Zwift has confirmed the 15 professional men's teams set to take part in its inaugural pro e-sports cycling league, which begins tomorrow - Wednesday 23rd January.
ProContinental teams Hagens Berman Axeon, Israel Cycling Academy and Cofidis will be among those racing the KISS Super League, a 10-race series raced completely online using the virtual app.
The series will be contested on a points based system with each race having to be raced by teams of four. The wearing of heart rate monitors will be mandatory while all riders have to race on organiser-provided power meters.
Interestingly, the use of the in-game power-ups will also be permitted.
Also competing will be British Continental teams Ribble Pro Cycling, Canyon-dhb, Madison Genesis and Team Wiggins-Le Col, the latter racing at the launch of the new league at Pinarello's flagship London store on Wednesday 23rd January.
A live link to the race can be found here.
In attendance at the launch will be Bradley Wiggins himself, alongside Dimension Data's Steve Cummings, and Wiggins views the introduction of Zwift into the professional ranks as a natural progression that could potentially have wider implications to the health of children.
'I’m well known for being a student of the sport. The history of cycling is very special to me but this doesn’t mean things should not change,' said Wiggins.
'BMX bikes came out of nowhere to become the "must have" thing when I was a kid in the 80s. Now it’s an Olympic discipline. This story of cycling is ever evolving and as a parent I want to see our sport provide accessibility and inspiration for young people.
'If a computer game can get kids off the sofa and onto a bike to workout and compete, then I’m a supporter.'
Many have criticised Zwift for taking a sport that's core was to have riders outside to forcing them in, however, it does promote a healthy lifestyle that can be adopted by those too busy to enjoy the time-consuming hobby of cycling.
The brand also argues that this league will not compete directly against the stunning beauty of the Grand Tours or grit of the Monuments rather complement it with an interactive viewing platform, as stated by Craig Edmondson.
'We’re not here to compete against the mighty backdrops of the Monuments and Grand Tours of pro cycling,' said Edmondson.
'Our role is to deliver something brand-new to cycling. By gamifying racing we will create entertaining coverage and introduce an added dimension to bike racing. Team-based competition, power-ups, course "know how" and the differences in racing physics makes Zwift a new battleground for competition. Watts per kilogram is only one of many key factors.'
Following the launch of the men's league, the women's league will be also launched in February with the inclusion of WorldTour teams Canyon-Sram and Cervelo Bigla.
Eventually, the brand hopes to launch its first e-racing game for amateurs by the end of January.
Zwift secures $120million investment
Online virtual riding app Zwift has secured a $120million investment to expand its running platform but also expand into cycling as an eSport. The announcement comes less than a week after Zwift confirmed its first-ever eSport professional cycling league set to launch in January 2019.
The online training programme originally launched in 2014 to provide a social platform for cyclists to train together online before quickly introducing more competitive elements such as its races and its Zwift Academy project.
Now, this has gone a step further with the California-based company hoping to establish cycling as an indoor eSport.
This, as you would expect, has worried some within the cycling community who worry that a cycling eSport could take away from the spectacle of real cycling but for Zwift CEO, Eric Min, this is simply a progression within the sport.
'In 2018, more than one-third of the Tour de France peloton were Zwifters,' said Min. 'With that support already in place, we are in the unique position of being able to combine affordable physical endeavour with video gaming technology, ultimately setting the stage for us to become the first true eSport of its kind.'
Min has no intention of competing with cycling as a sport but sees it rather as supporting the current platform of professional cycling by developing a 'sport within a sport'.
'Don’t expect to see 'first across the line' stage racing, Zwift is going to turn into a battleground for pro cycling teams and deliver a truly gamified experience which will be shared with our subscriber base globally. I personally believe Zwift will play a leading role in the future of professional cycling.'
Zwift's new multi-million dollar funding comes from a collection of investment groups who each underlined the untapped potential it believes the online game has and how it has shown innovation to grow beyond just a training app for cyclists.
Paul Cocker of True, one of the investment groups, commented that their investment was led by an evolution in the way the public is viewing fitness.
'This investment allows Zwift to present an even more advanced offering to a growing audience of cyclists and runners in need of new ways to train and remain active indoors,' said Cocker.
'As with the wider retail industry, the fitness industry is evolving rapidly and we firmly believe that Zwift will be at forefront of that evolution.'
The app already boasts over a million accounts while in four years users have recorded a collective 410 million virtual miles collectively.
Within just the last year, Zwift launched its running app, an eSport National Championships and most recently its professional eSports league which already comprises of Continental teams Team Wiggins, Canyon DHB, Hagens Berman Axeon and Dimension Data U23.