British Cycling has stripped the winner of the recent British Cycling eRacing Championships after upholding a charge of unsporting conduct under clause 5 of its disciplinary code.
The sanctioned rider, Cameron Jeffers, has been fined £250 and given a six month suspension from all racing as a result of the ‘manipulation of pre-race data to gain an unfair advantage via in-game equipment’.
Read BC’s full statement here: britishcycling.org.uk/Charge-of-Unsporting-Conduct
Further details weren’t released with British Cycling’s statement but riders under-reporting their weight is anecdotally a common complaint from users of online ‘racing’ platforms.
Lower claimed weight against accurately measured power will of course give riders a better power-to-weight ratio and an increased chance of ‘winning’ a video game in their own garage.
An explanation was, however, later supplied by Zwift, the platform that hosts the e-racing.
‘The charge relates to manipulation of data before the finals,’ according to Chris Snook, senior PR manager at Zwift. ‘Jeffers used a bot to ride on multiple occasions at 2000 watts for distances of over 200km with a weight of 45kg.
‘The “botting” helped Jeffers unlock the Zwift Concept Z1 bike (commonly referred to as the Tron bike). It was deemed by British Cycling as an attempt to gain unfair advantage and was in breach of clause 5 of their disciplinary code.’
In addition to that, Snook also provided a statement from Zwift’s e-sports CEO Craig Edmondson: ‘Good governance and integrity are the cornerstone of Zwift Esports. We are committed to utilising all the resources we have available to police competition at the very highest level and ensure fair competition.
‘We fully support the action taken by British Cycling in the case against Cameron Jeffers.’
Jeffers has accepted the punishment from British Cycling and his title has been transferred to second place finisher James Phillips.
‘Defending fair play in our competitions is at the core of our responsibilities as a governing body,’ explained British Cycling integrity and compliance director Rod Findlay.
‘The fact that we have been able to investigate the offence and uphold the charge reflects the strength of our new disciplinary regulations and our determination to pursue misconduct.’
The UCI also contacted Cyclist with regards to the saga.
‘We, the Union Cycliste Internationale, were kept regularly informed by British Cycling of the procedure leading to the disqualification of Cam Jeffers from his results at the 2019 British Cycling e-Racing Championships. We can only deplore this cheating attempt, but we congratulate British Cycling on the handling of the case, both in the detection of the fraudulent material and the disciplinary procedure.
‘Ensuring the integrity of our sport is a fundamental part of our strategy, as demonstrated by our investment in anti-doping and the fight against technological fraud. Regarding cycling e-sports, in line with the recent announcement of the partnership with Zwift, on the governance and development of cycling e-sports as a new cycling discipline and the introduction of the first UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in 2020, the UCI and Zwift will collaborate to ensure the sporting credibility of the cycling esports competitions.
‘This will include measures to ensure that manipulation of both hardware and software by competitors is counteracted, as well ensuring that rider profiles are verified ahead of competition.’
This article was updated with the statements from Zwift and then later with the statement from the UCI