“There’s More to Come” – UCI President Expresses Joy on MyWhoosh Sponsorship and Hints at Future Partnership Doping Data

In today’s world of technological boom, one needs must always stay ahead of the curve and UCI President David Lappartient’s latest decision to partner with MyWhoosh is just that. The indoor cycling app is now the platform and organizer of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships for the next three years.

MyWhoosh was also awarded the title of the main sponsor of the outdoor road World Championship and Lappartient also hinted at a bigger role for the company in their fight against mechanical doping. What does this new association mean for UCI and how will it change the landscape of Esports in their realm? Let’s dive in.

MyWhoosh and UCI partner for a better future

David Lappartient traveled to Abu Dhabi to attend the presentation carried out by their new partners and sponsors. The company replaced Zwift as the platform of the tournament, much to the delight of the president. The Chair of IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group (ELG), Lappartient has toiled hard and long to establish Esports cycling as an Olympic sport in the future.

“For us to sign-up a three-year contract and to organise here in Abu Dhabi the future UCI Esports World Championships is great. The qualifications will be online, but the finals will be on site,” said an ecstatic David Lappartient, who couldn’t be more excited about the new deal.

The future of Esports cycling is on the rise, with participation numbers increasing every year. But as the sport grows popular among the masses, so do methods of cheating the system to win. Mechanical doping as a phenomenon has become quite prevalent, where athletes tamper with their data, falsify it and even mess with equipment.

Now, with MyWhoosh partnering with them, David is hopeful that the data available with them will assist their fight against doping.

A new era in Esports cycling awaits us

UCI’s partnership with the application is a long-term one. Their application will be the ‘exclusive virtual cycling training platform’ for the UCI Road World Championships from 2024 to 2026. Lappartient explained how they will provide their services, stating that their application will merge the data it captures from riders with AI to identify signs of doping.

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All of this started way back in 2018 when Lappartient had the brilliant idea of using performance data to determine the source of doping and discrepancies in performance during a race.

“I’m sure AI and these new technologies will also help detect or target riders. It may be a problem with the number of watts, or there could be a comparison with all the data we have. I think there’s a bridge there, and we spoke about how we can use their technology. There’s more to come on this.” 

With massive plans for Esports in his mind, the president is hellbent on making this work and sees great potential. With IOC president Thomas Bach calling for an investigation into introducing Esports to the Olympic arena, the sky is the limit for Esports Cycling. David Lappartient is the man at the center of it all.

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