By Jon Wakefield
Route recon and reactions from both elite and community racers as they gear up for the fast-approaching qualification round, including an important route change and video commentary.
With the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships fast approaching, racers were recently given the FIRST opportunity to check out the courses and experience the World Championship format. Let’s take a look at the routes, along with some initial reactions to how the races might play out and the tactical decisions involved.
Flamme Rouge Racing (FRR), as part of its commitment to supporting a multi-platform model for cycling Esports, hosted a First Sight Event on June 26th. The event provided the opportunity for anyone to recon the courses and formats that will challenge the twenty racers during the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships final.
The event contained the same three back-to-back stages, giving riders a first feel of the courses and formats that cycling esports platform MyWhoosh will use during the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship Semi-Final (September 6th) and in-person live event Final in Abu Dhabi (October 26th).
The Zommunique’ Contributor, Jon Wakefield, took part in the FRR First Sight event and shared his insight on each of the courses, along with reactions from elite races that took part in the event.
Why Are These “Testing Events” Important?
Apart from giving the community and elite athletes interested in participating in the upcoming UCI Cycling Esports World Championships a chance to see the courses, it also allows members from the MyWhoosh team to join, participate, and get real-time feedback during the event.
Many valuable notes were taken from this initial FRR First Sight event, with needed improvements (and a few bug fixes) captured. We hope that MyWhoosh will implement, tweak, and test these suggested improvements in future events as we get closer to the semi-final and live final events.
The MyWhoosh competition team invited racers to share their thoughts and feedback. However, we’ll focus mainly on the courses, giving you a better idea of what to expect.
Attention Racers!
Flamme Rouge Racing and MyWhoosh have joined up to present a Final Practice Session on July 23rd to recon the courses and test the tweaks! All of the information is listed at the end of this article. Don’t miss your last chance to experience the routes and format!
Stage 1—The Sprint
- Course: 1.7-kilometer flat Circuit
- Format: Riders have 15 minutes to set their fastest time through a 300-meter individual timed segment.
This course and format will face athletes who make it to the live in-person finals in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on October 26, 2024. The semi-final round will only consist of Stage 2—The Strategist and Stage 3—All Out.
Points are available for the top 20 athletes who set the fastest times, and the results are tracked by a live in-game leaderboard.
It is an interesting format, which certainly forces some careful consideration. Do you just bank on one sprint being enough to bag some points? Do you work with others to benefit from drafting and speed? Do you risk putting in your best effort early on to allow yourself more recovery time before the next event?
The critical area on this route is when you enter the velodrome section. Not only does it look pretty cool, but the banking allows you to pick up speed around the corner to set yourself up for the sprint section.
As you straighten out, you see the 300m sprint section ahead. Taking as much speed into this section as possible is key to bagging a fast sprint time. This will definitely reward those with a high-power 15-20s effort.
"My legs were recovering from a 12-hour ride from the weekend, so I was definitely not ready for an all-out sprint effort. However, I was happy to pick up a few points with a 19th-place finish. The top sprints were sub-18s."
Throughout the event, fast times were set as riders navigated the loop. However, as riders become more familiar with the sprint section, we anticipate more coordinated efforts to maximize drafting benefits.
Following the live leaderboard was an entertaining and exciting part of the event, and the 15 minutes flew by quickly.
Stage 2—The Strategist
- Course: 9km circuit featuring a challenging climb exceeding 1.5km in length.
- Format: Points are available for the top 20 at 3 locations: at the base of the climb, at the summit of the climb, and double points across the finish line.
This event will be the first course faced by the athletes taking part in the semi-finals on September 6, 2024, and will be round 2 for the in-person live final.
Important route change: Before rolling out of the pen on stage 2, we were made aware of a route change. In the original race book, we were due to see a long rolling section before getting to the base of the climb. However, the starting location had been adjusted, so the climb now comes sooner (2.1km from the start), with the rolling section now following the climb. The MyWhoosh competition team will release an updated race book soon to confirm these changes.
As the name suggests, this route requires some strategic consideration.
