Virtual Race Series

With just over a month and a half left of our open period, Courtney Webb and Daniel Venancio maintain their spots on the top of the male and female leaderboards. Will they be knocked off the top of the leaderboard or will they head into the live finals as the favourites?

In other news, Virtual Race Series has teamed up with top cycle brand Scicon (eyewear sponsors of Team UAE Emirates) to bring our cycling top to life! Stay tuned for some exciting developments and announcements.

Congratulations to Courteney Webb for setting the fastest female time yet, 21m 2s. And well done to the new male leader Daniel Venancio who set a time of 19m 6s.

The competition is really ramping up, have you booked your spot in the final to race for South Africa's largest prize pot for a virtual event.

Don't leave it too late, you have three months to better your time and refine your strategy.

From June we will post the full leaderboard on our social media channels daily.

Congratulations to those who have already attempted our virtual route on Bkool. This year's competition looks to be a good one!

We congratulate Reinhardt Geyser for setting the bar high with the best time of 19m 12s, averaging 4.1w/kg on the ride.

What time will you set and will you secure your place in the finals and win R25 000?

Did you know that the Virtual Race Series initiative is run to support charity. In this case the Thomson Smillie Foundation, a charity that provides underprivileged youth in South Africa access to basic education.

The prize money for the competition is provided by our valued sponsors in return for marketing exposure for them to our competition participants. Any funds over and above the prize money is donated to the Thomson Smillie Foundation.

Just by taking part and sharing this event you are supporting this amazing charity, and for that we thank you 👏💪

Our open period is almost upon us. What will you do with your R25 000 prize money?

A reminder, ride our virtual route as many times as you want during the open period (08:00 1 May - 20:00 31 July 2023 SAST). After this period the fastest 20 males and 20 females will go through to the finals.

The finals will be live broadcast events with Nolan Hoffman (4 x Cape Cycle Tour Winner) and Leigh-Anne Deidloff (Supersport Presenter) as the commentators. The winner of each of these finals will win R25 000 each.

We wish all our participants the best of luck!

As an official sponsor of the Virtual Race Series, Scicon is offering our supporters any of their eyewear for 50% of their retail value.

That's 50% off any Scicon eyewear. See the range here - https://virtualcycle.co.za/scicon

To get your glasses for 50% off create a ticket and one of the team will be in touch - https://virtualcycle.co.za/newticket

The Virtual Race Series is fueled by High 5 Nutrition.

High 5 Nutrition was started by two British Triathletes in 1994 and boasts some impressive world first within the nutrition industry:

- First in the World to launch 2:1 fructose energy drinks

- First in the World to research 2:1 performance gains and produce step-by-step nutrition guides

- First in Europe to launch a 4:1 carbohydrate and protein drinks for use during and after sport

- First in the World to undertake advanced carbohydrate absorption testing with elite athletes, setting new records in the process

- First in Europe to use real fruit juice for a lighter more refreshing gel taste, and still remain one of the few companies to do so. Sports nutrition is about more than just go faster technology, it needs to taste great as well!

The Virtual Race Series and Thomson Smillie Foundation is powered by BKOOL.

BKool is the most realistic cycling simulator on the market.

Through our partnership with BKool we are offering our members an annual BKool subscription for €48 (R950) instead of the normal price of 110€/year or 11€/month. That's more than half the price off the normal subscription place.

To get your coupon code, please create a support ticket here https://virtualcycle.co.za/newticket

Not sure about BKool, try their 30 day free trial before committing.

Who are you backing to take the win in Paris Roubaix 2023? Let us know your predictions:

- Mathieu Van der Poel
- Wout Van Aert
- Mads Pedersen
- Filippo Ganna
- Matej Mohoric
- Someone Else

Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest and most prestigious one-day cycling races in the world. It was first held in 1896 and has been held annually since, with the exception of the two world wars.

The race starts in the northern suburbs of Paris and finishes in the town of Roubaix, covering a total distance of around 250 kilometers. What makes Paris-Roubaix unique is the inclusion of numerous cobblestone sectors, or pavé, which make up around one-third of the race route. The pavé sectors are often narrow, bumpy, and slippery, making the race a grueling test of endurance and bike handling skills.

Over the years, the race has been won by some of the biggest names in cycling, including Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Tom Boonen, and Peter Sagan. Many riders consider winning Paris-Roubaix to be one of the highlights of their careers.

Paris-Roubaix has also been the scene of many epic battles and dramatic moments in cycling history. In 1976, riders battled through a snowstorm, with eventual winner Marc Demeyer's support team using a blowtorch to melt the ice from his bike's gears. In 2001, the race was stopped due to a level crossing barrier coming down, with riders forced to wait for a passing train before continuing the race.

Today, Paris-Roubaix remains a beloved fixture on the professional cycling calendar, drawing huge crowds of fans and showcasing the unique charm of northern France's countryside and culture.

We are happy to announce that Nolan Hoffman, former South African track rider and 5 times winner of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, will be one of the commentators for the Virtual Race Series 2023 finals.

The finals will be live broadcast on all Virtual Race Series social media.

Nolan is a Virtual Race Series ambassador and will be riding our BKool route shortly. Stay tuned to see what time he posts.

Who will we see in the finals?

A reminder to join us and the Virtual Race Series for our first BKool group ride of the winter season, this Thursday at 18:00.

We will be hosting 2 BKool group rides a week and all are welcome. These are casual no-drop group rides where you can join our Discord Server to chat with other group rides.

Join this week's ride and stand a chance of winning a Scicon Race Day Rain Bag valued at R2 900.

For instructions on how to get setup and join the ride visit - virtualcycle.co.za/joinride