"I haven't done anything. I just did my race. Why am I being treated as a criminal?" says esports legend Lionel Vujasin
“I was so frustrated and mad when I got the email. I was like, what? Why? I don’t understand! I already had that power before,” said the Belgian bike racer Lionel Vujasin frustratingly upon receiving the news.
Ask even a casual fan to name their Mt. Rushmore of cycling esports athletes, and Vujasin will undoubtedly make the list. The unmistakable esports star burst on the scene with a dramatic win in front of a packed house in Vancouver in 2018. The Stage 5 CVR World Cup live final win earned him some cash and a name as a rising star of the cycling esports world.
He has solidified his status as a consistent elite-level standout performer with multiple KISS Superleague, Zwift Premier Division, and Grand Prix victories, as well as top-ten performances in multiple editions of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. Moreover, Vujasin has a solid reputation for openness and transparency about his race data and performance.
Vujasin shared the stage with the Polish cycling esports racer Michal Kaminski at the Olympic Esports Series in Singapore in 2023. Another less celebrated and more infamous event has recently linked the cycling esports stars.
The Email
Following the Sunday Race Club (SRC) Category 1 race on January 21, 2024, MyWhoosh annulled Vujasin, Kaminski, New Zealander Ollie Jones, and Italian Selene Colombi, notifying the racers with a terse email.
In the hard-fought race, Kaminski and Vujasin took first and second, respectively. It triggered a series of events that could potentially change the landscape of cycling esports.
Page 14 of the MyWhoosh Esports Ruleset V2.0.2 reads:
MyWhoosh reserves the right to request additional verification of a rider’s performance, identity, or equipment at any time. This may involve further video testing, independent laboratory testing, blood screenings (including any doping-related tests), or a request to visit the MyWhoosh headquarters for further testing equipment and verifications. The rider will be responsible for all costs associated with additional testing until they can prove their ability to perform at the claimed levels. Once satisfactory results are obtained and validated, MyWhoosh will reasonably reimburse all expenses related to the additional verification.
“Then they told us that they would make an announcement in the afternoon about the annulment, and we would receive another email,” Vujasin explains.
The race didn’t stand out to Vujasin, who had seen better average power data in previous SRC races.
The Reason
However, when you look closely at the race and break it down, you find it very different from any other SRC race. There were multiple breaks, bridge attempts, and attritional factors, and the trio animated the race.
“It was the most aggressive SRC we’ve ever seen,” said MyWhoosh’s Race Control and Events Manager Matt Smithson when explaining the inherently higher power numbers and efficient recovery you don’t generally see in other races.
Listen to Chris and Si break down the race and react to the annulment with SRC racer Zach Nehr during the Virtual Velo Podcast Episode 38!
The athlete’s two-minute power and the repeatability of the multiple efforts stood out to the MyWhoosh performance verification team. According to Smithson, World Tour riders aren’t under those demands in a typical race, so there’s no data on it.
“We hadn’t seen this level of repeatability in an SRC race before,” he adds.
MyWhoosh is the official indoor cycling platform of UAE Team Emirates, with team principal Mauro Gianetti serving on the board. In partnership with World Tour Team coaches, MyWhoosh created a proprietary set of maximum performance data points.
There are thresholds in the game for each athlete based on the pre-verification Power Passport Test and the data MyWhoosh’s team of coaches provided. When a rider who isn’t a World Tour pro exceeds those data points, it sends an alert to the system.
“When the performance also raises suspicion from the other top riders,” explains Smithson, “it sounds alarm bells, and we look very closely at the data.”
Some other riders were dubious of Vujasin and Kaminski and let MyWhoosh know. Smithson and his team felt compelled to gather more information.
The Reaction
“It was scary because they wrote it like a legal document. They cc’d “MyWhoosh Legal” in the email, and it threatened to suspend and take back prize money if I didn’t accept the invitation,” Vujasin describes the anxious moment.
Currently, the MyWhoosh SRC Road Book and Technical Guide only offers two options: Approval and Annulment.
“Looking back, we should have announced that the results are on hold until our team can verify them,” admits Smithson.
However, they thought waiting for results wasn’t fair to the other racers. They decided the best course of action was to announce the annulment and remove the result pending further investigation. (The MyWhoosh team is exploring other options to clarify terminology and avoid adverse reactions, like “further verification in process or annulled pending further investigation.”)
The Decision
Next, the MyWhoosh race team emailed the annulled athletes, inviting them to the MyWhoosh headquarters for in-person performance testing. The firmly worded legal letter describes the request and the consequences if the invitation isn’t accepted, like forfeiture of all previous prize money and the inability to compete on the platform.
“It has to be direct because we are paying out a considerable amount of prize money, and we must ensure that the process is fair and the money is going to the athletes who deserve it,” says Smithson.
