Virtual racing competition returns with $1,000,000 up for grabs

The white sails of Sydney’s Opera House, the zig-zag Zurich mountains and colourful Japanese street signage blur past virtual riders in the teaser for the 2025 MyWhoosh Championships, which returns with a $1,000,000 prize pot this August.

First introduced in 2023, this year's competition will play out on a seven-stage course, over a combined distance of 440km and over 5000m of elevation gain for men, and 340km and 3800m for women.

The riders with the fastest cumulative time across all seven stages will become the MyWhoosh Champion, with the top-10 riders and seven teams also getting a share of the prize money. Both younger riders and e-sports veterans will be eligible for points, too, with special recognition given to the top master rider (aged 45+) and the top youth rider (U23).

The prize money will be split equally between its male and female riders, in a move not yet echoed in many professional road races. In 2024, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) took home less than a tenth of the prize money Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) earned for his third Tour de France title. Last year, the highest paid e-sports cyclist was a woman.

The Abu-Dhabi based, free-to-use training platform has established itself as a rival to Zwift in recent years.

Pogačar races with the MyWhoosh logo on his chest as the official partner of the world champion's UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with the platform now featuring virtual gear shifting.

Any and all users are encouraged to compete for the chance to win some of the $1 million dollar prize pot, and become the 2025 MyWhoosh Champion. The only stipulation is that the rider must have either passed the MyWhoosh Power Passport Test, or have participated in the platform's Sunday Race Clubs in the last three months.

MyWhoosh will carry the momentum of their own championships into their organisation of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships this autumn. There, 70% of entrants will be decided though national federation qualifying events, with the remaining 30% open to the public.

The MyWhoosh World Championships will take place from 12-19 August, with registration for the event opening on 23 June and closing on 3 August.