Lindblade: “The UCI Esports Worlds were the perfect kick-off for an exciting year in Scotland”

Ahead of the groundbreaking, multi-discipline UCI Cycling World Championships, which will take place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August, the UCI Esports World Championships were raced in a virtual rendering of Glasgow (Scotland).

Not only was there exhilarating racing with a new format in a new environment, the event also gave a first taste of what’s to come at the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships bringing together 13 different UCI World Championships from 3 to 13 August. A few weeks after the event in virtual Scotland, Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive Officer of the upcoming UCI Cycling Worlds, reflects on the excitement of the virtual event and the not-so-virtual road to the summer’s rainbow battles. She also encourages fans worldwide to explore the Zwift Scotland map.

How did it feel having a first event in virtual Glasgow ahead of the UCI Cycling Worlds?

Trudy Lindblade: The teams from EventScotland, Glasgow Life, the UCI and Zwift delivered an exhilarating ‘In Real Life’ final for the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships and it was the perfect kick-off ahead of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships taking place this August. As well as the buzz in the room in Glasgow, to have the race take place on the all-new Zwift Scotland map, the first time a virtual destination has been created specifically for a cycling esports competition, was also very exciting and has really helped build the excitement for what’s to come over the 11 days in August.

How do the UCI Cycling Esports Worlds and the Zwift courses represent Glasgow and the environment fans and riders will enjoy in August?

TL: Designed by Zwift, the global online training and racing platform for cyclists, the all-new Scotland world has taken inspiration from the Scottish landscape and the city of Glasgow, which, alongside other venues in Scotland, will host the inaugural UCI Cycling Worlds. The new routes take cyclists past castles, fens, lochs, beinns (gaelic for mountains), sgurrs (rocky peaks), and cityscapes inspired by Glasgow. Scotland contains five routes – Rolling Highlands, City and the Sgurr, Glasgow Crit Circuit, Loch Loop, and the Muckle Yin, that will give Zwifters a combined total of 58.8 kilometres to explore, ride, and race.

What connections can be drawn between the UCI Cycling Esports Worlds and the upcoming UCI Cycling World Championships?

TL: The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will be held in up to 10 venues and locations in Glasgow and across Scotland to ensure a pan-Scotland approach, bringing positive impacts and benefits to the whole country. Five of the venues are in Glasgow with the remaining locations across Scotland including Dumfries & Galloway, Stirling, Fort William, Glentress Forest, Loch Lomond and Edinburgh, with more to be announced. The all-new Scotland world has taken inspiration from the landscapes of these venues and locations that will host the first-ever combined UCI Cycling World Championships.

How can you build on this event to generate interest towards the UCI Cycling Worlds?

TL: Zwift is the Official Virtual Platform of the 2023 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships and the physical final was the perfect kick-off for an exciting year for cycling in Scotland. The event bridged the gap between the real-world physical efforts of the riders and virtual race on Zwift, giving people a flavour of what’s to come in August. The Scotland world, which Zwifters can use for a free ride, club events and meetups, is also an innovative way for us to continue to reach new audiences around the world and share with them the excitement of combining 13 UCI World Championships into one mega-event.

Someone like Loes Adegeest is now a two-time cycling Esports UCI World Champion and a rising star on the road. What can we expect from her and from other talents like Jay Vine, who first showed their worth in Esports?

TL: The UCI Cycling Esports World Championships provide the sport with a new avenue to find cycling’s potential stars of the future who may not have otherwise had an opportunity to race at international level or the opportunity to showcase their talent to secure valuable contracts with professional cycling teams. I was particularly excited to see Loes Adegeest win her first UCI Women’s WorldTour race at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in my hometown region of Australia in January this year, and then follow that up with her second UCI Esports World Championships title in Glasgow, Scotland.