MyWhoosh has sent out the letter multiple times, and only a few athletes have accepted the invitation. The others have disappeared. MyWhoosh confirms that they withheld unpaid funds and prohibited the athletes from further competition but haven’t attempted to recoup past payouts.
| Rider | Event | Power (W) | Power (w/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Onley | Tour Down Under Stage 2 (2024) | 556 | 9 |
| Paul Magnier | Tour of Oman Stage 3 (2024) | 629 | ~8.7 |
| Axel Laurance | Etoile de Bessèges (2024) | 595 | 9 |
The platform is known for hosting big-money events, like the weekly Sunday Race Club series, with a monthly prize purse of over $284,000 spread across four categories, two genders, and team and individual classifications. The $1 Million MyWhoosh Championship series in April 2023 boasted the largest payout in cycling esports’ history.
Kaminski’s first place during the January 21 SRC race stood to earn him 10,000 AED (~2,725 USD/2,500 EUR), and Vujasin’s second 8,000 AED (~2,175 USD/2,025 EUR), but the racers were motivated by more than the financial incentive.
Vujasin and Kaminski were eager to begin the process of clearing their names and contributing to legitimizing the sport. Getting internal approvals and organizing the logistics and travel details took MyWhoosh several days.
“I’m sure about my performance, and I know I train specifically for esports. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided it was an excellent opportunity to prove myself,” explains Vujasin.
| Rider | Event | Time | Power (w/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Onley | Tour Down Under Stage 2 (2024) | 3:16 | 8 |
| Victor Lafay | Tour de France Stage 1 (2023) | 3:00 | 8.7 |
The Preparation
Vujasin and Kaminski arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. MyWhoosh appointed them with a personal driver and accomodations. The following day, the driver brought the pair to MyWhoosh headquarters to prepare for the test on Friday, February 9.
“The only thing that put pressure on us was that we couldn’t ride the trainer before the test to check the setup and feel,” explains Vujasin, “and we had to use borrowed pedals without power meters.”
The MyWhoosh team ran multiple trainers from different manufacturers through a battery of tests and cross-referenced them against four different power meter models, both crank and pedal-based.
Listen to Lio tell his side of the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in Episode 17 of the Virtual Velo Podcast!
Unfortunately for Vujasin and Kaminski, MyWhoosh didn’t complete the protocol in time for their tune-up. MyWhoosh offered several makes and models for the athletes to choose from for the test.
“We saw that they were all reading closely and knew that both riders used Wahoo hardware, so we decided the easiest thing for them was putting them on Wahoo KickRs,” noted Smithson.
The MyWhoosh performance verification team customized a testing protocol for each athlete according to the data metrics under analysis. In this case, the focus wasn’t only on threshold power but also on short durations and recovery.
“I put pressure on myself to perform because I wanted the numbers to set standards, so I wanted the numbers to be as high as possible,” says Vujasin, betraying his steely focus and determination.
| Rider | Event | Power (w/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon McNulty | Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 4 (2023) | 6.9 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Tour de France Stage 16 (2023) | ~7.5* |
| Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard | TDF Stage 9, Puy du Dôme (2023) | ~6.8-6.9 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | La Vuelta a Espana Stage 16, Puerto de Bejes (2023) | ~7.4 |
*One of the greatest performances of all-time
The Test
Smithson reports that Vujasin appeared relaxed, while Kaminski was very apprehensive as they prepared for the test.
“Before the tests, I was very nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” Kaminski admits, “but after the first 3 minutes of effort, the whole stress disappeared because I saw that I made the same numbers as at home.”
On the morning of Friday, February 9, 2024, the athletes were driven to the MyWhoosh headquarters and given appropriate time to warm up.
Then, at 10:07 am local time, they performed the modified MyWhoosh Power Passport protocol. It consisted of a warm-up followed by a three and twelve-minute max effort with twenty minutes of recovery separating the test intervals.
“I had to make it clear that I was there to do a job and not be their friend, but once it was evident that they were hitting the numbers, the mood lightened,” says Smithson.
Then, the athletes took approximately 4.5 hours to rest and refuel before the second protocol (test time 3:27 pm), designed to test repeatability and short-duration power.
The test consisted of 3×2-minute efforts with ERG set to 500W separated by short recovery, followed by a more prolonged recovery of around 8 minutes before the all-out 2-minute non-ERG mode effort.
With time to go and on the brink of blowing up, Vujasin said to himself, “Mate, you’re riding for your career.” He knew that if he failed that test, “It’s years of racing that people will say, “Oh, you, you see that guy. He cannot produce when you ask him to do it.”
The stakes were high for Vujasin. It wasn’t only his reputation and the sport’s fate on the line. He left his job as an operations manager at NIKE under unique circumstances to coach and race “professionally” on MyWhoosh and other cycling esports platforms.
| Athlete | Weight | 12-minute Power Output | 3-minute Power Output | 2-minute Power Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michal Kaminski | 70.3 kg | 439W (6.2 w/kg) | 528W (7.5 w/kg) | 599W (8.5 w/kg) |
| Lionel Vujasin | 69.9 kg | 453W (6.5 w/kg) | 567W (8.1 w/kg) | 617W (8.8 w/kg) |
| Ollie Jones | 71 kg | 462W (6.5 w/kg) | 586W (8.3 w/kg) | 626W (8.8 w/kg) |
The Magnitude
They had little to worry about. The results set a new standard for cycling esports.
