Zwift racing season never stops, but it certainly heats up when the temps outside cool down.
After a winter full of fast, fun, virtual racing in 2020-2021, Brad Hochstetler and Carl Copenhaver have cooked up something even better for us this year.
In conjunction with DIRT (Dads Inside Riding Trainers), we’re now an officially-official club on Zwift. Riding under the loose DIRT umbrella, DIRTy Mitten is Michigan’s own Zwift-connection for legit Zwift racing events.
Zwift Racing Season Two
The first stage sees over 60 riders broken up into four teams, plus a slew of afraid-of-weekly-commitment privateers.
Winter is Coming Season 2, Stage One
The opening stage of the 2021-2022 season takes racers to France for two laps of the Casse Pattes course. With two sprint points and two KOMs to tackle, teams will be balancing the GC fight with the other competitions up for grabs, including:
Stage One Favorites
After the late-November test event, won by Dan Yankus, it’s hard to look past the Team Red GC leader. He was dogged on the day by Team Green’s Jesse Keaton. They’ll also have Al McWilliams in the squad, while Jamison Sheppard is expected to lead the charge for Team Blue. Blue may have the most specialist in the team, with Copenhaver and Chris Ostberg expected to clean up sprint points and youngster Jack Klau an absolute beast on any climb over 2 minutes in length.
If there’s a question mark, it’s Team Orange. Alex Theophilus and Drew Cummins are top-tier GC riders in their own right, but Jon Roobal adds a third option that makes the squad dangerous. While they may not have a single rider who’s a sure on bet to win stages, they are likely to have 3-4 riders in the top ten on every single stage.
The Sprint Competition
Chris Ostberg is a freak and, at least in the Discord chatter, riders are simply looking to see who can take second in many of these sprints. Still, with points being at such a premium, expect to see other squads invest heavily in rattling Ostberg’s cage, as it were, and trying to pick up what they can. Team Green, for instance, is mobilizing Dan Korienek for the sprint competition, and there’s no doubt he’ll happily throw a virtual elbow into Keegan’s rib cage to sweep up points.
The KOM Competition
While this tour avoids the high mountains until the final stage, today’s opener offers up two KOM opportunities that should see that competition held until the final week. It’s hard to overlook Yankus, but expect to see McWiliams, Klau, Lucas van Drunen, and Ryan Kennedy all in the mix.
The Fundraiser
This year, all profits from the 2021-2022 DIRTy Mitten shirt will be donated to the Father Fred Foundation. Buying a shirt isn’t required to race, nor is it limited to racers! Your support makes a difference in our community by support Father Fred’s many locally-focused programs, including Blessings in a Backpack.
Race Details
START TIME: 8am EST
Race Favorites
Five star: Yankus, McWilliams, Kennedy, Roubal, Sheppard
Four star: Cummins, Weir, Keaton, Copenhaver, Theophilus
Three star: W. Sovis, Jackovatz, Schneider
Follow the Racing
Strava Group: Dirty Mitten Racing League
Instagram: @kolotc