Zwift to launch virtual Yorkshire World Championships course

Zwift will be launching a virtual version of the Yorkshire World Championships course to celebrate the event.

The online training platform already has routes from the Richmond and Innsbruck Worlds, and Harrogate will be the latest addition to the Zwift universe.

To mark the World Championships being held on British soil next month, Zwift will be releasing the virtual replica of the Harrogate finishing circuit in early September.

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UCI president David Lappartient said: “Zwift is an exciting new product in our space. It’s fantastic how they are able to bring people from all over the world closer to the championships in an entirely virtual way. Not only that, but their course will provide an opportunity for competing riders to familiarise themselves with what looks to be a very selective finishing circuit this year.”

The 2019 World Championships will be held across Yorkshire, with the men’s road race taking in 285km from Leeds to Harrogate, while the women’s race will cover 150km from Bradford to Harrogate.

Both races finish with laps of a lumpy finishing circuit in the town.

Zwift CEO Eric Min said: “I’m delighted to be continuing our long-standing history with the UCI Road World Championships.

“Ours is a history that dates back to Richmond in 2015 – a course that still produces some of the most exciting racing on Zwift.

“Like we have done with Richmond and Innsbruck-Tirol, we hope to bring more people closer to the action by being able to experience the Yorkshire course from the comfort of their own home.”

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Zwift recently announced an expansion to its Watopia map, featuring new routes ranging from 20km to 67km with a variety of climbing options. The new section also features three gradual climbs with a maximum gradient of five per cent, each lap featuring 158m of elevation gain.