MyWhoosh have announced the return of their flagship event the MyWhoosh Championships – where riders will compete for a share of the eye-watering $1million (£750k) prize pot
An esports giant are offering an eye-watering $1million (£750k) prize pot for their flagship championship.
MyWhoosh, a virtual cycling platform, announced the return of the MyWhoosh Championships, which will take place this July. And riders from across the globe can compete on the virtual platform for their share of the prize pot.
The seven day event will be raced at home on indoor trainers, with with the fastest cumulative time across every stage deciding the overall winner. “Almost nobody outside the professional peloton ever gets to ride a seven-day Tour,” said Matt Smithson, Director of E-sports and Game Operations at MyWhoosh.
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“For one week in July, our users in their own home can take on the kind of week a professional takes on. It is genuinely hard. It is also a huge amount of fun, and it is something we all end up battling through together.”
It’s third time the event will be raced – riders from 47 countries took on the seven stages in 2025. And, in 2026, MyWhoosh is aiming to double the amount of riders on the start line.
The prize pot will be split equally between men and women across six competitive categories, raced separately.
Prizes are awarded into each category, not only to the overall winner, with rewards for the overall general classification, the sprint classification and the climbing (KOM/QOM) classification.
However, he prize money is not the only thing riders can take home. Every finisher receives a MyWhoosh Championships gift pack worth over $700 awarded entirely separately from, but in addition to, the $1,000,000 prize fund.
Riders do not need to win anything to come away with something. They simply need to finish.
Daily Star Sport was present at the UCI World Esports Championships, hosted by MyWhoosh, last November.
The sport sits at a crossroads, unprecedented accessibility, real competition, and life-changing opportunities, while not offering income outside of prize money.
Mary Kate McCartney, after claiming her second rainbow jersey on the bounce, admitted she is still working two jobs: “I think you can do both, but it’s a lot of pressure because everything is based on prize money.
“There’s no consistent income…I hope the sport grows to a point where we can be paid full-time, but I’m not sure how that will look yet, especially with teams becoming more involved. There are numerous moving parts.”