The 2023 Cycling E-Sports World Championships will be staged on 18 February 2023. Both men’s and women’s races will take place on identical courses, over equal distances and for equal prize money.
Participants will be competing remotely from their own residences or National Federation facility, and the event will be broadcast around the world. All participants in the event will be provided with the same model of smart trainer at the organizer’s cost.
The race will break new ground with a fresh event format that is unique to cycling e-sports. Competitors will need to navigate three rounds of back-to-back racing, on custom-made virtual routes which have been specifically designed to provide the ultimate test of an e-sports cyclist. Riders will be eliminated throughout the event until only the three strongest are left standing in the final battle for the podium.
National Federation Selection
South Africa is one of the 23 National Federations with automatic places and has been allocated two men and three women places. These places will be selected and confirmed by the Road Commission in early December 2022.
Continental Qualifiers
Zwift will organize the Continental qualifiers on 12-13 November 2022.
Over-all 25 riders from each Continental qualifier will be awarded a place on the start line of the 2023 UCI Cycling eSports World Championships. Such riders will be added to their respective National Federations’ squads in addition to any places the National Federation has already been allocated, providing a mechanism to potentially boost squad numbers.
Currently, eight men and four women from South Africa will be given automatic entry to the Continental Qualifier for Europe and Asia. These individuals represent South Africa’s top-level Zwift racers who have participated in the Zwift Premier Division, Zwift Knock-outs or Zwift Grand Prix – the highest level of elite racing currently on Zwift.
South Africa can also nominate up to three additional athletes (per gender) to race in the Continental Qualifier without needing to take part in any of the Qualification Pathway Events.
How to apply for one of the official Continental Qualifier spots
Riders interested in applying for the three men and three women places will need to be at least level 5 on Zwift. Importantly, riders will need to provide a full suite of performance verification information to Zwift and must have access to Hardware which is +\- 1% or better, in terms of manufacturer-claimed accuracy. Information on the performance verification will be provided to each rider in the form of a CSA eSports Playbook to ensure all bases are covered ahead of the Continental Qualifier.
Applications must be submitted to technical@cyclingsa.com by Monday 17 October 2022 and must include a rider CV, rider Zwift ID, link to Strava profile and full contact details. For any other information about the Continental qualifier, equipment needed and eligibility, athletes can contact the aforementioned e-mail address.
