The UCI Cycling Esports World Championships 2024 marks a significant milestone in the fusion of sports and technology, cycling and esports. It reflects the growing popularity and competitive nature of virtual cycling. Hosted on the MyWhoosh platform—newly chosen over Zwift for this prestigious event—the 2024 championships will take place in Abu Dhabi.
Top cyclists from around the world will compete in intense races designed to test not only their physical endurance but also their strategic thinking.
With dynamic race formats and large prize pools reminiscent of the growing prizes in esports cycling. The 2024 Championships are set to further change the dynamics of competitive cycling, as high technology meets pure athleticism, driving global community engagement.
History of UCI Cycling Esports
Since 2020, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) Esports World Championships has brought digitized cycling to the next level by introducing new ways for athletes to showcase their skills. The event, featuring top riders from 22 countries, has elevated the sport with its fast-paced, video game-like races that combine physical ability with tactical strategy.
The event attracts top athletes from 22 countries. Notable star riders to be named headlining the women’s category are Elinor Barker, Sarah Storey, and Anna van der Breggen; Ed Clancy, Esteban Chaves, and Rigoberto Uran leading the men’s.
Previously hosted on the Zwift platform, last year in August 2023, the UCI announced its partnership with MyWhoosh to host the next phase of cycling esports championship for the next three years. Continuing the tradition of merging athleticism with innovative technology to create a global digital arena for competitive cycling, this marks a significant shift in the sport as it opens the door for new and innovative ways for the elites to compete.
Previous Years Recap
2020
The inaugural UCI Cycling Esports World Championships was held on December 9, 2020. It featured a 50 kilometer race that was held in the virtual world of Watopia on the Zwift platform. Jason Osborne from Germany and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio from South Africa became the first champions in their respective categories.
2021
The 2021 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships was not held, as organizers focused on refining the event's structure and format for future competitions.
2022
The 2022 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships was hosted on February 26, 2022 on the Zwift platform with a course set in New York, featuring Continental pre-qualifiers leading to invite-only finals. Identical to the first championship, the total distance of the race was 50 kilometers for both men and women. Jay Vine of Australia won the men's race, while Dutch cyclist Loes Adegeest claimed victory in the women's event.
2023
The 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships took place on February 18, 2023, on Zwift, showcasing a virtual course inspired by the Scottish landscape. To spice things up a little with the goal of increasing competitiveness and excitement, this championship adopted a three-race elimination format with each segment lasting approximately 25 minutes. Beginning with “The Punch” where all 100 riders started together, the top 30 contenders from the first race then advanced to “The Climb”, then finishing off with “The Podium” where the contenders were eliminated until the last three remained to sprint for medals. The Danish cyclist Bjørn Andreassen won the men's title, and Loes Adegeest successfully defended her championship in the women's race.
Challenges
In a sport decided by tiny margins, ensuring accurate race outcomes, especially around the finish line, is a key challenge for the UCI and platform providers. The UCI is committed to working with stakeholders to guarantee fair and credible Esports competition.
Performance verification is crucial to this fairness, and the UCI has made it a top priority. To ensure transparency and fairness in the Esports World Championships, anti-cheating protocols are implemented and athletes must follow strict protocols including data reporting and collection.
Zwift and MyWhoosh: A Comparative Overview
Zwift and MyWhoosh both offer virtual environments and communities for indoor cycling, each system has somewhat different markets that it targets. MyWhoosh targets access with its free-to-use model, and diverse selection of workouts for all skill levels, while Zwift made its name as a more well-rounded tool for training, touting highly developed social features, and competitive events.
About Zwift
Based in the United States, Zwift is a leading virtual cycling platform that was launched in 2014. It turned indoor cycling into a social and competitive experience. The gamification of cycling training allows users to take rides in a virtual world with other cyclists from all over the globe.
Key features include:
- Pricing & Accessibility: $19.99/month for access to multiple worlds, training plans, races, and events.
- Content & Maps: Offers diverse maps like Watopia, London, and Paris, with varied terrains.
- Community: Large global community with daily group rides, races, and pro-cyclist participation.
- Training Features: Structured plans for all levels, plus gamified achievements and Zwift Academy.
- Graphics & Interface: High-quality animated environments, integrating well with smart trainers and devices.
- Device compatibility: Available on PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and Apple TV.
- Racing & Competition: Renowned for competitive racing events like Zwift Racing League and global championships.
- Social Features: Strong social features with chat, group rides, "ride-ons," and interactive clubs.
About MyWhoosh
MyWhoosh is a UAE-based virtual cycling platform that has rapidly gained popularity since its founding in 2019. Designed as a free-to-use application, it is meant to transport its user into an outstanding-looking virtual environment that emulates real-world cycling scenarios.
With over 730 workouts and race variants, a host of features is available to the cyclists for training, competing, and social networking via its strong online community.
Key features include:
- Pricing & Accessibility: Free, offering a budget-friendly option for virtual training.
- Content & Maps: Features Middle Eastern maps (Al Ula, Bahrain), focusing on fewer but highly detailed locations.
- Community: Smaller but growing, especially in emerging cycling regions.
- Training Features: Strong focus on personalized coaching and analytics for serious training.
- Graphics & Interface: Clean, minimal interface with high-quality real-world graphics, still refining customization options.
- Compatibility: Available on iOS, Android, and PC. It supports most common smart trainers but has fewer compatibility options compared to Zwift.
- Racing & Competition: Offers races with cash prizes but is still building its competitive scene.
- Social Features: Basic social features, still developing its interactive elements.
UCI 2024 Cycling Esports World Championships
The 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships are set to take place on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Organized by MyWhoosh and the 2024 Championships will be featuring a new competitive format. This event aims to provide an inclusive platform for cycling all around the world and is a showcase of the advancement of cycling esport as a competitive discipline. UCI’s president David Lappartient highlighted that this championship represents a significant milestone in the cycling world and cycling esports as it leads up to the first Olympic Esports Games in 2025.
How to Qualify
The qualification process for the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship implements a structured pathway. It is separated into two categories, qualification through National Federations qualification and public qualifications. Approximately 80% of the semi-final slots quota is allocated to athletes selected by the National Federations and the 20% to the public 20%.
Based on the available spots for the 2024 Championship, six groups were created. Each National Federation is allocated an equal number of riders within each group.
- Group A (Top 4 point-scoring National Federations from 2022 & 2023 championships): 10 riders per National Federation.
- Group B (5th to 8th highest point-scoring National Federation): 7 riders per National Federation
- Group C (9th to 12th): 5 riders per National Federation
- Group D (13th to 16th): 4 riders per National Federation
- Group E (the remaining): 3 riders per National Federation
- Group F (Zero points-scorings): 2 riders per National Federation
The National Federations qualifying events were concluded on August 1, 2024. The public qualifiers were held from August 3 - 10 by MyWoosh, allowing additional athletes to secure spots for the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals: A Two-Stage Format
The semi-finals took place in September with a two-stage format where 150 male and female competitors participated virtually from various parts of the world.
It began with a hard 9 km circuit where, through a points system, the best 80 finishers in each gender will go into the second race.
The second stage consists of four laps on a 4 km circuit that will select the top 20 men and women who will go to the finals on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
Grand Final
The grand final will be held in Abu Dhabi, with 22 men and 18 women participating. Similar to the format of the semi-finals, competitors will race through three intense events in this competition to accrue points that will ultimately decide their standings. The athletes with the highest total score will be awarded the world champion title.
Race 1 - The Sprint
Source: UCI Cycling Esports official website
The championship kicks off with a flat 1.7-kilometer circuit featuring a velodrome similar to the one being built for the 2029 UCI Track World Championships in Abu Dhabi. Inspired by Formula One, riders have just 15 minutes to post their fastest time through a 300-meter timed sprint. A live leaderboard will keep everyone synced on the fastest times.
