London Nocturne places available for fastest riders in virtual bike race qualifier

Racers who didn’t get a place in this year’s Leigh Day Criterium at the Jupiter London Nocturne still have a chance to qualify. The 10 fastest riders in a virtual race held at a pre-event party at Oakley’s The Workshop on Exmouth Market the night before will gain entry.

Race entries for the Leigh Day Criterium close today and while 70 riders are due to be selected and announced, those who didn’t get in can still enter the special 'last chance' race which will be held at the pre-event on Friday 5th June.

The qualifier will be run using Zwift, an indoor cycling system which allows users to compete in a virtual world. Riders will complete a lap of Zwift’s virtual island and the 10 fastest will win a place in the following day’s real world race.

Zwift co-founder and CEO, Eric Min, said the platform was all about bringing people together, whether to ride for fun or to compete.

“In this partnership with Oakley and Jupiter London Nocturne we’ll use our technology to bring riders together in the physical and virtual worlds – even if someone can’t take part in the race in London they’ll be able to measure themselves against the performances those racers put in.”

Oakley’s In Residence: The Workshop will be located on Exmouth Market in London until August. The plan is to host a number of cycling-themed events and activities, including mechanic workshops, organised rides, live race screenings, expert talks and even wheel building classes. In addition to the Zwift race, the pre-event party will see riders invited to collect their race packs and enjoy a few drinks.

This year’s Jupiter London Nocturne will be the ninth edition of an event that has fast become a fixture on the London cycling calendar. The roads around Smithfield Market are closed for a day which will see elite racing interspersed with fun (but still hotly-contested) events like the Penny Farthing, Folding Bike and Retro races.

Previous winners of the elite races include Ian Stannard, Alex Dowsett and Hannah Barnes. The event is free to attend, although grandstand and hospitality tickets are also available for purchase.