British Cycling announces team for UCI Cycling E-sports World Championships on Zwift
The line-up features 10 women and five men all competing for equal prize money and to become world champion
![Hayley Simmonds British Cycling E-Sports World Championships](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WrwgXhcG8P7p3tfZtu93i7-415-80.jpg)
British Cycling has announced its line-up of 15 riders competing for Great Britain in the UCI Cycling E-sports World Championships, with 10 women and five men hoping to become world champions from their own home on Saturday February 26.
Great Britain's team features a mix of elite pros and amateur qualifiers, with each rider having proved themselves as the elite talent in e-racing. They'll compete for equal prize money too, with the winner of both the Elite Men's and Elite Women's races earning €8,000 and their own rainbow jersey in real life.
The 15 riders selected by British Cycling had to secure their place in the squad through a length qualification process, which included over 500 people battling for a coveted spot on the team.
British Cycling CEO, Brian Facer, said: “We’re incredibly excited by the potential for e-racing to create new pathways into our sport and help us to reach a new, younger and more diverse audience, and through our partnership with Zwift we’ve been able to seamlessly integrate it into our offer for riders of all abilities.
"The open qualifiers saw 550 riders vying for a place in the team at this year’s championships, showcasing the strength and depth of the e-racing community across Britain, and I can’t wait to see how the team gets on later this month.”
The women's team includes UCI Women's Continental rider Hayley Simmonds and Illi Gardner from Team CAMS-Basso, 2021 British Cycling National Masters Road Race champion Mary Wilkinson, Cycling Weekly Lockdown Series winner Charlotte Colclough and 2020 Zwift London International Women's Race winner Harriet Gilson.
Accomplished hill climbers Natalie Stevenson, Lou Bates and Zoe Langham are also included, with double CTT Women's BAR champion Alice Lethbridge and World Masters time triallist Helen McKay making up the rest of Great Britain's women's team.
Hayley Simmonds said: “It's always a proud moment for me to pull on my national jersey and in this instance I'll get to wear two of them - a real-life one and a virtual one as well. Zwift racing is still a relatively new experience for me so I'm looking forward to competing, and it's crazy to think I'll be competing for a rainbow jersey inside my own house.”
The men's team includes winner of 2018 Zwift KISS eCrit Series Live Final Gavin Dempster, 2019 British National Hill Climb champion Ed Laverack, Wahoo Le Col Zwift racing league rider Joseph Rees, NeXT eSports pb Enshored Team cyclist Mark Bruce and the runner-up in last year's Masters Road Race National Championships, Andy Nichols.
Ed Laverack said: “I'm over the moon to be included in the squad, and to get the chance to represent British Cycling in the upcoming world championships. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it's going to be an amazing experience to be able to share the experience with a great group of riders. Hopefully we can produce a result and do everyone proud.”
Eurosport, discovery+, GCN+ and Zwift's YouTube channel will broadcast the event from 6pm to thousands of cycling fans, as the riders take to Zwift's New York "Knickerbocker" route in a scratch race format. They will cover a 54.9 kilometre route, which features 944 metres of elevation and gradients of up to 14 per cent in places.
The riders will each also have three-in-race 'PowerUps', designed to provide them with extra attacking impetus whenever they need an advantage.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Ryan is a staff writer for Cycling Weekly, having joined the team in September 2021. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before making his way to cycling. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer.
-
In search of the world's best club jersey: Jubilee Park CC v Kibworth Velo Club
Every week we pit two club kits against each other and you get to vote on the best designs
By James Shrubsall Published
-
'I had to wait at the top of every hill' – the highs and lows of Malcolm Elliott's career in the fast lane
Throughout his two-part career, no-one epitomised Sheffield steel like Cycling Weekly's 2023 Lifetime Achievement award winner Malcolm Elliott
By James Shrubsall Published
-
Zwift cyclist climbs equivalent of 138 Everests in a year
Keith Roy has broken an unofficial climbing record, totting up over 4 million feet this year
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Zwift avatars will no longer be dependent on athlete's profile gender in latest update
New faces for avatars will be available across this winter, along with updates to the Zwift Companion App and a return of the Tour de Zwift
By Adam Becket Published
-
Extinction Rebellion protest Shell deal at British Cycling AGM
Group promises more action against governing body’s controversial Shell sponsorship
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Uncovered: Team GB’s secret Olympic track bike that costs £55,000
British Cycling created the new frame in-house through 3D printing
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Extinction Rebellion plots another British Cycling protest
Around 20 protesters will target the governing body's AGM this weekend to denounce its deal with Shell
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
Zwift Academy reopens for 2023 -two professional contracts are on the line
The six-ride, two-race series will run from November 6 through December 17. Contracts with CANYON//SRAM Generation and Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team on offer
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
New British women's team is aiming for the Tour de France Femmes - with a budget to match its ambitions
Hess Cycling will have a "core focus" on developing British riders, and has already signed 17-year-old Holly Ramsey
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Exclusive: British Cycling axes jobs amid sponsorship shortfall and waning membership
Redundancies made following 7% drop in membership and sponsorship struggle
By Tom Thewlis Published