Townsville cyclist Stephen Lane moves his passion for racing online
Life has been turned upside down for Stephen Lane but he is taking it in his stride.
Townsville
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Life has been turned upside down for Stephen Lane but he is taking it in his stride.
The Queensland track elite sprint medallist and Townsville Cycling Club A grade cyclist barely recognises his daily routine after COVID-19 cancelled his local cycling events and training.
But thanks to the online platform Zwift, Mr Lane has been able to take his passion for racing online, competing in international e-racing tournaments.
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In just two months, the platform has gone from fielding 5000 members at one time to 40,000.
The platform now boasts millions of subscribers. Mr Lane said the transition to online competing had opened up global opportunities.
“It is amazing the beauty of Zwift, especially for someone coming from Townsville, it brings the competition to us,” he said.
“We can now do races several times a day and race against the best cyclists in the world.”
Mr Lane has competed in 15 online races since lockdown and live streams the videos on his Facebook page.
“More people watched a race online in one day than the people who actually watched the real Tour de France broadcast,” he said.
Originally published as Townsville cyclist Stephen Lane moves his passion for racing online