The UCI Zwift have announced major changes to the format of the 2023 Esports World Championships, with the men’s and women’s world champions decided via a three-race elimination series on February 18 rather than a single road race.
The three races are called The Punch, The Climb and The Podium and will be contested on three separate routes, with each race reducing the 100-rider field in an elimination format. Each race will last 25 minutes, with the winners decided on a criterium-style circuit in a 15-minute race. Gamification, using Power Ups are likely to play an even bigger factor in the races.
The UCI claim the changes “will make the annual flagship event of cycling esports even more exciting and spectacular.”
The inaugural UCI Cycling eSports World Championships were held at the end of 2020, with Germany’s Jason Osborne winning the men’s event and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio taking the women’s title.
Australia’s Jay Vine won this year’s title after he secured a professional contract with Alpecin via the Zwift Academy for 2021. Loes Adegeest of the Netherlands won the women’s race. They took the rainbow jerseys in a simple road race event on a 55 km Zwift NYC after two and a half laps of the Knickerbocker circuit.
The new format will make for a very different race and perhaps very different winners.
The men’s and women’s pelotons will consist of a maximum of 100 riders who will have earned the right to start through a qualification system. The Punch event will see the 100 riders race on a 13.8km course over rolling terrain. Only the top 30 finishers will qualify for the next race, with the rest being eliminated.
The 30 riders start The Climb, which consists of hill repetitions on a specially designed hill climb, with a total length of 8.5 km and 162 metres of vertical gain. Only the top 10 finishers of both categories will advance to the final race.
The Podium race will take place on another new circuit containing short climbs, with one rider eliminated at sprint points signalled by an archway.
The three riders who survive will then fight for the rainbow jersey and the final podium places.
The final start list for the 2023 Esports World Championships will be announced early in the new year. Zwift and the UCI will again carefully control the equipment and athlete weight and performance, via Zwift’s ZADA power tests and UCI rules to ensure a fair competition.
The UCI Continental Qualifiers for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships take place this weekend on the Zwift platform, with riders competing for the 25 qualifying places for each gender to represent their country. The Continental Qualifiers will follow the same new three-race format.
Last year, Adegeest earned a place on the Dutch national team through the continental qualifiers. She then pulled off a surprise win, dropping Moolman Pasio on the steep final climb.
The qualifying races will be broadcast live on Zwift's YouTube channel. The women's races will take place on Saturday 12 November 2022 at 15:00 CET. The men's races will take place on Sunday 13 November 2022 at 15:00 CET.
“The new format for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships is in line with our desire to continue innovating and increasing the appeal of our sport,” UCI President David Lappartient said.
“Our first two UCI World Championships for cycling esports were a great success, and now we have increased the excitement with three separate events that will gradually eliminate members of the peloton.”
The UCI selected Zwift to host the official Esports World Championships.
“Together with the UCI, we’re thrilled to continue our innovation in cycling esports with this new multi-event format,” Zwift CEO and Co-Founder Eric Min said.
“Both riders and spectators will have an opportunity to experience this new format this weekend with the UCI Continental Qualification races. The racing is going to be fast-paced and tactical. I hope that we may once again unearth some hidden talent here.”
