Zwift partners with former ZADA head's AthleteAnalytiX for independent elite cycling esports athlete authentication, but governance questions remain.
The 2024/25 Zwift Community Elite season will feature significant enhancements, such as a revamped structure with a regular season and championship, a defined pathway from community to elite, new qualification criteria, and performance verification and governance changes.
The 2024/25 season elite racing details, including open qualification, format, and scheduling, can be found here.
“For the upcoming Zwift World Series and the Zwift Games 2025, we will be working with AthleteAnalytiX to provide an independent performance verification solution. AthleteAnalytiX comprises the same individuals who have been executing Zwift’s Performance Verification for a number of years (both at ZADA and other organizations),” Zwift told the Zommunique’.
Prof. Emma Martin introduces Bjoern Ossenbrink during Ep. 48 of the Virtual Velo Podcast.
What is AthleteAnalytiX?
AthleteAnalytiX is an independent sports analytics company dedicated to verifying athletic performance for both athletes and events. The group, comprised of data scientists, exercise physiologists, engineers, and physicists, has years of experience in cycling esports verifications and anti-doping research. The company’s co-founder is Bjoern Ossenbrink, the former head of the Zwift Accuracy and Data Analysis (ZADA) team.
Under his leadership, ZADA, which initially operated as a volunteer organization, successfully transitioned to become Zwift’s in-house performance verification division. With Dr. George Gilbert, the former chairman of the Zwift Cycling Esports Commission, the pair formed the backbone of the esports division that oversaw elite-level and international competition on the platform.
The History
When their contracts expired before the 2023/24 season, they moved on to form the cycling esports-focused platform indieVelo. The website describes Ossenbrink as the lead of data analysis for indieVelo’s performance verification service and “the widely acknowledged world expert in detecting cheating in online sport using every bit of digital data.”
Zwift partnered with indieVelo shortly after that, stating in an email to Team Managers, “For 2023/24, we will continue to work with Dr. George Gilbert and Bjoern Ossenbrink from indievelo (previously part of ZADA), who will provide an independent governance and performance verification service for the Zwift Grand Prix on Zwift. This service will be delivering performance verification and governance solutions only.”
That’s the path the sport needs to take and what AthleteAnalytiX provides, according to Ossenbrink.
“Physical esports is pushing into boundaries and levels that require independent verification. The World Rowing Federation (WR) and the International Cycling Federation (UCI) have offered the highest level of competition over multiple years in awarding Esport World Championship titles.
These titles bring responsibility for ensuring accurate performances and results. An independent verification and testing service will conduct performance testing using verification tools that are constantly being developed and tested. Therefore, international federations, major event organizers, or other sporting bodies can rely on true sports and its value of fair play, integrity, and sportsmanship.”
Martin inquires about Ossenbrink’s involvement with indieVelo.
Governance and Independence Questions
However, for the 2024/25 season, Zwift appears to be distancing itself from indieVelo and Dr. George Gilbert, who is among the few, if not the only, individuals with experience overseeing cycling esports governance.
When asked if they would maintain continuity in governance, appeals, and arbitration for the upcoming series, Zwift was non-committal. They stated, “The final governance team is being finalized and will be communicated with the teams and riders closer to the series start.”
Despite describing a cordial relationship with Gilbert, Ossenbrink also seems to be keeping an arm’s length from indieVelo. During a recent interview for the Virtual Velo Podcast, Prof. Emma Martin asked, “Is AthleteAnalytiX completely independent from indieVelo, and are you now completely independent from indieVelo?”
To this, Ossenbrink replied, “I’ve always been a contractor for indieVelo. I don’t have any ownership in indieVelo. That’s my relationship with it.”
He also mentioned a silent partner but stopped short of revealing any further details, prompting listeners to speculate that AthleteAnalytiX might just be another name for the same entity. However, he quickly dismissed this idea when asked to clarify during follow-up.
Zwift expanded on the change, saying, “This partnership provides continuity in terms of processes, personnel, and approach, as well as enabling the most robust longitudinal data record for elite cycling esports athletes. For 2024/25, a number of improvements are being made to the PV process, including a new portal for rider data and even closer data integration between Zwift and AthleteAnalytiX.”
Schwenker asks Ossenbrink if AthleteAnalytix is available to other organizers, platforms, and athletes.
The Systems
According to Ossenbrink, AthleteAnalytiX sets the standard by utilizing over 50,000 historical data points for individual athletes and partnering with indieVelo to test the systems. This approach is what AthleteAnalytiX brings to the table, enhancing the robustness and reliability of their performance verification.
