Bikes & Banjo Hangouts: Zwift Insider Eric Schlange Struck a Chord Creating Niche Online Communities

Eric Schlange is one of the most well known Zwift riders on the platform, and he comes to the notoriety honestly. When Eric started Zwifting in 2015, the engineer and web master immediately identified a need for a Zwift knowledge base to address the nuances of riding in the brave new virtual world. Exponential traffic growth led to an official Zwift sponsorship, cementing Zwift Insider's credibility. This story does not entail scale-at-all-costs entrepreneurship. Instead it is one of a self-professed community builder who understands the need, power and commercial value of niche online hubs. In fact, Zwift Insider was not Eric’s first rodeo - that was www.banjohangout.com - THE banjo enthusiast destination for more than 20 years!
Sure enough, Eric is exactly the kind of guy you’d hope to be riding and racing with on the platform: friendly, witty, competitive and resourceful. He demonstrates the core values and class of a true esport ambassador and this interview reflects his passion and ability to articulate both soft and hard reasons that Zwift earns precious hours of devotee training. This interview covers Zwift Insider’s adolescence before organized platform racing, broad usership data, and a taste of the product roadmap, with Eric’s insider insight and stories sprinkled throughout. You would be so lucky to race alongside Eric in Watopia, Richmond or Glasgow. RIDE ON!

[@Gabriela9Guerra]

This is great! Thx for sharing more of Eric's story 😊

[@hill-climbers]

You’re so welcome! Thanks for tuning in Gabriela