Elite cyclists are already taking over Glasgow. The first edition of the UCI Cycling World Championships is still a few months away (August 3-13) but the Scottish city of Glasgow has been recreated in the virtual world of Zwift to host the third edition of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on Saturday (February 18th).
Not only will the competitors explore a new environment, but they will also face an unprecedented format of competition, to bring more thrills to the event and push the contenders to their limits, with the coveted rainbow jerseys up for grabs.
Here’s everything to know about the competition and the field that will try to succeed South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, the Netherlands’ Loes Adegeest (the first and second female UCI Esports World Champions), and Germany’s Jason Osborne and Australia’s Jay Vine (winners of the first and second editions in the men’s events).
Three races, one UCI World Champion
The “Battle Royale” for the rainbow jersey in both the men’s and women’s competition will consist of three consecutive races: The Punch, The Climb and The Podium. As races go on, riders will be eliminated until the last three survivors stand on the podium. The men will go first, with the winner to be crowned around 7:30pm (UTC), and then the women will battle it out until the new UCI World Champion takes glory before 9:15pm.
The action will come thick and fast with very short breaks between the races. The contenders for the medals will have to manage their efforts through the event but can’t afford to hold back too much, for fear of an early elimination.
The Punch is a scratch race over 14.2km, with 106m of elevation. Riders will face many ups and downs to make an impact on the Rolling Highlands course in Zwift’s Scotland world, with gradients reaching 14%. The top 30 will qualify to the next round. They will collect one PowerUp, a Burrito (annihilating the draft of a rider’s opponents).
After a 10-minute break, it will already be time for The Climb, featuring three steep climbs (max gradient: 13%) on the City and the Sgurr route, adding up to 161m of elevation over 8.6km. The one PowerUp available will be the Anvil (making a rider 50kg heavier for 30 seconds on downhill sections). Only the top 10 riders will remain in the competition.
Finally, The Podium will be raced on the 3km Glasgow Crit Circuit, with two arches, up the Clyde Kicker climb (0.3km at 3.1%, max gradient of 9%) and at the end of each lap. The last rider is eliminated every time they go through an arch, until the last three riders sprint for the medals. Riders will collect a Burrito as they pass under the Champion’s Sprint arch each lap.
Dozens of riders to take over virtual Glasgow
A total of 172 contenders (85 male and 87 female riders) will line up for Saturday’s battles. Loes Adegeest comes to defend her UCI World Champion title and she showed great shape in the early road season. Among her main rivals, Great Britain’s Zoe Langham will be determined to get back on the podium and maybe claim a medal of a different meal than the bronze she received in 2022.
Men’s winner in 2020 and bronze medallist in 2022, Jason Osborne faces a tough competition with the likes of Denmark’s Anders Foldager (runner-up in 2020) and Nicklas Pedersen (bronze the same year), as well as Australia’s Freddy Ovett (silver in 2020).
And many new contenders line up in the virtual Glasgow, including Australian Sam Hill (three-time UCI World Champion in mountain bike downhill), Belgium’s Victor Campenaerts (former holder of the UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot and bronze medallist in the individual time trial at the 2020 UCI Road World Championships) and former winners of the Zwift Academy such as Ollie Jones (NZL) and Tanja Erath (GER).
Their battles for glory will be broadcast live on YouTube on Saturday. And in the meantime, everyone can discover the UCI Worlds courses with dedicated rides on Zwift
Discover the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships start list and live broadcast (Saturday 18 February from 6pm UTC)