Jens Voigt pitted himself against amateur riders at a promotional event for the up-and-coming multiplayer turbo trainer game Zwift last night (December 10).

Voigt brought his own team issue Trek Factory Racing Madone along to the event, which he used to connect to the turbo trainer.

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The event, held at Bespoke in Farringdon, gave people the chance to experience the new game by racing each other on a single 6km lap of Zwift Island, with the course featuring climbs and intermediate sprints.

Voigt was slightly nervous ahead of his Zwift showdown, claiming that “my heart is already at like 150 bpm” and that not trained on the bike for a month. He did however say that he “does some running now”.

Despite not having trained a great deal on his bike since retirement, Voigt’s WorldTour class shone through as he was able to average ~520 Watts over the 6km course, comfortably beating the mere amateurs he was pitched against. When asked if he liked the Zwift game, Voigt replied: “It’s just like riding a bike and I really like the butterflies and deer!”

When asked what was next for the 43-year-old German, he said that he plans to “keep it open for the first year” going on to say that he intends to have a go at lots of different roles within the Trek set-up.

“I am going to try coaching, working with younger riders, working as a sports director,” he said. “I am going to go to trade shows, Trek bike shops and after a year we will see.”

CW asked Voigt if he would not just send all nine riders in the team into the breakaway when he makes his debut as directeur sportif? His response: “Yeah! Of course!” going on to add “Maybe I will be the best director in the world.”

Zwift have previously announced that future plans include an ‘X Factor-like’ competition with professional contract as a prize.

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