Following its successful debut in April 2020, the next edition of The Digital Swiss 5 in November 2021 will be a cycling world premiere! The second edition of the digital race series, The Digital Swiss 5, will now take place as a hybrid digital cycling event held in the Zurich Saalsporthalle and simultaneously around the world.
Digital Cycling during COVID-19
Who can forget the thrilling duel between Australian Michael Matthews and Swiss Stefan Küng in the fourth race in Emmental from Oberlangenegg to Langnau? With the limited availability of live sport due to global COVID-19 lockdowns, The Digital Swiss 5 brought the world of sport back to life. Co-CEO of Cycling Unlimited, Joko Vogel, remembers: “The teams, the riders, the sponsors and of course the fans, were craving live sport. With the newly created format of a digital race series, we were able to provide all parties with an ideal platform giving 700 million (!) fans worldwide the opportunity to see cycling at the highest level, either online or on TV”.
World Premiere
The Digital Swiss 5 2.0 is a world first! From 19th to 21st November 2021, the competitors will line up against each other in front of an enthusiastic crowd, animated by a DJ with live commentary in Zurich’s Saalsporthalle. The professional cyclists will participate in the event as a team per nation. Each team will be made up of a maximum of 6 members, with at least one female professional road cyclist, one male professional road cyclist as well as one male and one female guest cyclist. The guest cyclists are professionals from the world of cycling such as triathlon, mountain biking, cyclo-cross or track cycling. Three of the maximum six team members will ride the events in the Saalsporthalle in Zurich. The other team members contest the races digitally from home. Three of the maximum six team members will ride the events in the Saalsporthalle in Zurich.
The Course
Thanks to Digital Cycling it is possible to experience races in the heart of Lucerne, Lugano, Lausanne, Basel and Zurich within three days. Commenting on the cooperation with Switzerland Tourism that created the five host cities, Joko Vogel said: “It’s a great way to get the beauty of Switzerland out into the world”. The five flat or slightly undulating routes lead through the cities over several laps and take about an hour to complete. The event will be broadcast nationally by SRF and internationally by various TV stations and will be supported by well-known media partners. A big thank you to the Zurich Sports Authority for its support.
ROUVY Platform
The Digital Cycling platform ROUVY has made significant progress in recent months to ensure that the virtual cycling experience is even more realistic. It is now possible to use the slipstream of the digital rider in front, giving an even more realistic cycling experience. In addition, the avatars, i.e. the digital professionals, have been further refined and now respond very much like real cyclists. “The race series has been further developed in all areas and offers new potential for the cyclists and thus more entertainment for spectators,” says Joko Vogel.
Fan Race
The Digital Swiss 5 2.0 will also offer a limited number of amateur riders the unique opportunity to ride the five stages in the run-up to the professional races in Zurich’s Saalsporthalle. Just like the Pros, the 100 or so amateur cyclists will ride all five races on the ROUVY interactive platform on their own Smart-Trainers. And just like the Pros, they will be cheered on by spectators and experience an unforgettable racing atmosphere. Parallel to the amateur race in the Saalsporthalle, the same race will also take place digitally, with a large number of participants expected worldwide…
For enquiries:
Media Relations The Digital Swiss 5
Ueli Anken
+41 79 638 18 18
