Reigning UCI Cycling Esports world champions Jason Osborne of Germany and Kate Mccarthy of New Zealand are confirmed to participate in the fifth edition of the Echelon Racing League, which begins December 7.
The Echelon Racing League presented by Takis snacks is managed by Echelon Racing Promotions in partnership with USA Cycling and Cycling Canada, with the league serving as a qualifier for eSports National Championships in the US and Canada.
The MyWhoosh virtual racing platform is used to bring athletes together in a five-race virtual series. Omnium points determine rankings for league championships, held on January 18, 2025 for the top 50 highest ranked athletes from the series. The Echelon Racing League Championship will award prizes to the top three finishers in each category, along with the top three elite men and women sharing equally in a $10,000 cash purse.
“Echelon Racing Promotions remains committed to providing the highest quality, accessible, fair and equitable competitions in the eSport cycling space. We continue to believe that esports provides a platform to strengthen the overall cycling community and its reach, influence, and impact by bringing virtual and in-real-life riders and racers together in collaboration with national governing bodies,” said Eric Hill, Echelon Racing League’s co-founder and president.
Among headlining early registrations are also riders from Project Echelon Racing and the Team USA squad which raced October 26 at the Worlds in Abu Dhabi, including US women's national champion Kristen Kulchinsky (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24), who was ninth, and top US male Hayden Pucker, who was fifth. The US-based Continental squad, managed by Hill, also brings Wahoo Fitness to the league as a new partner.
Races will be contested on a variety of courses and across several disciplines, with men's and women's elite, B, C and Para-cycling categories. Hill said approximately 20% of registrations are from European riders.
Registration is $15 per rider, and is open to any nationality. The league will donate 22% of all proceeds to the Project Echelon non-profit organisation, with the mission to educate, equip and empower military veterans through physical activity. All participants who register by Sunday, December 1 will be eligible to win a rainbow jersey signed by Osborne.
The opening round on December 7 will be a three-lap race of 36.6km on a virtual venue in San Francisco, California. Two more races in December follow with a 30km Alcatraz Awol stage two and Alula Culture Ride of 35km for stage three.
In the new year racing continues on January 4 with a 35km custom route by MyWhoosh followed on January 11 by a 28.2km City Beach Australia stage.
The League Championships will crown winners in all categories on January 18 with a 37km distance ride, three virtual circuits of Ghent, Belgium.
The 2025 USA Cycling Esports National Championships will take place on February 1, 2025, and will feature competitions across age-group categories as well as elites. The Canadian Esports Championships will be held February 8-9, 2025. To be eligible, participants must compete in at least one event in the current Echelon Racing League and hold a valid race licence in their home country.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Echelon Racing League for our Esports National Championships. They have been fantastic partners and are true experts in eSports. As we continue to see growth in this discipline of cycling, it is exciting that we can host our National Championships on a platform that is free for our members,” said Kyle Knott, USA Cycling’s director of national events.
