Cycling news: The online training platform Zwift will start a new chapter in eSports on January 23rd. With the KISS Super League, the first virtual cycling league will be launched and cycling will be taken to a whole new level.
A total of 15 teams will compete in the men's KISS SuperLeague starting Wednesday, January 23rd. The KISS Super League, to be unveiled by Zwift as a demonstration sport in 2019, is Zwift's first foray into eSports ahead of anticipating a full launch of the Zwift eRacing product in 2020.
“Pro cycling has embraced Zwift as a training platform, and Zwift has proven itself as a talent ID platform for pro cycling. Now is the time to push the topic of eSports further and create added value for professional cycling. Our goal is to create a new sport within a sport celebrated by professional cyclists, amateur cyclists and cyclists around the world.” – Eric Min, Zwift CEO
The KISS Super League is the first eSports league in which professional athletes are represented. Four Pro Continental teams, nine UCI Continental teams, and two teams from the Zwift community make up the 15 teams of the Men's KISS Super League. The Women's KISS Super League, comprised of six professional women's teams and two Zwift community teams, is scheduled to begin in February.
The first round of the men's KISS Super League will be played at Pinarello's London flagship store. Team Wiggins Le Col is on site. The team's founder, Bradley Wiggins, winner of the 2012 Tour de France, five-time Olympic gold medalist and world hour record holder, will be present and will accompany his team.
“I'm known for studying cycling. The history of cycling is very special to me, but that doesn't mean things shouldn't change. BMX came out of nowhere in the 80's when I was a kid. Now it is an Olympic discipline. This story of cycling is constantly evolving and as a father I want our sport to be accessible and inspirational for youngsters. If a computer game can get kids off the sofa and onto a bike to exercise and compete, then I'm a supporter. - Bradley Wiggins
Zwift aims to engage a generation of younger cyclists and a wider audience with cycling by gamifying the racing experience.
“We're not here to compete against the massive backdrops of pro cycling's monuments and grand tours. Our role is to bring something completely new to cycling. By gamifying races we will deliver a fun format and add an extra dimension to cycling. Team-based riding, slipstreaming, use of power-ups, course knowledge, and the differences in race physics make Zwift a new playing field for competitive cycling. Watt per kilogram is just one of many key factors. - said Craig Edmondson, who recently joined Zwift from the English Premier League to lead Zwift's esports business.
In addition to the KISS Super League, Zwift and KISS Racing have also announced the launch of a "KISS League" for the Zwift community in the form of amateur competitions. KISS has a long history of hosting community events, from regular weekly races on Zwift to flagship events like the North American, European and Australian KISS Crit Series events with live finals. The KISS League ensures that members of the community regularly have their own league for their competitions.
If you want to follow the whole thing live, you can watch Round 23 of the KISS Super League LIVE on Wednesday, January 1rd on the Zwift Facebook.