In Episode 57 of the Virtual Velo Podcast, Chris and Emma sit down with cycling esports’ new women’s World Champion, New Zealand’s Kate McCarthy, for her first interview since her thrilling victory in the live finals in Abu Dhabi.
McCarthy, the only community racer to conquer the elite esports stage, opens up about the emotional rollercoaster leading to her title: missed flights, lost bikes, and a journey to reclaim her reputation after an unexpected and untimely annulment isolated her from her peers.
With no option but to prove herself on the pixelated parcours, she found the mental edge that put her in the zone and over the top.
From weigh-in procedures to anti-doping protocols and race-day tactics, McCarthy shares it all, including the answer to the burning question: Did she sleep in her Rainbow Jersey?
Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to delve even deeper into the intriguing topics discussed in this episode. We’ve curated a selection of articles that inspired our conversation, providing you with exclusive insights.
- Germany’s Jason Osborne and New Zealand’s Mary Kate McCarthy Win the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship [Zommunique, Oct. 27, 2024]
- 2024 UCI Cycling Esports Finalists Punch Their Tickets to the Live Event in Abu Dhabi [Zommunique, Sept. 9, 2024]
- All of the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship Smart Trainers Will Be Tested, Standardized, and UCI-Approved [Zommunique, Aug. 6, 2024]
Join us for a conversational ride where we not only lend a voice to the digital athlete but also bridge the gap between athlete and avatar. We invite you to be part of this exciting exploration of the future of virtual sport and digital athlete engagement!
Great episode as usual and congratulations to Mark Kate. You asked Mary Kate a question about whether she had been interviewed back home in New Zealand and she had not. I just read Cycling Weekly, a popular cycling magazine in the UK and out of 64 pages there was a 1/8 of a page block with a picture of Jason, a heading and one sentence of text declaring Jason and Mary Kate won the World eSports Championship. It was absolutely dismal coverage. Whilst we have great sites like this which do there best to raise awareness of esports cycling where is the more traditional media? Surely they recognise that eSports is big part of cycling’s growth?
Another insightful comment, James. I was in Abu Dhabi representing Cycling Weekly and my media platform, The Virtual Velo Network (TheZommunique.com and The Virtual Velo Podcast). They commissioned one article that appeared in their North American edition. No other appetite despite having full access to the racers, organizers, and the UCI. Cycling New’s Josh Croxton was also on the ground and did a fantastic job covering the event. As a staff writer, he has more creative flexibility than I do as a freelancer.
I believe the mainstream cycling media view cycling esports as an emerging discipline, but there is pushback from traditional “elitist” cyclists readers that view cycling esports as “fake” cycling and the interest isn’t there to justify space on their pages.
There will come a day when the work I do on this site, as the only independent cycling esports journalist, will have a value. Until then, I will continue to promote the sport with a positive forward-thinking approach.
Thank you for the reply. I have sent an email to the editor of the UK version offering a little bit of constructive feedback. Not sure if it will do any good but I feel better now 😂 They were happy to have a 2 page review of the Zwift Ride in the magazine but then cover a UCI sanctioned event in one sentence. Very poor show especially as there were British riders who performed brilliantly finishing 4th and 5th.
Unfortunately, paid media significantly impacts the topics covered.
I actually got ‘letter of the week’ in Cycling weekly and it was published in the magazine on Thursday. It’s a shame that my letter was longer than the actual article published about the championships but at least it might by seen by a few in a better position than me to drive the sport!
That’s amazing! Can you send it to me, Paul? Chris@Chris Schwenker.com
I assume there are no characters between the forename/surname? I’ve tried sending to that email address but it isn’t accepting emails (host not found)?