Cycling: The first UCI eSports World Championship will be held in December this year. The German squad was announced today. In addition, the German Cycling Academy is rolling again.
UCI eSports World Championship 2020 in Watopia
On the roll, set, go! In the cold winter months, the digital experience of cycling becomes more and more important. The UCI has also recognized this. Because this year, for the first time, there will be one UCI eSports World Championship discharged. On December 9th, participants from all over the world will compete on the Zwift platform. The setting will be Watopia. There, 1,6 laps and a total of 50,035 kilometers with an altitude difference of 483 meters are completed. The course is not difficult, but ends with a small mountain finish. But the top 3 can also look forward to prize money – in addition to the medals, of course. The winner will receive 8.000 euros, while the second and third place winners will receive 4.000 and 2.000 euros respectively. Even if this doesn't sound like the big jackpot, just by hosting the UCI eSports World Championships we can see that this new discipline of cycling is now officially recognised.
Germany sends strong professionals to the start
In order to be able to fight for medals directly at the first eSports World Championship, the BDR has nominated a team with experience in twins. For the women, Tanja Erath, Hannah Ludwig and Christa Riffel from the Canyon – SRAM team, as well as Franziska Brauße (Ceratizit – WNT) and Finja Smekal (Drops) will start. The German squad is completed by Messrs Jonas Koch (CCC), Jason Osborne (RV 1899 Hocheim), Lucas Carstensen (Bike Aid), Miguel Heidemann (Leopard)
and Jonas Rapp (Hrinkow Advarics Cycleang).
Digital head coach Tim Böhme:
“We have two good teams at the start that are perfectly matched to the course. However, we were able to nominate high-horsepower outdoor drivers with indoor experience, since the UCI nomination requirement stipulated that the drivers be in the anti-doping test pool. That's why we don't have any pure indoor specialists with us, like maybe other countries. So there are no empirical values from which we could derive the opportunities internationally. All I know is that our boys and girls are extremely strong and highly motivated.”
The German Cycling Academy is also rolling again
For many, the role hardly stood still in the summer. But when the temperatures are cold, the digital Zwift worlds should now be much better visited. This is also due to the German Cycling Academy, which starts this week with the official training. On Saturday, the German squad for the eSports World Cup will have their first joint training session with digital head coach Tim Böhme. But everyone can also take part in the GCA training on Tuesdays and the GCA Cup on Wednesdays. In January, the GCA league will start again, which Lucas Carstensen recently won. Even though the last road race of the season, the Vuelta a Espana, ends on Sunday, cycling won't get boring. Because we don't have to do without our favorite sport even in the winter months.
