TWENTY20 2nd Overall in First Ever Virtual Tour de France
Simmerling and Dygert sprint to 3rd & 4th on the
Champs-Élysées.
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BOISE, ID - July 22 2020. Who would have thought that back in mid-March when the world began to shut down and the bike racing season looked like a complete non-event, we would be launching into a whole new realm of racing where athletes have made new and different connections with teammates and competitors, sponsors and partners have seen new ways of amplifying what they do in and for the sport, and the media has embraced opportunities to do good at every turn.
Zwift has truly led the way, alongside partners like ASO, making a few of the race event favorites a ‘virtual’ reality while engaging the broader cycling community to ride in support of causes supporting the array of issues our world faces today.
This past weekend culminated with the final two stages of the first ever Virtual Tour de France, where women were given equal footing to compete on the same courses over the same distances as the men, and the event was broadcast by more than 130 media outlets in more than 22 countries. The media opportunities for the team, athletes, and partners was unprecedented for an event of this kind.
Team TWENTY20 had a strong showing amongst 17 of the top women’s teams around the world, surging back from 4th Overall to 2nd Overall, with all four riders placing in the top 14 on the final stage into Paris along the Champs-Élysées.
Read below what the riders and team staff have to say about their experience.
STAGE 5 JULY 18th // MOUNTAIN
WORLD: France
ROUTE: La Reine
TOTAL DISTANCE: 22.9km (14.2 miles)
14th Courtney Nelson (USA)
15th Natalia Franco (COL)
24th Lea Davison (USA)
25th Jen Luebke (USA)
“A massive morning of climbing was in store for Stage 5,” said Courtney Nelson. “The course took place on Mont Ventoux and this was by far the toughest climb Zwift has thrown at riders to date. The rolling start to the base of the climb was full throttle and the pace never let up. The group started stringing out in the early kilometers with all four riders from TWENTY20 making the first big split. We knew going into the race that top placement was critical for GC points. Past the mid QOM, the group was stringing out and Natalia and I worked together to maintain solid pace and team positioning, gritting out the last final double digit gradient climb kilometers to take 14th and 15th.”
“Today at La Rein, I gave everything I had since it was the last stage I was doing for the team during Le Tour,” said Natalia Franco, recent winner of the Tour of Columbia. “I was able to pull a top 15, which I’m happy with considering the talented field on a hard course! This was a great experience and I’m even more motivated to keep improving!”
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STAGE 6 JULY 19th // PARIS
WORLD: France
ROUTE: Champs-Élysées
TOTAL DISTANCE: 42.8 km (26.5 miles)
3rd Georgia Simmerling (CAN)
4th Chloe Dygert (USA)
12th Lea Davison (USA)
14th Shayna Powless (CAN)
“Zwift really pulled out all the stops - what a superb few weeks of racing,” said Nicola Cranmer, team founder and G.M. “Fantastic new courses and unprecedented media coverage. This event really gave the athletes a point of focus and purpose during the pause of IRL racing. Zwift has pivoted to ensure the engagement of athletes, sponsors and fans. The team was really focused on the final stage to bump up from joint 4th place in the yellow jersey general classification to 2nd place. Directeur Sportif, Dan Fleeman, was pivotal with his detailed course recon, Zwift race experience, and overall encouragement. We are very fortunate to be working with him.”
“Zwift is continuing to push the boundaries with real life GPS rendered courses and challenging riders to push new limits and embrace a new form of racing,” added Courtney Nelson. “This is a sport that takes practice and I am grateful to be able to share and embrace the new form of team racing with TWENTY20 and make improvements by continually testing out new races, community rides, and workouts.”
"The Zwift Tour de France was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Lea Davison. “It's in these moments of disruption when change happens, and Zwift used this moment to create equality and opportunity for women in the Tour de France. Even though it was virtual, it was still so exciting to race in the TDF and especially the last and final stage on the Champs-Élysées. Zwift did such a good job of building a replica course and making it as lifelike as possible. Going into the stage, the team was sitting in a tie for fourth place in the overall team classification. We had an outside shot at moving into third place, and we were fired up. Everyone on the team maintained good position in the lead pack the entire race as other racers from the competitor teams were getting dropped. All four of us went into the final bunch sprint in the lead pack, and we all got in the top 14! This gave us enough points to secure second place in the overall standings. This type of teamwork is especially exciting for me being a mountain biker, a mostly individual sport. I'm a complete extrovert so working with a group of extremely talented people is really fun. Now it would be a complete dream come true to race a women's Tour de France in real life. I really hope this happens. This would be true equality."
“In a season that has had so many twists and turns, ups and downs, being able to race at this level has been a great way to stay focused on training and the pursuit of even bigger goals ahead,” said Olympic medalist and current UCI Individual Time Trial World Champion, Chloe Dygert. “I really have to commend the team at Zwift for collaborating with race organizers to make this possible, and I’m grateful to be part of Team TWENTY20 for really maximizing the opportunity to train and race every way we can during these unpredictable times.”
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“Stage 6 was tough,” commented Olympic medalist, Georgia Simmerling. “As soon as the race got underway I quickly found out there was nowhere to hide in the peloton. The course was essentially a slight incline and a slight decline so big power was required to stay with the front group the entire race. The team raced hard! We once again had all four teammates in the top 25. We knew it was going to be a fight for the podium with CCC and Canyon. Listening to Dan, our DS, give us info regarding the other teams’ placing during the last half of the race gave me a lot of motivation to ride hard and give it everything I had in the final sprint, because we were so close to the podium in team points. I think that was one of the coolest things about the race, being directed from the UK with all of us in different cities around the world. I felt a real sense of team and something I know a lot of us miss right now.”
Simmerling continued, “I come from the world of ski racing, where prize money and television viewing rights are for the most part, equal between men and women. You can make a very good living as a ski racer. We all know most professional female cyclists cannot say the same thing. I have continued to be disappointed with the complete lack of inequality year after year in cycling except in rare circumstances. Zwift giving women the equality they deserve in this sport through the first ever Virtual Tour De France was awesome, and one very very small step in the right direction.”
“I would like to thank all the riders and Nicola Cranmer for giving 100% commitment from the start to the end of the tour,” said Dan Fleeman, Director Sportif. “Considering the level of competition I think everyone should be extremely proud. All tour, the team had been in 4th place overall, never far from 3rd but with a couple of teams breathing down our neck. Going into the final stage I was confident we could maintain our position but I thought moving onto the podium would be a long shot. I emphasized to the team how important it was to give 100% right until the end, and that it was still mathematically possible to move onto the podium. Everyone was ultra focused and committed for the final stage, and as the stage progressed I knew our chances of making the podium were increasing. All four finished in the top 14 on the stage - sprinters, non sprinters, climbers - it didn’t matter, everyone stepped up for the team to score those vital points towards that much coveted podium! Amazingly when we worked out the final standings, we realized we hadn’t finished 3rd but in fact we had such a strong finish on the final stage that we had moved from 4th to 2nd overall in the first ever Virtual Tour de France!”
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No Shortage of Opportunities to Race with the Zwift Community!
Team TWENTY20 athletes may have had to put IRL races out of their minds for the time being, but they are taking to the start lines of community races on Zwift to keep their race fitness in check.
Shout out to
Shayna Powless
for taking home the win in yesterday's WTRL Empowerment Series!
If you race yourself and your competitive spirit is getting the best of you, or you’ve wanted to give bike racing a go, there’s no harm in trying a race that works with your schedule. Zwift offers races in different formats (criterium, time trial, road, women only, etc.), various distances, and you simply join the race based on your average watts/kg in the online platform. It’s easy to filter events on the Zwift Companion App - those with a checkered flag are races versus workouts or group rides, find one to join, and click on the + button next to your category.
Click
HERE
to learn more about how to race on Zwift!
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You’re invited to ride with defending Colorado Classic team TWENTY20 and other world class cyclists to support the women’s peloton!
The Colorado Classic is carrying forth their mission, and doubling down on their unprecedented support of women’s racing. They have launched the #WeRide for Women fundraiser and virtual
Zwift ride
which will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 @ 6 pm MST
The co-ed ride will be led by Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion, Mari Holden, and will be an easy-paced social group ride. No drops and no riders left behind as Meredith Miller, former national road racing champion keeps everyone moving and motivated from the back as the Celebrity Sweeper.
This special event is intended to financially support the teams who would have attended the Colorado Classic. Help us raise funds and join TWENTY20 on Zwift while riding with 16+ world-class pro women teams!
Donations
are not mandatory to participate in the ride, but are appreciated!
Bonus: don’t miss out on a chance to win prizes from Colorado Classic partners and chat with these badass athletes of the women’s peloton! Visit
Colorado Classic
for all the details.
