Race online for record $1 million prize pot

Online riders can now compete for a $1 million prize pot, thanks to the new race championship on the MyWhoosh platform.

The seven-stage championship begins on 30 March and boasts the biggest prize in virtual cycling's young history at a million USD.

Held over eight days with one rest day in the middle, the championship sees a different course for each stage. Routes include Arabia, Australia, Colombia and AlUla, which includes a flat time trial. All stages will be mass-start and first across the line, and will feature climbing and sprinting segments. This includes the time trial – but there will be no drafting.

Overall the championship will take in 460km and 6,000m of climbing for the men, and 330km / 4,000m of climbing for the women.

MyWhoosh, which is free to use, isn't a household name in virtual racing like Zwift or even RGT, but the prize pot available here is sure to boost its profile. Its head office is in UAE and it works closely with the UAE Team Emirates WorldTour team. New Zealand rider Michael Vink for example secured his contract on the squad thanks to his riding on MyWhoosh. He says: "This race series is a chance to not only secure an incredible prize pot, but for riders to shine on a platform that is recognised by the UCI World Tour,” says Michael Vink. “I’m excited to go toe to toe with the participants.”

MyWhoosh says: "With $1 million dollars up for grabs across the competition, some of the winning racers may see themselves going home with up to $10,000. We’re putting our money where our mouth is as we hope to inspire the next generation of cyclists.”

Entries for the championship on Monday 27 February and are open to all. Riders can enter individually or as a team, and will need to submit performance data and will be divided into categories according to ability level, with 120 being selected in total.

The prize money will be split evenly between men and women and will be shared among the top 10 on GC, top five teams, plus youth, masters, sprints and mountains winners.