“ONLY a longitudinal record of an athlete’s digital training and competition data can reveal changes in an athlete’s physiology by training or can indicate forms of cheating. By collecting an athlete’s performance data over time and re-testing their limits over and over again well, we build well-defined physiological profiles and establish data models with high confidence in results.”
It’s what he terms the athlete’s “Digital Passport.”
Despite confirming the critical value of the data in creating the algorithms and statistics for AthleteAnalytix’s systems, he must build a new foundation with AthleteAnalytiX.
Schwenker asks Ossenbrink if AthleteAnalytix will accept the MyWhoosh Power Passport.
The Differences
“The data points were useful in building tools to test the system. Now we’re starting at zero again because we’re using a new system.”
AthleteAnalytiX’s proprietary systems give organizers more options if the price is right. Ossenbrink shared his thoughts on expanding his service to verify athletes beyond just the podium finishers, a practice limited in previous seasons of elite Zwift racing.
“We are definitely doing more than the top three. Throughout the season, we will assess the data and develop tools to use every platform’s data stream fully. We have a prototype metric engine that can verify performances fast.
If organizers want to use something to have their verified performances from a 100 Rider field within seconds, that’s no problem. But at the end of the day, developing advanced tools comes down to funding.”
Ossenbrink shares his aspirations for the future of AthleteAnalytiX.
In Event Monitoring and Rider Removal
Ossenbrink was deferent regarding his company’s role in “In Event Monitoring and Rider Removal” when Martin asked him to elaborate on the section in the Zwift World Series rule book which states, “During the event itself, AthleteAnalytiX and the Independent Commissaire will be monitoring the races to ensure riders are compliant with the rules and regulations.”
The clause empowers officials, including AthleteAnalytiX, to identify and remove riders who do not comply with virtual and real-world equipment and for non-standard cycling techniques, such as microbursts and sticky watts.
“I think a great starting point to find out more about it is to reach out to somebody at Zwift,” said Ossenbrink.
Zwift said the following when asked to fill in the blanks.
“Regarding the live review, I can confirm that this is a manual intervention by the team at AthleteAnalytiX and the race commissaire. We’ve had this system in place for a number of years for elite cycling esports events. More often than not, these DQ’s are technical infringements that the team can spot during the race. Often, these are as basic as not having a heart rate monitor paired or an in-game weight entered incorrectly or not updated to match the weight submitted during verification. These racers are removed before the finish of the race to avoid influencing the outcome.”
In event monitoring will not be implemented platform-wide, according to Zwift.
“Because this requires human intervention and is connected to the more advanced ruleset for cycling esports events, it is not something that will be rolled out platform-wide. Rules for community racing are less stringent to keep racing accessible. However, there are still rules in place to ensure riders have appropriate equipment paired, thanks to the introduction of hardware-required events.”
However, according to Zwift, the race commissaire will decide whether to apply the manual identification process to non-standard cycling techniques (micro-bursting and sticky watts).
“Live race withdrawals will only be made in instances where there is 100% certainty a DQ will occur at the end of the race.”
The Future
Ossenbrink believes AthleteAnalytiX’s systems will become as essential to endurance athletes as Training Peaks and Strava. As the database expands, it will play a crucial role in anti-doping efforts that extend beyond digital boundaries into the real world across various sports.
Independent, third-party performance verification holds significant value for the growth and development of cycling esports. It is crucial for the sport’s evolution toward establishing a UCI international calendar and ranking system.
Under this proposed model, all platforms would adopt a dual-recorded data collection standard and rigorous performance verification protocols approved by the UCI. The individual platforms would then aggregate the data into a centralized database.
A neutral third party, akin to a digital WADA or AthleteAnalytiX, would be responsible for reviewing and comparing this data against a baseline “Digital Passport” of historical data. This process is essential for ensuring fairness and integrity within the sport.
Martin asked Ossenbrink to share his goals for AthleteAnalytiX, and he said, “Bring it fully into the real world. Analyze athletes’ performance in multiple sports and have 100% of performances for the Olympics verified from the data point. We have been in talks with WADA.”
How To Get Involved
The Zwift Community Elite 2024/25 Season kicks off with its first qualifier on Thursday, September 5th, followed by the first race on Thursday, September 19th.
The pre-verification portal is now open for participants looking to enter the first set of Zwift World Series races and the Zwift Games 2025. This portal will remain open until August 23rd. A second registration opportunity will begin on September 16th and run until October 13th, covering Race 3 and subsequent races and the Zwift Games.
Riders must submit pre-race information to AthleteAnalytiX using the web portal: https://cyclingdatalogic.com (More details are available in the Zwift World Series Ruleset).
Go to Zwift.com/racing for qualification information. To learn how to fulfill the AthleteAnalytiX pre-verification requirements, email: help@athleteanalytix.ai
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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.
