Ride On Player One

If you couldn't tell by now, I love to ride my bike. But it's not the only thing I love to do. I really love to read. There was a period of time where I wasn't reading much of anything, though. And that just wasn't good for my soul. So this year I made a resolution to start reading again. My goal was one book a month. I was on track but March came around and I got behind. I'm confident I'll catch up, though. I'm currently reading A Wrinkle in Time. I've been struggling with reading it consistently not because I don't like it but because I'm in the mood for something else. What that something else is, I'm not sure. But, I'm going to force myself to stick with it because I want to see the movie that just came out, and one of the things I like to do is read a book and then watch the movie. That's one of the reasons I picked "Ready Player One" for my February read. The movie is being released in theaters this week. The book takes place in a dark and grim 2044. Climate change and war have ravaged the earth. The 1% got richer while most of the world became poorer. Resources are scarce and the future looks bleak. Technology, however, has advanced to the point where most people reside in a virtual reality called the Oasis. The creator of the Oasis dies and creates a virtual scavenger hunt for an Easter Egg hidden within the Oasis. The person to find the egg wins control of the company that owns the Oasis, thus making this person the most powerful and richest person on Earth. The book follows a boy through his journey to find this Easter Egg. I thought it was a good book. It's heavy on nostalgia, as basically everything 80's is back in style in the year 2044, so if you were an 80's kid or teenager, you'll get a kick out of all the references. It's a fun book to read. There are so many fascinating themes and questions to explore about living in a virtual world while the real world crumbles around you. The author doesn't really wax philosophical on any of it, but it does make you think: If people had made an effort into making the real world better rather than retreating into a virtual world, would the world have deteriorated as much as it did? Another theme that had me thinking were personal connections made in the virtual world. Are those connections as real as connections made in-real-life? Is it possible to have both a vibrant virtual life and a thriving reality? I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately as I feel like it sometimes mirrors some aspects of my own life, particularly cycling.

99% of my winter riding is done indoors, and most of that indoor riding is done on a game called Zwift. I think I've explained it before, but I'll give a quick refresher. Zwift is a virtual cycling game in which you ride virtual roads on a virtual bike with an avatar. Your avatar is propelled by you - the real you is at home on a bike that is hooked up to a trainer. The amount of power you put out on the bike, measured in watts, determines how fast you will go in this virtual setting. It's really an amazing game. A heavy component of Zwift is that it's a social game. As you ride, there are other riders around that you can see and interact with (to a degree). These are people just like you, riding in their home. You can send a general message, which everyone on the road can see, or you can send a direct message to just one person. You can cheer people on in the form of "Ride-ons". These are blue thumbs-up icons that appear over your head, then disappear into your avatar's jersey pockets. You can see who gave you the ride-on. It's a nice way to let someone know you see the work they are doing and are encouraging them. Again, it's a very social thing. There are group rides, where people join up to ride at a certain time to ride a certain route together. It's loads of fun. In my opinion, group rides are the best thing about Zwift. There's just something really cool about doing a ride with people that enjoy doing the same thing you do. You ride, you chat, you meet some really cool people. It's fun and it's a great workout. It's like doing a group ride outdoors, except without having to worry about cars. And because people are naturally competitive, there are races in Zwift as well. Racing in Zwift has become quite a thing - last year CVR kicked off live events with real prizes for racing in Zwift. Another event organizer, KISS, in conjunction with Zwift, are hosting a live racing event as well. There's a big Zwift community online on Facebook. When I say it's a thing, I mean it. People take it very seriously. Some people have committed to riding only on Zwift, no more outdoor riding for them. There's a Zwift Anti-Doping Agency. Yes, people cheat in these virtual races. Pros use it to train. People have won professional cycling contracts through Zwift. So yes, Zwift is a Thing.

