British eRacing Champion banned for cheating

British Cycling has been forced to disqualify and ban the first eRacing national champion Cameron Jeffers after it was revealed he manipulated his profile and unlocked special equipment in the Zwift platform. 

The governing body charged him with Unsporting Conduct, erased his result, banned him for six months and fined him £250.

British Cycling integrity and compliance director Rod Findlay said: "Defending fair play in our competitions is at the core of our responsibilities as a governing body. The fact that we have been able to investigate the offence and uphold the charge reflects the strength of our new disciplinary regulations and our determination to pursue misconduct."

According to The Guardian, Jeffers manipulated his profile by using a bot to ride at a weight of 45kg, doing 2000W for over 200km. The rides helped him unlock the Zwift Concept Z1 bike that offered performance advantages on his rides.

Jeffers accepted his punishment, writing on Twitter that, "I accept that this practice was unethical and unsporting and I have cooperated fully with BC on their investigation. I will continue to support it and use what I have learnt from my mistakes to help shape it as it grows" before plugging his YouTube channel where he's made a video of all the details of his case.

British Cycling awarded the title to second place finisher James Phillips. 

The UCI announced last month that it would add eRacing to its sanctioned disciplines, creating for 2020 an eSports World Championships on the Zwift platform before opening up the hosting to other providers.