
SISU IS THE FINNISH CONCEPT THAT REFERS TO EXTRAORDINARY DETERMINATION, COURAGE, AND RESOLUTENESS IN THE FACE OF EXTREME ADVERSITY.
OUR RACING SPIRITS UNITE US TO ENABLE HUMAN CONNECTION AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE IN DIGITAL RACING WORLDS.
OUR VISION
To be one of the leading community led esports brands globally.
EVERY JOURNEY HAS A BEGINNING
SISU Racing was formally established in August 2021, when four founding members united to race WTRL's Team Time Trial #123.
OUR OBJECTIVE
To create a ‘race team’ experience that is fun and rewarding and originate race series that add value to the broader Zwift racing calendar.
OUR UNIQUENESS
The SISU spirit in which we race and how we celebrate the uniqueness of each other to inspire brilliance, inclusion, connection, belonging, and growth.
Why SISU Racing?
SISU Racing is a community built on belief, support, and shared effort.
SISU is a Finnish concept that describes inner strength - the determination to keep going, to try again, and to believe in yourself when things get tough. At SISU Racing, SISU isn’t about suffering alone. It’s about showing up together.
If you can dream it, you don’t have to chase it on your own.
The SISU Spirit
The SISU spirit is about progress, not perfection.
It’s the courage to start, the resilience to continue, and the mindset to enjoy the challenge along the way. SISU balances ambition with care, effort with enjoyment, and competition with connection.
Every ride, every race, every small win counts here.
Our Community
SISU Racing is a global, inclusive community where every rider belongs.
From A Grade to E Grade, from first race to podium chaser, we believe riders grow best when they’re supported by a team. There is a SISU team waiting for you.
Code of Conduct
Our Code of Conduct sets clear expectations to ensure SISU Racing remains respectful, welcoming, and safe for everyone. Upholding it is a shared responsibility—and a core part of who we are.
At just 15 years old, Oliver Macneill is already carving out a name for himself — not just as SISU Racing’s youngest member, but as one of its most exciting young climbers.
Repping SISU from York, UK, Oliver’s alarm goes off at 5:00am most days. Not for school. For training.
At just 18 years old, Matthew Ruisbroek is already rewriting his sporting identity.
Born in the Netherlands and now living in Valencia, Spain, Matthew originally moved there five years ago to pursue a professional motorcycle racing career. Valencia, after all, is one of Europe’s motorsport hubs.
But elite sport is unforgiving — and funding even more so.
When the financial backing for motorcycling fell short, Matthew didn’t give up on the dream of becoming a professional athlete.
He changed sports.
From the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia, Martin Khun logs in while much of the Zwift world is logging off.
Pacific timezone isn’t ideal when most racing caters to Europe and the US.
“But we have the best weather,” he smiles.
At 61, Martin isn’t chasing headlines. He’s chasing consistency. He’s chasing health. And he’s still rearranging global VP meetings to make sure he doesn’t miss SISU Club Championships.
Some habits never change.
From Providence, Rhode Island, Jess Galatro brings something beautifully simple to SISU Racing:
Ride your bike, support your people. and do the best you can with the body you have today.
And maybe eat a few Thin Mints along the way.
From opposite corners of Ontario — David in Sudbury and Erik in Waterloo — the Kalviainen twins prove that distance doesn’t dilute brotherhood.
Fraternal twins. Four minutes apart at birth. A lifetime of sport. And now, a shared obsession with cycling that keeps them connected across provinces and seasons.
From Halifax, Nova Scotia, Melissa Mountain brings East Coast energy, leadership, and unapologetic enthusiasm to SISU Racing.
If you’ve ever raced with her, you know two things: - the playlist is elite and the pace is not optional.
Born in Lahti, Finland, Sampo Malinen represents a new generation of Finnish athletes — fearless, adaptable, and quietly relentless.
At just 27 years old (born 1999), Sampo’s journey has already spanned elite junior ice hockey, professional cycling contracts in Europe, a life-threatening crash in Italy, national championship podiums, World Gravel Championships, and unforgettable rides across Australia.
