The three-time World Time Trial Champion and four-time Australian Olympian’s 3.5-year tenure at the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) included elevating the rainbow stripes as the most coveted prize in cycling esports, the Olympic Esports Week, and awarding the Esports World Championship to MyWhoosh for the next three years.
“What MyWhoosh is planning over the long term excited us very much,” Rogers said about the decision to move the World Championship from Zwift.
Rogers won’t be around to guide cycling esports’ future, but it’s still business as usual, the world governing body of cycling told the Zommunique’.
“The UCI Sports Department will ensure the continuity of all work concerning innovation and esports following the departure of Michael Rogers from his position as Head of Innovation and Esports.”
Rogers’ critical unfinished cycling esports initiatives, such as delivering the IOC program, facilitating federation contacts, smart trainer homologation, establishing an International calendar and ranking system, and redefining the UCI Cycling Esports World Championship, will fall into capable hands.
According to the UCI, “Leading these efforts, UCI Sports Director Peter Van den Abeele will oversee the seamless progression in both these domains. Jacob Fraser, our UCI E-cycling Consultant, will be responsible for esports activities, while our Innovation unit will address innovation efforts, under the supervision of Peter Van den Abeele.”
Andrei Krasilnikau will continue as Innovation Coordinator, and restructuring is expected to move esports to major events alongside the other world championship disciplines.
Fraser’s extensive knowledge and experience make him well-suited for the role.
Having served as Zwift’s Senior Manager of Brand Experience for over three years, he played a crucial part in developing esports, contributing to the successful execution of the first in-venue eracing event supported by Zwift. Transitioning to MyWhoosh in 2021, he assumed the position as their first Director of Esports, leveraging his extensive experience in cycling esports to spearhead their entry into the virtual racing sector.
In December 2022, he left MyWhoosh to become an E-cycling consultant for the UCI. Fraser’s diverse skillset will be invaluable in delivering the next-generation Esports World Championship on MyWhoosh and live event final under the pressure of having big shoes to fill.
Rogers’ contributions to the evolution of cycling esports will be sorely missed.
“We express our gratitude for Michael Rogers’ contributions in delivering his missions for the UCI. We extend our best wishes to him for success in his future endeavors and cycling projects,” said the UCI.
When announcing his departure on LinkedIn, Rogers didn’t reveal what they may be except to say, “It has been a fun chapter full of travel experiences, collaboration, challenges, moments of reflection, valuable learning opportunities, and friendships with staff, commissaires, and external partners. I look forward to our paths crossing again in the near future!”
Before joining the UCI as an Innovation and Esports Manager in 2020, he was the founder and CEO of the virtual cycling platform VirtuGO.
MyWhoosh’s Race Control and Events Manager Matt Smithson didn’t hold back when praising Rogers’ impact on the new Esports World Championship format and broadened accessibility in an interview with the Virtual Velo Podcast.
“Michael is very passionate about cycling esports and has been instrumental in guiding us through this process with his background in international competition and at his own platform. Without Michael and the UCI as a whole, we wouldn’t have pulled this together as quickly or as well.”
While it’s clear that Rogers’ skillset would be an asset to any cycling esports platform, sources indicate that no plans are currently pending.
“After 3.5 great years at the UCI, the time has come for me to bid farewell,” said Rogers.
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.
