The global spread of Covid-19 beginning in 2020 has had an impact in countless ways beyond personal health. In our narrower world of cycling, there was a rediscovery for many people of the pleasures of outdoor riding but also, with new technology, an explosion of interest in indoor cycling, for fitness but also for racing. In only a few years this has established itself to the point where e-racing will be a demonstration sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics and no company has positioned itself to take better advantage of this trend than Zwift. On February 18, 2023, the third UCI Cycling Esports World Championships will take place, following on successful events held in 2020 and 2022, all of which have used Zwift as the standard platform. This year’s competition sees a revised format, with participants from around the world racing in three different courses on Zwift’s new Scotland roads which were developed for the event. The top 30 riders on the first (virtual) rolling terrain course will move on to a hill repeat series, after which the first 10 move on to an elimination race, with the last three sprinting in the final lap for podium places. The winner will win a special (somewhat pixillated) rainbow jersey—although one supposes that given the usual rule that you can only wear a World Champion jersey in the discipline in which you won it the esports victor may only be wearing this one while riding at home in front of the […]
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