The UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on Zwift on December 9, 2020

Zwift, the global online fitness platform for cyclists, is able to confirm all the details regarding the first UCI Cycling Esport World Championships on Zwift.

Source: Press Release

20 National Cycling Federations have entered their teams to take the start of the first UCI Cycling Esport World Championships on Zwift. In addition, a number of riders have secured a Wild Card, bringing the total number of nations represented to 22.

In addition to the elite men’s and women’s races, Zwift will offer a number of events for its community. These include the Nations Challenge, an opportunity for every Zwifter to ride for their country, as well as the Zwift PowerUp Podcast Recon events, featuring current and former UCI World Champions as guests.

Riders from all backgrounds

Among the selected riders are cyclists from the professional peloton, as well as some of the best Esport cyclists in the Zwift community. Many international professional athletes will participate in this race, including Olympic and Paralympic medalists, current or past UCI World Champions, and triathletes.

Among them are the best cyclists in the world. These include Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa), Esteban Chaves and Rigoberto Uran (Colombia), Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands), Lawson Craddock (United States), Tom Pidcock (Great Britain), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway), Dame Sarah Storey (Great Britain), Annika Langvad (Denmark), Lionel Sanders (Canada), Daryl Impey (South Africa), Eli Iserbit (Belgium), Jordan Sarrou (France) and Alberto Bettiol (Italy). These personalities will be joined by big names in Esport cycling. Riders such as Lionel Vujasin (Belgium), Ollie Jones (New Zealand) and Cecilia Hansen (Sweden). While relatively unknown compared to World Tour professionals, they will certainly be among the favorites.

The complete list of athletes for each event can be found here.

Riders will compete in Zwift’s virtual world of Watopia for a 50 km race on the Watopia Figure 8 reverse course, which finishes at the top of the Q/KOM. Elite men and women will compete on the same course and over the same distance. With an elevation gain of 483 m, this course will suit all-round riders. With an average gradient of 5.5% over 0.9 km, the finish on the Watopia Hilly Q/KOM will be a real test.

“With the UCI, on December 9, we will make history,” says Eric Min, CEO and co-founder of Zwift. “This will be the first event of its kind and I believe it will mark the future direction of the discipline, fitness, and competition. There is no doubt that technology will play a greater role and this competition perfectly combines technology with what we traditionally associate with physical ‘sport’. The difference is already minimal and this becomes evident when looking at the teams selected by each of the national cycling federations. Many know the World Tour riders, but expect them to be challenged by indoor racing specialists. It is not impossible that we will see a Zwifter rise to the top of the rankings. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to be there.”

Official competition means a new rainbow jersey. This will be awarded to each winner: a virtual one for their avatar on Zwift and a real one that can be worn at various UCI Esport cycling events during the 2021 season. The jersey design retains the iconic rainbow stripes but features a pixelated pattern to represent this new digital discipline.

Events open to all

Alongside the professional races, Zwifters worldwide will have the opportunity to celebrate this historic event. To mark these first UCI x Zwift World Championships, the platform has recorded a number of special podcasts with UCI World Champions from various disciplines. Honored guests include Sir Chris Hoy, Mark Cavendish, Anna van der Breggen, Annika Langvad, and Mathieu van der Poel. These podcasts will initially be available during the Zwift PowerUp Podcast Recon Rides, allowing listeners to enjoy them while riding the same course as the Elite men and women. The list of all these rides is available here.

On the weekend of December 5th and 6th, community event organizer World Tactical Racing Leagues will host the “Nations Challenge”. This unique format event will allow all members of the Zwift community to represent their country. They are encouraged to give their maximum effort, together, as the winning country of the Nations Challenge will be the one with the best cumulative time – regardless of physical abilities, all races count! More details on the Nations Challenge events can be found on the Zwift events page here.

The official partners of the UCI Cycling Esport World Championships on Zwift, Garmin-Tacx, Shimano, Science in Sport and Toyota South Africa Motors, will all host fan events with VIP guests. All information on these races as well as on the UCI x Zwift World Championships can be found on the website www.zwift.com/2020-uci-cycling-esports-world-championships.
About Zwift
Zwift is the fitness app born from gaming. At Zwift, we are sports enthusiasts who also have solid experience in software and video game development. Combining this passion with a deep understanding of the fitness world, Zwift is the first company to use multiplayer gaming technology to virtualize the outdoor experience. Athletes from around the world can train and compete in sophisticated 3D environments by connecting their training devices (indoor trainer, power meter, treadmill heart rate monitor, etc.) via Wi-Fi using ANT+ and BLE connections. Friendly competition, races, rigorous training programs: Zwift builds a community of like-minded athletes to optimize the networked physical training experience.
More information: www.zwift.com

About the UCI
Founded in 1900 in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms and for all audiences: competitive sport, health and leisure activity, means of transport, or simply cycling for pleasure. The UCI manages and promotes the eight cycling disciplines: road, track, mountain bike, BMX racing, BMX freestyle, cyclo-cross, trial and indoor cycling. Five of these are on the Olympic Games program (road, track, mountain bike, BMX supercross and BMX freestyle park), two on the Paralympic Games program (road and track) and four on the Youth Olympic Games program (road, mountain bike, BMX supercross and BMX freestyle park).
More information: www.uci.org

About the partners of the UCI Cycling Esport World Championships on Zwift

Garmin Tacx
Engineered inside for life outside, Garmin-Tacx products have revolutionized the lives of runners, cyclists, swimmers and athletes of all levels and abilities. Committed to developing technology that helps people stay active and improve their performance, Garmin-Tacx believes that every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to do better than yesterday.
For more information: Garmin.com.

Science in Sport (SiS)
Science in Sport pushes the boundaries of science to push the boundaries of performance. Turbo+ has revolutionized indoor training, now it’s time to see the results!

Toyota South Africa Motors
Toyota South Africa is the leading automotive company in South Africa, boasting 40 consecutive years of market leadership.

Shimano
Throughout the last century, Shimano has established itself as the world’s leading manufacturer of bicycle components thanks to its innovations and product reliability.

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