Frequently Asked Questions

LGBTQ Zwifters affiliation

1. How can I become a member of LGBTQ Zwifters?
2. What are my obligations as a member of LGBTQ Zwifters?
3. Is there an abbreviation to be used with my Zwift name to show that I'm a member of LGBTQ Zwifters Club?
4. How can I add a rainbow flag or alike to my Zwift name?

Pride rides participation

5. Why isn't there a later Pride ride, more suitable for Zwifters in the PST time zone?
6. I have never joined a Pride ride before. What do I need to know?
7. How can I join a Pride ride?
8. What does „Allows late join“ mean?
9. I am not able to push 1.6 W/kg for an hour. Does it still make sense to join a Pride ride?
10. How can I give Ride Ons to other Zwifters?
11. How do I unlock the Pride Kit?

Joining the Beacon Crew

12. What do I have to do to become a Pride ride leader?
13. How do I lead a group ride on Zwift?
14. What do I have to do as a sweeper aka Red Beacon?

Racing with LGBTQz

15. Why should I join LGBTQ Zwifters on ZwiftPower?
16. How can I join LGBTQ Zwifters team on ZwiftPower?
17. Is there a LGBTQz racing team?
18. Are there LGBTQz race events?
19. What do I need to consider as a transgender or non-binary athlete if I want to participate in races?
20. How can I join a race?

Miscellaneous

21. What should I do if I have been insulted, bullied or harassed by another Zwifter?

1. How can I become a member of LGBTQ Zwifters?

To become a member of LGBTQ Zwifters you just need to apply for a membership via Zwift Companion App. Go to the Club section in ZCA, choose "All Clubs", search for "LGBTQ Zwifters", select it and tap the "Join" button. Your request will usually be approved within hours. You can also choose to become a member of our Facebook group and/or join us on Discord, but you are only an official member if you have joined the Club in ZCA.

We strongly recommend to also join us on Discord. We have numerous channels there on all topics that concern our club members, including an introduction channel where you can learn more about many of your fellow Rainbow Zwifters.

2. What are my obligations as a member of LGBTQ Zwifters?

The membership is free of charge and you don't have any obligations as a member of LGBTQ Zwifters. You will also remain as anonymous as you want to be on Zwift, even to the other Club members.

Just by being a passive member, you are strengthening the LGBTQ+ community on Zwift. But of course we would be happy if you would actively contribute to the Club. There are many possibilities to do that. You can join our beacon crew or one of our racing teams, register with us on ZwiftPower and contribute to our LGBTQ Zwifters team ranking score there, help to manage our communication channels, boost our Discord server, contribute to this website or just play a more active role in our Pride rides or group events. Whatever you decide, we're happy to have you with us.

3. Is there an abbreviation to be used with my Zwift name to show that I'm a member of LGBTQ Zwifters Club?

You can use the shortcut "LGBTQz" in brackets or square brackets as part of your Zwift name ingame to show others that you are a member of LGBTQ Zwifters Club. If you join one of our racing teams, you must add the team name in square brackets to your name.

4. How can I add a rainbow flag emoji or alike to my Zwift name?

You can do that by copy & paste the desired emoji as follows:

①  Select the emoji you want to add to your name from the following selection and copy it by using the corresponding copy button.

Rainbow Flag:		Copy!
Transgender Flag:		Copy!
Rainbow:		Copy!

Your can find other emojis here.

②  Log into your account on Zwift, choose "Profile".

③  Paste the copied emoji (Ctrl+V) next to your last name into the Last Name field. You might want to leave a space between your last name and the emoji.

④  Save the changes by clicking the SAVE CHANGES button.

Please note that the emojis may look different on different devices, depending on the implemented set of emojis. Please also note that the emojis are unfortunately not displayed correctly in some places, e.g. when you are a group ride leader and your name appears in the middle of the screen during your announcements.

5. Why isn't there a later Pride ride, more suitable for Zwifters in the PST time zone?

We used to host a fourth Pride ride on Sundays at 11:30am PST, but the demand was lower than for the other Pride rides and we have run out of leaders for that ride. That's why we were forced to cancel the ride. If we had available leaders, we could offer the ride again. If you are living in an appropriate time zone and if you are willing to become part of the beacon crew, please get in touch!

