At one time it would have been science fiction to tell the story of cyclists around the world connecting via the internet to race against each other on a computer game in real-time, but as cycling moves ever farther into the digital future that defines our world, that's exactly what's happening. There is an ever-increasing focus on Esports, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the UCI Esports World Championships just a few weeks away, the sport's governing body has today confirmed that Wahoo, Shimano and NTT will join Zwift on the list of official partners.
The ability to compete at home with the flexibility of time has brought more and more people to the sport of cycling, both online and offline. With that increased participation comes ever greater competition and interest, and in late 2020 that interest included recognition from the UCI.
The UCI is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms, for all people, and two years ago it brought us the inaugural Esports World Championships. By sanctioning a world championship event, the UCI brings well-deserved recognition for those who compete at the highest levels.
While 2021 saw a pause for the event as it shifted to a new position in the calendar, February 26th 2022 will see the return of the pixelated rainbow jersey as Jason Osborne and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio both look to defend their crowns. This year's event will take place in the virtual landscape of Zwift’s New York map with racers covering the Knickerbocker route. Once again, field size, broadcast exposure, race distance and prize money will be equal for both men’s and women’s races, and the partners announced today have already been key to making it a success.
Most visibly in the case of Wahoo, the official trainer partner of the event, who have already shipped its best turbo trainers - the Wahoo Kickr V5 Smart Trainer - to each and every rider to ensure that all competitors are on equal footing and competing on the same equipment. Mike Saturnia, CEO of Wahoo, sums it up by saying; "The demands of e-racing at this level require the most accurate and consistent data possible, so it’s only appropriate that all athletes competing in the finals will be riding a Wahoo Kickr, the world’s best-in-class smart trainer."
Shimano meanwhile, joins as the official drivetrain partner for the event with the new Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset. “As a long-term partner of the UCI, we are very excited by the continued development of Cycling Esports,” said Erik van Kooten, Marketing manager Road at Shimano Europe. “Anyone who’s ever entered a Zwift race will know that every watt counts – they are at the forefront of the rider’s mind – so athletes need drivetrains that perform lightning-fast shifts accurately and efficiently for maximum power." Though it's worth clarifying that riders will not be supplied a Dura-Ace groupset for the event.
Finally, tasked with helping to bring the excitement of this event to viewers around the world will be NTT - former title sponsor of NTT Pro Cycling - who joins as the official data analytics partner. Through data visualisation innovations, like the rider efficiency score introduced at the last World Championships, NTT will focus on human endeavour. Data visualisation will help bring the narrative of the race to life through a clear understanding of how the race is unfolding.
“Our continuous intelligence platform has been optimized to deliver an unprecedented level of insight into riders’ performances during the UCI World Championships,” explained NTT's Vice President of Advanced Technology Group, Rob Webster.
