The Digital Swiss 5: A Virtual Race for Pros

Tour de Suisse, ROUVY and Velon start the first digital race with the best pro teams in the world.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sporting world has ground to a halt. The prestigious spring classics and the Giro d’Italia are being postponed or cancelled. Of course, in this serious situation, the priority is to contain the virus and keep the population healthy. There have not been months without sporting events like this since the Second World War.

For this reason, the Tour de Suisse, ROUVY and Velon have joined forces to launch a world premiere in digital pro racing. The goal is to bring the top teams in the world together to compete against each other on the ROUVY Indoor Cycling Reality platform. In the new racing format, The Digital Swiss 5, riders compete against each other each day on sections of some of the most beautiful Tour de Suisse stages, whilst respecting the global restrictions resulting from the COVID19 pandemic.

The cycling pros are connected on their racing bikes to “smart” roller trainers. While the cyclist sees the track and his position in the race on the monitor in real time and as a real-life video image in front of him, the smart roller trainer applies the respective resistance to the pedals – depending on the topography of the track. Five digital races, each lasting approximately one hour, are planned for April 22 – 26, 2020 and will be broadcast live by Swiss Radio and Television SRF.

The Digital Swiss 5 will include many riders from WorldTour Teams as all teams that will be competing in the Tour de Suisse are invited to participate. Cyclists will ride on sections of the TdS 2020 route, thanks to the detailed and realistic route simulations of ROUVY. In these video recordings of the actual route, the individual cycling pros are displayed as 3D avatars in their team kit – true to their position in the ongoing race. These digital racing images are supplemented by live pictures of the cyclists during the TV broadcast. The plan is to install one camera for each team, which will transmit live images of these riders during the race. The Digital Swiss 5 races will also be commentated by experts and Velon will provide performance data live from the living rooms of the cycling pros.

“I love cycling because it takes place outside and in all weathers”, explains Swiss cycling professional Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), “but in these extraordinary times, when some of my team colleagues can only train in their own homes and all races are cancelled until further notice, such novel digital races are certainly an exciting addition. It is also attractive for our sponsors as it allows them to regain attention”.

“I think it’s a fantastic way for cyclists to stay motivated and to have an experience that resembles an actual race”, Grégory Rast, Trek-Segafredo Sports Director, is confident. “For our team, the Tour de Suisse is an outstanding and important race and we hope this year’s edition will not be cancelled – for me as a Swiss, it is the best race in the world”.

And thanks to the introduction of The Digital Swiss 5, cycling fans at home and abroad can once again enjoy a cycling event. There are also plans for staggered hobby races, so that amateur cyclists at home can compare their performance with that of the professionals.

Despite the Corona crisis, fans can watch their favourite teams and riders live on TV or online stream. The professionals and their teams have a platform to present themselves and compete on a sporting level. Exciting races are guaranteed by means of digital racing pictures, live webcams and running commentary. And all this under the motto: Special circumstances require special measures.