6. I have never joined a Pride ride before. What do I need to know?

If you already have sufficient experience with group rides on Zwift, you’re probably good to go. If the Pride ride is going to be one of your first group rides on Zwift, you should check out our Pride Ride Guide first.

Our Pride rides are intended as social rides. Therefore, there may be a lot of banter, which may include LGBTQ+ topics so please come with an open heart and open mind.

7. How can I join a Pride ride?

For detailed instructions on how to join a Pride ride see our Pride Ride Guide.

8. What does „Allows late join“ mean?

Since our Pride rides are social rides we use the late join option. This means that you can join the ride even after it has started, as long as it happens within the first 30 minutes. When you join a Pride ride after it has started, Zwift should automatically drop you off near the leader.

The late join option is also quite handy when you accidentally got dropped by the main group during the first 30 minutes of the ride. If you have fallen too far behind to catch up, you have the option to leave the ride and rejoin it being placed right in the main group. Be careful not to try this too late, though. The rejoin process make take some time. Be sure there is enough time left before the first 30 minutes of the ride are up.

9. I am not able to push 1.6 W/kg for an hour. Does it still make sense to join a Pride ride?

Yes! You might not be able to keep pace with the main group, but our Pride rides are often joined by other Zwifters who experience the same. With a bit of luck you find nice comrades to form a little group riding on your own pace and having fun together. Please note that you will see all announcements of the ride leader but you may not see chats from Zwifters too far ahead or too far behind your position.

Another great option for you are our Pride Ride Rubberband Specials. In these Pride rides, we use the rubberband option. All riders will be tied together by an invisible rubber band, keeping the group together no matter how many W/kg each participant pushes. To stay in the rubber-banded blob, you just need to keep pedaling during the ride. You will stay with the group as long as your minimum power output is more than ca. 15 W. Our Rubberband Specials are usually announced on the Club page in Zwift Companion App and in our Facebook group some days ahead of the scheduled ride.
(Unfortunately, the rubber band is not working properly in group rides at the moment and Zwift does not recommend its use in group rides. Therefore we do not provide rubberbanded rides at the moment.)

10. How can I give Ride Ons to other Zwifters?

First of all you should know, how not to give Ride Ons to other Zwifters:

As a beginner you might think that the blue-white "Thumb Up" button that appears along with similar other buttons in the Action Bar at the bottom of the screen and also in Zwift Companion App is meant to spread Ride Ons. Unfortunately this is not the case. This button just lets your avatar yell "Ride On" in the game, as well as the Bell button triggers a ringing sound, the Hammer button triggers "Hammer time" and the "Sad Toast" button makes your avatar say "I'm toast". Please use these buttons with care since tapping them frequently leads to annoying noise disturbance for all other Zwifters.

But how to give Ride Ons to other Zwifters? There are several ways to give Ride Ons during a ride and outside the game. You will find all you need to know here.

11. How do I unlock the Pride Kit?

You will unlock the current Pride Kit by joining and finishing one of our official Pride rides. Check out what the current kit looks like and what all the Pride kits that have been available so far look like here.

12. What do I have to do to become a Pride ride leader?

Anyone who has sufficient experience with Zwift, is able to keep a steady pace at 1.6-1.8 W/kg and is able to type while riding can become a Pride ride leader. In fact, we are desperatly looking for more leaders to establish a rotation system. We need to lighten the load on current leaders who sometimes are present every week. If you feel up to it, get in touch and probably lead your first Pride ride very soon!

13. How do I lead a group ride on Zwift?

You have volunteered to lead a group ride on Zwift or you intend to do so and want to know what you have to do? You will find all information you need in our comprehensive guide How to lead a Group Ride on Zwift.

14. What do I have to do as a sweeper aka Red Beacon?

If you want to join a group ride as Red Beacon or as an unofficial sweeper and you are not sure what to do, you will find detailed information here: The Art of the Sweep.

