New Roads: Team OWL Takes on ZRL

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Five years. That’s how long we’ve been racing together on Zwift—Team OWL, showing up for TTT events, learning each other’s rhythms, perfecting our pulls, celebrating when we nail that rotation and groaning (lovingly) when someone gets dropped on a climb.

Five years of teamwork. Five years of trust. Five years of knowing exactly what to expect when we clip in together.

And then in November 2024, something magical happened: we met in person for the first time at Zwift HQ to race a TTT together—not as avatars on screens, but as real women in the same room, breathing the same air, hearing each other’s voices without headsets. Four years of virtual racing, and suddenly we were there, together, doing what we’d done hundreds of times before—but in a completely new way.

That day reminded me: even when you think you know exactly what something is, experiencing it differently can make it feel brand new.

Even when you think you know exactly what something is, experiencing it differently can make it feel brand new.

Which brings me to now. We’re doing something completely different!

Team OWL is racing ZRL for the first time—and I couldn’t be more excited!

The Same Team, A Whole New Race

Here’s the beautiful paradox: we’re experienced Zwift racers with hundreds of TTT events under our chamois, but ZRL is handing us something we’ve never done.

The chance to be beginners again.

Sure, we know how to work together. We’re masters at the steady, sustained effort of a Team Time Trial. But ZRL? That’s a different animal entirely.

Points races. Strategy shifts mid-race. Who goes for the sprint? Who sits on? When do we burn matches, and when do we save them?

Scratch races. Pure positioning and timing. Reading the pack. Knowing when to cover a move and when to let it go.

These aren’t just “different formats”—they’re whole new languages of racing! And as DS (Directeur Sportif) for Team OWL, I finally get to put my years of watching professional cycling to work—all that tactical knowledge, all those hours of crunching numbers and analyzing race dynamics. Now I have the opportunity to teach my teammates a completely new way to race, translating what I’ve learned from the pros into strategies we can use together, to race as ‘wise OWLs’ — one Tuesday ZRL race at a time.

This Tuesday, we’re taking on our second ZRL race—a points race on the 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit. We’ve raced this course multiple times together over the years in TTT events, but we’ve never raced it as a points race in ZRL. Same roads, completely different race. New tactics, new opportunities to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

Sounds intimidating, right? But here’s the truth: it’s thrilling.

And here’s something else that makes this moment special: we’re the first all-women’s Grandmaster team age 65+ racing in ZRL.

Let that sink in. The first.

We’re not just showing up—we’re pioneering. We’re proving that 65+ doesn’t mean stepping back. It means stepping into something new, something challenging, something that asks us to grow.

Why Learning New Tactics Matters (Hint: It’s Not Just About Winning)

As Team OWL’s eSports cycling coach, I could tell you that learning points race tactics will make us faster, smarter, more competitive racers.

And that’s true!

But there’s something else happening when we tackle these new racing formats—something that goes way beyond the finish line.

We’re building cognitive resilience.

The research on this is powerful. Studies show that learning new, complex skills—especially ones that require strategy, quick decision-making, and adaptation—helps protect our brains as we age. Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to form new neural connections) doesn’t stop when we hit 50, 60, or 70. It continues throughout our lives, if we give it the right conditions.

And what are those conditions? Learning. Challenge. Novelty. Engagement.

Research on neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve shows that taking steps to maintain cognition through new learning is crucial for maintaining cognitive functioning in older age—and may even help prevent or delay the cognitive decline seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

Think about what happens in a points race: you’re reading the pack, tracking multiple riders, calculating effort, remembering the sprint schedule, communicating with teammates, and adjusting your plan in real-time based on what’s unfolding around you.

That’s a workout for your brain!

Research published in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience found that while older adults may show less neuroplasticity than younger subjects, interventions that successfully engage the brain—like learning new skills—can delay age-related cognitive decline. The key is that the learning has to be genuinely challenging, not just repetitive.

ZRL gives us that challenge. Every race asks us to think differently, react faster, strategize on the fly. We’re not just repeating what we already know—we’re building new neural pathways with every tactical decision we make.

The Body-Mind Connection

Here’s what I love about this: cycling already keeps our bodies strong. We know this. We feel it every time we climb, sprint, or finish a long endurance ride.

But when we add the challenge of learning new racing tactics—when we push ourselves to understand something unfamiliar and practice it until it becomes second nature—we’re training our minds with the same intensity we bring to training our legs.

We’re not just staying fit. We’re staying sharp.

And here’s the bonus: learning something new in a community makes it even more powerful. We’re figuring out ZRL together—sharing observations after races, celebrating when someone nails a sprint, laughing when we mess up our positioning. That social connection? That’s brain food too.

Aging isn’t about fading—it’s about changing, adapting, and finding new ways to show up strong.

What This Means for Team OWL

So yes, we’re racing ZRL for the first time. Yes, we’re learning points race strategy and scratch race tactics. Yes, there will be mistakes and moments where we have no idea what we’re doing.

And that’s exactly the point!

Every Tuesday when we line up for ZRL, we’re doing something radical: we’re choosing to be students again. We’re embracing the discomfort of not knowing. We’re proving that five years of experience racing TTT together doesn’t mean we stop growing—it means we have the confidence to try something new.

This is what OWL.BiKe is all about: showing up, learning, adapting, and staying fully engaged with both the ride and the life we’re living.

The body stays strong when we challenge it.

The mind stays sharp when we feed it something new.

And the spirit? The spirit thrives when we do both together.

Your Turn

Whether you’re racing ZRL with Team OWL, thinking about getting into Grandmasters racing, joining us for our Saturday OWL.BiKe Grey Zone Trivia rides, or trying Zwift racing for the first time—you’re doing more than just cycling.

You’re investing in your future self.

Every new skill, every unfamiliar format, every moment of “wait, how does this work again?”—that’s your brain building new pathways, strengthening connections, and proving that 50+ doesn’t mean slowing down.

It means getting wiser. Stronger. More adaptable.

Subtle doesn’t mean insignificant—it means smart. Wise OWL!

So clip in. Show up. Try something that makes you a little nervous. Learn something new.

Team OWL will be right there with you, figuring it out one race at a time—and making history as the first all-women’s Grandmaster team 65+ in ZRL while we’re at it!

See you on Zwift!