The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body for cycling, has announced indoor cycling app MyWhoosh as the main partner for the next three editions of its Cycling World Championships.
The deal, running from 2024 to 2026, will see Abu Dhabi-based MyWhoosh become the exclusive virtual cycling training platform for the competition, giving it the right to offer a virtual version of the event’s road race and time trial courses to users who wish to test themselves.
The deal covers this year’s edition in Zurich, Switzerland from September 21 to 29, the 2025 competition in Kigali, Rwanda, and the 2026 edition in Montreal, Canada.
The deal comes on the back of the UCI and MyWhoosh signed a three-year deal covering the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships last August covering the same 2024 to 2026 period.
UCI president David Lappartient said: “This increased investment from MyWhoosh is further evidence of the interest in cycling that exists in the UAE, and of Abu Dhabi's ambition to establish itself as a leading host of cycling events and a globally recognized cycling hub.”
Akhtar Saeed Hashmi, chief executive of MyWhoosh, added: “We are delighted to further strengthen our relationship with the UCI.
“MyWhoosh users will be able to ride their very own UCI Road World Championships on the platform, while many professional racers will undoubtedly be testing themselves on the virtual courses ahead of the Zurich, Kigali and Montreal editions.”
The new deal comes two days after the Rwanda Cycling Federation announced a partnership with Amaury Sport Organization and Golanzo to jointly organize the 2025 UCI Road World Championships – the first edition to ever be held in Africa.
The country was first announced as host for the edition in 2021, having first bid in 2018.
This year’s Cycling World Championships follows last year’s first-ever combined World Cycling Championships, which brought 13 existing UCI World Championships into one large event to be held every four years.
The inaugural edition was held across Scotland, with the BBC, the UK public service broadcaster securing full domestic rights for the competition.
Haute-Savoie in France has been selected to host the second edition of the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2027, which will comprise a total of 19 disciplines with the addition of gravel, enduro, pump track, junior track, cycling esport, and polo-bike.
