Ottawa, ON (October 19, 2020) – The inaugural UCI Esports World Championships on December 8-9 will feature a total of seven Canadian athletes from diverse cycling backgrounds. Canada was awarded a quota of three women and three men, plus one men’s wildcard entry, based on the UCI Road Rankings, the number of riders registered in the Registered Testing Pool, and the number of eligible riders on the Zwift platform.
The women’s squad will be comprised of Olympic track cycling medalist Georgia Simmerling, professional triathlete Angela Naeth, and Olivia Baril, who finished among the top-10 of the Zwift Academy contest in 2019.
On the men’s side, professional road cyclists Jordan Cheyne (Elevate – Webiplex Pro Cycling), Pier-André Côté (Rally UHC Cycling) and Charles-Étienne Chrétien (Aevolo) will be joined by Lionel Sanders, one of the most prominent long-distance triathletes in the world. Sanders was awarded a wildcard entry to the event by Zwift, increasing Canada’s quota to four.
“We have a very strong and experienced team and I’m excited to see how they do in the inaugural UCI Esports Worlds,” said Kris Westwood, High Performance Director at Cycling Canada. “Esports represents a great opportunity because of the way it connects our community regardless of geography and climate – especially during the global pandemic we’re living through. Cycling Canada will be embracing this with a full calendar of national Esports events this fall and winter.”
Both races will be taking place on the Watopia course on Zwift, each rider completing 5 laps of the Watopia Hilly Reverse for a total distance of 52.4 kilometers. Other Zwift members will be able to join National Team athletes in three publicly hosted Zwift preparation races in the weeks leading up to the event.
Women’s squad
Olivia Baril – Rouyn-Noranda, QC
Angela Naeth – Prince George, BC
Georgia Simmerling – Vancouver, BC
Men’s squad
Jordan Cheyne – Big White, BC
Charles-Étienne Chrétien – Amos, QC
Pier-André Côté – Lévis, QC
Lionel Sanders – Windsor, ON
Source: Cycling Canada
About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is one of the oldest national sport organizations in Canada and has one simple purpose: to inspire Canadians to cycle. Cycling Canada administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country, hosts national and international events and manages the National Team in all levels of international competition.