Do Bike (BGDB)
Saturday, February 26: Kings Rule Together (KRT), Queens Rule Together (QRT), and Black Girls Do Bike (BGDB)
Black Celebration Workouts of the Week are designed by:
Jan 31 – Feb 6: Ayesha McGowen
Feb 7 – Feb 13: David Lipscomb
Feb 14 – Feb 20: Rahsaan Bahati
Feb 21 – Feb 27: Maise Wimbush
Guest World Schedule
Here’s this week’s guest worlds, so you can plan to earn some of the route badges you are missing:
Monday: Innsbruck & Richmond
Tuesday: Richmond & London
Wednesday: Richmond & London
Thursday: Richmond & London
Friday: France & Paris
Saturday: France & Paris
Sunday: Yorkshire & Innsbruck
Slowtwich Indoors Event Preview (All Times Eastern)
Go to Zwift Events to sign up for these rides and runs.
Monday 100/100 Group Run, 7:00 AM & 7:00 PM
Join us for a group run on the virtual track of May Field that will kick start your week. Join others who are working on the Slowtwitch challenge of 100 runs of 3 miles or 30 minutes in 100 days. Don’t forget that each of the five ride workouts and five run workouts have a short and long option. Rather than canceling a workout when you are crunched for time, you can complete the short version and still reap the benefits of the program.
Tuesday Ride of the Valkryies Workout (Women Only), 6:00 AM
This event is by and for women. It’s an almost no-drop, rubber-banded Structured Training workout, featuring a warm-up, set of intervals, and a cool-down. This week’s workout is Ladders for Breakfast.
Tuesday Structured Training, 7:00 PM
Our Tuesday ride features triathlon-focused cycling workouts written by coaches and pro athletes affiliated with Slowtwitch. The workouts last 60 minutes and will help add variety and interest to your weekly training schedule. This week’s workout is Give Me A Break.
Wednesday Group Run, 7:00 AM & 7:00 PM
A more scenic group run on the Quatch Quest course. This is another opportunity to join others who are working on the Slowtwitch challenge of 100 runs of 3 miles or 30 minutes in 100 days.
Thursday Rise & Grind, 5:35 AM
This workout is an early morning bracer for the East Coast crowd. This week’s workout is Peaks and Valleys.
Thursday SWIFT Ride, 6:55 PM
The newest ride to the Slowtwitch Indoors family, Slowtwitch SWIFT (Strong Women, It's Fun Together!) is here to bring another women's only ride to a slightly friendlier time slot. This ride will focus slightly more on strength-based work so bring those climbing legs. But even if you're feeling more like Mark Cavendish in the mountains of the Tour de France, so long as you keep the pedals moving, you'll stay with our group. This week’s workout is 12 Ways of Intervals.
Friday Festina Lente, 9:00 AM
This structured training workout is designed to get you geared up for the weekend. Roughly translated as “make haste, slowly,” Festina Lente features a workout that will get your engine running but still leave some in the tank for the big rides and races you have planned for the weekend. This ride is led by members of the Kanberra Cycling Team as lead beacon. This week’s workout is Threshold Intervals.