It's definitely been a thing for me. I've completed the Zwift Academy two years in a row now. I lead a group ride. I competed in two CVR events that utilized Zwift for racing. I founded a virtual cycling team with four other women. I have made friends within the community. So I'm invested in this online world. As I was reading Ready Player One, I felt like there were parallels between my online-cycling world and this book about people invested so heavily in a virtual reality. There's the obvious parallel - virtual realities that closely mimic real life but are a game, or can be used as a game. But as I read the book, I started realizing that the investment into the game in Ready Player One was similar to the investment people have made into this virtual cycling world. In the book, corporations are desperate to have control over this virtual world, because it would mean access and control over the vast majority of the world's population. Why? Well, because people invested in this world - time, money, information, you name it. People invest in Zwift; there's the subscription fee you have to pay, but then there is also the investment in equipment, and time to do group rides, races, etc. There's also an emotional investment. When I started cycling, I was desperately searching for a women's cycling community. I found one online through Zwift. I met some amazing women and became part of a women's virtual cycling community that I love dearly. I am Facebook friends with some of these women. I consider some of them to be in-real-life friends, as well. I care about them, and love seeing what they are up to with their families and friends, even though I've never met some of them. During my race in CVR, I noticed that some of the people who attended my group ride gave me ride-ons or sent me cheers. Recently, a prominent and talented racer became ill. The community banded together to send her get-well gifts, words of encouragement and even coordinated rides to show her that we all cared and wanted her to get well. See? Investment. We are invested in each other and in the community. Don't mistake me; I'm not trying to describe some sort of online utopia where everyone loves each other and sings kumbaya as we cruise around on virtual bikes. There are definitely personality clashes. Some people don't care for each other, while others are downright hostile to one another. There can certainly be an ugly side to this online virtual world. I mean, come on, it's the internet. The internet is a troll's playground, and you can certainly find them playing on Zwift. Luckily, most people are decent people that just like to ride bikes.

But how much do we really know about each other? This is something that's explored in Ready Player One, as well. In the book, the protagonist has friends that he made online. He's never met these people in real life and has only seen their avatars. At one point, the protagonist admits that his friends could be vastly different from how they present themselves online. They could be lying about who they are, who knows? That's part of the lure of the internet, right? You can be whoever you want to be, to a degree. It's like that on the Oasis - you can make your avatar look and be however you want. As close or as far away from reality as you desire. Zwift is similar. You don't have to ride under your real name, although you should put your real weight and height (otherwise you are cheating). So if you're riding with someone on Zwift, you don't really know who they are. They could be anyone. Facebook helps a bit with that, in that if they are part of the Zwift community Facebook groups, you have some sort of idea of who they are. Or do you? Because no one misrepresents themselves on Facebook, right? This is a conundrum that is as old as the internet itself. Chat rooms, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ (yeah, I know, I'm dating myself)...this issue of identity is not new to anyone who's been on the Internet, and it's not likely to go away. It's happened before, and is an issue now, of people pretending to be someone they are not or pretending to be capable of being as fast and strong as they show in-game. It's just a game, right? Who cares? Yes, it is just a game. But increasingly, there are higher stakes, like monetary prizes that are dependent on people being honest. In the grand scheme of things, does it make a difference? No. This is probably the best example of a First World problem that I can think of. And yet, to a large group of people, it does matter. For one, it's a security issue. Anonymity on the internet is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can help protect you. On the other hand, people use it to troll or stalk. There has been at least one verified instance of someone using Zwift (in conjunction with other social media platforms) to stalk someone. Another reason why it matters is because it is relatively easy for people to have influence over Zwifters that could be harmful. Is that coach you found on Facebook properly trained? How do you know if you are taking nutrition advice from a registered dietitian or a sports nutritionist and not someone with a bogus education from places like The Colgan Institute? Are you getting medical advice from someone with a medical degree from Wikipedia? Influence over our training and diet can directly affect our health; it matters if someone is pretending to be something they are not.

This isn't a call for a witch hunt or to say that everyone out there is either cheating, lying or completely crazy (or all of the above). Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, right? And other times, that weird feeling you get about someone is right. We should all be smart. I hope by now we're all savvy enough to know not to give out personal information that could be used to harm us. In thinking about it, though, I've probably given more information about myself than I should. You get comfortable and think you're in a safe space with like-minded people. We take people at face-value and believe in what they are telling us. It's so easy to become complacent and to let your guard down because the connections we make, although virtual, are real. It's part of what makes the Zwift community so great, but is also ripe for exploitation. This isn't a Zwift-only phenomenon, and I'm sure they're very aware that these issues exist within the community. Zwift is full of brilliant people. They made this awesome virtual cycling (and now running) paradise, right? So I'm sure they'll do what they can to make their product, and the community that has grown around their product, a safe place for their users. In the meantime, I'll remain vigilant, but also enjoy the real connections I have been fortunate to make in my virtual cycling world.

