Can Zwift replace races cancelled due to coronavirus?

The company welcomes pro cycling teams to compete in its e-sport series

Canadian Cycling Magazine March 9, 2020

With the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past few weeks, it seems like every day there are race cancellations, travel restrictions are being imposed or riders are being put under quarantine.

As more races are scrapped or postponed and the spring/summer professional cycling calendar becomes more sparse, the idea of WorldTour level cycling teams turning to Zwift to race becomes much more plausible.

E-sport racing

Zwift already has established invite only professional events. The KISS Super League, Tour de Zwift and the currently ongoing Tour of Watopia are all part of Zwift’s extensive pro-am e-sports series, where teams like Canyon//SRAM, Israel Cycling Academy and Cofidis, compete in virtual races. Last September, Zwift and the UCI agreed to host the first e-sports world championships in 2020.

“We have been working hard over the last year to build out the necessary tools to support a new sport,”says Chris Snook, senior PR Manager at Zwift, “full streaming services, robust rules and of course strong governance.”

As UCI WorldTeams and ProTeams pull out of more races due to COVID-19, Zwift racing could be an option for filling their empty schedules.

“There could be potential for more teams to compete in this series, and others moving forward, should they wish to join,” says Snook.

Quarantined training

Cyclists from Cofidis and FDJ, quarantined in a hotel in the UAE, were finally able to acquire bikes and trainers after almost a week of no training. Australian Nathan Haas, who races for Cofidis, has been tweeting about his experience using Zwift.

Ok, so @GoZwift is more fun then I expected ???

— Nathan Haas (@NathanPeterHaas) March 6, 2020

Anybody want to join me for a ride on zwift?

— Nathan Haas (@NathanPeterHaas) March 7, 2020

The KOM is mine! @GoZwift
I’m embarrassed to admit how hard that was pic.twitter.com/I1L2d4MCtC

— Nathan Haas (@NathanPeterHaas) March 7, 2020

He’s proven that it is still possible to ride and race while under quarantine. As travel restrictions increase and cyclists are kept from entering from places like Italy, or prohibited from leaving an area of high contamination, Zwift offers a safe racing and training environment.

“Zwift remains open to all – whether that be newbies, weekend warriors or world tour pros,” says Snook. “We are happy to try and assist where we can with providing support to help riders train.”

Audience

Viewers are still able to tune in to watch the races, and don’t need a Zwift account to catch the action. “Races such as the Tour of Watopia – a pro-am esports series – are live streamed across platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitch,” says Snook.

Limitations

Although we could very well see high level teams moving to virtual racing, there are limitations to how realistic the race replacements will be. Zwift created the Yorkshire course during the world championships in 2019, but it took months for developers to build and test the design. It is unlikely developers would have enough time to recreate a virtual version of the Giro d’Italia or Paris-Roubaix.

“At this stage, we don’t know fully what the impact will be on us or the rest of the sporting world,” says Snook. “Like everyone, we hope that the situation for everyone improves as quickly as possible. However, we are here to help the cycling community to our best ability during this time.”