Competitive racing in virtual cycling: Is it possible, realistic, and fair?

Competitive racing through virtual cycling has established itself as an entirely new discipline within cycling. This study explores what equipment racers use and examines important power metrics for racing. Data were collected from three different races from the currently most highly regulated and professionally organized race series on the virtual cycling platform Zwift. Power output data from 116 race participants, over five power durations (5 sec to 20 min), and two separate power measuring sources were collected and analyzed with the Bland-Altman method. The findings indicate that the physiological efforts of these races are comparable to those found in traditional competitive cycling. Further, findings also support that the equipment typically used produces similar power outputs with good agreement between different power meters for most measurement points. Finally, the implications of these results for the status of virtual racing are discussed.