Here's a brief preview of the Zwift Grand Prix 23/24 Round 3 Women's race, along with a recap of the exciting action from the men's race.
The Zwift Grand Prix 23/24 Round 3 Women’s edition is a 6-lap race on Scotland’s Glasgow Crit Circuit. This circuit hosted the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship final and will be the battleground for you and over 17,000 fellow racers next Tuesday in ZRL race 2.
The event format harkens back to the Premier Division days when elite racers and community riders tackled the same course in the Zwift Racing League back-to-back weeks.
Only the Women will compete this week, the first of three rounds (Rounds 3-5) mirroring the ZRL courses and formats. It’s an excellent opportunity to witness the action while scouting the course to strategize for your team’s victory.
The $100,000 Zwift Grand Prix 2023/24 series specifics are here! First, let’s recap last week’s men’s action!
Round Three Men's Race Recap and Team Results
Last week, the Zwift Grand Prix 23/24 Round 3 men’s race was a two-lap scratch race on the London Loop Reverse. With points awarded to every racer, 80 to the first and 1 point to the last, the stakes were high for teams to put as many guys in the top ten to twenty as possible.
In Round 3’s strategic chess match, racers received the Feather power-up at the London Loop (Start/Finish Line) and the Anvil power-up at the top of Fox Hill. As they approached the second and final lap, riders faced a decision: whether to use their power-ups on Fox Hill or save them for the crucial finish.
When the riders tackled the ascent of Fox Hill on lap one, the blistering pace strung out the group. Lennert Teugels from ABUS–Synergy set a blistering pace, and only 60 could hold on.
Lap 2 presented the last chance for climbers to make a move on the punishing 12% slopes of Fox Hill. The second time up proved even more challenging than the first, and only 22 riders remained in the lead group.
After the descent with 2.5 km left to go, the race was all together before a series of relentless attacks proved decisive. Plantureux launched a monstrous with 2.2 km to go, and shortly after, Teugels bridged the gap.
With 500 meters remaining, the pair had a 6-second advantage, and Teugels unleashed his Anvil power-up, sprinting to victory ahead of the rapidly approaching peloton. Plantureux secured second place, and Haavard Gjeldnes (Movistar eTeam) claimed the final spot on the podium.
In this points-heavy scratch race, every rider’s performance counted, and it was appropriate that Teugels led ABUS–Synergy to victory in Round 3, while Plantureux’s strong showing added to Hexagone’s success by securing second place. NeXT eSports pb Enshored finished third, followed by Coalition Alpha and Wahoo Le Col.
Congratulations to the racers and teams for an amazing performance in Round 2. Now to preview the Women’s Round 3 race format, course, teams, and where to watch!
Women’s Series Round 3 - Zwift Racing League - Points Race
In Round 3, the women will attack the primes of a Points Race, completing six laps of Glasgow Crit Circuit in Scotland. It is a pointy affair, with nine intermediate sprints in only 15.3 km of all-out racing.
As for you and your team next Tuesday, ZRL scoring rules come into play for the elite women, including the opportunity to earn points for being First Across the Line (FAL) and the Fastest Through the Segment (FTS) at the two intermediate sprint locations: the Clyde Kicker and Champion’s Sprint (Lap Arch).
Total Riders: 80 (16 teams of 5)
Course: Scotland’s Glasgow Crit Circuit
Laps: 6
Distance: 15.3 km (9.5 mi.)
Fastest Through Segment (FTS) Points: 10 places deep at both the Clyde Kicker and Lap Arch for the entire race
Fastest Through Segment (FTS) Points: Top-Ten every lap on Clyde Kicker (5 times)and at the Champion’s Sprint (4 times)
Finish: Points based on final placing
Course—Glasgow Crit Circuit in Scotland
Key Details
Length: 3 km (1.9 mi.)
Elevation: 33 m (108′)
Avg Grade: 4.3%
The Clyde Kicker: (0.3km, 3.6%) The first comes at 1.6 km and then every 3 km following (5 sprints).
Champion’s Sprint: (0.2km, -0.4%) First lap arch at 3.2 km and then every 3 km three more times, before the finish at 15.3 km!
Teams
Only the ladies are racing this week. You’ll have to wait until next week for the men’s Round 4 race.
| Men's Teams | Women's Teams |
|---|---|
| ABUS – Synergy | Aeonian |
| Beastmode p/b ROSE | ABUS – Synergy* |
| BL13 p/b Level Velo* | Beastmode p/b ROSE |
| Coalition Alpha | BL13 p/b Level Velo* |
| dPAC-ELITE* | Coalition Alpha |
| Foudre Punchers Coalition* | Hexagone* |
| Hexagone | Movistar eTeam |
| Movistar eTeam | NeXT eSports p/b Enshored* |
| NeXT eSports p/b Enshored | Primór RWB esports Femmes* |
| Primór RWB esports* | Rocacorba Collective |
| Restart p/b Alex Coh* | Saris | Nopinz |
| Saris | Nopinz* | Team Castelli p/b Elite* |
| Team Castelli p/b Elite | Team Swedish Zwifters |
| Team Swedish Zwifters | Toyota Elite ECycling |
| Toyota Elite ECycling | Wahoo Le Col |
| Wahoo Le Col | Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24 |
* Teams new to the Zwift Grand Prix in 23/24
How to Watch!
Zwift Grand Prix 23/24 Round One action will be live on October 26, 2023, at 7 pm UTC on the Zwift YouTube channel. Check the times in your viewing area!
| Time Zone | Time Conversion |
|---|---|
| New York (EST) | 2 pm |
| California (PST) | 11 am |
| Britain (GMT) | 7 pm |
| Sydney (AEDT) | 6 am (next day) |
Click the image for more discussion on the controversy surrounding Round One of the Zwift Grand Prix!
To subscribe to the Zommunique and receive more informative and entertaining articles like this one sent directly to your inbox, click here!
Semi-retired as owner and director of his private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice after over 20 years, Chris is blessed with the freedom to pursue his passion for virtual cycling and writing. On a continual quest to give back to his bike for all the rewarding experiences and relationships it has provided him, he created a non-profit. Chris is committed to helping others with his bike through its work and the pages of his site.
In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to New York to support the charity he founded, TheDIRTDadFund. His “Gain Cave” resides on the North Fork of Long Island, where he lives with his beautiful wife and is proud of his two independent children.
You will read him promoting his passion on the pages of Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. Chris is co-host of The Virtual Velo Podcast, too!
