Next week, Zwift Games 2026 kicks off, and I'm already fired up about it! This isn't just another racing event—it's a moment where individual choices ripple out to shape the entire future of women's cycling on the platform. I want to talk straight with you about something that matters to all women: why you should race in the women’s division—even when the open division seems like an easier way to climb the leaderboard.
I get it. The math is tempting! Bigger fields in mixed-gender races mean more points, faster ZRS gains, and quicker climbs up that overall leaderboard. But here's the thing: choosing the easier route right now costs us something far bigger down the road.
The System Isn't Neutral—It's Working Against Us
Last year, when I dug into the 2025 Zwift Games data, something glaring jumped out: the women topping the overall leaderboards. Nearly all of them got there by racing in mixed-gender events. The woman who won the entire games finished 219th overall. Her second-place competition landed at 247th. Hidden behind a filter. Invisible on the main leaderboard.
Choosing the easier route right now costs us something far bigger down the road.
We talk about wanting equality in cycling, right? But why aren't women getting the same chance to shine on Zwift like they do in real-world racing?
The answer isn't complicated. Women racing in mixed fields benefit from heavier competitors generating more watts, faster overall paces, and deeper draft benefits.
Women-only racing? That's where you get to compete on a level playing field. Where your power-to-weight matters. Where the strongest woman in the field wins—not the strongest rider who happens to be male.
But Here's the Real Problem: No One's Incentivized to Show Up
Last year, I polled women in the OWL Club who were racing the Zwift Games. The answer was unanimous: "My race score goes up faster if I race mixed-gender." And the data backed them up. Women who chose women-only races? Slight improvements. Women racing mixed? Significantly faster ZRS gains.
So what's the incentive to race women-only? Right now? There basically isn't one.
So what's the incentive to race women-only? Right now?
There basically isn't one.
The consequence? Strong women-only fields become sparse, elite riders don't get meaningful competition, and the broader cycling community gets the message that women's racing is secondary. A symptom of a broken system, not a failure of women riders.
This Is About Movement, Not Just Personal Glory
Here's where I need to be vulnerable with you. When I raced all five stages of the 2025 Games in women-only races—as captain of Team OWL—I wasn't just chasing points. I was making a statement. I was showing my team, my community, and the women watching that women-only racing matters.
Because it does.
You see, when you choose to race in the women's division at Zwift Games 2026, you're not just competing for yourself. You're voting with your participation. You're creating the demand that forces Zwift to invest in women's racing. You're building the critical mass—and the numbers show we have it! Over 5,600 women competed in 2025 Games. The riders are there. The potential is there.
When you choose to race in the women’s division at Zwift Games 2026, you’re not just competing for yourself.
You’re voting with your participation.
What's missing? Leadership. Women willing to say: "I'm racing women-only because that's where real competition happens."
The Fix Is Simple (And Within Our Control)
Zwift should implement separate ZRS rankings for women and men—just like UCI and USAC do in real cycling. But even while we're pushing for that change, you don't have to wait. You can start now.
Racing women-only doesn't mean you can't hop into mixed events for fun. It just means you're earning your advancement points where it matters: in competition that actually values women's strength.
Think of it this way. Professional women's cycling exploded when Zwift got behind it—sponsoring Paris-Roubaix Femmes, elevating the Tour de France Femmes. That visibility and investment happened because women had their own space to shine.
Time to demand the same thing—right here on Zwift.
You Still Get to Do This
Listen, at 66, racing on Zwift is a gift. I don't take it for granted. I still get to do this. But showing up where it counts is how we collectively unlock what women's racing can become.
Zwift Games 2026 starts next week. The women's divisions are waiting. The pace will be real. The competition will be fierce. And most importantly? Your win will actually matter.
So here's my ask: Race women-only. Build the field. Make the statement. Together, we're proving that women's cycling on Zwift isn't a half-measure—it's the main event.