The Union Cycliste Internationale has notified the National Federations of Rider Quotas for the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship Semi-Final.
The virtual cycling platform MyWhoosh, the host of the next three editions of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championship, is re-defining the event with a three-race points-based live final in Abu Dhabi on October 26th.
2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship Finals Format
Race one, known as “The Sprint,” will take riders on a 1.7-kilometer flat circuit. Drawing inspiration from Formula One, racers will have fifteen minutes to clock their fastest time through a 300-meter timed segment. A live leaderboard will display the fastest times, and points will be awarded based on the best segment time.
Race two, dubbed “The Strategy,” covers a 9-kilometer circuit comprising 6.5 kilometers of rolling hills, followed by a 4-minute climb, a swift descent, and a 1-kilometer flat stretch to the finish line. Points are up for grabs at the base and summit of the climb, with double points awarded at the finish line.
In the third and final race, “All Out,” riders must give their all for a chance to claim the virtual rainbow jersey. The 4-kilometer circuit includes a 50-second full-gas climb to the start/finish line. Each lap features an intermediate sprint point at the crest of the climb.
By offering double points at the end of lap 4, the MyWhoosh team seeks to revolutionize cycling esports and realize their innovative vision for transforming the sport.
“With the privilege of hosting the live final in Abu Dhabi, we are dedicated to changing the cycling esports landscape,” says MyWhoosh CEO Akhtar Saeed Hashmi.
2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship Semi-Finals Format
The semi-finals will follow a two-stage virtual format and will take place on September 7th.
Stage One will feature a 9-kilometer circuit, utilizing a points system to select the top 80 riders who will advance. Stage Two will be four laps of a 4-kilometer circuit, identifying the top 20 male and female competitors who will progress to the final.
According to Hashmi, the new format aligns with the UCI and MyWhoosh’s broader goal of promoting growth and inclusivity in cycling esports on a global scale.
“In a significant move, we are expanding the semi-finals to accommodate over 150 riders, reflecting our broader strategy to foster global growth and inclusivity in cycling esports. The qualification pathways, blending National Federation selections and MyWhoosh’s public qualification process, ensure transparency and fairness, opening doors for athletes worldwide.”
2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship National Federation Rider Qualification System
The UCI introduced a new qualification system based on the points accumulated by riders from each nation during the 2022 and 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. As part of this qualification route, National Federations participating in previous editions of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships will receive automatic quotas for riders in the semi-final.
The top 60 finishers in the men’s and women’s fields in the 2022 and 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships received points based on their finishing positions—using the UCI Road World Championships point tables.
The UCI allocated each nation’s points by adding the points earned by all its riders in both events. Even nations whose riders didn’t finish or finished outside the top 60 still received recognition and allocations. The defending champions automatically receive a normative quota.
For the 2024 edition, the UCI established six groups based on available spots, with each National Federation within a group receiving an equal number of rider allocations.
National Federation Rider Quotas
Group A: 10 Riders
- Men: Australia, Germany, Denmark, Belgium
- Women: USA, Great Britain, Netherlands, Sweden
Group B: 7 Riders
- Men: Norway, USA, Canada, South Africa
- Women: South Africa, France, Switzerland, Germany
Group C: 5 Riders
- Men: Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, France
- Women: Australia, Denmark, Canada, Belgium
Group D: 4 Riders
- Men: New Zealand, Poland, Ireland, Sweden
- Women: Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Slovenia
Group E: 3 Riders
- Men: Great Britain, Japan, Argentina, Italy, Finland
- Women: Ireland, Spain, Hong Kong, Portugal, Japan
Group F: 2 Riders
- Men: Czechia, Angola, Spain, Portugal
- Women: Italy, Argentina, Finland, Singapore, Columbia, Austria
2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship Public Qualification Pathway
The National Federations will assign the semi-final starting spots using their selection criteria. The 126 men and 131 women allocated by the UCI’s qualification system will comprise approximately 80 percent of the +/-150 racer semi-final starting field.
The UCI will fill the remaining 20 percent of the semi-final slots through the Public Qualification Pathway. National Federations that have not participated in previous editions of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships will be allowed to propose three riders for automatic entry (riders must be MyWhoosh level 10 or higher). The UCI obligates the federations to include all racers from their country who have qualified via this pathway.
The public qualification will consist of six races spread over six weeks in May and June 2024. The top 25 riders will secure a spot on the start line of the semi-finals.
The twenty best-placing finishers in the semi-finals, plus up to four wildcard selections, will face off in a live event final in Abu Dhabi on October 26th to determine the 2024 UCI Cycling Esport World Champion.
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.
