Team Ineos announce group ride and race on Zwift

Team Ineos have announced their first ever virtual rides and races with Zwift.

The British WorldTour team is giving you the chance to ride with their riders and staff, before the stars will do battle in a Team Ineos eRace.

Kicking off with a group ride open to all on April 12 the team, home to Tour de France winners Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome and Egan Bernal, will take you on a 40-minute to one-hour long ride around Watopia.

You can sign up to ride via Zwift, with the ride kicking off at 3pm (BST).

Then shortly after, at 5pm Team Ineos riders will go head-to-head in the first ever team race as they tackle one of Zwift’s toughest climbs.

Commentators Rob Hatch and Matt Stephens will be on hand to talk you through the race during a live broadcast of the event.

The riders taking part in the ride and race have not yet been confirmed, but Team Ineos is expected to make the announcement in the coming days.

Pro teams have been looking for opportunities to stay in contact with the fans and gain exposure for their sponsors as all cycling has been suspended.

Last weekend, the first ever virtual Tour of Flanders was held online, with Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team) taking the victory there.

>>> Sponsor vows to stick with British women’s team CAMS-Tifosi despite lack of racing 

Cycling data organisation Velon and the organisers of the Tour de Suisse have since announced their own new five-race series taking place later this month, with a selection of WorldTeams taking part, including Team Ineos.

Zwift has also been host to dozens of events, group rides and races featuring pro riders in the last month, including Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal), Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix).