American WorldTour team EF Pro Cycling is inviting the professional-cycling-starved world to join their riders on social rides on Zwift and for Instagram Live 'Social Hour' sessions from the end of March and through the months of April and May.
The almost-global lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic means that the team can use this time to further connect with fans around the world until the racing restarts. The full schedule of EF Pro Cycling's Instagram Live chats and Zwift group rides can be found on the team's website.
Upcoming events include a Zwift ride on Tuesday, March 31, with Lachlan Morton and Lawson Craddock, taking place at 12pm EST, an Instagram Live chat with Rigoberto Uran at 6pm EST on April 10, with a Cannondale+EF community ride with the likes of Uran, Neilson Powless and Hugh Carthy on April 16 at 10am EST, and an Instagram Live chat with team CEO Jonathan Vaughters the next day, at 6pm EST on April 17.
There are more than 25 events already scheduled, with more promised, and so we recommend giving them a go if you're missing both the pro racing and some of your favourite riders.
"We've had the best fans for as long as I can recall," Vaughters said on the team's website. "We aren't able to see them on the roads this spring, but hopefully we can take this as a time to engage and connect with people and the sport differently."
Other teams, such as Israel Start-Up Nation and Mitchelton-Scott, have organised similar mass rides on Zwift, and we may see the trend of increased fan-team interaction continue, even once racing returns to 'normal', whenever that may be.
