– What’s the Movistar eTeam and how can I join?

The Movistar eTeam is an esports team created by the Movistar Team and Abarca Sports, the first ever squad originated from a UCI WorldTour + Women’s WorldTour organisation to compete, in parallel with its road racing team, at the Zwift Racing League, the most prestigious series in virtual cycling, as well as other esports events.

The 10 members (5 women + 5 men) of the Movistar eTeam will be selected through the Movistar Team Challenge (info here), a Talent ID program comprising a series of qualifying events where Zwifters -everyone with an account in the platform is allowed to join– will have to prove their sporting quality and personal abilities to be selected by a jury made of Movistar Team members. The initiative is supported by Global Cycling Network and Zwift.

>> JOIN THE OPEN COMMUNITY QUALIFIER RACES (WEDNESDAY 3RD FEBRUARY) – Link here (Riders advancing)

– How does the Movistar Team Challenge work?

The Movistar Team Challenge is a competition with four rounds:

Preliminary) Community Qualifier Races – Wednesday 3rd February – Sign up here (Riders advancing)

The preliminary round, open to all Zwifters around the world who comply with the requirements (check ‘What do I need to participate…?’, down below), will given them a chance to access the Invitational Qualifier Races on round one, which 300 athletes pre-selected by Zwift and the Movistar Team have already been given access.

The races will be held into two time slots, at 8pm CET (7pm GMT) and 7pm EST (12am GMT on Thursday 4th), with separate events for women and men. All four races will feature two laps of the Ocean Lava Cliffside Loop (38km).

The 5 fastest men and women at each race will be qualified for the first round, 20 Zwifters in total. All of them will be granted a spot at round one subject to prior verification from the ZADA, the Zwift Accuracy and Data Analysis, and should have followed all of Zwift’s esports rules (available here).

1) Invitational Qualifier Races – Wednesday 10th + Friday 12th February (7pm GMT) – Riders advancing

The users already preselected by Zwift, together with the 20 riders who qualified at the preliminary round, will compete at two races -again, divided by gender-, with the top 50 men and women at each race receiving points. The 80 riders (50 men, 30 women) with most points after the end of Race 2 will qualify, subject to data verification, to round two.

2) Selection Races – Wednesday 17th + Friday 19th February (7pm GMT) – Riders advancing

The second round features the same system as the previous one, yet now with only 50 men and 30 women lining up. The two groups will again tackle two races, with the top 20 men and women receiving points. The 40 riders (20 men, 20 women) with most points after Race 2 will get into the third – and final – round of the Movistar Team Challenge.

3) Finals – Week commencing March 1st

The final round will see the 40 Zwifters who qualified at the Selection Races battle to make eight of the 10 spots (5 men, 5 women) that will form the 2021 Movistar eTeam. The other two will be picked from the Spanish-speaking community on Zwift.

The Finals will feature a series of challenges, different from the previous races, where the riders will not only have to again prove their performance on the bike, but also show their personality and abilities in front of Global Cycling Network presenters and members of the Movistar Team, which will be able to interview them live during the event.

The team staff will watch the Finals and make their assessment on the sporting talent of the participants, while also evaluating their marketing value and social media presence. After those examinations, they will select the members of the 2021 Movistar eTeam roster.

For that final selection of 10 riders (5 men and 5 women), the Movistar Team may assign a maximum of 2 spots for exceptional reasons in its sole discretion.

As in every round prior to the Finals, the participants will see their performance, at those challenges where the physical aspect is the main factor, subject to verification from ZADA, and will abide by Zwift’s esports rules (available here).

– So, is the Movistar Team Challenge a race?

YES. The Community Qualifier Races, as well as the Invitational and Selection Races, which are the three opening rounds of the Challenge, are races, scratch events just like any other Zwift esports competition of the like. Only the Finals will be different from that scheme, subject to criteria and competition systems not linked to sporting performance alone.

Both at the Community Qualifiers and the rounds following that preliminary phase, you will have to follow the rules any esports event on Zwift is subject to. Make sure your power meters and trainers are correctly calibrated, and also check that your rider details are correct before the race[s].  

– What do I need to participate in the Movistar Team Challenge?

• A heart rate monitor
• A direct drive trainer and power meter (correctly calibrated)
• A ZwiftPower account (race performance will be compared against historical Zwift data)
• A Strava account (race performance will be compared against historical data)
• Correct weight/height
• Be at least 18 years old as of March 1, 2021
• Any rider to be in contention must be able to provide or carry out additional verification procedures as required by ZADA (Zwift esports rules).
• All riders will be assigned the Canyon Aeroad and Zipp 454 wheels to ensure equipment parity.

– What will I get if I become a Movistar eTeam member?

You’ll become a member of the first ever esports team developed by a WorldTour / Women’s WorldTour-licensed organisation, enjoying the same advantages as our road racers – including, but not limited to:

• A Movistar Team-issue Canyon bike with SRAM components (both in Zwift and IRL)
• An Elite Direto XR trainer, Movistar eTeam limited edition
• Full Movistar Team kit (both in Zwift and IRL), as well as official products and services from the team as a fully-fledged Movistar eTeam member. Includes: Le Coq Sportif lifestyle wear, ABUS helmet, 100%, sunglasses, Garmin cycle computers, RAW Superdrink, SleepAngel pillows, cryocompression systems from Aquilo…
• Custom attentions from the team, with training plans and systems, assessment of your nutrition and recovery, therapies… from members of the Movistar Team’s staff
• Support from the performance team and coaches of the Movistar Team
• Attending Movistar Team Training Camps
• Access to the Movistar Team Travel Experience cycling trips
• 1-year collaboration with no retribution, subject to renewal upon review

What will be required from me as a Movistar eTeam member?

• Participate in the Zwift Racing League and other high-tier virtual races on Zwift.
• Race as a Team, representing and wearing the brand and image of Movistar eTeam both in the game and IRL.
• Communicate your engagement with the Team via your social media channels, generating content about the Movistar eTeam and its sponsors: photos, videos, posts, etc.
• Sign a 1-year collaboration with Movistar eTeam.
• Movistar eTeam riders will take part in the training camps of the World Tour / WWT squad.

– Where can I get more info?

– Sign up to the Community Qualifier Races – Link (OVER)
– Movistar Team Challenge – Overview + Terms and Conditions – Link
– Zwift esports rules – Link