The Future of Cycling is eSports?

Will the future of professional cycling take place on a stationary trainer? Maybe.

Zwift revealed an eSports league with pro team support

Zwift is taking on the eSports market with a professional team league. The  KISS Super League  is currently comprised of four teams – Team Wiggins, Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes, Hagens Berman Axeon and Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka U23. More teams are anticipated to announce involvement soon.

The first live race will take place at the series launch event in London on January 23.

A new competitor to Zwift

Some of you may be familiar with the ZVR World Cup (an e-sports event previously held on the Zwift platform). From the creators of the ZVR comes CVRCADE, a new virtual reality cycling game. Like Zwift, CVRCADE will allow riders to ride, train and compete by using an indoor trainer. But, CVRCADE can also be played without pedaling. Yes, you can play using a mouse and keyboard.

There will be life-like courses or fictional gaming inspired places to ride. One huge difference is that unlike Zwift where you just pedal on go while steering is handled for you is that CVRCADE adds requires riders to steer with keyboard keys. Crashes are possible.  CVRCADE  is currently in closed Beta testing.

CVRcade is an eSport game, created to provide the ultimate, all-inclusive, virtual cycling and gaming experience. It combines fitness, gaming, and eSports; allowing you to win large prize purses. You can race as an individual or as part of a team!

eSport Cycling is Coming

Pair all of the above with news that the UCI plans to create eSports rules and a World Championships and it’s hard to argue against the trend. While I doubt eSports will takeover cycling entirely, I do anticipate that eSports will continue to eat up market share. It only makes sense. Shipping teams all over the world with support cars, busses, staff, etc… is a lot more expensive than outfitting a pain cave. I could see teams and riders creating more blended calendars with a mix of real-world and virtual events as eSports popularity  grows.

And as an amateur, it’s just so convenient. I can hop on my bike and start racing or training in about 3 minutes flat.