Coffs Harbour’s Tim Searle pioneers online cycling app Zwift

A horror bike crash in the high country west of Coffs has fired up a cyclist to conquer the world from the comfort of his loungeroom. Meet the entrepreneur at the centre of a virtual craze sweeping the nation.

Coffs Harbour man Tim Searle is an ambassador and multiple world record holder for the cycling app Zwift, an online community which allows cyclists to compete and chat with one another using a 'smart' trainer bike from their home. Picture: Supplied

Keen Coffs Harbour cyclist Tim Searle was in a group ride swinging down Dorrigo Mountain when he took one of the corners on Waterfall Way “a bit fast”.

“I had to make the choice of whether to put myself and the bike down or hit the barrier and go over (a cliff). So I put myself down,” Mr Searle recalls of the 2015 crash.

It was a self-preservation call, “but it wasn’t as disastrous as it could have been”.

Two broken ribs, a wrecked race bike and helmet and “a lot of skin off” was the upshot.

The recovery period saw Mr Searle toy with the online cycling app Zwift.

With personalised avatars, Zwift creates a virtual cycling experience close to the real thing of outdoor group rides. Picture: Supplied

It enables those with a smart bike trainer to go on virtual rides either solo or with others.

“I think it was still in the Beta stage back then and the problem was that it was mostly a Northern Hemisphere thing, so the group rides were at times which didn’t really work here,” Mr Searle said.

The number of people using Zwift “exploded” during Covid lockdowns when cyclists were largely restricted to their homes. Picture: Supplied

So in 2016, Mr Searle started an Australian group ride on Zwift – on Wednesdays – branding it the Aussie Hump Day ride.

“I think at that first ride we had 29 people. But Zwift was growing and then we had some Northern Hemisphere interest – we hit the hundreds (of participants in the local event) very quickly,” he said.

The technology syncs with your home trainer bike, meaning it’s harder to pedal when you’re going up a hill online. Picture: Supplied

“During Covid (lockdowns) it absolutely exploded. One Wednesday night ride we had just under 1000 people.”

The 52-year-old found himself as something of an unlikely flag-bearer for the app.

Zwift allows riders to chat with one another, while the programming syncs with your bike trainer (making pedalling harder when you’re climbing, for instance).

Bringing the real world to the virtual as riders tear along a cobblestoned surface. Picture: Supplied

“You have your avatar on the screen and there’s lots of data (on your performance) dotted around,” Mr Searle said.

“It even mimics drafting (where you use less energy when covered by a rider directly ahead).”

Record breaker Tim Searle outside Coffs Harbour’s Big Banana Fun Park. Picture: Supplied

From the comforts of home, Mr Searle was hooked on the cycling app – and he’s been racking up the kilometres.

“I’ve set all the (world) records. I was the first to 100,000 kilometres, 200 and last Sunday 300,” he said.

While it can be competitive, it’s the opportunity to talk with other users in group rides which ticks the boxes for Mr Searle.

“I’m big about the social side of it,” he said.

Tim Searle on the fly in the virtual world of Zwift. Picture: Supplied

“Normally with a stationary spin bike you’re just alone and staring at a brick wall. This (Zwift) brings it so much closer to outside cycling.”

A qualified draftsman, Mr Searle’s thirst for the app has seen him become an ambassador for commercial brands Zwift, Giant Bicycles and JetBlack Australia.

From humble beginnings, his Aussie Hump Day starter has grown to some 20 rides a week Dowunder.

The Zwift road routes are a mix of fantasy worlds and “very accurate replicas of real courses including iconic French climbs”, he said.

But the steep, winding Waterfall Way in the Coffs Coast hinterland where Mr Searle came unstuck is yet to get a go in the app.

“I actually went down that road for the first time (since the crash) this year. I went through that corner very carefully,” he said.