An interview with Zwift Team Restart p/b Alex Coh racer, the UK’s elite cyclist Rob Wood.
Hey there! Thanks for the chance to get to know you a bit better. Let's kick things off with a little intro. Can you share a bit about your background—where you're from, what you do, and what lights your fire outside of cycling?
Hi there. I’m from the UK and live close to London. I have an amazing family and three children, so life away from cycling is pretty busy. We love watching films, football, and eating out.
That's awesome! Now, let's dive into your cycling journey. When did you first hop on a bike competitively, and what's been your proudest moment on the road?
I started riding about eight years ago when we moved to a new area and a new local bike club started up. I really didn’t know much about road cycling. I was well out of shape at the time, so my main reason for starting cycling was just to lose some weight really. My competitive side kicked in quite quickly. I’ve always participated in sports, from captaining my University Badminton team to football and running.
A turbo, training plans, Zwift, and racing followed pretty quickly. I haven’t raced a lot outside. Coming to cycling pretty late, I just don’t have the bike skills I should have learned years ago. I was progressing outside but more or less stopped regular racing after the second of a couple of nasty crashes. Twelve weeks of having your jaw wired after breaking it will lead to some self-reflection.
So I get my competitive kick now mostly from esports. For outside events, I pick a couple of bucket list type rides a year to target. This year it was Mallorca 312 and the Dragon Devil in Wales, both 200 miles with, of course, lots of climbing. I was proud of both. I finished 19th in Mallorca 312 with a pretty decent time. Next year I need to find someone to hand me bottles! I came a close second fastest on the 200-mile Dragon Devil ride in Wales behind Ed Laverack.
Fascinating! Switching gears a bit—tell us about your transition into the world of virtual cycling esports. What got you hooked, and what's the crowning achievement of your indoor career?
The short answer is I find esports a lot of fun. I’m super competitive, and this gives me the chance to race in a way that is easier to fit around family and work commitments. The long answer is, well, longer. I raced first on Zwift before outside. Esports just felt more accessible to me.
Covid shifted things. I dabbled with switching back more to running in 2019, culminating in a 1-hour 18-minute half marathon in early 2020. But locked down at home, esports was an outlet both physically and mentally, and I took it more seriously.
In late 2021, I had gotten about as far as I could on my own, and I reached out to Alex Coh, who was doing wonders with other riders. I wanted to see what I could achieve. He works to learn about you as a person and a cyclist and builds that trust you need. With his help, I’ve improved a lot. I’ve done training sessions that I probably wouldn’t have thought were possible before working with Alex and raced harder as a result.
The crowning achievement? I’m always working toward one. I’m delighted to have gotten myself in a position to be competitive, and my aim is to keep on improving.
Sounds like a wild ride! Speaking of rides, you're part of a Zwift Grand Prix esports team, right? How has being on a team shaped you, and is there something unique about your team that's led to its success?
I’ve had some great fun racing with Innovation and then Restart over the past year. Both have been great teams. I’ve been on Restart for about a year now. Being part of a team has helped me learn more and it’s pushed me more. At Innovation and here at Restart, people are generous with their time and always encouraging. That team atmosphere makes esports more ‘real,’ it probably leads me to push my performance more, and it provides opportunities. Restart gave me an opportunity to push to a higher level and now to race in the Zwift Grand Prix.
Great insights! For context, could you share some of your physical stats, like your indoor personal bests for various power intervals?
I’m certainly not a sprinter! My best ever 10 seconds is 990w. In races this year, I’ve done 1 minute at 600w, 5 minutes around 400w, and 350w/5.5wkg in a ZRL TTT.
Impressive numbers! Looking ahead, what are your esports goals, both short-term and long-term? Is becoming the UCI Cycling Esports World Champion on your radar, and what does it mean to you?
I’d love to be able to compete at that level, but reality bites, and I’m certainly not close to the level to be Esports World Champion. I’m just looking forward to testing myself against the top riders in the Grand Prix. My goals are simply to be as competitive as possible and to keep learning and improving.
That's ambitious! How do you feel about the current multi-platform landscape of esports championships, both nationally and internationally?
I think it’s great, in principle, to have choice and competition that drives improvements in the esports landscape. Zwift remains my preferred platform. I like the Zwift community; the range of races is great. As a team, we race often on Zwift. But with options available, people can choose what suits them best.
Interesting perspective. There are skeptics who question the legitimacy of esports. What's your take on the challenges esports faces in gaining recognition and trust?
Personally, I don’t think virtual cycling being different from racing outside makes esports less legitimate. It’s a different discipline really, with different skills. You only need to watch the live streams to see or hear athletes turning themselves inside out. It feels like hard competition to me! But obviously, it’s not the same as racing outside, and I understand why that splits opinions. Performance verification will come up a lot in discussions, of course, and is of central importance.
Well said! With multiple platforms available for esports, where do you see yourself fitting in? Do you race on more than one platform? Are there features on one platform that you prefer over others?
It’s interesting to see how this develops. Maybe I haven’t experimented enough, but I’ve only really raced on Zwift at the moment.
Good to know! What do you think could make virtual cycling more engaging for spectators?
Events with riders physically in the same place are part of the way forward, but the sport is still young and there are lots of ways to improve.
That's a thought-provoker! Looking into the crystal ball, where do you see esports in five years or even further down the line?
Honestly, I don’t have the first clue. But it’s going to be an interesting journey.
Intriguing! Now, for a fun twist—give us an exclusive. What's something about you that even your mates don't know?
Ha, I’m not sure there’s anything. I’m an open book.
Fantastic! Thanks for this enlightening conversation. Wishing you all the best this Zwift Grand Prix!
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Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
