By Jon Wakefield
Here’s everything you need to know to join a select group of cycling esports pioneers and make your mark on the future of the sport.
With Flamme Rouge Racing’s (FRR) latest groundbreaking event, the MYTIKAS esGames, fast approaching, The Zommunique’ continues to examine how to prepare fully for the racing starting on July 26.
This is part 2 of a series by The Zommunique’ contributor Jon Wakefield exploring what the MYTIKAS Games mean for you and how they may shape the future of the sport.
An Overview of the MYTIKAS esGames
- 2 weeks of racing, with 18 events hosted across 17 days.
- FRR will host the events across three different ‘arenas’—using Zwift, indieVelo, and MyWhoosh platforms.
- By utilizing each platform’s native capabilities, the MYTIKAS Games promises to offer the most innovative and interesting racing in this never-before-seen type of racing.
- The events are classified into three disciplines—Road, Track, and Field—and will be split by gender.
How To Sign Up—Registration
Are you excited to compete in the MYTIKAS Games and grab some medals?
Registration is easy!
To be included in Games results and medal tables, competitors will need to register with FRR.
1) Go to https://flammerougeracing.co.uk/ and hit the ‘My Account’ button
2) There are then two options:
If you are a new user or have not raced an FRR tour event before: Click ‘Register’ and complete your details to create your account.
If you have an existing FRR account or have raced an FRR tour event previously: Click on the ‘Reset or Forgotten Password’ option and enter your registered FRR email address to set up your account.
Please make sure to check your spam folders for the password reset email to complete the process. All details have been transferred over for riders who have at least taken part in FRR Tour Series 3.
Top tip: If you cannot remember which email address you used to originally register with FRR, you can check your inbox for any comms to you via email—this will be the email address used for your account—or you can log into the old site (https://flammerougeracing.com) to confirm the registered email address.
Registration will require each competitor to specify the following:
- Your rider name
- The country you wish to represent
- Your rider ID’s for each of the three platforms (or ‘arenas’ as FRR are referring to them)—Zwift, indieVelo and MyWhoosh
You can find your Zwift ID by going to your Zwift Power Profile and looking at the numbers at the end of the URL link i.e. https://zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=xxxxxxx.
Top tip: If you have raced a recent FRR Tour, your Zwift ID will most likely already be populated in your profile.
Racers can find their indieVelo ID in-game by going to their Racing Licence. Your ID is shown on this page for you to copy. Alternatively, if you have created an account on indieVelo Hub, your ID can be found in your Profile section i.e. https://indievelohub.com/profile/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
FRR Race Control will manually add your MyWhoosh ID for all events in that arena, so you do not need to enter an ID if you want to compete in the MyWhoosh events.
How To Sign Up—Events
FRR Race Control created open events in the three arenas to simplify the process. Racers will not be required to log onto the site to obtain Race Passes for each event.
- For Zwift: Events are listed in the companion app or on the in game menu to sign up. Alternatively, you can also search for the events on ZwiftPower.
- For indieVelo: Events are found by clicking on the “Events” tab in-game, then selecting “unranked events”. Alternatively, events are also listed on indieVelo Hub.
- For MyWhoosh: Events are shown in the in-game “Events” menu or can also be found using the MyWhoosh Link app.
While this means competitors are free to participate without registration, remember that FRR Race Control will only include you in the Games results and the medal tables if you are registered (see above for details).
More Essential Details You Need To Know To Get Involved
With the MYTIKAS Games being such a groundbreaking event, several common questions have cropped up. Let’s explore some of these inquiries further.
Classification
Each arena has its unique method of classifying competitors, but these classifications have now been reviewed and aligned to a central scale based on vELO.
The central vELO scale has 10 classes for each gender which align directly to the 10 FRR Heat Classes (FRHC).
A competitors Games classification will be the FRR FRHC description and will define how they are included in result processing.
Your Zwift classification uses the popular zwiftRacing.app vELO rating, established and maintained by Tim Hanson.
Your indieVelo classification is the in-game “All Rounder Rating” (ARR) which you can find in your Profile. (If you sign up to an event, within the event details select ‘“view all” to see all the sign ups, next to your name you can then select “view” to see your public profile which will include your All Rounder Ranking).
FRR Race Control will pull through your respective classifications for each platform, so you do not need to enter them yourself. The only thing you need to do is ensure you provide the correct IDs for each arena.
A request from FRR Race Control:If you have not ridden much or performed minimal efforts on a platform recently, you could be classified differently across the three platforms. Regardless, the simple request is to “just do your best!” FRR Race Control will look for new riders graded inappropriately and upgrade them to the correct level.
Top Tip: To ensure you are classified correctly, try to get in a few race efforts on the platforms before the MYTIKAS esGames start.
Top Tip: Where possible, it’s helpful to include your FRHC designation in your in-game name. This courtesy lets other competitors know who they are racing against in their classification. Although this practice is not mandatory since events are open, it is strongly encouraged.
Event Pens
Events will be set up as mass start events, with all three arenas allowing male and female competitors to race separately.
The Event Schedule
The published schedule is available HERE on the FRR Website. Familiarize yourself with this schedule and decide which events you want to target.
I am doing the Triathlon events, and plan to run outside, how do I submit my data?
The Triathlon events are only on Zwift!
The Triathlon events will be three stages, back-to-back, with competitors ranked by the combined fastest time for their gender and classification.
- Stage 1: 20km scratch race on a flat rolling course
- Stage 2: 10km individual time trial
- Stage 3: 5km run
- Racers can complete the 5km flat course on Zwift or outside
- Outside runs must be started within 10 minutes of the finish of Stage 2
- Runs are declared using the “My ACTIVITIES” option inside your FRR Profile. Simply click the button + Add New Activity (you will need to be logged in), complete the date, time and provide the Strava activity link, and then Submit. FRR will verify and contact you if they have any questions.
- Your submission can be seen in your Profile. If it contains a mistake, use the Delete option and re-enter.
- Racers must complete Activity registration no later than 1 hour after completing Stage 3 (if issues arise, Contact race control via email at rcontrol@flammerougeracing.com).
Are You Interested In Learning More?
Check out the FRR Website for the FULL RULESET, which covers all the details of the individual event formats, along with scoring and verification details.
With the MYTIKAS games being the first cycling esports event to unfold across multiple platforms, there is considerable interest in whether Flamme Rouge Racing’s (FRR) pioneering grassroots promotion will serve as a proof of concept for an international cycling esports calendar. Will it motivate the platforms and the UCI to collaborate more closely?
FRR’s Richard Vale sat down with Chris and Emma on the latest episode of the Virtual Velo Podcast to discuss the groundbreaking multi-platform event and other essential cycling esports topics.
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.
