Initially as an experiment by Tour de Suisse, the Velon team association and software provider Rouvy The replacement for the cycling tour of Switzerland, which was finally cancelled at the beginning of April, has now been announced: "Digital Swiss 5" marks the start of a new chapter in eSports for cycling. The online spin-off of the Tour de Suisse, held in the virtual reality of the Rouvy platform, is the first ever digital racing series in which only professional riders are allowed to compete. Curiously, however, there is no overall ranking in the Digital Swiss 5; only the five stage wins are recognised.
However, the fundamental problems of online racing can also be felt in "Digital Swiss 5". For one thing, the Rouvy platform does not (yet) offer a slipstream effect, which throws tactical considerations out the window. The races are more like individual time trials. Secondly, the pros ride on different roller trainers, usually provided by the team sponsor, which can at least call into question the comparability of performance. Finally, calibration and accuracy are not at the same level for all smart trainers across all manufacturers, as complex TOUR tests of dozens of roller trainers have shown.
All information about the races, the participants and the live broadcast of the Digital Swiss 5 can be found here:
The races of the Digital Swiss 5
The Digital Swiss 5 format includes five different virtual races, all based on stages of the cancelled Tour de Suisse 2020. With the exception of the race on the final Sunday, the start is always set for 5:10 p.m., here are all the stages in detail:
- 1st race, 22nd April, 17:10: Agarn - Leukerbad (26.6 kilometres, 1,192 vertical metres)
- 2nd race, 23rd April, 17:10: Frauenfeld - Frauenfeld (46 kilometres, 180 metres in altitude)
- 3rd race, 24 April, 17:10: Fiesch - Nufenen Pass (33.1 kilometres, 1,512 vertical metres)
- 4th race, 25 April, 17:10: Oberlangenegg - Langnau (36.8 kilometres, 444 vertical metres)
- 5th race, 26 April, 14:10: Camperio - Disentis-Sedrun (36 kilometres, 950 vertical metres)
The participants of the Digital Swiss 5
19 teams will take part, including all WorldTour teams - with the exception of Astana, Cofidis and UAE Emirates - and the two ProContinental teams Rally Cycling and Total Direct Energie as well as the Swiss national team will complete the starting field. Unlike road races, only three riders per team and stage are allowed to start in the "Digital Swiss 5". However, the teams can change their three starters every day. The exact line-ups are only announced at 11 a.m. on the day of the race.
Among the most prominent names on the start list for the first stage are youngster Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), time trial world champion Rohan Dennis (Ineos), Tour stage winner Bauke Mollema (Trek - Segafredo) and the Germans Lennard Kämna (Bora - hansgrohe) and Simon Geschke (CCC).
Broadcast online and on TV
The TV rights to Digital Swiss 5 for the German market was acquired by ZDF. However, no live broadcast is planned, neither on ZDF nor on the speciality channels or on the ZDF website. The material is to be used in one of the morning magazine programmes, reported the website radsport-news.com. Swiss television is different: The opening stage will be shown live on SRF, while the other stages will be available via livestream. Transnational Velon offers a livestream on Facebook.
The Digital Swiss 5 will take place from 13-15 October 2022 in the Saalsporthalle Zurich. You can find more information on participants and professional teams as well as live coverage on the Event website.