This stage may seem simple but it is highly tactical. Riders can wait until the last moment to sprint to prevent others from setting a faster time, or they can use the group's draft for an early fast time and conserve energy.
The fastest contender will earn 40 points, with the total decreasing to 2 points for the slowest sprinter. After a 20-minute refuel and recovery period, the riders will line up for the next event.
Race 2 - The Strategist
Source: UCI Cycling Esports official website
The second event, "The Strategist," is a single 8.9 kilometer circuit with a challenging climb of 127 meters peak elevation to confront, followed by a swift descent, rolling hills, and finally a flat finish. Points are awarded at the base and summit of the climb, with double points available at the finish line. A total of 80 points are available.
A potential strategy riders can adopt is to sprint for the initial prime at the base of the climb. It will require a significant effort to maintain their position with the elite group. This strategy allows them to collect points early and compete for valuable finish line points.
Contenders like Kate McCarthy and Kristen Kulchinsky of New Zealand, the US National Esports Champion, and Michal Kaminski of Poland who have been training specifically for this challenge could excel in this stage.
Race 3 - All Out
Source: UCI Cycling Esports official website
The final stage, "All Out," consists of four laps of a 4 kilometer circuit that is mostly flat. Each lap includes a sprint point at the top of the climb, with double points awarded at the finish. Late-race tactics are specifically crucial for this event as it offers a maximum of 100 points.
On the women’s side, Merle Brunnée, a three-time World Long Distance Duathlon Champion is a strong contender if the pace remains high. Her extraordinary endurance could play a significant role.
On the men's side, Jason Osborne of Germany is to be watched. As a former Olympic medalist rower, he has made it to the podium in every edition since the first Cycling Esports World Champion in 2020.
Technical Guide
The 2024 UCI Esports World Championships has a list of basic requirements and modalities to be satisfied to guarantee fair competition and proper verification of performances.
MyWhoosh Power Passport Test (PPT) & Verification Process
Required for all participants to ensure competition fairness is the MyWhoosh Power Passport Test (PPT). Found in the MyWhoosh application, the PPT is not only designed to help riders determine their cycling fitness level including the Functional Threshold Power (FTP), it is also used for race verification purposes. It uses three different intervals to accurately measure the riders’ maximum power output: 2 x 6 seconds, 3 minutes, and 12 minutes.
To further ensure the quality of verification and fairness of competition, the competitors are required to record a continuous video of them completing the PPT and equipment setup. During this continuous video recording, competitors are also required to show their height and weight measurements before and after the PPT.
These results are then cross-references with race results as part of the anti-cheating protocol.
Hardware Requirements
For the live final in Abu Dhabi, all finalists will use the same smart trainer, specifically the Elite Justo, known for its high accuracy and smooth riding experience. During the semi-finals, riders can use their own smart trainers, provided they meet MyWhoosh's specifications.
This uniformity in equipment helps level the playing field and ensure the fairness of the competition.
How to Watch?
Free Admission in Abu Dhabi
If you're in Abu Dhabi, you can attend the event for free at ADNEC Marina Hall. The doors open at 4 PM GST, and the event starts at 5 PM GST.
Watch Online
If you can't make it in person, you can watch the event live on YouTube and Twitch through MyWhoosh.
Conclusion
The UCI Cycling Esports World Championships 2024, hosted on the MyWhoosh platform, marks a significant leap in the evolution of competitive cycling. This prestigious event brings together top cyclists from around the globe, testing their physical endurance and strategic thinking in a virtual environment.
As the sport continues to grow in popularity and competitiveness, the 2024 Championships offer a glimpse into the future of cycling, where technology and sports converge into the creation of a global digital arena. With dynamic race formats, large prize pools, and the increasing popularity of esports cycling, the future of competitive cycling looks more exciting than ever. Mark your calendars for October 26, as the best riders compete for glory in Abu Dhabi! For more details, check the official 2024 UCI Cycling Esports page.
