New Communities on MyWhoosh
By Tim Perkin
MyWhoosh is growing. The recent announcements concerning the partnership with cycling’s governing body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to sponsor not only the Cycling Esports World Championship but the Road World Championship, solidified their standing in the sport.
At the same time as establishing relationships with key organisations within the sport, MyWhoosh has also been developing relationships with Cycling Esport Event Organisers and communities to ensure that their platform has a diverse calendar of events. Two such communities are Mountain Massif and OTR.
About Mountain Massif
Mountain Massif stands as a prominent E-Sports Cycling Events Organiser, experiencing rapid growth while hosting daily races and structured training sessions on leading E-Sports platforms. Mountain Massif’s mission is to propel individuals beyond their perceived limits, guiding and empowering them to achieve new heights in their cycling endeavors and supporting them in their fitness journey.
At the core of all the Mountain Massif events is the theme of “the ongoing challenge,” and the consequent feeling of “achievement” when those are overcome. This includes overcoming physical challenges and intangible limits. Depending on your focus, the Mountain Massif events can be as much about racing yourself as racing those around you. For more information check out the Mountain Massif website www.mountainmassif.com.
Mountain Massif comes to MyWhoosh
Mountain Massif is now hosting a weekly event on MyWhoosh, every Tuesday at 6:00PM GMT, called the “Mountain Massif Tuesday Time Trial.” Mountain Massif is utilising its well-honed race format and is hosting a time trial race on the El Limonar course, in Columbia.
The event is 10.1km in length, with the first 5km along the valley floor, before hitting the climb. The finish is mid-way up the mountain and comprises of 438 meters of tough climbing.
About OTR
OTR is an experienced Event Organiser having started in 2019 and moving to MyWhoosh in January 2024. Their events and following have grown organically and can be witnessed by their good attendance.
Their objective is to provide a clear pathway for people to achieve their fitness goals and racing aspirations, offering events that cater to people with differing levels of fitness and regardless of gender or age.
There are two distinct aspects of OTR. The first is the event hosting (OTR Virtual Events) and the second is the race team that participates in events on MyWhoosh and other platforms.
OTR events on MyWhoosh
On MyWhoosh, there are currently two events that OTR hosts, on a weekly basis.
“OTR Veterans” is held every Friday at 7:00PM GMT and “Get Racing” is hosted on 10:00 AM every Sunday and again on Monday at 7:00 PM GMT, to cater for the global audience. The target audience of the Get Racing series is riders at or below 3 watt per kg.
In addition to this, OTR is currently running a pilot Team Time Trial competition. This is currently being trialled with 13 squads competing and is unique in being “ride when you want”. In simple terms, OTR collaborates with each race team and with MyWhoosh, to create a private event. The time of the 3rd rider from each team is then consolidated and the one with the fastest time on that specific course, that week, is declared the winner.
To date, the results are extremely positive with 13 teams competing with a rapidly growing enthusiasm for this new competition.
Coming soon will be a social group ride. OTR has developed a pathway for helping people develop their fitness. Starting first with the group ride, you can progress to their Get Racing events before tackling their OTR Veterans races. A multi-stage race over several days is in the pipeline, so keep a lookout for that.
Community rides
If you fancy hosting an event of your own and start building a community, it is simple.
MyWhoosh has an event submission form, which, if you simply complete with your requirements, MyWhoosh will then generate the event. The form can be viewed by clicking here.
Top tips for building a community and community rides
If you want to build a community, it is worth considering your objectives. Don’t worry, this can evolve over time as the community grows, but it is necessary to know what your starting point is.
Do you want to host group rides? Are you interested in racing? The key thing is, if you enjoy what you are doing, you will attract likeminded people who also enjoy the same things. Take Mountain Massif, for instance; at its core, the events all involve an element of climbing, so naturally riders that like climbing, gravitate towards it. In contrast, OTR offers the opportunity to get your friends together and race a Team Time Trial.
Successful events are those which are different, so think of the events you have raced and enjoyed, specifically what you liked about them, then use that as the basis for your own event.
Creating a successful event is an iterative process, you might host an event and find out that certain things didn’t quite work as intended; for example, the finish line might not be in the correct place, but you can make adjustments and try again next time, fine-tune it as you go.
Additionally, with the Events Team at MyWhoosh to support and clarify any queries, it could not be easier.
Personalisation
Something MyWhoosh facilitates is that you can have your own branding in the event, which makes the event personal, so if you are part of an existing cycling club, your branding can be displayed in-game.
Promotion
Once you have your event established, fundamental to success is promoting it. This can be done via multiple channels and if you already belong to a cycling club, then those channels are probably already established.
Summing up
MyWhoosh’s presence within the cycling arena is growing. As it expands, new relationships are being developed which enriches its offering to users of the platform. With the expansion of community events, including rides offered by OTR and Mountain Massif, the MyWhoosh calendar is expanding and becoming more diverse.
About the Author
Tim has a passion for cycling and it was integral to regaining fitness after an arduous battle with cancer. Tim is the founder of Mountain Massif, who host esports cycling events. Over the years, Tim has written about a range of cycling topics, including testing and reviewing the major smart trainers. In addition, he has been fortunate to ride and interview some of the sports leading figures such as Tour de France winner Andy Schleck and sprint legend André Greipel.