Super League's esports Stars Reflect On Tough Debut

Super League’s esports squad were buzzing after they tackled their first race in the Zwift Classic series.

It’s fair to say they found it a challenge, with many of the team competing in their first elite virtual race.

We asked them what they thought of the experience, and this is what they said:

Marten Van Riel (finished 11th)

It was so much fun.
I put myself outside in the dark because it gave me better ventilation with a strong fan.
It was super fun and doing Box Hill twice which is about a five minute effort was super hard.
I finished 11th which I am really happy with but I had no sprint at all at the top.
I was only three seconds down from the first place but these guys put down some serious watts in the sprint and I was happy just to hang on.
It was an amazing experience so thank you to Super League. It was a good opportunity for the public to see us in action in these word times and have some entertainment but also for us to have something to work towards, have fun and be motivated in training.

Hayden Wilde

It was everything I expected right from the gun.
I didn’t have the legs to stay with the lads and I finished 80th.
There were two brutal climbs over Box Hill and if you weren’t pushing over 6 watts per kg you were out the back, which I was.
I learnt a lot about positioning and the aero advantages and not to panic in the group.
Big up to the lads who were awesome in their first elite races on Zwift and Ben Kaute who finished just ahead of me.
Hopefully I can do better next time. I will definitely be freshening the legs up a little bit pre-race and I think the early morning as well so I might get up earlier to let the body wake up and have a strong coffee but I really enjoyed it.
We aren’t racing much so this is awesome to race from home.
It is one of the hardest things I’ve done.

Ben Kanute

That was a hard race. It was not quite what I wanted.
I missed the split at the top of the climb and was gassed a bit.
The legs were maybe a bit off but no excuses.
Those guys rode super hard but it was a lot of fun and I’m looking for more racing opportunities and getting out there and trying my hand at it again and trying to learn with each race that I do.

You can watch the race again now by clicking here