Even though we were not able to ride outside together in 2020, the Northampton Cycling Club still found ways to ride as a club.
Not only did we convert 2020’s BikeFest into a solo event (with an awesome logo), we rode throughout the year on Zwift, the virtual riding and running platform.
During 2020, we had 47 riders participate in NCC Zwift events. This included several NCC alums who have relocated away from Western Massachusetts. In total, we had riders from six states — Massachusetts (39), Connecticut (2), Georgia (2), Florida (1), Maryland (1), and New York (1). Twenty-five towns were represented, with the top three towns being Northampton (8), Amherst (6), and Easthampton (5).
In 2020, the NCC hosted weekly social rides, two race series, and three hill climb/time trial series. Outside riding is ideal, but verbal conversations (including video) with fellow NCC members on Discord made pandemic-isolated riding enjoyable.
Even in the virtual world, it is fun wearing the NCC jersey. Riders worldwide saw NCC pelotons cruising the different virtual routes or flying by them in a race. The NCC is one of the few clubs in Zwift to have its own jersey, so it is truly special to wear our kit in game.
Several NCC riders have the Zwift Concept 1 bike (also known as the Tron Bike), which can only be earned by climbing 50,000 meters (164,042 feet) in the Climb Mt. Everest challenge. If a rider had participated in all the NCC rides in 2020, they would already have their very own Tron bike!
Below is an infographic for official NCC activity on Zwift, which highlights the extraordinary dedication of NCC Zwift riders.
To learn more about NCC Zwift events, visit the NCC Zwift page. We will be riding on Zwift all winter and welcome additional participants.
