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Esports<\/a><\/p>\n Supreme dominance, storybook comebacks, second chances, and rising stars take the stage in another make-or-break moment for cycling esports.<\/p>\n Bet you thought the season was over? Fret not, fatigued cycling fans. You may be running on fumes, but there’s still one more World Championship left on the UCI calendar<\/a>, and its short, sharp races have their fair share of intrigue. On November 15, 44 of the world’s top esports athletes \u2013 22 men and 22 women \u2013 will descend on Abu Dhabi, UAE, for the fifth edition of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships<\/a>, in the second live event final hosted by MyWhoosh.<\/p>\n Cycling esports is a newcomer to the international stage \u2013 featuring only one event of its type throughout the season \u2013 but don’t be fooled: for indoor specialists, the World Championship is the pinnacle of the emerging discipline. Like many of their counterparts in road, track, or cyclocross, these athletes covet the rainbow jersey above all else, and many have trained all year and traveled halfway around the world for the moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cycling esports\u2019 hardware revolution: The story of smart trainer homologation<\/p>\n The UCI, MyWhoosh, and Elite, in cooperation with Purdue University, are going to great lengths to legitimize the esports playing field.<\/p>\n Now they\u2019ll race on standardized hardware in front of a live audience, with coverage livestreamed around the world. The high-stakes ramifications stretch far beyond medals. This showcase carries real weight for the sport\u2019s future, and its execution will go a long way toward determining cycling esports’ broader acceptance in the wider cycling landscape.<\/p>\n Predicted to play out as a two-horse race in the men’s and women’s fields, defending champions Jason Osborne of Germany and New Zealand\u2019s Kate McCarthy are poised to defend their titles, but they\u2019ll face serious challenges. Brazil\u2019s Gabriela Guerra, last year\u2019s silver medalist, returns hungry for redemption, while fellow Kiwi Michael Vink \u2013 former UAE Team Emirates pro turned esports specialist \u2013 could upset the balance in the men\u2019s race.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kate McCarthy\u2019s road race redemption is a victory for cycling esports<\/p>\n The esports world champion\u2019s unconventional cycling journey began through a dating app.<\/p>\n From esports to the WorldTour and back again: Michael Vink has come full circle<\/p>\n After a two-year stint with UAE Team Emirates, the Kiwi is returning to the emerging discipline that launched his pro career.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything you need to know about cycling\u2019s final world championship of the season.<\/p>\n The essentials<\/p>\n When: Saturday, November 15, live coverage set to begin at 5:20pm local time (UTC+4) \/ 2:20pm CET \/ 8:20am EST \/12:20am (on November 16) AEST<\/p>\n How to watch: MyWhoosh YouTube<\/a> and Twitch<\/a> channels, in addition to the streaming networks of several national governing bodies.<\/p>\n Forty-four of cycling esports’ top talents have fought through a gauntlet of qualification races to earn the right to step into the finals arena. The path to Abu Dhabi featured both federation-controlled and public qualification routes. The UCI allocated roughly 70% of the 150 available semi-final slots to national federations. At the same time, MyWhoosh filled the remaining positions through a series of open-entry races (no riders from the open qualifiers advanced to the finals).<\/p>\n From the remote semi-finals held on October 3, the top 20 finishers in each category earned their place in the final, joined by two UCI-designated wildcards. Together, they form the 22-rider men\u2019s and women\u2019s fields that will compete for the rainbow jersey in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n The complete startlist is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The venue<\/p>\n The live finals land at Space42<\/a>, a 3,000-seat arena located in Abu Dhabi\u2019s Al Raha Beach development. The UCI and MyWhoosh circled the 2,400-square-meter (27,000 sq. ft.) purpose-built esports venue for its cutting-edge tech, uninterrupted sightlines, and waterfront setting.<\/p>\n Hardware and bike setup<\/p>\n When they step onto the stadium platform, each finalist will mount their own bike, which they hauled from home, onto standardized, UCI-homologated Elite Justo 2 smart trainers for the live event final. The UCI will randomly assign each rider a stage position and a trainer to trim transition time between the men’s and women’s races, and eliminate potential issues caused by changing cassettes and other mechanical adjustments.<\/p>\n Alongside the world title and rainbow jersey \u2013 both digital and physical \u2013 the finalists will race for a total prize purse of US$60,000, split evenly between men and women. The payout structure awards $15,000 to first place, $10,000 to second place, and $5,000 to third place. For context, Tadej Poga\u010dar reportedly earned about $8,500 for winning the road race world title in 2024.<\/p>\n This post is for paying subscribers only Already have an account? Sign in<\/a><\/p>\n Did we do a good job with this story?<\/p>\n \n \ud83d\udc4dYep![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_7377-2.jpeg\")
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Prize purse<\/p>\n
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