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Week 4 / El Tour de Tucson Training Meet-up
Saturday, July 25th
6:00 a.m. Pacific
Course: Greatest London Flat, London, England
Duration: 60 minutes
Ride leader: Amanda Coker (USA) TWENTY20
Sweeper: Simone Boilard (CAN) TWENTY20
Be sure to follow Amanda Coker so you’ll receive the next El Tour meetup ride invite, and also follow ride sweepers, Shayna Powless, Nicola Cranmer, Natalia Franco, and Simone Boilard on the
Zwift Companion App
so we can invite you to future rides!
For those interested in joining athletes from Team TWENTY20 and El Tour de Tucson riders, here is how to do so:
On a separate device than what you’re using to operate the Zwift app, download the Zwift Companion app. From there, search for Amanda Coker in the Companion app, select the button that prompts you to follow her, and send Amanda a message that you would like to join the meet-up ride. Once Amanda adds you to the meet up ride you will receive a notification in your Companion App to either select that you are Going or Not Going. Once confirmed you are Going, the meet-up ride should appear under your events calendar, in the Companion app.
On the day of the meet-up ride, be sure you are already riding on Zwift, typically about 15 minutes before the start. This is to help ensure your connections are working and also to join in on the pre-ride conversations. 10-15 minutes before the ride is to begin, a blue bar saying “Join Meet-Up” will appear on the bottom left corner of the device you are using to run the main Zwift app. To join, select the button and it will take you to the Meet-Up ride. Since the meet-up rides are using the Keep Everyone Together feature, you will stay with the group regardless of the wattage you are putting out. To join the conversations during the ride, use the Companion app, which needs to be connected on the same internet connection as your Zwift app. From there you will be riding and talking with all of our El Tour de Tucson friends through Messages! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Amanda Coker through the
Zwift Companion app
.
Charity, community, health and wellness are what Perimeter Bicycling and
El Tour de Tucson
are all about. Amid the current situation as it relates to the spread of COVID-19, El Tour remains on-course. Ride organizers will continue to monitor and adhere to all authoritative mandates issued by the CDC and local health officials. Your health and safety is their number one priority.
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TEAMTWENTY20 = 20% OFF
We couldn’t do what we do without the generous support and product from our sponsors, and three TWENTY20 sponsors are offering our friends and fans 20% off! Simply use promo code TEAMTWENTY20 when shopping online at any of the following:
NormaTec
- Train Hard. Recover Harder. #ownyourrecovery
SockGuy
- Made in the U.S.A. #sockguyluv
TWENTY20 = 20% OFF
dznuts
- Ride stronger longer #purebliss #protectyourjunk
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Recovery Room Revolution
Recovery Rooms Powered by NormaTec are the new standard of excellence. A growing number of pro teams, national organizations, and elite institutions have now constructed dedicated NormaTec Recovery Rooms in their training facilities.
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Gratitude to our 2020 Partners
Zwift, FELT Bicycles, Zipp, SRAM, Quarq, Bonds Family Foundation, Violich Farms, Wild Health, Domestique Foundation, Sho-Air International, Athlos, Kenda Tire, Oakley, Speedplay, Catlike, J.A and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, PACE Ranch, Mikes Bikes, Velo Saddles, Training Peaks, Arundel Cages, KX3 Sports. AMP Human, DZ Nuts, Clif Bar, Rowan Interactive Media, Park Tool, Seasucker Racks, Sock Guy, Karen Malkin Health, NormaTec, USA Cycling Foundation, Victory Circle Graphix, Bauer Haus.
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About TWENTY20 Pro Cycling
Formed in 2005, Team Twenty20 is a women’s professional and junior development cycling team focused on creating a pathway for athletes to the Olympics. The team has since produced 4 Olympic medalists, 17 world champions, and the current roster boasts 5 national champions hailing from the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Directed by 3x Olympic gold medalist, Kristin Armstrong, Twenty20’s unique team model enables experienced and elite riders to perform at their highest potential while offering junior riders a groundbreaking mentor program. The team is on the forefront of esports in cycling with partner Zwift, and works diligently with innovators and leaders in the sport for product advancement.
For ten consecutive years, the team has been awarded the USA Cycling Centers of Excellence Award, which is awarded to select junior and Under-23 development teams that excel in the development of young cyclists into nationally competitive athletes. Developing future champions on the bike and leaders in the community are at the core of Twenty20’s values, with an emphasis to support athletes in obtaining the best education possible for life after cycling.
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