The Virtual Velo Podcast p/b TheZommunique.com

What can a small, densely packed island nation teach the rest of the world about the future of virtual cycling?In Episode 91 of the Virtual Velo Podcast, Chris Schwenker and Emma Martin speak with Yi Jun, founder of Virtual Cycling Singapore (VSG), about building a structured, community-driven virtual cycling program in one of the most space-constrained places on earth. With limited room to ride, a modest road racing tradition, and unique barriers to athlete development, Singapore presents a challenge that may also be an opportunity.Yi Jun explains the why and how of VSG, who it serves, and what it takes to run a program built around training, racing, and community. The conversation explores the realities of cycling in Singapore, the prospects for ambitious young riders, the role virtual cycling can play in talent development, and whether VSG could become a model for similar programs in other cities and countries.This is a conversation about more than one program. It is about what becomes possible when limitations force innovation.

The Virtual Velo Podcast is back for 2026, and we’re kicking off the new year with one of cycling esports’ rising talents: Team USA’s Nicole Meyer.In Episode 90, co-hosts Chris Schwenker and Emma Martin sit down with Nicole to explore her rapid climb from her first races in 2024 to top performances in the Zwift World Series, MyWhoosh Sunday Race Club, and a hard-earned spot representing the USA at the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships live final in Abu Dhabi.Nicole shares what life looks like off the bike, how she balances elite-level racing with real-world family responsibilities, what it takes to compete from the US West Coast at “ungodly” hours, and how she’s developed her gritty racing style into elite success.We also dive into the shifting landscape of multi-platform racing, the move of USA Cycling Nationals to TrainingPeaks Virtual, the challenges facing the Cycling Esports World Cup, and where Nicole hopes cycling esports goes next.A fun listen to kick off the fourth year of the Virtual Velo Podcast.Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to delve even deeper into the intriguing topics discussed in this episode.Osborne and McCarthy repeat as cycling esports world champions [Escape Collective, Nov. 2025]Cycling esports has a bunch of new rules in 2026: Will the UCI’s gamble pay off? [Escape Collective, Feb. 2026]This is what it takes to win a cycling esports World Championship [Escape Collective, Jan. 2026]The story of cycling esports’ most dominant season yet [Escape Collective, Feb. 2026] Statements made by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast, its hosts, or its partners. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions.

Paweł Ścierski didn’t coast into cycling esports. He arrived at full speed, beating established names and forcing the community to take notice.In Episode 89 of the Virtual Velo Podcast, Chris Schwenker sits down with the young Polish rider to trace his path from national-level mountain bike racing to the sharp end of elite cycling esports competition, unpack the rapid performance gains that raised debate, and revisit his illness-impacted ride at the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in Abu Dhabi.It’s an honest, wide-ranging conversation about raw talent, unassuming temperament, perspective, and what it takes to rise in a sport still learning how to trust.Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to delve even deeper into the intriguing topics discussed in this episode.Preview: Can the favorites repeat at the 2025 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships? [Escape Collective, Nov. 2025]Osborne and McCarthy repeat as cycling esports world champions [Escape Collective, Nov. 2025]Did the UCI’s Cycling Esports World Championship weigh-in policy work? [Escape Collective, Dec. 2025] Statements made by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast, its hosts, or its partners. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions.

Fresh off his third UCI Cycling Esports World Championship, Jason Osborne returns to the Virtual Velo Podcast for one of his most open conversations yet. From an extended stay in Abu Dhabi — part training camp, part cultural deep dive — to settling back into life as a full-time esports professional, Jason pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to stay at the top of a sport still defining itself.He walks us through this year’s Worlds race moment by moment, offering a rare inside line on the tactics, the pressure, and the sensations that shaped his ride to another rainbow jersey. But Jason doesn’t stop at the victory lap. He talks candidly about the challenges facing the discipline, from its growing pains to the structural issues that continue to test its credibility.We touch on his recent remarks in Domestique, where he called for stronger year-round doping standards and a more mature competitive framework — and why he believes the sport is at a turning point that could set its trajectory for years to come.It’s an unfiltered look at an athlete who has become synonymous with cycling esports, reflecting on his own reinvention, the state of the discipline, and why he remains genuinely optimistic about its future.Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to delve even deeper into the intriguing topics discussed in this episode.Listen to Jason’s last interview with us on Spotify!Triple world champion Jason Osborne calls for year-round anti-doping measures in cycling Esports [Domestique, Nov 2025]‘It felt like, I wouldn’t say slavery, but like they were in too much control’ – Jason Osborne speaks out over exit from Alpecin-Deceuninck [CyclingNews, Oct 2024]Germany’s Jason Osborne and New Zealand’s Mary Kate McCarthy Win the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship [Zommunique, Oct 2024] Statements made by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast, its hosts, or its partners. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions.

In this episode of the Virtual Velo Podcast, we sit down with CEO Kimberly Coats and Jeremy Ford of Team Africa Rising to explore one of the most ambitious development projects in modern African cycling: a plan to bring over 1,000 young cyclists across Africa into virtual racing through a new network of Virtual Performance Centers.From Rwanda’s historic Road World Championships to the ingenuity sparked during the pandemic, we trace how virtual training has begun to level the playing field for riders who have long faced barriers to accessing the global racing scene. Kimberly and Jeremy walk us through the origins of Team Africa Rising, the challenges they confront on the ground, and how partnerships with platforms like Zwift and Wahoo are helping to unlock a new era of talent identification, safety, and opportunity on the continent.Joined by award-winning cycling tech journalist and South African native Aaron Borrill, host Chris Schwenker explores what this initiative means for the next generation of African cyclists — and what the future might look like if virtual racing continues to reshape the sport on the African continent.A conversation about access, ambition, and the power of virtual cycling to make an authentic and real grassroots impact.Donate here to support Team Africa Rising’s work on the ground in Africa!Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to delve even deeper into the intriguing topics discussed in this episode.​The impossible tale of Adrien Niyonshuti, from a wooden bike to the World Championships [Escape Collective, Sept. 2025]​Zwift, a bike, and a dream: The virtual rise of a Ugandan cycling club [Escape Collective, June 2025] Statements made by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast, its hosts, or its partners. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions.