• Get Started
    • Get Started on Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Kit Unlock Codes
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Top Wheel-On Trainers
      • Top Direct-Drive <$900
      • Top Direct-Drive >$900
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List of Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Rebel Routes
    • Speed Tests
  • News
    • Events
    • Game Updates
  • Shop
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Get Started
    • Get Started on Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Kit Unlock Codes
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Top Wheel-On Trainers
      • Top Direct-Drive <$900
      • Top Direct-Drive >$900
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List of Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Rebel Routes
    • Speed Tests
  • News
    • Events
    • Game Updates
  • Shop
More
    Sign in
    Welcome! Log into your account
    Forgot your password? Get help
    Privacy Policy
    Password recovery
    Recover your password
    A password will be e-mailed to you.
    NewsEvents

    All About the 2020 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on Zwift

    Eric Schlange
    By Eric Schlange
    December 7, 2020
    30

    The first-ever UCI Cycling ESports Worlds are happening on Zwift December 9th. It’s a red-letter day for Zwift, the Zwift community, and the sport of cycling.

    “Together with the UCI on December 9th, we will be making history. This will be the first event of its kind and I believe it will mark the future direction of sport, fitness and competition. There is no doubt that technology will play a bigger role and this competition perfectly blends technology with what we traditionally associate with physical ‘sport’. 

    Eric Min, Zwift CEO and Co-Founder

    Here’s everything you need to know about the race including schedules, course details, start lists, and the winners’ jersey.

    Watch the Race

    The races kick off on December 9, 2020 at 2pm GMT (6am PST, 9am EST, 1am AEDT Dec 10th). Visit Zwift’s YouTube channel to catch the live action (embedded above), or tune into any of the following broadcasts:

    • Europe: Eurosport 2 with commentary in 21 languages (www.eurosport.co.uk) 
    • Asia Pacific: Eurosport
    • Belgium: RTBF (www.rtbf.be/sport) 
    • Belgium: VRT (www.sporza.be) 
    • France: L’Equipe (www.lequipe.fr) 
    • New Zealand: Sky TV NZ (www.sky.co.nz)
    • Norway: TV2 (www.sumo.tv2.no) 
    • Spain: TVE (www.rtve.es/deportes/mas-tdp/directo) 
    • South Africa: SuperSport (www.supersport.com)
    • USA & Canada: FloSports (www.flosports.tv)  

    Course Details

    Riders will be taking to Watopia for a 50km race on the Figure 8 Reverse route, finishing on top of the Hilly Q/KOM. This constitutes approximately 1-2/3 laps of the route, which features punchy climbs but nothing long enough for true climbers to get away from the all-arounders.

    Men and women will race the same route, in separate events. Expect the races to come down to a reduced front pack of riders going all-out for the final ~90 seconds up the Hilly KOM to the finish line. Who will have the sustained w/kg to take the win?

    Riders

    Twenty National Cycling Federations have named their teams to start the first UCI Zwift Cycling Esports World Championships. In addition, a number of Wild Card riders have also been awarded places, bringing the total number of nations represented to 22. The women’s race will feature 55 riders, the men’s race 78.

    The start lists include a mix of pro road cyclists and top Zwift Community racers. Zwift CEO Eric Min says, “Many will be familiar with the World Tour riders but I believe they will be pushed all the way by the specialist indoor racers. Don’t be surprised to see a member of the Zwift Cycling Esports emerge on top.”

    The pro athlete list includes current and former UCI World Champions as well as Olympic and Paralympic Gold Medallists. Top pro names include Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa), Esteban Chaves (Columbia), Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands), Lawson Craddock (USA), Tom Pidcock (Great Britain), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway),  Dame Sarah Storey (Great Britain), Annika Langvad (Denmark), Kristen Kulchinsky (Twenty20), and Lionel Sanders (Canada).

    Top veteran racers from the Zwift community will also be in the mix, including current #1 ranked men’s racer Holden Comeau (USA) and #1 ranked women’s racer Laura Matsen Ko. Other top community riders include Lionel Vujasin (Belgium), Ollie Jones (New Zealand), Ryan Larson (USA), Louise Bates (GBR), Courtney Nelson (USA), and Cecilia Hansen (Sweden). Many hours of Zwift experience coupled with a high degree of athleticism make these community riders some of the favorites to take home the rainbow bands!

    See complete rider start list >

    New Rainbow Kit

    A new rainbow jersey design has been unveiled with the creation of UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. This jersey will be awarded to each winner – a virtual jersey for their avatar, and a real-life version that may be worn in UCI Cycling Esports events for the 2021 season.

    The jersey design maintains the iconic rainbow bands but features a pixel design to represent this new digital discipline.

    Prize Money

    Prize money will be awarded as follows for both men’s and women’s races:

    • 1st Place: €8,000
    • 2nd Place: €4,000
    • 3rd Place: €2,000

    Community Events

    In addition to the big pro races, Zwifters will have the opportunity to take part in this landmark event by participating in Zwift PowerUp Podcast Recon Rides as well as “Nations Challenge” races organized by WTRL.

    More Info

    Looking for more info on the UCI Cycling Esports Worlds? Visit zwift.com/uk/2020-uci-cycling-esports-world-championships.

    Questions or Comments?

    Share below!

    Related Posts

    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    ReddIt
      Eric Schlange
      Eric Schlangehttp://www.zwiftinsider.com
      Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Follow on Strava

      30 COMMENTS

      Subscribe
      Log in using
      Notify of
      guest

      Log in using
      guest

      30 Comments
      oldest
      newest most voted
      Inline Feedbacks
      View all comments
      Dan
      Dan
      1 year ago

      Stoked for this, should be really good fun to watch! Just wish they would allow you to watch the race through the app and jump through the riders’ individual perspective (like you would do watching a mate). I find the broadcast coverage really difficult to follow and to get a feel of the race dynamics.

      9
      Reply
      JayDee
      JayDee
      1 year ago

      Will it take place at a venue or are the riders racing from home? Are all riders racing the same type of a trainer? How will fair play be enforced?

      0
      Reply
      Reverz
      Reverz
      1 year ago
      Reply to  JayDee

      All riders will recieve a loaner Tacx Neo 2 as far as I know from recent newsposts.

      0
      Reply
      Unknown
      Unknown
      1 year ago

      Will they release all the bikes that the pros are riding that aren’t in the drop shop? I saw a pro riding an orbea yesterday… Maybe add some bianchis?

      3
      Reply
      Dan Connelly
      Dan Connelly
      1 year ago

      Will bike differenced be de-activated for this race? They clearly should, especially with some riders coming from other platforms and less likely to have gotten the Z1, which is the obvious choice here. I’m really looking forward to the community races: this is an excellent course.

      1
      Reply
      Dean
      Dean(@itchytrout)
      1 year ago

      I really hope they sort the graphics out – I really struggle watching lower-then-SD graphics with overlays that cover most of the screen real estate and also struggle to get overall view of races/riders positions. I enjoyed Matt’s coverage (race in in past few hours for eg) but some presenters need working on if they expect this to be world class.

      Last edited 1 year ago by Dean
      0
      Reply
      Hemsk
      Hemsk
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Dean

      You really think they’ll change the graphics significantly in a week?

      0
      Reply
      Colin Peerman
      Colin Peerman
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Dean

      I ‘play’/run Zwift in 4K and it’s excellent. However, the muppets outputting the streams for broadcast seem to be doing it at a poor 1080P. No wonder it looks s**t. Sometimes, people just can’t get out of their own way …🙄

      0
      Reply
      Tristan
      Tristan
      1 year ago

      Totally stoked for this! Alaphilippe should definitely sign up – it would be a nice safe race for him 😉

      As for coverage, I wonder if UCI will live stream in the same way they live stream all the other UCI events. Would be great if they do.

      2
      Reply
      BikePower
      Super Member
      BikePower(@bikepower)
      1 year ago

      I watched the virtual TdF, but frankly I’m so tired of Zwift focusing on pet projects and trying to attract new users while giving long standing users little or nothing that I just don’t care.

      20
      Reply
      Ben palmer
      Ben palmer
      1 year ago
      Reply to  BikePower

      Agree 100% with BikePower. Who cares? Zwift plainly couldn’t care less about their existing user base. I feel for Eric S – so much hard work goes into this site and every month and his heart must sink when it becomes clear every time that Zwift simply don’t give a **** about anything other than trying to cope Peloton. Going to give Rouvy another try….

      7
      Reply
      Alex
      Alex
      1 year ago
      Reply to  BikePower

      I agree with your sentiment, but we’re not talking about a “pet project” here. It’s actually the exact opposite: an integral part of their business model going forward.

      That and hardware are the two components that are supposed to transform Zwift from a niche product to mainstream. That vision is the reason why the platform is valued at over $1bln now.

      0
      Reply
      Darren
      Darren
      1 year ago
      Reply to  BikePower

      Yep. Every once in a while I log in here, wondering, “so is Zwift still stuck where they were when I left?” The answer is always yes they are. Same graphics, UI, routes… Meanwhile companies in this space with 1/100th of the resources roll out regular updates.

      0
      Reply
      eeppansson
      eeppansson
      1 year ago

      Maybe the next world championships will permit more than 20 countries to enter? Interested to see how this goes.

      0
      Reply
      Simon Collins
      Simon Collins
      1 year ago

      I am attempting a measured post to this as I write this following the 2nd week in a row that my event was ruined by poor connection/server issues. I am no IT expert and it may be my ISP but bear with me. For the last two weeks I have been taking part in the ZRL. For the last two weeks my data hasn’t loaded to Strava, I have had poor experience in Zwift where I was racing on my own. Prior to my abandoned effort tonight I researched the field. Other riders in ZP with blank data for ZRL… Read more »

      2
      Reply
      Tom Smulders
      Tom Smulders
      1 year ago

      Aren’t the broadcast times weird? It will be night in the US and early in the morning in Europe? Why broadcast at this time?

      0
      Reply
      Alex
      Alex
      1 year ago

      Eric, the times are not correct

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Alex

      Just updated them to reflect the scheduled YouTube broadcast (as that’s the only time I’ve been given): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYNmq9cIRyA

      0
      Reply
      Jon Wakefield
      Jon Wakefield
      1 year ago

      Looking forward to these races… It is an interesting line up for both Mens and Womens. I really hope that a Zwift Community rider wins so that the rainbow bands can continue to be represented on the platform… It would be such a shame if a ‘pro’ wins and then is not active in the community for the following year.

      Personally, I would like to see Zwift recognise and celebrate the community riders more … they are the true pros of the platform and the ones who the true racing user base know and support.

      1
      Reply
      Mr Richard Neil
      Mr Richard Neil(@richardneil)
      1 year ago

      Impossible to watch this live without subscribing to some third party service or another. very disappointing that this is not freely available online.

      0
      Reply
      Ronald
      Ronald
      1 year ago

      I think it’s a missed opportunity for woman cycling.
      Even Zwift’s broadcast started halfway the woman’s race. With a new concept, this was the opportunity to treat men and woman cycling the same. I strongly believe Zwift should at least broadcasted the woman’s start. That TV-broadcasting is old fashioned, so be it.

      1
      Reply
      Mark M
      Mark M
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Ronald

      That was my reaction at first, but to Zwift’s (dis)credit they ended up doing the same to the men.

      0
      Reply
      Greg Hilton
      Greg Hilton(@ghilton)
      1 year ago

      Can anyone see this currently on YouTube??

      0
      Reply
      Colin Peerman
      Colin Peerman
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Greg Hilton

      it’s on eurosport

      0
      Reply
      Greg Hilton
      Greg Hilton(@ghilton)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Colin Peerman

      cheers Colin, so subscription needed I guess?

      0
      Reply
      Colin Peerman
      Colin Peerman
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Greg Hilton

      yup

      0
      Reply
      Eric Schlange
      Author
      Top Member
      Eric Schlange(@eschlange)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Greg Hilton

      I watched it on YouTube. Apparently it was blocked for UK viewers though. Broadcast licenses, I’m sure…

      0
      Reply
      Remon Lam
      Remon Lam(@remon-lam)
      1 year ago
      Reply to  Eric Schlange

      Yup same here in the Netherlands, not on YouTube but on eurosport 🙁

      0
      Reply
      Colin Peerman
      Colin Peerman
      1 year ago

      Just watching on Eurosport. I must say, someone has done some work, as the graphics are as good as I’ve seen on a Zwift broadcast. 👌

      0
      Reply
      Damian Walker
      Damian Walker
      1 year ago

      Great races poorly televised and the YT video was 27 km in before we saw the riders. Matt was sidelined and the screen data displays were poor. The riders images on trainers were too small to see them and being Eurosports they definitely had the technology, experience and budget to do a better job. Zwift provided a lot of good stuff and to see rider do 12.4 W/kg to win was brilliant. Lessons to learn, hope they do. Tnx Eric.

      2
      Reply
      wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

      Free Zwift Trial

      Create Account

      Newest Featured Posts

      All About Zwift Academy Road 2022

      Events

      Top 5 Zwift Videos: Ramp Tests, Racing, and Resources for New Zwifters

      Racing

      How the Race Was Won: Surviving Box Hill

      Racing

      Support This Site

      Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. See how you can support Zwift Insider!

      This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs.

      This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts.

      Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy

      Privacy Policy

      [email protected]

      Latest articles

      7 Deadly Wins, Week 5: Playing the Hand You’re Dealt

      All About Zwift Academy Road 2022

      Top 5 Zwift Videos: Ramp Tests, Racing, and Resources for New Zwifters

      Popular Categories

      • Racing887
      • News699
      • Training & Nutrition566
      • Interviews435
      • Events399
      • Routes & Maps288
      30
      0
      Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
      ()
      x
      | Reply
      Comment Author Info
      :wpds_smile::wpds_grin::wpds_wink::wpds_mrgreen::wpds_neutral::wpds_twisted::wpds_arrow::wpds_shock::wpds_unamused::wpds_cool::wpds_evil::wpds_oops::wpds_razz::wpds_roll::wpds_cry::wpds_eek::wpds_lol::wpds_mad::wpds_sad::wpds_exclamation::wpds_question::wpds_idea::wpds_hmm::wpds_beg::wpds_whew::wpds_chuckle::wpds_silly::wpds_envy::wpds_shutmouth:
      You are going to send email to

      Move Comment


    • Related Posts