Zwift Games
Zwift Games; the largest cycling eSport competition to date?
News from Watopia: a new multi-format competition called Zwift Games – which will be open to the entire cycling esports community – aims to break records for participation. Zwift say the Zwift Games are “designed to give any cyclist the chance to enjoy fun and challenging virtual competition“.
The Zwift Games will be open to all, no matter where in they world they are. There will be qualification events in February ’24 leading to Elite Finals in March. The Zwift Games will crown men’s and women’s Champions across three medal disciplines, as well as overall male and female champions. Winners will also take home a share of Zwift’s biggest-ever prize purse, which has yet to announced. Zwift have said that “parity will be a central pillar of the Zwift Games. Race distances will be equal for men and women, and prize money will be split equally.“
Three disciplines to be tackled
The three disciplines mentioned are Sprint, Epic and Hill Climb. The Sprint race will use the Battle Royale format that was used in the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. Riders will tackle several events back-to-back on a variety of courses, including some that are new to Zwift. The Epic will feature a longer 60Km course that will take in the new Coastal Causeway and a new route. The Hill Climb will take place on the Alpe du Zwift, which should see some records broken.
While qualification is open to all, Zwift will also be running exhibition races and community events. So you can ride the events for fun rather than having to battle it out with the world’s top eAthletes. One of these is the Epic community event, which will take place at the same time as the championship. Anyone can participate in either event without a qualifier, creating what Zwift hopes will be the world’s largest-ever cycling esports event!
To give Zwifters a look at the future of Cycling Esports, Zwift will also host exhibition races that showcase the latest innovations in Zwift racing. Further details, including the exact dates, formats, information on global broadcasts, and prize purse distribution will be shared in December. Keep an eye on the Zwift site and get training for the Zwift Games.