From Porvoo, Finland, Olli Lappalainen is the kind of rider who makes SISU Racing feel unmistakably real. Durable. Team-first. Quietly relentless. The sort of “diesel engine” who doesn’t just survive the hard parts—he settles into them.
If you’ve ever heard a teammate calmly talking someone through an effort while they’re deep in the red… there’s a good chance you’ve shared a race radio channel with Lee Ragsdale.
Lee is 53 and rides out of Raleigh, North Carolina — a rider built for long days, strong decisions, and the steady belief that endurance isn’t something you “have” - it’s something you build over years. On Zwift and in real life, Lee has become one of SISU Racing’s most recognisable community connectors: the guy who keeps showing up, keeps planning, keeps encouraging, and somehow keeps bumping into SISU kit in the most unexpected places.
From Houston, Texas, Kathy Garrett represents a powerful strand of SISU Racing — resilience earned the hard way, quiet strength, and a refusal to give up on something she loves.
An experienced road racer turned Zwift competitor, Kathy’s story isn’t just about results. It’s about rebuilding. Again. And again.
From Hellertown, Pennsylvania, Jonathan Chambers brings old-school track grit and modern Zwift punch to SISU Racing. A lifelong competitor, coach, and pure-blooded sprinter, Jonathan’s story blends speed, patience, mentorship, and an unwavering belief in consistency.
From Oklahoma City, Nathan Gerdts brings a unique energy to SISU Racing — part hybrid athlete, part punchy sprinter, and full-time competitor against his own limits.
Nathan didn’t grow up dreaming of watts per kilo. In fact, cardio “wasn’t really his thing.” But like many great SISU stories, his journey began with a challenge.
From Aarhus, Denmark, Thomas Sørensen represents a special strand of SISU Racing: calm, thoughtful, quietly competitive— and deeply team oriented. He’s a rider who didn’t grow up chasing watts or podiums, yet has become one of SISU’s most respected competitors and a proud figure among the team’s growing Danish contingent.
From Pori Noormarkku, Finland, Mona Kangasniemi is everything SISU Racing stands for: quiet determination, consistency over time, and a deep love for the process. A two-time SISU Racing Women’s Club Champion, Mona’s journey into cycling didn’t start with elite sport or a lifelong athletic background - it started with curiosity, perseverance, and a decision to keep showing up.
When people talk about SISU Racing, they often talk about growth, depth, and culture. To understand why SISU feels the way it does, you don’t need to look far - just look back to the beginning, and to one of its four founding members: Miguel Méndez.
Originally from Spain and now based in the Midlands of Ireland, Miguel has been part of SISU from the very first pedal strokes. Not just as a rider, but as a builder of culture, of connection, and of the idea that cycling is better when it’s shared.
From northern Virginia, USA, Jeremiah B doesn’t just ride with SISU Racing - he lives the mindset behind it. His story isn’t a straight line to performance. It’s a rebuild. A health wake-up call. A decision to stack the deck in his favour. And then, day after day, the steady work that turned “I hope I can” into “I belong here.”
Repping SISU Racing from Mechelen — a historic city perfectly wedged between Brussels and Antwerp — Niels Willems proudly calls Belgium the cornerstone of cycling. And like the country itself, his riding is built on grit, versatility, and a deep respect for shared suffering.
Repping SISU Racing from Switzerland, Sabina trains where mountains are not just a metaphor but a way of life. A diesel climber at heart, she thrives on long ascents, early mornings, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing she can go further than she once believed.
For Paweł Klamecki from Wrocław, Poland, cycling isn’t a hobby, a phase, or something that needs explaining. It’s simply part of life. Something you do. Something you commit to. Something you build - slowly, honestly, and without shortcuts.
From a small village near the Bavarian Alps to the sharp end of elite Zwift racing, Lukas Feth represents everything powerful about the next generation of SISU Racing.
Born and raised in Dettendorf, 50km south of Munich, Lukas grew up surrounded by mountains. Skiing, climbing, bouldering — sport wasn’t optional, it was lifestyle. The mountains shaped him. And eventually, they revealed his strength.
Today, at U23 level, Lukas is one of SISU Racing’s most ambitious and disciplined young riders — a pure climber built for long efforts and high watts per kilo.