What does the UCI’s call for bids to host the 2023-2025 Esports World Championship reveal about the future of cycling esports?
Zwift has been the category leader in virtual cycling for some time, but competition is on the rise with platforms such as Wahoo-RGT, MyWhoosh, Rouvy, and other commercial entities. This has led the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to announce that it will accept bids for hosting the 2024, 2025 and 2026 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. The UCI is the world cycling governing body overseeing international competitive cycling events and the sole owner of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships.
The first Esports World Championships was in 2020; later editions occurred in 2022 and 2023. The marquee event on the Cycling Esports calendar, the world championship, is a proving ground for the sport’s elite competitors and technological innovation.
The market leader, virtual cycling platform Zwift has hosted all editions, but that could change in future years.
Read the full report published in Cycling Weekly to find out:
- Will Zwift’s dominance be threatened by up-and-coming competitors like MyWhoosh, Wahoo-RGT, and Rouvy?
- Zwift’s statement and reaction when asked about the UCI’s request for proposals to host the 2023-2025 Esports World Championships
- How a special clause added to the UCI’s tender agreement opens the door to non-cycling esports platforms and other commercial entities, like the Tour de France’s ASO?!?, and
- Why the International Olympic Committee holds all the cards and may spell the future for cycling esports!
Semi-retired after more than 20 years as the owner and director of a private Orthopedic Physical Therapy practice, Chris now enjoys the freedom to dedicate himself to his passions—virtual cycling and writing.
Driven to give back to the sport that has enriched his life with countless experiences and relationships, he founded a non-profit organization, TheDIRTDadFund. In the summer of 2022, he rode 3,900 miles from San Francisco to his “Gain Cave” on Long Island, New York, raising support for his charity.
His passion for cycling shines through in his writing, which has been featured in prominent publications like Cycling Weekly, Cycling News, road.cc, Zwift Insider, Endurance.biz, and Bicycling. In 2024, he was on-site in Abu Dhabi, covering the first live, in-person UCI Cycling Esports World Championship.
His contributions to cycling esports have not gone unnoticed, with his work cited in multiple research papers exploring this evolving discipline. He sits alongside esteemed esports scientists as a member of the Virtual Sports Research Network and contributes to groundbreaking research exploring the new frontier of virtual physical sport. Chris co-hosts The Virtual Velo Podcast, too.
