Cycling's Social Frontier: eSports
The sport of cycling has never been better-prepared to head indoors. Athletes have an array of incredible smart trainers and social cycling apps to choose from, and an engaged community of cyclists and cycling fans are logging virtual miles every single day. Had the global lockdowns come just 5 years ago, the cycling community would be completely disconnected — but today we’re in a place where it can become more connected than ever before. In the last few months, professional athletes and cycling fans have had the incredible opportunity to connect while doing the very thing they both are passionate about: riding bikes.
As the worldwide pandemic has forced cyclists of all abilities inside and onto Zwift, there have been a number of professional athtletes who have fully embraced the change — diving head-first into a vibrant and competitive community of athletes on the platform. To name a few: athletes like Ironman’s Lionel Sanders, EF Pro Cycling’s Jimmy Whelan and Simon Clarke, Trek-Segafredo’s Toms Skujins and Koen de Kort, Lotto Soudal’s Rasmus Byriel Iverson, and Bahrain McLaren’s Mark Cavendish have been joining massive group rides and races, and rubbing virtual elbows with their fans on a daily basis.
Cavendish cooling down post-race
For the cycling fans, it doesn’t get much better than this. It has never been so easy to ride alongside your favorite riders in the pro peloton, and through the game’s chat functionality you can connect with them directly! At no time in cycling’s storied history have the pros been so accessible.
At the same time, professionals such as Bora-Hansgrohe’s Peter Sagan have chosen to completely resist joining the cycling community online. “We will see how long this period will be, but Zwift races, with my condition, with what I’m doing, with my preparation and stuff, I don’t think so,” says Sagan.
While teams like NTT Pro Cycling and Mitchelton-Scott have opted to take this time to host their own group rides, races and workouts, it’s the professionals that are jumping into the community’s events which is leaving a lasting effect on Zwifters. When a rider like Jimmy Whelan jumps into a community race, the entire field gets to share in suffering with a World Tour pro on the same course in real-time. Regardless of their location worldwide or ability level; every racer in the pens gets to witness first-hand a world class athlete and see how long they can stay with them. Or when Simon Clarke jumps into a group endurance ride; chatting the entire time and even participating in the friendly “after party” race in the final kilometer: fans take notice.
Indoor Specialist Matt Gardiner has experienced this first-hand, “I have been a ride sweeper for a very long time in one of the game’s largest and longest-standing group rides, KISS AT Base. In the past month, pros like Toms Skujins, Simon Clarke, and Rasmus Byriel Iverson have jumped in, chatting with the group for the entire 100 kilometers." The connections made between these pros and the engaged Zwift cycling community are lasting. “They are really embracing Zwift and taking the time to interact with people who miss the World Tour racing scene as much as they do,” says Matt.
It’s never been more clear that these pros are making the best of the situation, spending time spinning their legs with their fans. To us this is one crucial ingredient missing from professional cycling — connection with the fans. We’re seeing it play out in real-time, and the athletes leaning into the community will undoubtedly get back what they put in.
As for the racing, it has become pretty apparent in the last month is that these pro athletes have a bit to learn about what it takes to be successful in Zwift’s short and intense race formats. While high power output is important, the community teams who have practiced the climbs, the sprints, and learned how to optimize the draft in a fast-moving pack have an edge which will take some commitment to overcome. With Zwift aiming at a World Championship in 2020, the lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders are the perfect opportunity for these professionals to sharpen their “Zwiftcraft” for the eventual race for the rainbow-striped jersey!
In the meantime, we’ll be enjoying every moment of getting to ride and race alongside some of our favorite riders in the pro peloton!