Virtual Tour de France comes to Zwift

It’s not going to feature three weeks of five hour days – but the world’s best cyclists, male and female, will be riding in the first Virtual Tour de France on Zwift during three back-to-back weekends in July.

With new maps added to the platform, equal gender coverage (racing over the same course and distances) plus mass participation Virtual L’Etape events for the rest of us, this is yet another ‘eSports is here, and it’s not going away’ statement, that I’ve repeated many times over the past 18 months. Given the formal link and project with by far the best known event in cycling, it might be the biggest statement from Zwift on eSports yet.

Here is the full news, just released:

VIRTUAL TOUR DE FRANCE ON ZWIFT: RIDING FOR SOLIDARITY

Men and Women to compete over three weekends in July, plus three mass participation Virtual L‘Etape du Tour de France events all in aid of five global charity partners.

First Virtual Tour de France for Men and Women.
23 Men’s Teams and 17 Women’s Professional Teams Confirmed. Confirmed names include Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, Egan Bernal and Greg Van Avermaet for the men’s race. Marianne Vos, Chloé Dygert Owen, Kirsten Wild and Anna van der Breggen are amongst the names confirmed for the women’s race.
Racing to be broadcast to over 130 countries worldwide over the 3 weekends.
Virtual l’Etape du Tour de France to offer mass participation opportunity for cyclists worldwide on the same roads as the professionals.
The event sees two new maps added to Zwift: France and Paris.
Tour de France United to raise funds for five charity partners: Emmaüs, Secours Populaire, Jeugdfonds Sport and Cultuur, BiJeWa and Qhubeka.

Racing is to return this July with the first Virtual Tour de France on the online training and racing platform, Zwift. Starting on Saturday, July 4th, the Virtual Tour de France is to form a part of the Tour de France United, a charity initiative in celebration of the Tour de France that will run until the conclusion of the rescheduled Tour de France in August.

Designed to deliver both the best virtual racing experience for both competitors and viewers, the Virtual Tour de France will be held over six stages, each around an hour in duration. Racing will commence on Saturday, July 4th with the first women’s stage, followed immediately by the men. Stages for both races are held on identical courses and over the same distance. Both events will receive equal broadcast coverage.

The stages of the Virtual Tour de France will provide opportunities for all types of rider. Stages 1 and 2 will be held on Zwift’s biggest map, the fantasy volcanic island of Watopia. For the Tour de France, Watopia will receive several visual additions inspired by Nice, the planned host town for this year’s ‘Grand Départ’. Stages 3, 4 and 5 will be held on an entirely new French map designed specifically for the Virtual Tour de France. Stage 5 is marked as the Queen Stage, and one for the climbers, with a summit finish at Chalet Reynard on the formidable Mont Ventoux. Stage 6 will see the racers take to the iconic Champs-Élysées, finishing in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

“I cannot imagine the month of July without cycling,” Says Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France. “Thanks to the virtual Tour de France, which will be widely broadcast on TV, the champions and their fans will fill in the void left by the Tour de France, which will reunite with the public in Nice on 29 August. The Tour Virtuel puts technology to work for passion and the cause of cycling for everyone.”

Yann Le Moenner, ASO General Manager adds, “Our joint project with cycling teams, Zwift, charities and broadcasters is all about leveraging the newest esport technologies to put the spotlight on the champions who were supposed to ride the Tour de France in July, as well as bringing bicycles to people who do not have any.”

The Virtual Tour de France wouldn’t be the same without the famous Yellow, Green, Polka-dot and White jerseys held by the leaders of the race. Standings for all jerseys will be calculated using a points-based system. The best overall team will be calculated by combining the total points earned across all competitions. In addition, each stage will also see a rider awarded the Most Aggressive rider award, sponsored by Antargaz.

“There’s nothing bigger than the Tour de France in cycling, so to say I’m excited would be an understatement”, says Eric Min, Zwift CEO and Co-Founder. “Since I was a boy, I would always be glued in front of the TV for three weeks in July, so I feel incredibly privileged for Zwift to be able to play host to the first virtual edition this year. Of course, we all very much look forward to the race returning this August, but the good news is there will still be racing in July. The Virtual Tour de France will be a celebration of the event featuring the stars of the men’s and women’s pro pelotons, all in aid of five great causes. Let’s also not forget, there is a great chance to take part through the Virtual l’Etape du Tour de France rides as well!”

