Yesterday the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Zwift confirmed the list of 50 top finishers from the recent open Continental Qualifier races who will be competing for their nations at the UCI Cycling Esports Word Championships 2022.
Last year was the first-ever UCI Cycling Esports World Championships and this year, for the first time ever, Continental Qualifier races were held to provide an open and equitable pathway to participate in the elite UCI World Championship event.
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In a testament to the power and accessibility of esports, races across five continents hosted a total of 550 eligible riders vying for a chance to represent their countries in the biggest virtual cycling race of the year.
Highlights from the Continental Qualifiers
But of course, only a fraction of those riders would qualify for the big race. Here’s the full list of newly-qualified riders…
Qualified Riders
Europe
Men:
Lionel Vujasin (CRO)
Matthias Deroose (BEL)
Matteo Cigala (ITA)
Haarvard Gjeldnes (NOR)
Teppo Laurio (FIN)
Women:
Zoe Langham (GBR)
Mary Wilkinson (GBR)
Cecilia Hansen (SWE)
Loes Adegeest (NDL)
Melanie Maurer (SUI)
Illi Gardner (GBR)
Alice Lethbridge (GBR)
Lou Bates (GBR)
Louise Houbak (DEN)
Eleanor Wiseman (BEL)
Americas
Men:
Zach Nehr (USA)
Brian Duffy (USA)
Thomas Thrall (CAN)
John Bruhn (USA)
Kevin Bouchard-Hall (USA)
Women:
Shayna Powless (USA)
Jacquie Godbe (USA)
Liz van Houweling (USA)
Kristen Kulchinsky (USA)
Monilee Keller (CAN)
Katheryn Curi (USA)
Oceania
Men:
Ben Hill (AUS)
Ollie Jones (NZL)
Paul Odlin (NZL)
Sam Lindsay (NZL)
Aiden Sinclair (AUS)
Women:
Vicky Whitelaw (AUS)
Justine Barrow (AUS)
Katie Banerjee (AUS)
Sarah Morrison (NZL)
Asia
Men:
Takato Ikeda (JPN)
Toshiaki Maegawa (JPN)
Hidenori Sasauchi (JPN)
Tomoaki Takasugi (JPN)
Ryusuke Honda (JPN)
Women:
Lam Kong (HKG)
Lyn Ahmad (SNG)
Faye Foo (SNG)
Tsalina Phang (SNG)
Africa
Men:
Gary Muller (RSA)
James Barnes (RSA)
Eddy Hoole (RSA)
Pieter Avenant (RSA)
Andre Matias (ANG)
Note: if you’re wondering why some continents have fewer than five women listed, while some have more than five, it’s because:
- Not all continents had enough women meet the qualification criteria (either they weren’t auto A cat + or they couldn’t complete the necessary verification process)
- Any unallocated berths were re-allocated to the biggest continents (Europe and the Americas). This policy was communicated to racers prior to the race, so they knew what was at stake.
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What’s Next?
Additional rider selections will be made by the 23 National Federations who receive automatic invites from the UCI. “Places will be awarded based on a combination of Cycling Esports community size and the depth of talent based on both esports and UCI road rankings,” according to press releases.
The UCI Cycling Esports World Championships will take place on the 26th of February, 2022. The race will be held on the Knickerbocker route in Zwift’s New York world, and that circuit’s rolling roads and steep gradients will certainly make for a selective and exciting race!
Questions or Comments?
Post below!
Surely they will do more than one lap, right?
I like the “survival of the fittest” character of the road world championship. I understand that they won’t make a 250km Zwift race, but I would be glad if the official Zwift races gain a bit of length.
It’s two full laps of the route, plus a partial lap. Ends atop the KOM. In total, riders will cover 54.9km and 944m of climbing.
I was invited to try and quality for this, but I didn’t bother as I thought it would be all about 1-5 minute power and alas it is. People who have good 20 minute power and are not explosive, it’s not really for them. I appreciate it’s mostly the same in the UCI World Championships, but it would be nice to create a route that tries to level the playing field and gives everyone a chance.
Part of me thinks with the next extension perhaps Zwift need to think about how that could be achieved and create roads that would facilitate that or even a route. For example, to make it fair, maybe have the race start by going up a big climb, meaning that those with good 20 minutes need to go full gas to create a gap from the sprinter types. Meanwhile, the sprinter tyres need to work together over the climb and chase the climber types, who probably would have a disadvantage on the descent. Anyway, I am sure Zwift could do simulations on routes to create something which is fair and inclusive and gives everyone an equal chance, depending on their type of rider they are. I think it would quite interesting to start with an event in mind, then work backwards to create an course / roads for that. Perhaps that is what Zwift does – hmmmm – maybe an article here for me to investigate 🤔
I agree. And I don’t think it’s out of the question for Zwift to design a tailor made esports WC course. In terms of e-racing I imagine that the world championships are a pretty big deal so I think it warrants some resources to be committed to it
I think the climb seperates the racers and puts a stop to a 25 person sprint finish. A long climb has little excitement for the viewers. I think this is a great course to race and watch. Richmond is still a great course too.
James Barnes, aka Winter Soldier
Doesn’t Vujasin live in Belgium and Cigala in Ireland for many years – fwiw
Eddie Hoole is a complete fraud, and has apparently been faking all his data using a hack that has been known since 2019….he has even been faking his training rides. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/12/zwift-uci-cheating-astounding-championship-qualifier.html