50 riders have been confirmed to be taking part in the UCI E-Sport World Championships 2022 – Cycling Weekly

Fifty riders have qualified for the UCI E-Sport World Championships following continental heats.

The races across the continents saw a total of 550 participants try and make it to the first ever E-Sport Worlds on Zwift taking place on Saturday, February 26 in the Knickerbocker Circuit in Zwifts version of New York.

Riders from five groups have competed in qualification races with five British riders making it through in the European women's qualifiers. The two continents of North and South America were merged into one qualifying group for this event.

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Most of the riders who have made it through are regulars on the Zwift Racing Leagues Premier Division.

Europe have the most female qualifiers with 10, followed by Americas six plus Oceania and Asia's four and Africa's one. In the men's it's five riders from each group.

There are 19 nations represented across both the men's and women's races with some holding large numbers like USA, Australia, Japan and South Africa to smaller nations in sporting terms such as Angola, Finland and Hong Kong.

The British riders are Zoe Langham, Mary Wilkinson, Illi Gardner, Alice Lethbridge and Lou Bates with only one rider representing the five other qualified nations in Europe.

Other groups, like the Americas and Oceania saw the expected nations dominate with riders only from USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand making it from their groups.

Africa was much the same with every rider expect one being from South Africa. In Asia's malegroup it was all about Japan but in the women's Singapore had control along with one from Hong Kong.

EuropeMen:Lionel Vujasin (CRO)Matthias Deroose (BEL)Matteo Cigala (ITA)Haarvard Gjeldnes (NOR)Teppo Laurio (FIN)

Women:Zoe Langham (GBR)Mary Wilkinson (GBR)Cecilia Hansen (SWE)Loes Adegeest (NED)Melanie Maurer (SUI)Illi Gardner (GBR)Alice Lethbridge (GBR)Lou Bates (GBR)Louise Houbak (DEN)Eleanor Wiseman (BEL)

AmericasMen:Zach Nehr (USA)Brian Duffy (USA)Thomas Thrall (CAN)John Bruhn (USA)Kevin Bouchard-Hall (USA)

Women:Shayna Powless (USA)Jacquie Godbe (USA)Liz van Houweling (USA)Kristen Kulchinsky (USA)Monilee Keller (CAN)Katheryn Curi (USA)

OceaniaMen:Ben Hill (AUS)Ollie Jones (NZL)Paul Odlin (NZL)Sam Lindsay (NZL)Aiden Sinclair (AUS)

Women:Vicky Whitelaw (AUS)Justine Barrow (AUS)Katie Banerjee (AUS)Sarah Morrison (NZL)

AsiaMen:Takato Ikeda (JPN)Toshiaki Maegawa (JPN)Hidenori Sasauchi (JPN)Tomoaki Takasugi (JPN)Ryusuke Honda (JPN)

Women:Lam Kong (HKG)Lyn Ahmad (SNG)Faye Foo (SNG)Tsalina Phang (SNG)

AfricaMen:Gary Muller (RSA)James Barnes (RSA)Eddy Hoole (RSA)Pieter Avenant (RSA)Andre Matias (ANG)

Women:Courteney Webb (RSA)

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50 riders have been confirmed to be taking part in the UCI E-Sport World Championships 2022 - Cycling Weekly