Living room riders racing for rainbow jersey

LONDON : When Ed Laverack set out on his journey to become a professional cyclist he could never have imagined having the chance to become a world champion from his living room.

But on Saturday, in his flat in Swansea, Laverack will be one of 200 riders around the world hoping to win the UCI Esports World Championships and claim a coveted rainbow jersey.

For former British Under-23 road champion Laverack, whose real cycling team folded during the coronavirus pandemic, it is a chance to fulfil a dream, even if the setting is odd.

With his bike attached to a turbo trainer and hooked up via sensors to training application Zwift on his computer, Laverack will compete in a 54km scratch race around a futuristic fantasy course based on New York's Central Park, complete with elevated transparent roadways, flying cars and sci-fi buildings.

And while Zwift's Knickerbocker route is a visual feast, those competing will not be taking too much notice of the digital scenery as their heart rates go into the red zone.

Whoever wins will certainly have earned it, after completing three laps, each comprising a climb topping out at 14per cent.

While it may look like a game, only the world's best Zwifters have qualified - 100 men and 100 women - and the effort levels are not unlike cycling on a real road.

So much so that the 27-year-old Laverack, who will be part of a British Cycling team consisting of 10 female and five male riders, had to change his home set-up.

"My usual room was about 10 feet by eight feet and because there is no air flow it gets pretty hot," he told Reuters.

"And also the carbon dioxide levels were building up as I was exercising because I only had a small window."

STATIC BIKE

He has solved that problem by moving his static bike