Zwift Games aims to be the 'biggest cycling esports competition to date'

Online cycling platform Zwift has unveiled plans for the largest-ever cycling esports competition, Zwift Games. It will comprise three events, with a men's and women's champion crowned across each of the three disciplines.

Launching in February next year, Zwift Games will commence with qualification rounds, before the grand final which will be held in March with Zwift offering its largest ever prize purse. Qualification will be open to all Zwift users, providing unrestricted participation in the preliminary events.

• Read more: Zwift routes & worlds - a complete guide

For riders not looking to compete for the title of Zwift Games champion but still wanting to participate in the events, Zwift will also host community events linked to the competition. Zwift has said that "such an open competition promises to make the Zwift Games the most democratic cycling championship ever held".

The three events that will make up the Games are the Sprint, Epic, and Hill Climb championships. Each of these aims to encourage the participation of different styles of rider.

Sprint

This race is based around the Zwift Battle Royale, which first debuted at the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. This racing configuration will see riders take on multiple events back-to-back across the Zwift universe, including on some not-seen-before courses. The qualification rounds will be open to all Zwift users, with the top-ranking finishers making their way to the final.

Epic

As you might have guessed from the name, this category is the longest of the three. Although currently unconfirmed, the route will be at least 60 kilometres long. The Epic event will feature the newly released coastal causeway along with another new route. For riders looking for a good time, Zwift will offer a community event that will run at the same time as the championship event.

Hill Climb

The final event is set to take place on Alpe du Zwift. This one is aimed purely at the climbers with one simple objective: riding from the bottom to the top as fast as possible. With such a high-profile event and a sizeable prize purse on the line, could we see the record for the climb tumble?

Similarly to the Epic event, if you want to tackle the 21 hairpin bends of the Alpe without the pressure of competition, there will be a community event. For those who are looking to get involved but don’t fancy taking on Alpe du Zwift, there will be other iconic climbs from across the Zwift universe that will provide the right level of challenge for any rider. 

One thing that Zwift is a champion of is parity with both the race distances and prize pots equal for both men and women.

• Read more: Getting started with Zwift indoor training

More details, including the exact dates, formats, information on global broadcasts and prize purses will be laid out in December. With the first qualification events kicking off in February there is plenty of time to get training.

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Zwift

Zwift is a fitness technology company that allows users to interact, train and race on its virtual online cycling platform. Zwift has approximately one million subscribers and has completely changed how cyclists view training.