Cycling BC, in collaboration with Echelon Racing Promotions, is excited to announce the BC Cup Virtual Race Series presented by Cobotix for the 2021 season. The virtual BC Cup will provide a platform for riders to stay connected, committed, and will continue to build on the camaraderie of the cycling community.
“The virtual BC Cup will give our community the opportunity to stay connected, engaged, and to participate in the sport in a new and exciting way as we await a return to in-real-life racing,” says Erin Waugh, CEO of Cycling BC. “Our community has found many innovative ways to keep moving and motivated, all while keeping safe over the past year. We want to build on that momentum as we head into this season and hopefully the energy will carry over when we return to in-real-life events.”
The BC Cup virtual series will consist of four races between April and May on the RGT Cycling platform, emulating roads and routes used for in-real-life events around the world. The series will have categories for men and women at all levels including pro team riders and amateur cycling enthusiasts alike. Riders are welcome to register on a race-to-race basis, however, as a BC Cup, riders will have a chance to accumulate points based on their results after each race for the opportunity to be crowned the overall BC Cup Virtual Race Series winner. Thanks to the support of Cycling BC’s partners and sponsors, event registration will be free for current Cycling BC members or for anyone holding a current licence with their respective cycling association.
The RGT Cycling platform is also free to use with a basic account and riders will require a bike capable of transmitting a power source using Bluetooth or ANT+ such as a power meter, smart trainer, or a traditional trainer. The platform requires the use of two free apps, one for mobile on iOS or Android, and the other for PC, Mac, or Apple TV.
The series opens with a road race on Saturday, April 3rd, giving riders an early season fitness challenge on The Paterberg, most famously known for its steep climbs on the Tour de Flanders spring classic race in Belgium. The second race occurs one week later, April 10th, on the Canary Wharf course in London, England – a short and flat course with many turns – similar to what you would expect at the PoCo Grand Prix during BC Superweek. The penultimate race of the virtual BC Cup hits the dirt on April 17th as riders take on the Dirty Reiver, a world-renowned gravel race in the UK. The series final will take place on May 1st and the racecourse has yet to be determined at this time. It is possible that an RGT ‘Magic Road’ could be used for the final. Magic Roads is one of RGT’s most exciting features as it takes a GPS file of a route from anywhere in the world and creates an immersive virtual rendering of the route for riders to train and race on.
Using Echelon Racing Promotion’s know-how in the virtual space, the BC Cup virtual series will include a live broadcast with commentary that will be streamed online so that everybody can watch the action unfold. “We’re stoked to be working with Echelon Racing Promotions to deliver the virtual BC Cup,” says Cory Ostertag, Cycling BC’s Operations Manager. “The Echelon Racing League events on RGT have been popular with many members in our community over the past year while in-person racing has been put on hold. We’re confident that together with ERP we’ll be able to deliver the same great experience during the virtual BC Cup.”
Registration for the BC Cup Virtual Race Series pb Cobotix opens on Tuesday, March 16th.
For more information about the BC Cup Virtual Race Series, go to cyclingbc.net/virtualbccup
For more information about Echelon Racing Promotions, go to https://www.echelonracingleague.com/
For information about RGT Cycling, go to https://www.rgtcycling.com/get-started/