As virtual eRacing becomes more competitive, teams are seeking any possible advantage.
For seasoned cycling fans, the notion of eRacing might appear unnatural, but to win in the virtual world, a team still needs to execute strategy and its riders must produce the required power output.
Watts count for a similar amount in the eRacing and real world. To that end, the world’s first fully professional eRacing team is a partnership between Danish component specialist, CeramicSpeed, and German bike brand Canyon.
Officially, this team is known as Canyon ZCC and competes in Zwift sanctioned eRacing events. Rhys Howell, an employee of Canyon, is the team founder and manager and believes that CeramicSpeed’s massively efficient bearings can make a significant difference. “We’re really excited to be working with CeramicSpeed in ensuring that our riders have the most efficient drivetrain possible. I cannot think of another discipline in cycling where the drivetrain itself plays such a critical role as it does in eRacing.”
CeramicSpeed is known for its bearing technology, promising energy savings on rotating components, such as hub and bottom brackets. In the virtual cycling world of eRacing, where aerodynamics are irrelevant and the weather never a factor, drivetrain friction and drag are where races can be won or lost.
Canyon ZCC team rider Lionel Vujasin is convinced that CeramicSpeed’s components make a notable difference. "They say marginal gains; I say gains, period. In eRacing, drivetrain efficiency is a key factor where every single watt counts! I’m stoked to see CeramicSpeed joining us and having now raced with the new setup, I can confirm that the feeling of total smoothness combined with improvement in power transfer it gives to the bike is unbelievable.”
Amongst the components that CeramicSpeed is supplying to the Canyon ZCC eRacing team, its bottom brackets are perhaps the most crucial. The brand’s oversized pulley wheels will also feature on Canyon ZCC team bikes, linking the drivetrain via CeramicSpeed low-friction UFO chains.