Rise with Vixen

Yesterday, I got up early to get on my bike and lead a group ride in Zwift. This is fairly unremarkable in and of itself, except for the fact that I, Jessica York, willingly got up at 6 am. It's a gross understatement to say I'm not a morning person. Even when I wake up super early, I don't really kick in until at least 9 am. The lights are on, but whoever is home is still sleeping. And yet, I now regularly get up to ride my bike before work. It's far easier to get a morning workout in than it is to do one during lunch or in the evening (although I miss my lunch workouts). I could say it's the bike that does it. Or Zwift. But that's not really the whole story. It's my Vixens that have pushed me to passably imitate a morning person, one of those motivated people that actually manage to get shit done at ungodly hours. Who are my Vixens? Well, I will gladly tell you!

Velocity Vixen is a women's team run by women. Five women, to be exact. One day, I got a Facebook message from Beth York. We're not blood related, just sisters-in-biking that met because of Zwift and cycling. She asked if I wanted to join in creating a women's team with her and a few other women. I had been wanting to be on a team in Zwift. I also greatly admire, respect and just love Beth so I said yes. It was Beth, Dixie Newsome, Inge Jansen and Carey Conabeare that were the core members of this group. Well, this was just perfect. I had the incredible privilege of meeting and racing with all of these women at CVR World Cup Paris. I had "met" Beth and Inge during Zwift Academy 2016. During the Zwift Academy group rides you get to chatting and you feel like you get to know your fellow riders. In addition, there was a Facebook group for the Zwift Academy women, and it was through this venue that we all cemented our online friendship. CVR World Cup Paris came around and we all became friends in real life, too. Dixie was my very awesome roommate in Paris, and Carey was a great racer and such a supportive and inspiring presence at CVR. We all got along so well and kept in touch after Paris, to the point where Dixie, Inge and I completed our Sufferlandrian Knighthood quest together in a group with 3 other women. Our love of cycling and mutual respect for each other as racers were the building blocks for the team. But the true driving force that brought us together as a team was the knowledge that the women's cycling community, specifically the women's virtual cycling community, needed more teams, rides and races run by women.

 Zwift Academy 2016 ended, and as I mentioned, many of us kept in touch. But there wasn't anything that cohesively held women together after the Academy ended. So Zwift Academy 2017 rolls around and the women who did it before are eager and excited for that community to return. This time, they had even more women that joined and finished. The group rides had great attendance and we even had to race this year. This new racing requirement was important because it introduced racing to women who either didn't know there were women's races in Zwift before ZA, or because it was the impetus for women to try it out who maybe didn't feel comfortable racing in Zwift prior to the Academy. Some women don't care for racing. But from the talk on the Facebook group, many women did like racing and wanted to see a greater women presence in Zwift racing. There were teams with women on them, but no women-only or women-specific teams. Fervor, excitement and need drove the creation of Zwift's first women's only team - Team Fearless. Many women joined, and it was really awesome to see so many women excited about racing and being on a team. Beth saw this excitement and thought it would be great to continue the momentum and create another women's team. She envisioned a supportive and empowering team that was serious about virtual racing. However, she didn't want to stop at just women's racing. Eventually, we would be one big team, with a women's squad and a men's squad. And why not? It was clear that women wanted and needed to be more involved in the Zwift racing scene, and there's no reason for women to be limited to only women things. For now the team would focus on launching the women's squad. And with that, Velocity Vixen was born. Velocity would be the overall team, with Vixen being the women's squad. Vixen - female fox. Swift and cunning, fast with a smart strength. 

