Ashleigh Moolman Pasio on the rise of Esports: "It's globalising cycling"

Ashleigh Moolman Pasio knows what it takes to be an elite road cyclist, as a three-time Olympian in the sport.

The South African also knows what it takes to be a top Esports player, having been crowned the first world champion in cycling Esports when she won the inaugural UCI World Championships race on Zwift back in 2020.

Indoor trainers are nothing new in cycling, but for a long time there was nothing linking that world to a world of competition, until the Covid pandemic hit. With much of the globe picking up some form of sport, both outdoors and indoors, cycling's international sports federation the UCI created the Cycling Esports World Championships – and the rest is history.

Cycling Esports, through the Zwift platform, was included in the Olympic Virtual Series 2021 which culminated in a mass Participation 24-hour group ride. Now, the virtual sport makes its return at the inaugural Olympic Esports Series (OES) 2023, which will culminate with the Olympic Esports Finals 2023 in Singapore from 22–25 June.

For Moolman Pasio, the rapid growth of virtual cycling has been a boon. Speaking in a pre-recorded interview for the official launch of the Olympic Esports Series, the 37-year-old said: "It's really great to see how it continues.

"It's so accessible, people who are working and living a busy life can come home, change into their gear and do a really effective workout on Zwift, and can also race on Zwift."

Ashleigh Moolman Pasio: How cycling Esports and Zwift help women

Moolman Pasio is a great believer in the power of cycling Esports to get more women into cycling as a whole.

A fervent supporter of women in sport, the 37-year-old said of Zwift: "It's a great platform for women to start riding."

Growing up in South Africa, Moolman Pasio did not always feel comfortable on her bike. "Cycling can be quite an intimidating sport for women. In some countries it's not always safe to ride outside on the road.

"Zwift and indoor cycling and Esports presents a great opportunity for these women to discover their talent."

Moolman Pasio added that the nature of virtual rides in cycling Esports, without a crowd present unlike in real-world races, also provides a safer environment for women to learn the sport without worrying about being dropped from a pack of riders with everyone watching on.

"I host women's-only rides on Zwift where we come together, ride together and encourage one another," she explained.

The next frontier for cycling Esports and Zwift

Even though the world has opened up post Pandemic, Moolman Pasio said she continues to use cycling Esports in her regular training.

"After weeks of training on the indoor trainer I realised it was making me stronger," she recalled of the time when she first rode a lot indoors during lockdown in Spain in 2020.

Thanks to that, "I still include one interval training session a week on Zwift on the smart trainer."

She also hopes the next step for cycling Esports will be to get people from places without a tradition of cycling for sport into elite competition.

"For me it was really challenging coming from South Africa to make a pro career in Europe," the AG Insurance–Soudal–Quick-Step rider said of her early days. "But now as we race on esports, it's globalising cycling, and making it more accessible for people to race from anywhere in the world."

To that end, Zwift will be one of the featured virtual sports games during OES 2023.

Other titles already announced for the OES 2023 include Tic Tac Bow (archery), WBSC eBaseball Power Pros (baseball), Chess.com (chess), Just Dance (dance sport), Gran Turismo 7 (motorsport), Virtual Regatta (sailing), Tennis Clash (tennis), and Virtual Taekwondo (taekwondo), with the possibility that others may be added.

OES 2023 will culminate at the Olympic Esports Week 2023 in Singapore with the Olympic Esports Finals 2023.