15. Why should I join LGBTQ Zwifters on ZwiftPower?

ZwiftPower is Zwift’s separate database for race results and riders and team rankings. If you race at least occasionally on Zwift you should register with ZwiftPower to keep track of your race results and to establish an individual ranking score.

If you join LGBTQ Zwifters on ZwiftPower you can contribute to our team ranking scores. To calculate team rankings, ZwiftPower chooses the three highest-ranked team members for each category then averages their ranking score to create an overall team score. Teams are ranked on this overall score. This also happens for each category individually and separately for women and men. You can check out the current team rankings here.

Unfortunately, only those riders are considered for the team rankings, who have registered for LGBTQ Zwifters as their primary team. Therefore, some of the strongest members of LGBTQ Zwifters team do not contribute to our team ranking scores because they are committed to other teams as their primary teams.

At present, we do not have enough team members with an individual ranking score and registered with LGBTQ Zwifters as their primary team on ZwiftPower to have team ranking scores in each category. We would like to change that. So come and join us! Your Club needs you!

16. How can I join LGBTQ Zwifters team on ZwiftPower?

If you are a member of LGBTQ Zwifters Club and registered with ZwiftPower, Zwift's separate database for race results, you should join LGBTQ Zwifters team there. To do this, proceed as follows:

①  Go to ZwiftPower and log in.

②  Click "Team" in the navigation bar.

③  Click "My Teams" in the top right corner of the screen.

④  Go to the "All Teams" section and enter "LGBTQ Zwifters" into the search field. LGBTQ Zwifters should show up.

⑤  Click "LGBTQ Zwifters".

⑥  On the following screen click the green "JoinLGBTQZwifters" button on the top right.

Welcome to the team!

17. Is there a LGBTQz racing team?

Yes, there are LGBTQz racing teams like the TTT teams LGBTQz Rainbow Chasers and LGBTQz Rainbow Warriors and the teams LGBTQz Rainbow Rockets and LGBTQz Rainbow Spectrum racing in Zwift Racing League. New racers are always welcome! For more information please check out our Racing page or connect with us via Discord.

18. Are there LGBTQz race events?

Yes, there is a regular LGBTQz race event on the official Zwift calendar - LGBTQz Chase the Rainbows. Find out more on our Racing page.

19. What do I need to consider as a transgender or non-binary athlete if I want to participate in races?

For details on what you should consider if you are a transgender or non-binary athlete and want to race on Zwift, please check out the corresponding section of our Racing page.

20. How can I join a race?

For details on how to join a race on Zwift, please check out the corresponding section of our Racing page.

21. What should I do if I have been insulted, bullied or harassed by another Zwifter?

Fortunately, Zwift is very concerned about providing a safe and welcoming environment for every Zwifter. Zwift has a set of community guidelines which sets out the expected behaviour of Zwifters. In it Zwift says:

“Zwift does not tolerate cyber-bullying, hate speech, harassment, threats, or personal attacks within the game or anywhere else. If you are on the receiving end of this kind of behavior or see it happening to someone else, do not hesitate to flag it via zwift.com/contact-us, or by using the Companion App.”

Such behaviour is also defined as ‘prohibited’ under Zwift’s Terms of Service (section 5ai).

If you experience any of the above while you are riding on Zwift, we strongly encourage you to report the behaviour to Zwift. Where possible please take a screenshot if offensive comments are made in the game chat. These may be needed as evidence.

The easiest way to report an offender is via Zwift Companion App:

①  Navigate to the Zwifter you want to report.

②  Select the three dots in the top right corner.

③  Select REPORT USER.

④  Select at least one reason for reporting the Zwifter and provide any additional info in the Your comments field.

⑤  Select SUBMIT.

You can find additional information on how to report another Zwifter here: Zwift Support

You also should reach out to us on Discord. Harassment of any kind is unpleasant to experience, and you have friends who will know what you have experienced. If you don’t know what to do, are scared, have doubts about what to do, or need someone to listen to, reach out to Discord and DM @Clare or @Tom(LGBTQz) or choose someone in the club. Inform @Clare or @Tom(LGBTQz) if you have taken action and reported to Zwift. Our community stands stronger together!