All five of us are passionate about cycling. We love it, we live it, and we saw that there are other women that feel the same way. We also saw that there were women who could possibly love it just as much as we do and we wanted to give them that space to ride and compete. We know what a difference cycling has made in our lives and we want to share that with other women who want that, too. Zwift has always been a great avenue for that. And whatever missteps were made during the first E-Crit (see my first post for a refresher...not that anyone needs one...), none of us could forget that it was the Zwift Academy that brought most of us together. Even before Zwift became a "thing" within cycling, they created a women-centric event that highlighted women cycling. For a cycling company (or, arguably, any sports company), that's pretty remarkable. In addition, it's important to note that other teams have women on their teams and regularly host events for women. Prior to Team Fearless coming on the scene, these were all teams and events led and created by men. So it's not lost on us that men have made room for women within the Zwift community. There are certainly men that support women in cycling and want to see more women join events and races, just as we do. Truly, there is room for both men and women to lead both genders within the cycling community. But the leaders of Velocity Vixen strongly feel that women can make virtual cycling even better for women than it already is by leading as well. It makes sense; if women want more of a presence, more of a community within the already existing Zwift community, why not build it ourselves? Events for women that are led by men are awesome, are appreciated and we fully support them. We are very aware, though, that virtual cycling is in its infancy. We have the power to make a difference in how women are treated within the virtual cycling world at the outset.  

There we were - ready to build a great team and contribute different events for women (and men) within Zwift. We decided that our team would be serious about racing. We wanted honest and fair racers. We decided that our teammates would need to commit to racing at least once a month, as well as have a good trainer set up and use a heart rate monitor. This would ensure that all our members were active, upstanding members of the racing community. We launched our questionnaire and received quite a few applicants! We quickly grew to a team of 21 awesome women! We quickly got to work brainstorming different things we wanted to do as a team. We wanted to provide group rides for various abilities, racing series and group workouts. We launched Rise with Vixen, a social-paced group ride on Thursday mornings led by yours truly. Beth then followed with an endurance workout, Vixen VibeTribe. We have all sorts of things in the works and can't wait to launch them. And of course, we have all been busy racing. Quite a few of us are racing in the CVR World Cup league on Tuesdays. And we even stream our races, so if you want to watch us in action, check us out at CVR CycleView or ZwiftWatch. Also, feel free to check out our Facebook fan page. And if you are a woman Zwift racer and are looking for a team, take a look at our application!

We all work so well together, each woman bringing something to the table. Carey designed our fabulous logo and is our creative director. Inge is our Data Manager. Dixie is our talent manager and scout. Beth and I work on communications strategy and managing social media. We all support and help each other out. When we need help, we get it. Where one of us is too busy, another quickly steps up to the plate. A true team. I tell ya, amazing things happen when women support each other. We watch each other's races, give words of encouragement, help each other during races. And the women that have joined the roster are amazing, too. They are each strong riders in their own right. They fit right in, support each other, and are positive racers. I don't know what I expected, but this is certainly better than I could have ever imagined being on a team would be. I'm sure it won't always be wonderful. I'm sure we'll hit bumps as a team. But from what I have experienced over the last three months, I'm confident that we will rise above together. After all...We are Vixen. 

When is Enough, Enough?

Numbers. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Follow the money. Grab the market share. Polls. Participation. What does it all boil down to? Numbers. I'm an accountant in real life, so I know very well just how important numbers and accounting for those numbers are. Sports leagues care about viewership numbers because it means sponsorships and money. Subscription based services care about subscription numbers because it equates to users...and money. These businesses exist to make money, and making money means getting larger numbers of viewers, subscribers, participants, etc. But what lies behind these numbers are people. People to watch, to subscribe, to participate, to buy. So the numbers are important, but so are the people. Or at least, you would think they would be, right? But often, companies lose sight of the fact that real people are behind these figures.

Let's take a look at a particular segment of the population represented by numbers - women. According to the Harvard Business Review, women run the world economy. Indeed, according to Harvard Business Review, women control $20 trillion in annual consumer spending. $20 trillion dollars. In other words, we're a powerful segment of the economy and we control a lot of money. And yet, we are continually overlooked and or condescended to. Pink pens anyone? I mean, seriously, go shopping and see how the apparel industry continues to treat us. It's systemic of a larger issue, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the cycling community.

I'm sure you've seen them. Men riding around in lycra on slick bikes. If you're not a cyclist, you've probably cursed them out while passing them on the road (but seriously, not cool - don't do that). But think about how many of those times you've seen a woman riding. Not often, right? There really aren't a lot of women cyclists out there. They're there, for sure, but the numbers aren't nearly as great as the amount of male cyclists. So what does this mean? Well this means that the amount of women buying bicycles and participating in cycling events isn't as great. It's hard in the states to find coverage of male pro cycling events outside of the Tour de France (cycling just isn't that big in the States). It's next to impossible to find coverage of the women's pro cycling events. And why is that? The interest just isn't there. The number of viewers just doesn't warrant coverage. What it boils down to is basic economics - if there isn't a demand, there won't be a supply. And in the US, there simply isn't a large enough demand for women's pro cycling coverage.

