ABU DHABI, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Virtual cycling is making the sport more accessible to people of various ages and levels, and the cycling world is welcoming every type of cyclist to participate in the future of the game, said Jacob Fraser, Cycling Esports Coordinator of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
Fraser made the remarks on Friday, one day before the kick-off of the 2025 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, the fifth edition of the tournament.
"Virtual cycling is like an opportunity for people to ride bikes when they can't, because it gets dark earlier, when they live in a busy city, when the weather's inclement, or it's not safe. When they can't ride the bike outside or ride down a mountain or do any other version of cycling, virtual cycling is there," Fraser said.
"I think it's an excellent tool for every type of cyclist to have at home, and we're starting to see some people who only ride virtually, who only ride at home. They don't go outdoors very often. I myself ride inside two or three times a week, and I ride outside once or twice. It's just an easier way to cycle," he added.
The World Championships features three races - mountain, puncher and sprinter for each gender, but on the MyWhoosh app, users can explore multiple races like road races, hill climbs, group rides and free rides, and even a zombie-chasing race.
Fraser said, "I still love going outdoors and riding my bike. Virtual cycling is a unique racing structure and an engaging way for fans of both esports and sport to come together. It's also, at the end of the day, a way to get more people riding bikes."
"The World Championships is the elite. It is the highest of the highest competition level. I could never ride here personally. But every week at home, I ride on my road bike on a trainer to race twenty strangers from around the world," he said.
Remote competition enhances grassroots fan engagement and significantly reduces event organization costs.
"That means organizing the tournament could be very cheap. We don't have to incur the cost of travel and accommodation and things like that," Fraser said. "I think human beings love coming together and love celebrating sport in an arena, but virtual cycling is another option."
"Instead of coming all the way to Abu Dhabi, you could go to your local racing center, or throw a party at your local bike shop. There are a lot of options available to us when it comes to event structures like this," he added.
"I always think back to the Paris Olympic Games when the surfing competition was in Tahiti. There could be a competition at my house in Los Angeles. You can have people competing all over the world. So I think not only can you get more people as part of the Olympic Movement, but you get people from everywhere," Fraser said.
With the rising popularity of cycling apps, UCI plans to expand Esports categories to include masters and juniors.
"MyWhoosh does an amazing job here at the World Championships. They also have a full calendar of events for riders of every ability, so they've started to build out both the elite level and the grassroots kind of everyday level."
"The Olympics want to get more people engaged. They want to grow their audience both in terms of size but also age, demographics and diversity. I think cycling sports can help them do that," Fraser concluded. ■
