Bytagand the publication "The UCI ESport World Championships on Zwift on December 9, 2020"
Bytagand the publication “The UCI ESport World Championships on Zwift on December 9, 2020”
Zwift, the global online fitness platform for cyclists, is able to confirm full details regarding the inaugural UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on Zwift.
Source: CP
20 National Cycling Federations have entered their teams to take part in the first UCI Esport Cycling World Championships on Zwift. In addition, a number of riders have been awarded a Wild Card, bringing the total number of nations represented to 22.
In addition to the men's and women's elite races, Zwift will offer a number of events aimed at its community. Among them, the Nations Challenge, an opportunity for each Zwifter to ride for their country, but also the Zwift PowerUp Podcast events Recon, with current and former UCI world champions as guests.
Runners from all walks of life
Among the selected riders, cyclists from professional pelotons, but also some of the best Esport cyclists in the Zwift community. Many international professional athletes will take part in this race, from Olympic and Paralympic medallists to current and past UCI world champions and triathletes.
Among them, 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 (USA), Tom Pidcock (Great Britain)tagne), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway), Dame Sarah Storey (Great Britaintagne), Annika Langvad (Denmark), Lionel Sanders (Canada), Daryl Impey (South Africa), Eli Iserbit (Belgium), Jordan Sarrou (France) or Alberto Bettiol (Italy). These personalities will be joined by big names in cycling Esport. Riders such as Lionel Vujasin (Belgium), Ollie Jones (New Zealand) and Cecilia Hansen (Sweden). If they are relatively unknown compared to the World Tour professionals, they will certainly be among the favorites.
The full list of athletes for each event can be consulted here.
Riders will take to Zwift's virtual world of Watopia for a 50km race on the reversed Watopia Figure 8 course, finishing at the top of the Q/KOM. The men and women in the Elite category will compete on the same course and over the same distance. With an elevation gain of 483 m, this course will suit versatile runners. 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 enter 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 bigger role and this competition perfectly combines technology with what we traditionally associate with physical ‘sport’. The difference is already small and this becomes evident when you look at the teams selected by each of the national cycling federations. Many will be familiar with the World Tour riders, but expect them to be challenged by the 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 am looking forward to it"
Who says official competition, says 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 during the various events of UCI Esport cycling during the 2021 season. The jersey design retains the iconic rainbow stripes but features a pixel pattern to represent this new digital discipline.
Events open to all
Alongside the professional races, Zwifters around the world will have the opportunity to celebrate this historic event. To mark the inaugural UCI x Zwift World Championships, the platform has recorded a number of special podcasts featuring UCI World Champions from across multiple disciplines. Guests of honour 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, which will allow you to listen to them while following the same route as the Elite runners. The list of all these races is available here.
On the weekend of December 5th and 6th, community event organizer World Tactical Racing Leagues will be hosting the “Nations Challenge.” This unique event format will allow all members of the Zwift community to represent their country. They are encouraged to give their all, together, as the winning country of the Nations Challenge will be the one with the fastest cumulative time – regardless of physical ability, every race counts! You can find more details about the Nations Challenge events at the Zwift events page here.
Official partners of the UCI Esports World Championships on Zwift, Garmin-Tacx, Shimano, Science in Sport and Toyota South Africa Motors, will all host fan events with VIP guests. Full details on these races and the UCI x Zwift World Championships can be found at www.zwift.com/2020-uci-cycling-esports-world-championships.
About Zwift
Zwift the fitness app born from gaming. At Zwift, they are passionate about sports but who also have a solid background in software and video game development. Combining this passion with a deep understanding of the world of fitness, Zwift is the first company to use multiplayer gaming technology to virtualize the outdoor experience. Athletes from all over the world can train and compete in sophisticated 3D universes by connecting their training devices (home trainer, power meter, treadmill heart rate monitor, etc.) in Wifi via ANT+ and BLE connection. Friendly competition, races, rigorous training programs: Zwift builds a community of athletes who bytagent the same mindset to optimize the experience of networked physical training.
More information: www.zwift.com
About the UCI
Founded in 1900 in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the governing body of world cycling. It develops and supervises cycling in all its forms and for all audiences: competitive sport, health-leisure activity, means of transport, or just cycling for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the eight disciplines of cycling: route, track, mountain bike, BMX racing, BMX freestyle, cyclo cross, trials and indoor cycling. Five of these are on the Olympic Games programme (route, track, mountain bike, BMX supercross and BMX freestyle park), two at the Paralympic Games (route and track) and four at the Youth Olympic Games (route, mountain bike, BMX supercross and BMX freestyle park).
More information: www.uci.org
About the UCI Esports World Championships Partners on Zwift
Garmin Tacx
Built 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, it's time to see the results!
Toyota South Africa Motors
Toyota South Africa is South Africa's leading automotive company, with 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 the reliability of its products.
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