Movistar launches Zwift competition to form first men’s and women’s WorldTour E-Team

A brand new talent ID competition from Movistar will give five men and five women an opportunity to join the new Movistar E-Team, the first such WorldTour team. The competition will be held on Zwift starting on Wednesday 3 February 2021, and will be presented by GCN.

The Movistar E-Team target races in the Premium Division of the Zwift Racing League and aims to become “one of the best cycling esports teams on the planet”.

Selected riders will receive a Canyon Road Bike and Movistar Team kit, both in Zwift and real life, alongside an Elite Direto XR turbo trainer, Le Coq Sportif lifestyle wear, ABUS helmet, 100%, sunglasses and Garmin cycle computers. Access to team coaches, trainers, physios, nutritionists and team training camps is also up for grabs.

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The Movistar Team competition will be held over five weeks and will begin its hunt on Wednesday 3 February, with two Movistar Team Challenge Qualifier Races, that cater for different time zones.

300 of the best-ranked racers on Zwift, many of those currently competing in Season 2 of the Zwift Racing League, have been invited to battle it out for a spot on the team.

But it is not just these riders who have the chance to impress with their e-racing skills. Any rider, 18 years or older, can qualify for a place by participating in the qualifying races on Wednesday 3 February. The top three in each race can then progress to the first round a week later on Wednesday 10 February.

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All qualified and invited riders will join together to compete in two elimination style races, which will take place in the same week from 10 February. The combined results from each race will see the top 100 riders (50 men, 50 women) progress onto Round 2.

This next round will leave only 40 riders (20 men, 20 women), to progress to the Movistar Team Challenge finals.

The finals will be a very different kind of test. There will be a number of challenge events that are said to “not only test the abilities of the riders but with the help of the GCN presenters, will be designed to draw out their personalities”. The idea is to assess how their personalities align with the values of the Movistar team.

From this, Movistar will select 10 riders (five men, five women) to join the new E-Team. Those selected will receive a one year contract which can be renewed upon review.

Full details on the qualifying races can be found here.

www.zwift.com