Whereas October could appear far-off, with a purpose to qualify for the 2024 UCI Biking Esports World Championship, you’d greatest get began now.
Held since 2020, the UCI Biking Esports Championships are an annual racing occasion by which cyclists compete in a sequence of motorcycle races on a digital biking platform. Whereas the primary three occasions had been held on Zwift, the pioneers in digital biking, the UCI has granted MyWhoosh the rights to arrange the Esports World Championships for the approaching three years, beginning this fall. It’ll be the primary digital championship with a reside closing in addition to a public qualification course of. That’s proper: you don’t have to be a professional bicycle owner or indoor specialist for an opportunity to vie for the coveted rainbow jersey avatar and be topped world champion.
Two Methods to Qualify
(Picture credit score: MyWhoosh)
There are two methods to qualify: one, to be chosen by your nation’s biking federation, or two, through the general public qualifiers.
The UCI used a proprietary algorithm based mostly on the worldwide rating system and the ultimate athlete standings of the 2022 and 2023 UCI Biking Esports World Championships to find out what number of riders every federation will get on the semi-finals for the Championships, with a most of 10 riders per staff. The nationwide federations get to assign 80% of the semi-final beginning spots utilizing their discretion and/or a range strategy of their very own. These must be finalised by August 1.
The remaining 20% will likely be chosen by way of the general public qualification course of. The main points of which had been revealed by the UCI and MyWhoosh immediately.
The general public qualifiers begin on August 3, and whereas they’re certainly open to the general public, one should join a MyWhoosh account and bear its verification course of beforehand. This course of contains a wide range of intervals and tools checks, so riders desirous to compete ought to make sure that they full this course of earlier than August 3.
The qualifier schedule for the 2024 UCI Biking Esports Championship
(Picture credit score: MyWhoosh)
The qualifiers will likely be two-stage occasions held on three totally different dates to accommodate riders from numerous time zones. Riders can attempt their probabilities in any respect three events, however as soon as certified they can’t enter any extra qualifiers. The highest riders from these qualifiers will safe a spot within the semi-finals for his or her respective nationwide federation.
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The semi-finals will happen on September 6 and will likely be a two-stage occasion. Stage One will characteristic a 9-kilometre circuit, utilising a factors system to pick out the highest 80 riders who will advance. Stage Two will likely be 4 laps of a 4-kilometre circuit, figuring out the highest 20 female and male opponents who will progress to the ultimate.
Two further wild card entries per gender will likely be added to the checklist of finalists. These entries are given out at MyWhoosh’s discretion, and opens the door to high-profile entries like MyWhoosh ambassadors Peter Sagan and Tadej Pogacar.
The 2024 UCI Biking Esports World Championship
(Picture credit score: MyWhoosh)
The 2024 UCI Biking Esports World Championships would be the first time all of the finalists will compete in particular person in a reside occasion, to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
As we’ve seen in earlier editions, the ultimate will once more be a multi-race occasion, however this time, it’s points-based. The ultimate will likely be an action-packed flurry of 15 to 20-minute races separated by simply 10 minutes of restoration. Riders will compete on their very own bikes hooked as much as Elite’s Justo trainers, the official technical accomplice of UAE Workforce Emirates.
For race one, titled The Dash, riders will likely be on a 1.7-kilometre flat circuit. Racers may have quarter-hour to set their quickest time by way of a 300-meter, timed phase. A reside leaderboard will monitor the quickest occasions as the gang appears to be like on, and riders will earn factors based mostly on their greatest phase time.
The second race is titled The Technique and takes place on a 9-kilometre circuit consisting of 6.5 kilometres of rolling hills adopted by a four-minute climb, a quick descent, and a one-kilometre flat run-in to the end line. Factors are on supply on the base and high of the climb, and the end line will award double factors.
All Out is the aptly-named third and closing race. Right here, the 4-kilometre circuit concludes with a 50-second full-gas climb to the beginning/end line. Riders will discover an intermediate dash level on the crest of every climb in the course of the 4-lap affair.
The rider with essentially the most factors on the finish of the sequence wins the rainbow bands.
