USMES, the Invictus Games & Zwift are Bringing The Hague Home

Posted 05 May 2020 in News

Invictus Games Foundation competitors Zed Pitts (Team USA, USMES) and Andy Perrin (Team UK) first met at the 2015 Warrior Games. Citizens of different countries and veterans of different militaries, Zed and Andy bonded over friendly competition, their love of cycling, and the experience of having invisible disabilities. Initially Zed and Andy kept in touch on Facebook and Strava, before discovering they could ride together weekly on Zwift. “After my first virtual experience, I realized that all military veterans could benefit from socially interactive, fitness-based platforms such as Zwift,” said Zed. “Cyclists can share an adaptive sports journey together no matter how far apart we are.”

When Invictus Games 2020 in The Hague was cancelled, Zed and Andy came up with the idea to Bring The Hague Home by inviting wounded, injured and sick (WIS) cyclists to take part in a series of Zwift rides and races. US Military Endurance Sports (USMES), Zed’s cycling club, will host the first Invictus Games Foundation ride on Monday, May 11. “I encourage WIS servicemen and women to join USMES on the Watopia Waistband course, to demonstrate our resilience and commitment to staying fit and healthy, and look out for one another while we can’t be together,” said Andy.

USMES has a longstanding relationship with Zwift, hosting six well-attended rides a week for Veterans and servicemembers stationed all over the world. “My job is to find meaningful relationships that help change and shape the lives of those impacted,” said Rahsaan Bahati, Social Impact Manager at Zwift. “Honoring those servicemen and women from around the world who unselfishly protect us is humbling. And working with USMES and the Invictus Games Foundation helps us stay true to our mission to make more people, more active, more often.”

Invictus Foundation riders will also gather at the Thursday, May 14 US Paracycling Time Trial and the Saturday, May 16 Zwift Crit City Race. You do not have to be a member of the WIS community, or an Invictus Games competitor to join us on a ride to Bring The Hague Home. Friends, family, and supporters of the Invictus community are welcome to join. Learn more at the Invictus Foundation website: https://invictusgamesfoundation.org/news-blogs/

Invictus Games Foundation Monday Ride Instructions

The day before

Log into the ZWIFT Companion App or zwift.com/events and search for the USMES Monday Morning Back to Work Ride (it will appear roughly 24 hours prior to the event).
Join the event
Select when you want to be notified
We use Discord to speak to each other doing the ride. If you don’t already have a Discord account, create one now: https://discord.com/invite/hExnM7B

Ride morning

Prior to the event ensure you are logged into ZWIFT and all of your gear is set up (tires pumped, towels and water within reach, Discord is ready, etc.)
Roughly 30 minutes prior to the ride, a Join Event button will appear on your screen. CLICK the button. This will take you to the starting area where we gather for the ride, and your avatar will be given the USMES kit for the ride
You want to be on your bike and spinning about 10 minutes before the group starts.
Ride leaves at 08:45 sharp but you are able to join late. Meaning you can join us after the start, but you will be placed by the ride leader for all to see J

During our ride

We’ll be following the Watopia Waistband route: https://zwiftinsider.com/watopias-waistband/. If you join DISCORD to chat (strongly encouraged) please go to Push to Talk as ambient noise ruins the experience.

The ride leader will have a Yellow Beacon/Chevron above them and a Heads Up Messaging during the ride
The Sweeper will have a Red Beacon/Chevron above them
Additional USMES riders will be hanging near the back for those who would like more help or a more social experience. The ride is typically 1 hour with 2-2.5 w/kg but will be adjusted as needed to keep the ride experience enjoyable for everyone
If you are new to Zwift remember to keep pedaling once the ride starts, it can be hard to catch back up to the main group.

While you ride, we hope you get a chance to meet athletes from different countries and branches of the military. If you are a fast WIS (wounded, injured, sick) or able-bodied cyclist we are counting on you to help the newer and rehabbing cyclists and make them feel welcome. We are here for the Invictus Foundation riders.

Additional rides

We encourage you to join additional Invictus Foundation Zwift rides held later in the week. Two of the rides, the US Paracycling Time Trial Series and the Zwift Crit City Race are held as races. We recommend getting on the trainer 30-45 minutes early to get a good warm-up, in addition to following the instructions above.

Thursday 14 May – RACE 1
US Paracycling Time Trial Series (17.5km)
Times: 1200 EST USA / 1700 BST / 1800 Central Europe

Thursday 14 May – SOCIAL RIDE
Australian Invictus Pathways Program meet-up
Times: 0930 Australia

Saturday 16 May – RACE 2
Zwift Crit City Race (15km)
Time: 0945 BST / 1045 Central Europe / 1845 Australia / 2045 New Zealand

To win an IGF t-shirt register your Zwift account to Zwift Power, prior to competing in the Paracycling Time Trial or the Zwift Crit City Race

Register on the We Are Invictus app: https://weareinvictus.co.uk/#/welcome
Join the IGF team on Zwift Power by visiting https://www.zwiftpower.com/team.php?id=7659 log-in to your ZwiftPower account, and click Join I AM
Select IGF as your primary team prior to joining a ride and [I AM] will appear alongside your name in the race results
For the Paracycling TT, the top three WIS cyclists will win an IGF t-shirt
For the Crit City race, the top WIS cyclist in each Category (A-D) will win an IGF t-shirt
No duplicate winners across the two races. In the event a cyclist appears in the top 3 of Race 1 and top in Category in Race 2, the 2nd placed cyclist from Race 2 will win a t-shirt
Prizes will be awarded based on ZwiftPower results, available online

About The Invictus Games Foundation

The Invictus Games Foundation uses the power of sport and the Invictus Spirit to inspire recovery, and support the rehabilitation of international wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women and veterans (WIS) to improve their life beyond injury or illness.

The Foundation manages the process of selecting the hosts of the Invictus Games and oversees the delivery of this international sporting event involving competitors and their friends and family from 20 nations.

The Invictus Games Foundation also provides members of the WIS community with opportunities in all areas of life to help them in their recovery, develop new skills and allow them to engage fully in society. invictusgamesfoundation.org

US Military Endurance Sports