CE:UK was set up by myself, Dean Cunningham, as a discipline-specific organiser/governing body for Cycling Esports within the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Until 2025, the UK saw no organised regional or national-level racing held in the Cycling Esports discipline, despite it being recognised as a discipline within cycle sport by the UCI.
The UK is a cycling nation, and there is no more accessible way to race on a bike than to do so at home on platforms such as Zwift, where hundreds of people across the UK are already racing week in, week out. It seems fair and sensible that we capture and give the opportunity of a Championship race each year. This is what Cycling Esports UK set out to do in 2025, and what it continues to build and deliver in 2026.
With CE:UK, we want to build a positive movement. It’s not just about an annual Championship race. We want to build a supportive community of racers in our country. What we are doing here is trying to bring everyone of all abilities and outlooks on Cycling Esports together, within the UK. We have spent too many years disjointed and frustrated. Let’s all come together, support this community in its build phase, and see what we can achieve together!
Championship Race 2026
The second annual Cycling Esports UK Championship will take place on Tuesday, 17th March 2026. Women race at 1830 UTC, and men race at 1930 UTC.
The course and format for the race are inspired by classic town centre crits of times gone by in the UK. Fun to race. Fun to watch!
It’s a straight scratch race consisting of 12 laps of Duchy Estate on Zwift’s Yorkshire world (37.7 km distance with 492m of elevation gain).
Every lap will see racers have to punch out of corners and kick up short, steep climbs. It will be attritional and will truly highlight the best all-around riders.
All race information and registration can be found on Leadout Esports: leadoutesports.com/events/uk-2026
The race will be fully broadcast on YouTube here by Leadout Esports at youtube.com/watch?v=uruuh5GyFA0.
Age Group Winners
One of the critical things for us at CE:UK, is giving something for everyone to race for, whether that is to become a Champion, to win your age group, or to have fun racing with your friends.
As well as crowning our Cycling Esports UK Champions for 2026, the race will also determine who our winners are in the following Age Group categories:
- 18-29
- 30-39
- 40-49
- 50+
As always, male and female races will feature the same categories and the same course over the same distance.
Performance Verification
All participants are required to submit a weight video prior to the race and to submit a dual recording after their race has finished.
We totally understand that some riders will see these requirements as a hurdle. But within CE:UK and within participating riders/their teams, we have incredible amounts of knowledge and willingness to help people comply with these requirements. We promise, they are not as difficult as they seem. After you have done them once, it is super easy going forward!
Zwift, at its core, relies on rider weight and input power being correct. The dynamics of the peloton in game are directly dictated by these factors. So, it is only fair that we ensure everyone racing is doing so at their correct weight and utilising a power device that is both accurate and fair to their fellow competitors.
Performing a weight video or submitting a dual recording is not “elite.” These are simple tasks that anyone of any level of capability can do. Even if not for race accuracy/fairness, it confirms to you that your equipment is working well. It verifies the numbers you are riding/training/racing with are a true representation of your capability, which is very beneficial to all riders who are training/racing indoors. The more people we have doing means better, fairer and more legitimate racing in general for everyone.
If the Performance Verification requirements are deterring anyone from entering, we absolutely welcome them to come and have a chat with us. Reach out in the Discord server, email the race organiser or speak with your team mates. There is so much support out there for anyone who is unsure about the PV requirements. Don’t let it stop you from racing!
A full list of PV requirements can be found by hitting the “Download Race Book” button on Leadout Esports at leadoutesports.com/events/uk-2026.
CE:UK Ambitions
A Championship race is just the beginning. The intention is to grow Cycling Esports within the UK. But we need the support and the strength that comes from an established community.
Region-Specific Racing
The momentum of a strong community will allow us to deliver league structures, regional and national rankings, and host further Championship events.
For Winter 2026, we would love to establish regionalised racing and region-specific leagues/leaderboards. To establish this, we want to integrate with local clubs throughout the UK. This will allow riders to compete with their local clubmates and rivals during the winter months.
This naturally then leads us to hosting Regional Championships, which lead into the annual CE:UK Championship race.
As an example, Scotland North region hosted a Winter Chase League series on Zwift during January/February this year. It saw 110+ riders enter every single week for six weeks across six categories. All abilities, showing up racing for their local club on Zwift and having fun! It was a great success and shows that this model can be utilised in more regions within the UK, all under our Cycling Esports UK umbrella.
Esports as a Development Pathway
Establishing Cycling Esports within the UK itself doesn’t just help existing racers. It also opens up doors for young talent to use Cycling Esports as a pathway to professional sport. We absolutely can and should be using Cycling Esports as talent identification, since it is easily the most accessible form of cycle sport we have.
The commitments required of young athletes to make cycling a career are currently unfeasible for the vast majority. The monetary requirements alone for young riders and their families are simply unachievable, and we feel that Cycling Esports can play a very important role in lessening that burden.
Please support this community and help us achieve together!