Taking place on the same three weekends that will see the professional riders in action, will be the Virtual l’Etape du Tour de France series. L’Etape du Tour de France provides cyclists with the opportunity to get a slice of the Tour de France experience through a mass participation cyclo-sportive held on one of the Tour de France mountain stages. The Virtual l’Etape du Tour de France will be no different, allowing participants to test themselves on the same roads as the professionals. There will be three different stages, held over each of the three weekends in July.

Both the France and Paris maps have been designed specifically for the Virtual Tour de France. The French map takes inspiration from the country and should evoke strong connections with the country as Zwifters pass through vineyards, over Roman aqueducts and through Sunflower fields. The new map also plays host to a virtual replica of Mont Ventoux. Zwift’s Mont Ven-Top, meaning snowy peak in gallic, is a punishing climb that is sure to test the legs of any rider.

The Paris map is a smaller world, taking in the finishing circuit we’ve all come to associate with the final stage of the Tour de France. Zwifters will be able to ride around the famed Arc de Triomphe, navigate around the Place de la Concorde and sprint down the cobbled Champs-Élysées just like the best sprinters of the Tour de France. Zwifters will be able to join events on the new maps during the Virtual Tour de France.

The distinctive jerseys
Like the real-life Tour de France, the distinctive jerseys will be awarded to the leaders of the general classification (based on points rather than on time), best climber classification, best sprinter classification and best young rider classification (again, based on points rather than on time). Unique to the Virtual Tour de France, all classifications will be run as team-based classifications, therefore, allowing teams to rotate riders between stages. All riders in the race will be eligible to score points for their team in each of the respective categories. The teams leading the classifications will have the freedom to nominate one rider to wear the iconic jerseys for the following stage.

The 6 stages of the Virtual Tour de France:

Saturday 4th July, stage 1: Nice, 36.4 km (4 x 9.1 km, hilly stage)
Sunday 5th July, stage 2: Nice, 29.5 km (682 m of ascent, mountain stage)
Saturday 11th July, stage 3: North-East France, 48 km (flat stage)
Sunday 12th July, stage 4: South-West France, 45.8 km (2 x 22.9 km laps, hilly stage)
Saturday 18th July, stage 5: Mont Ventoux, 22.9 km (finish at Chalet-Reynard, mountain stage)
Sunday 19th July, stage 6: Paris Champs-Elysées, 42.8 km (6 laps of the circuit)

The 3 stages of the Virtual l’Etape du Tour de France (16 sessions spread over each weekend):

4th and 5th July, Stage 1: Nice, 29.5 km (682 m of ascent, mountain stage)
11th and 12th July, Stage 2: South-West France, 45.8 km (2 x 22.9 km laps, hilly stage)
18th and 19th July, Stage 3: Mont Ventoux, (22.9 km, finishing at the observatory)

Competing Teams:
Men’s:
AG2R La Mondiale
Arkéa Samsic
Alpecin-Fenix
Astana Pro Team
B&B Hotels-Vital Concept
Team Bahrain McLaren
Bora Hansgrohe
CCC Team
Team Cofidis
Circus-Wanty Gobert
Deceuninck – Quick-Step
EF Education First Pro Cycling
Groupama-FDJ
Israel Start-Up Nation
Team INEOS
Team Jumbo-Visma
Lotto-Soudal
Mitchelton-SCOTT
NTT Pro Cycling
Rally Cycling
Team Sunweb
TOTAL Direct Énergie
Trek-Segafredo

Women’s:
Alé BTC Ljubljana
Team Arkéa
Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team
CANYON//SRAM Racing
CCC-Liv Team
Ceratizit – WNT Pro Cycling
Drops
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
Lotto Soudal Ladies
Parkhotel Valkenburg
Rally Cycling
TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank
Trek-Segafredo Women
TWENTY20 Pro Cycling
Team Sunweb
Valcar Travel & Service