One of Ireland’s top riders on the road, and a former
leading downhill racer, Chris McGlinchey has made Irish cycling history today
in becoming the first rider ever selected to represent Ireland in virtual
racing.
McGlinchey, who has already represented Ireland on the
road many times, has been named as a one-person Irish team for the UCI Cycling Esports World
Championships.
His selection
comes after Cycling Ireland this year began to develop its Zwift, or virtual,
cycling offering by running races and training sessions.
McGlinchey threw himself into Cycling Ireland’s Zwift racing, first organised in the early lock-down period this year, and won several of the events from strong fields.
The
26-year-old, who rides for the Vitus Pro
Cycling Team p/b Brother UK Continental level team, was the overall
winner of the Cycling Ireland Zwift League
held during the lock-down period.
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Those performances,
combined with his previous international experience and his results on the
road, have now seen him selected to ride for Ireland at the inaugural
Cycling Esports World Championships.
Those world title races will take place on Zwift on December 9th with riders competing against each other from their homes around the world on the Watopia course.
Team GB has also decided to enter a team in the Worlds and has selected nine riders including Olympic and world champion track riders such as Elinor Barker, Ed Clancy and Sarah Storey.
Cycling Ireland is currently running Zwift races each weekend until the New Year and you can get all the details by following this link.
As well as having begun to organise racing and training sessions on Zwift, Cycling Ireland is also working on plans to hold national championships at the discipline. Many other Zwift groups in Ireland are also organising their own events.
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