First UCI Cycling Esports World Championships – LIVE today

Chief Correspondent

Who will be the first official UCI World Champion on Zwift?

First announced last September, today is the day that the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships becomes a reality, hosted on Zwift (www.zwift.com).

Given the way that the world has changed since that announcement, few will be able to claim that they haven’t spent too much time on their indoor trainer, learning the details of indoor racing.

If Lionel Sanders was seeking an easy week following his efforts for fourth place on Sunday at the PTO 2020 Championship / Challenge Daytona, 50km against some of the best road riders in the world is unlikely to provide it.

Lionel recently broke the Canadian Hour record on the velodrome – but one of his competitors today will be Victor Campanaerts (BEL), the current world record holder for that discipline. Victor used to be a triathlete too.

Rigoburto Uran, Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Ed Clancy and Tom Pidcock are among the familiar names from the world of cycling who will also be racing

There’s triathlon interest in the women’s event too, where Angela Naeth – who also raced in Daytona – will be part of the Canadian women’s team. In addition, Lou Bates (who was better known in triathlon circles as Louise Collins), won her Age-Group at the IRONMAN World Championships a decade ago, and also finished second overall – as an AG athlete – at IRONMAN Lanzarote.

Lisa Brennauer, Elinor Barker, Kirsten Wild, Annemiek Van Vleuten and Anna Van Der Breggen are some of the high profile names set to compete.

The Course

Riders will be taking to Zwift’s Watopia for a 50km race on the Watopia Figure 8 Reverse course, finishing on top of the Hilly Q/KOM. Both the Elite Men and Women will compete on the same course over the same distance. With 483m in elevation, this course will suit a rider with all-round abilities. At an average gradient of 5.5% over 0.9km, the Watopia Hilly Q/KOM will be a testing finish.

Zwift / UCI Cycling eSports World Championships
Advertisements

Where to watch

On the 9th of December, the world’s best cyclists take to the start line of the inaugural UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. You can watch both the Men’s and Women’s elite races from 14:00 UTC/GMT.

If you don’t find a broadcaster in your country above, make sure to go to https://www.youtube.com/zwift to catch the live action.

FULL START LISTS

Zwift UCI kiit
Latest News
Thor Bendix Madsen - IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote 2023 - run
Thor Bendix Madsen puts season on hold
Alex Yee Marten Van Riel copyright Darren Wheeler SLT
“One more shot” at Olympic glory for Marten Van Riel in Paris
Mike Phillips winning the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong [Photo credit: Korupt Vision]
PTO World Rankings: Phillips and Thek main movers after weekend Down Under
RaceRanger draft zone sticker 2023
Red light for the draft zone – RaceRanger tech gets go ahead for Ibiza
Lionel Sanders and Rudy Von Berg sprint at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside 2022 Photo Credit: Donald Miralle / IRONMAN
No go for ‘No Limits’ as Lionel Sanders rules himself out of Oceanside