With esports set to become a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games and expected to generate $696 million this year globally, different forms of the sport are taking off, including cycling esports.
It has been announced that the third cycling esports event, run by Cycligent, will take place in Paris, France on Sept. 15-16 at the National Velodrome venue, which is specifically designed for real-life cycling events. Instead, during this event, riders will compete on stationary bikes, but their performance will be brought to life in a virtual environment, with fans being able to attend the event and also watch it online live.
For those catching the action online, Cycligent has created a hub website, called cycleVIEW in which fans can watch the performance of individual cyclists and send messages to their favorite athletes.
Previous to this upcoming event, the inaugural Cycligent Virtual Rankings (CVR) World Cup was held in Las Vegas in April of this year, where 10 competitors competed head to head in front of a live audience. Meanwhile, a second event was held in London in June this year too, where 20 riders competed, including former Tour de France cyclist Adrian Timmis.
Currently, the prize pool for the riders for the Paris event is $44,754, with $6,254 contributed by fans to date, through a crowdfunding campaign run by Cycligent. Fans can contribute by ‘cheering’ their favorite rider on during the event, thanks to them making a donation.
Frank Garcia, CEO of Cycligent Esports and founder of CVR World Cup, said in a press release: “We are bringing cycling to esports, and that will change the landscape of cycling forever. It will be better for riders, better for spectators, and better for those who participate online in the virtual landscape.”
Free tickets to attend the live event in Paris are also available to fans.