UCI Cycling Esports World Championships: The most important information about the Indoor Cycling World Championships
Thomas Goldmann
· 16.02.2023
Esports World Championship: elimination in three rounds
The competitions are made up of three races that build on each other: "The Punch", "The Climb" and "The Podium". "The new format is in line with our desire to continue to innovate and increase the appeal of our sport. Our first two UCI World Cycling Sport Championships were a great success and now we have increased the excitement with three separate events where the peloton is progressively decimated," said UCI President David Lappartient after the announcement of the new format.
Round 1: The Punch
The World Championship races will take place on Zwift's new Scotland map. The UCI Cycling Esports World Championships kick off with "The Punch" on the Rolling Highlands course. This is a 14.1 kilometre long course. The top 30 riders in this format qualify for the next race, the rest are eliminated.
Round 2: The Climb
Discipline number two is "The Climb". This hill climb takes place on Scotland's City and the Sgurr course over a 8.6 kilometre course with a difference in altitude of 161 metres per lap. The ten best riders in this race go through to the third round: "The Podium".
Round 3: The Podium
The podium race takes place on the Glasgow Crit Circuit - a three-kilometre course with 33 metres of elevation gain. It works like an elimination race. Each time a rider crosses the finish line, one rider is eliminated until only the top three remain. This group decides the world champion among themselves until the finish.
The world champion may wear the rainbow jersey until the next World Cup in 2024.
Esports World Championship race on Wahoo Kickr smart trainers
In terms of equipment, everyone should have the same conditions. That's why all participants in the World Championships will be competing on the latest generation of Wahoo Kickr smart trainers. This allows them to react to changes in the virtual course and the race - for example, it is possible to simulate slipstreaming. All racing bike models available on Zwift can be selected. The performance differences between the bikes are equalised. The riders start in the virtual team jersey of their respective nation.
Roller training with Zwift: basic equipment for smart indoor cycling
UCI Cycling Esports World Championships: Broadcast & Live-Stream
Indoor cycling fans can follow the World Championships in the live stream on the Zwift and GCN YouTube channels. The event will be broadcast live there, as well as on Discovery+ from 19:00 to 22:15.
UCI Cycling Esports World Championships: The start list
Men
- Ben Hill (Australia)
- Freddy Ovett (Australia)
- Joshua Harris (Australia)
- Kyle Marwood (Australia)
- Sam Hill (Australia)
- Torben Partridge-Madsen (Australia)
- Christoph Thiem (Germany)
- Jason Osborne (Germany)
- Marc Mäding (Germany)
- Martin Maertens (Germany)
- Matthias Straßer (Germany)
- Simon Walter (Germany)
- Bart van den Eeckhaut (Belgium)
- Jasper Paridaens (Belgium)
- Jo Pirotte (Belgium)
- Kjell Power (Belgium)
- Lionel Vujasin (Belgium)
- Mathieu Decock (Belgium)
- Rinus Verhelle (Belgium)
- Victor Campenaerts (Belgium)
- Akelsej Calmann (Belgium)
- Anders Foldager (Denmark)
- Björn Andreassen (Denmark)
- Daniel Lyhne (Denmark)
- Joakim Lisson (Denmark)
- Nicklas Pedersen (Denmark)
- Oskar Hvid (Denmark)
- Daniel Pettinger (Austria)
- Michael Konczer (Austria)
- Jena-Michel Lachance (Canada)
- Thomas Thrall (Canada)
- Samuel Travis (Canada)
- Warren Muir (Canada)
- Marcel Wyss (Switzerland)
- Havard Gjeldnes (Norway)
- Johannes Kulset (Norway)
- Stian Lersveen (Norway)
- Vidar Mehl (Norway)
- Pim van Diemen (Netherlands)
- Rick Ottema (Netherlands)
- Tibor Zwaan (Netherlands)
- Alex Tenelshof (USA)
- Brian Duffy (USA)
- Daniel Jamrozik (USA)
- David Talbott (USA)
- Joseph Chudyk (USA)
- John Bruhn (USA)
- Kevin Bouchard-Hall (USA)