Based on the testing, the MyWhoosh team confirmed that the data were accurate and that the athletes met or exceeded World Tour numbers according to their calculations. It sets a new benchmark for elite-level esports competition and raises the bar.
“My biggest fear was that they would fail,” admits Smithson.
“If two of the most well-known elite esports racers can’t prove their performance, it raises more questions than answers and hurts the sport as a whole.”
The Aftermath
Smithson and the MyWhoosh performance verification team anticipated that travel stress, unfamiliarity with equipment, and other factors could affect the athlete’s performance. They added a little wiggle room into their expectations.
Considering this, Smithson notes, “If the data were a bit gray, not a failure, but close, we would’ve referred it to our team of World Tour coaches for analysis.”
Smithson acknowledged the moment’s significance, knowing it was critical to approach the testing carefully and responsibly. The statement contradicts assumptions that MyWhoosh wanted the prolific high-earning athletes from the same team to fail for financial or other sinister motives.
“A legitimate fail would tear apart the sport. There would be a question mark hanging over it forever,” he admits.
He says that the likely course of action in the event of an adverse outcome would be granting the athletes a retest, confirming MyWhoosh’s intent to put the athletes in the best position to succeed.
With this in mind, Smithson was quick to say that they didn’t make any allowances or treat the data favorably to avoid a negative outcome.
“They created perfect conditions during the test. The studio was about 15C degrees, and we had 2-3 fans. It was crucial for me,” says Kaminski.
There is no official appeal or arbitration policy at this time, but it is something that MyWhoosh will consider in the future. In addition, Smithson confirms they will consider bringing more athletes in for testing if they see anomalies, but it’s not an open invitation. That’s a decision that Vujasin and Kaminski fully support.
The Acknowledgement
“MyWhoosh takes performance verification to the next level by asking the racers to prove themselves in a controlled environment. Racers have been asking for that for years. Let us prove ourselves in real life. The test is an incredible opportunity,” Vujasin stated emphatically.
In his opinion, the testing was the simplest and easiest way to get to the truth. It leaves no question when a racer can repeat what they do in the comfort of their home on different equipment in a foreign environment.
Kaminski shared a similar sentiment in fewer words, “I am happy that they want to test more and more people!”
The MyWhoosh team is satisfied with the outcome, feeling that Vujasin and Kaminski, by proving that esports athletes could meet or exceed the performance of World Tour professionals under certain conditions, “put our sport in good hands.” It also served as an invaluable learning experience and an opportunity to expand their athlete data points and performance verification capabilities.
MyWhoosh reinstated Vujasin and Kaminski’s January 21 SRC results on February 14 and will cut a check soon. Racers like Zach Nehr, who moved onto the podium while the annulment was under investigation, will retain their share of the prize money.
For Vujasin, MyWhoosh isn’t solely about financial incentives. He highlights several factors, including game physics, race formats, consistent world-class competition, and the advantage it gives him over his competition in preparing for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in October, as reasons why it’s his preferred esports platform.
After everything got settled, Vujasin summed up the momentous journey by saying, “Overall, it was a pleasant experience.”
Update: Ollie Jones and Selene Colombi passed the MyWhoosh in-person testing protocol on Friday, February 16, 2024, and their results will be re-instated. More details to come!
Special acknowledgment goes to Zach Nehr for his contribution to this report.
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.
This is a great advertorial piece
I appreciate your feedback, Gary! How so?
Good read, and I’m glad they passed the tests!
As I have thought for a long time… comparing elite esports cyclists to world tour riders is stupid… it’s a different sport with completely different aerobic demands and physiology requirements.
Pogi’s, JV’s (any elite world tour rider) pwr records were all done after having 3-4hrs+ of racing in their legs. They’re endurance animals! They’re requiring 6hr rides 21 days in a row for Grand Tours.
These esports specialist athletes, men & women, specialize in 2-20min pwr, could they do it for an hour? No way – but they dont need to.
Could they do it with 3hrs of tempo in their legs first? Definitely not, again – they don’t need to. But they can do it fresh and can specifically train VO2 for repeatability of 1-5min efforts for a 30-45min race.
The base lines for VO2 power in cycling need to be recreated for esports and not compared to world tour cycling. This is a good first step with these athletes being independently tested.
Hopefully other athletes like Julia Schallau (who was training specifically VO2 to specialise in Zwift Grand Prix and other elite e-cycling races, who’s been kicked out of racing by ZADA, even after passing independent VO2 testing in a lab) can be vindicated and welcomed back into e-racing.
They might not even need to recreate the base lines. There’s plenty of data from CX, MTB XCO and XCC, BMX and even track disciplines where the short repeatable efforts are the norm and not the exception.
Julia Schallau was a proved systematic cheater. Also the lab test results proved it.
Hmm… not the results I’ve seen on this side of the world.