eSport cycling has truly exploded in the last few years, in many ways thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Billions of people were forced inside, and millions were literally forced inside as severe restrictions became present around the world.
Many countries banned outdoor exercise for months. Zwift, virtual exercise apps, and eSport cycling began to reach new heights as they became the only option for competitive athletes.
I, for one, was bitten by the Zwift bug. Before March 2020, I had never tried it, despite being a dedicated indoor rider during the dreadful Wisconsin winters. A few years later, I now find myself fully immersed in the world of eSport cycling, often in ways I never expected.
In the past 12 months, I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world for eSport cycling events. The irony is obvious, but I jumped at every opportunity. Singapore for Zwift, Spain for Rouvy, and Abu Dhabi for MyWhoosh – without eSport cycling, I don’t know if I would’ve ever experienced a year of international travel like that.
VirtualHero is the latest in-person eSport cycling event, set to be held at Eurobike over the next few months. Cycle Cafe has partnered with Eurobike and WhiizU to put on three semi-final events, plus the “Virtual Hero” final in Frankfurt.
Why in-person virtual cycling events? To showcase the best quality of indoor cycling, in my opinion: accessibility.
The best part about virtual cycling is that anyone can do it, anywhere in the world, at any time. A rider in Japan can ride on Zwift with a rider from America, while an Australian can race against a German on MyWhoosh – all at the same time.
You can be almost anywhere in the world and ride on a smart trainer – your home office, a five-star hotel room, or the top of a mountain (as long as you have a power outlet and Wi-Fi).
Virtual cycling is available to everyone 24/7/365. You don’t need to worry about getting dropped by your faster friends or getting buzzed by frustrated drivers. eSport cycling makes bike riding accessible to everyone, and that is one of the qualities that VirtualHero aims to showcase.
Fiona Schröder is the mastermind behind the project – Schröder is a student and amateur cyclist, a licensed sports director, and an unofficial logistics manager. She has spent countless hours putting this project together, and it all kicks off with the first semi-final race on February 21st (today, at the time of this writing) in Massif Central.
Each winner of the semi-final races will be invited to the “Virtual Hero” final on July 6-7th at Eurobike in Frankfurt.
Here are the dates for the Virtual Hero races:
- February 21st – Frankfurt
- March 15-17th – Düsseldorf
- April 13-14th – Berlin
- July 3-7 – Berlin
WhiizU is the platform of choice for Virtual Hero, while Elite will supply the riders with their Justo smart trainers. It’s free to sign up for each of the semi-final races – I wish I was in Europe at the time because I’d love to give this a go.
3T will supply the bikes for each event, and each race will be held on a short, 3.2km course through a virtual Singapore world.
In-person eSport cycling events are still in their infancy. Many events have been held over the past few years, but as the verification standards get higher, it’s been impossible to pull off perfection. VirtualHero hopes to take these events to the next level, showcasing a number of in-person events over the next few months.
Could in-person events, ironically, be the ‘next big thing’ in virtual cycling?
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Project partners