Cyclists or avatars: is virtual cycling filling a short-term void during COVID-19 lockdown?

Abstract

Indoor cycling has been a trend during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the lockdowns and social distancing measures imposed by most countries. Virtual cycling (eCycling) has grown exponentially, and its popularity among amateur and professional cyclists is shown by the fact that they regularly participate in virtual competitions in which people from all over the world interact via streaming. Although eCycling is derived from a traditional sport and adapted to a virtual platform, its future success once real competitions are reinstated has been seriously questioned. This virtual cycling modality has been openly criticized for the potential differences when competing and that it does not represent the true essence of cycling. These questions and the lack of clear guidelines for its competition suggest that eCycling has to go a long way before being considered a sport. This manuscript aims to present some challenges and opportunities regarding how virtual racing could be sustainable over time once the COVID-19 lockdown is over and demonstrate that eCycling was not just filling a short-term void left by real cycling during this pandemic.

Perceptions of Cheating and Doping in E-Cycling

“…Zwift received validation as the preeminent platform for e-cycling when it was chosen by cycling governing bodies to host their championships, such as the British Cycling ecycling championships in 2019 and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World e-cycling Championships in 2020. Since its Beta launch in 2014, Zwift has grown with the addition of new virtual worlds and was significantly aided by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Spring 2020 [28], turning riders in the northern hemisphere, which would traditionally be looking to increase the amount of outdoor riding, to an indoor alternative [29,30] to follow government policies.…”

“Dear IOC”: Considerations for the Governance, Valuation, and Evaluation of Trends and Developments in eSports

“…Recently, just before the esports World Championship 2022, Zwift announced that a rider received a 30-day suspension because he changed his weight values during the race (without being detected). 9 According to Rojas-Valverde, Córdoba-Blanco and González-Salazar (Rojas-Valverde et al, 2022 ) the lack of clear guidelines in eCycling suggest that these competitions have to go a long way before being considered a real sport.…”