South African Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, who won the Trofeo Bologna virtual race last week, will take on a challenge of an altogether different kind this evening.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, who won the Trofeo Bologna virtual race last week, will tackle the Watopia Cup tonight. Photo: Rocacorba Cycling
And she may even encounter a few dinosaurs along the way!
The Watopia Cup, which is the third pro-am women’s race in the Zwift Classics series, features the Jungle Circuit route, which riders will tackle twice for a total distance of 21.4km.
The full e-race will be broadcast live here from 8pm.
“After five weeks of riding on Zwift I’ve got to know Watopia and I know how to get to different parts and which turns to take,” said the 34-year-old, who is currently in Banyoles, Girona.
“Tonight we’ll be doing two laps of the jungle loop. What makes it a bit more technical this time is that there’s a lot of dirt road and there isn’t necessarily one specific hill-top finish. However there is a long draggy climb on the dirt road.”
She said they had to consider their equipment choice for this race and Zwift had gone so far as to include rolling resistance into its algorithm. This means that riding a mountain bike on the dirt road in the virtual world is faster than riding a road bike.
“I’ve given some thought to the race, done some recons and I’ve decided I’m going to be riding a mountain bike.
“I’d like to go out there hard and hope to split the field and create a breakaway, because the finish will be a sprint if there’s a group together. So the more I can split the race the better.”
Moolman Pasio said last week’s race was a great introduction to e-racing, because she won her first e-race and it provided her with some extra motivation this week.
“But tonight’s race is quite different in that it’s not as predictable or simple as last week’s. It’s a little bit more tactical and technical.
“The good thing is I’ve spent a lot of time riding in Watopia because it’s sort of my favourite place to ride when it comes to training.”
She says she finds it very interesting as it opens up your imagination because the virtual world comes across perfectly.
“It’s also interesting because they include dinosaurs and other fantasy things. So sometimes while you’re riding around you might ride past a dinosaur or some other crazy animal. I find it very entertaining and you can explore this whole new virtual world.
“It’s going to be more of a challenge for me this time because it will be more of a proper e-race with the tactical aspects included. I’m up for it though and looking forward to it.”