Staying close to the front of the race to be well-positioned to contest the first banner at the base of the climb seems sensible. We may also see some athletes choose to go long here, looking to sneak away from the peloton and hold a gap. You do have to choose wisely, though, as expending too much energy here may cost you on the climb.
The climb is steep at the start before settling at around 6%. There is also a sting towards the top, which sees gradients pitch back up to 16% before the banner!
Competitors with a strong 4-5 minute effort, who can also have an extra kick on the steep gradients, should perform well here and grab points at the KQOM banner.
Once past the climb banner, you have to push on for a bit before hitting the steep descent, with speeds exceeding 90 kph. It is an opportunity to recover, but also ensure you stay in contact with a group if you have wheels around you.
From the end of the descent, there is around 4.5km of rolling terrain to the finish.
There is one final uphill rise just before the finish, which may be a place to attack if you want to maximize your finishing position!
"I had managed to grab some points at the base of the climb and surprised myself on the climb, maintaining a decent effort to come over in 14th. From there, I was able to hold this position to the line for a few more points."
Stage 3—All Out
- Course: 4 laps of a 4km criterium circuit. 16 km in total for the event.
- Format: Points will be distributed at the finish line after each lap, with double points offered on the final lap.
Notably, the finish line of each lap sits atop a 50-second climb featuring a 12% gradient. Points go to the top 20 riders crossing the finish line on each lap.
This event will be the second course faced by the athletes taking part in the semi-finals on September 6, 2024, and will be the final event of the in-person live final on October 26, 2024.
At this point, how well you have managed your effort in the previous stages could make the difference. 4 laps of a punchy circuit set the scene for an attritional race.
The race starts with a brief downhill before settling into some rolling sections.
On each lap, there is also a shorter (around 30 seconds) kicker to contend with. It is essential to be ready to punch over this; if you are not prepared, you could risk losing contact with the group. Once over the top, it is time to start preparing for the longer final kicker to the start/finish lap banner.
This circuit’s critical, decisive section is the climb to the start/finish lap banner. Having a solid 1-minute power and, more importantly, the ability to repeat this each lap will be vital in picking up points on this stage.
Swedish elite racer Gabriella Nordin says, “The 'All Out' stage will be a true test at the World Championships. When the athletes get to this stage, there will be tired legs from the previous races, and only the best will have something left in the tank for the 50-second steep climb on each of the four laps.”
Overall Thoughts
- The back-to-back format of the races is exciting!
- Seeing the points during the races keeps you engaged!
- MyWhoosh has done a good job of creating visually appealing and tactically interesting courses.
- The mix of courses provides an event that could be won by anyone. Many power profiles are tested, but a true all-rounder with strong 1—to 5-min power should excel.
As cycling esports continues to establish itself as a unique discipline, this format promises to create a unique event for spectators to watch and provide opportunities for all competing athletes to shine. The mix of segments will suit various power profiles, showcasing which athletes are genuinely the best esports cyclists in the world.
Still Seeking More Expert Analysis?
Check out Elite racer Josh Harris’s great YouTube video analysis of the event. This is your opportunity to get a view from the “sharp end” as he learns the routes and breaks down key sections. Thanks, Josh!
Are you an elite athlete who is keen to represent your country at the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships? Are you a community racer keen to compete on the same routes our elites will be racing at the World Championships?
Many more test events are already scheduled, with federations lining up test events for interested elite athletes and community members to experience the courses again. So, keep an eye out. If you want to ride the courses for yourself, there may be an event coming soon that you can jump into!
Final Recon Event Details
Sign up for the test event here!
An additional 23:30 UTC time slot has been added for US racers!
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.
Jon is a passionate and dedicated member of the cycling esports community, known for his refreshing positive mindset and a wealth of experience as the principle of Team CLS and partner to an elite-level racer. His commitment and dedication to the development and growth of cycling esports—at all levels—are evident.
The Zommunique is thrilled to have him join its contributor team. His analytical skills, forward-thinking approach, and empathy promise to offer valuable insights and a comprehensive perspective on the sport’s future.