- Matt Curbeau (USA)
- Ryan Larson (USA)
- Timothy Rugg (USA)
- Zach Nehr (USA)
- Michal Kaminski (Poland)
- Pawel Baran (Poland)
- Johan Noren (Sweden)
- Martin Härberg (Sweden)
- Martin Lindqvist (Sweden)
- Samuel Brännlund (Sweden)
- Christopher Dawson (Ireland)
- Richard Barry (Ireland)
- Ben Ruthe (New Zealand)
- Mark Bowstead (New Zealand)
- Ollie Jones (New Zealand)
- Thomas Berry (New Zealand)
- Alessandra Barra (Italy)
- Luca Zanasca (Italy)
- Matteo Cigala (Italy)
- Riccardo Panizza (Italy)
- Aaron Borrill (South Africa)
- Bradley Gouveris (South Africa)
- Jacques van Rensburg (South Africa)
- James Barnes (South Africa)
- Andy Nichols (Great Britain)
- Ben Russell (Great Britain)
- Edward Laverack (Great Britain)
- Jimmy Kershaw (Great Britain)
- Joseph Rees (Great Britain)
- Geoffrey Millour (France)
- Sebastien Havot (France)
- Hidenori Sasauchi (Japan)
- Kohiro Hatsukawa (Japan)
- Teppo Laurio (Finland)
- Leandro Messineo (Argentina)
- Daniel Turek (Czech Republic)
- Miguel Angel Andres Garcia (Spain)
Women's starting list
- Loes Adegeest (Netherlands)
- Eva van Agt (Netherlands)
- Femke de Zee (Netherlands)
- Lieke Nooijen (Netherlands)
- Linda Klein (Netherlands)
- Maaike van der Plas (Netherlands)
- Anna Embring (Sweden)
- Asa Fast-Berglund (Sweden)
- Gabriella Nordin (Sweden)
- Johanna Tidholm (Sweden)
- Marlene Bjärhed (Sweden)
- Mika Söderström (Sweden)
- Nellie Larsson (Sweden)
- Sara Lundin (Sweden)
- Adele Battersby (Great Britain)
- Alice Lethbridge (Great Britain)
- Charlotte Colclough (Great Britain)
- Hayley Simmonds (Great Britain)
- Lizi Brooke (Great Britain)
- Lou Bates (Great Britain)
- Lucy Harris (Great Britain)
- Mary Wilkinson (Great Britain)
- Natalie Stevenson (Great Britain)
- Rachel Brown (Great Britain)
- Ruth Stier (Great Britain)
- Zoe Langham (Great Britain)
- Catherine Colyn (South Africa)
- Courteney Webb (South Africa)
- Maude Elaine Le Roux (South Africa)
- Nadine Visser (South Africa)
- Arielle Verhaaren (USA)
- Courtney Nelson (USA)
- Ellexi Snover (USA)
- Kristen Kulchinsky (USA)
- Morgan Uceny (USA)
- Jacqueline Godbe (USA)
- Liz van Houweling (USA)
- Fie Österby (Denmark)
- Bre Vine (Australia)
- Imogen Alton (Australia)
- Justine Barrow (Australia)
- Katie Banerjeee (Australia)
- Rose Vassel (Australia)
- Vicki Whitelaw (Australia)
- Kathrin Fuhrer (Switzerland)
- Melanie Maurer (Germany)
- Eleisa Haag (Germany)
- Gökce Paul (Germany)
- Hannah Ludwig (Germany)
- Merle Brunnée (Germany)
- Pia Kummer (Germany)
- Tanja Erath (Germany)
- Amelia van Hove (Belgium)
- Chantal Fouwe (Belgium)
- Eleanor Wiseman (Belgium)
- Josee Rossignol (Canada)
- Mairen Lawson (Canada)
- Megan Rathwell (Canada)
- Monilee Keller (Canada)
- Myriam Paquet (Canada)
- Agata Flis (Poland)
- Marta Gryczko (Poland)
- Sonia Cieciel (Poland)
- Bronwyn Macgregor (New Zealand)
- Sonia Foote (New Zealand)
- Anne Nevin (Norway)
- Emma Julie Dyrhovden (Norway)
- Ingeborg Hestad (Norway)
- Laurence Mottas (France)
- Sandrine Etienne (France)
- Sophie Giovane (France)
- Dillana Benito Ana (Spain)
- Shoko Kashiki (Japan)
- Vera Vilaca (Portugal)
- Chiara Doni (Italy)
- Maria Elvira Wilhelm (Italy)
- Barabara Frisch (Argentina)
- Luciana Roland (Argentina)
- Katharina Machner (Austria)
- Jenny Ek (Finland)
- Lam Kong (Hong Kong)
- Heather Foley (Ireland)
- Imogen Cotter (Ireland)
- Linda Kelly (Ireland)
- Laura Simenc (Slovenia)
- Natalia Franco (Colombia)
The first UCI Cycling Esports World Championships were held in 2020. Back then, German rower Jason Osborne won the men's title - he is now a professional with Team Alpecin-Deceuninck. South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio won the women's event. The event was not held in 2021. 2022 Jay Vine from Australia, who has been riding for the professional cycling team UAE Team Emirates since this season, became world champion in the men's race, while Loes Adegeest from the Netherlands triumphed in the women's race.