But this isn't the only place we women cyclists are being told this. Take virtual racing. In the Zwift world, female participation equates to about 10% of the participation population. Since Zwift started, participation in general has grown. It's also grown for women as well. When Zwift Academy 2016 started they had roughly 1,100 participants. In 2017, that number almost doubled in growth to 2160 participants. It's not surprising that female participation on Zwift is growing. Zwift has become a popular training tool among cyclists and triathletes. It's so much more convenient for those that are strapped for time. Hop on your in-home trainer and get in a good workout. For women like me with kids and a career, it's a God-send. Zwift realizes this and is looking to gain more of that women market share. Which is a Good Idea. Besides the obvious of getting a bigger subscription base for Zwift, it also means that more women are participating in some form of cycling, and I don't think anyone can argue against this being good for cycling as a whole. More women racing and participating in cycling events is a great thing. But Zwift needs to be careful in putting the emphasis in just numbers of women participants and not forget the women that are behind their current numbers.

Lately, we, the women of Zwift, have been hearing that "there just aren't enough female participants". The numbers aren't good. They're "super low". Yes, you can't argue that compared to male participation, the female participation numbers are low. Recently, one of the reasons cited to scrap the Zwift e-Crit series was because women participation was too low (go here to read a great informational post on the e-Crit debacle). Zwift wanted to send the top 20 racers to a live racing event, but only had 15 women racers they could possibly send. So the e-Crit was scrapped for another event that would take place over 10 weeks. Now, to be fair, 2 of the best results would count for those that raced in the previous event. But it meant that people who had already reworked schedules and put in a lot of time and effort have to join ANOTHER event. It was an unfair move for both the female and male participants. But the emphasis on low women turnout burned, particularly for those that did show up.  See, the message there is that the results of the women's race don't matter if the numbers aren't "good". To be fair, perhaps that's not what Zwift meant to convey. Nevertheless, that's what the women's community heard. If we don't have the numbers, our races don't count. We also heard that at the Team World's event. A women's podium wasn't in the cards because of low women's team participation. So we're getting the message loud and clear - if men decide we don't have enough numbers of women participating, our races aren't worth scoring, they're not worth equal live coverage, they aren't worth equal rules, and perhaps they could be scrapped altogether.

But who gets to decide what numbers are enough? When will it ever be enough? Cycling is a male dominated sport, which means that the events are frequently run by men. Ergo, it's men that decide if our numbers are enough. And you know what? That's bullshit. And no, I can't find a more delicate or palatable way of saying it because it isn't a palatable situation. Women get a lot of placating talk of being supported in cycling. It's disingenuous to say that an organization or event honors or highlights women cycling if they're not going to take the event seriously or give it parity because the female participation numbers are too low. That's not the way you promote women cycling. What you do is you respect the time and effort put forth by those participants and you reward their efforts by caring about that "small" number. And when other women see that respect, they'll want to contribute. Good word of mouth goes a long way, and more women will join.  If you build it, they will come. But if women keep hearing that there aren't enough women, what will happen? Well, I'll tell you. They'll stay away. They'll be wary of competing in a small group, or of competing against other men. They'll wonder if it's worth their energy and commitment if no one else will honor that energy and commitment they will put forth. But if you show them that you care about THEM and not just the numbers they represent, they will show up. The proof is in the pudding. Zwift Academy 2016 had a lot of support and was very women cyclists friendly.  And what do you know - the following year, the participation doubled.  Take a look at CVR. The CVR World Cup events kept improving on their format and their treatment of women's virtual racing. At World Cup Paris, CVR offered an equal prize purse for ALL contestants.  This is unheard of in the industry. They did it and now women are all over participating in the new league. I predict they'll see a healthy number of women participants because CVR has proven they are truly committed to equality in women cycling.

We are enough. If it's one or 1,000 we are enough. We are more than a group of numbers that only matter once we reach a certain subjective threshold. If you want our numbers (and our dollars), you're going to need to treat even the smallest of us as if we are worthy participants.