Industry News

Virtual bike races as hard as Tour de France, says expert

Published

6 years ago

May 13, 2020

George Miller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Virtual cycle races take place of cancelled road races
Big names like Chris Froome have been taking part
Cycling data expert says virtual races are proving to be just as hard as the real thing

Virtual cycle racing is proving to be just as hard as road races such as the Tour de France, according to professional riders and a leading sports data analyst.

Races on virtual platforms such as Zwift and ROUVY have filled the void left by the cancellation of professional road races over the past few weeks, with big-name riders like Chris Froome and Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet taking part in events such as the Digital Swiss 5, the Zwift Tour for All and the Team INEOS eRace on Zwift.

Together with a panel of cycling experts from bonusfinder.com, professional cycling coach and data scientist Philipp Diegner – who regularly analyses UCI WorldTour races – has assessed the publicly available performance data from more than 200 efforts made by pro riders in recent virtual races.

Although virtual races are up to six times shorter than road races, Diegner said they have proved to be just as difficult as road races and have caught some professionals off guard. ”The racing is short and particularly intense,” he explained. “It is 45-90 minutes of racing instead of 3-6 hours. The consequence for the riders is that there is no opportunity to save energy like they have in road races, so they have to make prolonged, all-out efforts that push them to their physical limit.

“Professionals are not necessarily used to this and it can be a shock to the system. Virtual racing is as hard as road racing; it is just that endurance is a more decisive factor in road racing, whereas virtual racing is one hour of pure, intense suffering.”

Pro rider Chris Hamilton, who rides for Team Sunweb, agreed with Diegner when he described one virtual race as “the hardest thing I have ever done”.

Diegner selected the following 10 performances as the most impressive he has seen in the professional virtual races to date.

*Rider*	*Team*	*Race*	*Time*	*Speed (avg km/h)*	*Power (avg watts)*	*W/kg (avg)*	*Ride Info Source*
Chris Hamilton	Team Sunweb	Digital Swiss 5 Race 5	01:00:13	37.7	393	6.05	Strava
Filippo Ganna	Team INEOS	Digital Swiss 5 Race 2	00:55:17	48.7	463	5.51	Strava
James Piccoli	Israel Start-Up Nation	Zwift Tour for All Stage 3	01:41:56	42.7	335	5.2	Zwift Companion
Louis Meintjes	NTT Pro Cycling	Zwift Tour for All Stage 5	01:23:40	33.3	323	5.7	Zwift Companion
Stefan De Bod	NTT Pro Cycling	Zwift Tour for All Stage 5	01:23:49	33.3	357	5.4	Zwift Companion
Nicolas Roche	Team Sunweb	Digital Swiss 5 Race 3	01:12:11	27.9	391	5.51	Strava
Pello Bilbao	Bahrain – McLaren	Zwift Tour for All Stage 3	01:42:39	42.4	330	5.5	Zwift Companion
Rohan Dennis	Team INEOS	Team INEOS eRace on Zwift	00:58:01	29.2	373	5.18	Zwift Companion
Tobias Ludvigsson	Groupama – FDJ	Digital Swiss 5 Race 4	00:48:00	46	428	5.63	Strava
Nicolas Roche	Team Sunweb	Digital Swiss 5 Race 3	00:54:17	29.4	397	5.59	Strava

Watts per kilogram is widely recognised as the most accurate barometer of effort in pro cycling. It takes the average power a rider produces over a set period of time and divides it by their weight in kilograms. The hardest road races require the winner to produce about 4/wkg over five hours. In virtual races, the winners have been nudging 6w/kg for between one hour and 1hr 45min.

Diegner said: “Chris Hamilton only finished fourth in race five of the Digital Swiss 5 but riding for one hour at 6.05w/kg is world class. He rode the last 12 minutes at 6.58w/kg, which would win him most WorldTour mountain stages.

“James Piccoli’s win on stage three of the Zwift Tour for All was a similarly amazing effort. He rode for one and a half hours at over 5w/kg and then kicked again and rode the last six minutes 25 seconds at 6.46w/kg. That’s unimaginable for amateur riders on Zwift.”

One lesson that emerged from the analysis was that the riders who are most successful on the road, such as Froome and 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, were not necessarily as effective in virtual races.

Diegner believes this was because successful road riders did not adjust to the nuances of virtual racing as well as others, but he expects them to start replicating their road success in virtual races with time and experience.

“Take Egan Bernal in the Team INEOS eRace on Zwift,” Diegner added. “He wasn’t competitive. That may be because he did not go all-out and was treating it as a training effort. But ultimately, once a rider with his capability gets used to the intensity, he will start winning like he does on the road.

“It is similar with sprints. Someone like [former three-time world champion] Peter Sagan might not get virtual racing right to begin with, but when he learns when and how to expend his power, he will start winning with the same regularity as on the road. Knowing when to start the sprint and how to reach max power in online races is a skill that has to be developed.”

Balkans

CT Interactive Appoints Martin Dimitrov as its New Commercial Manager

Published

1 day ago

January 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

ct-interactive-appoints-martin-dimitrov-as-its-new-commercial-manager

CT Interactive has appointed Martin Dimitrov as its new Commercial Manager. Martin brings over eight years of experience in sales, client management and business development, with the past two years dedicated to the dynamic iGaming industry.

Throughout his career, Martin has managed a diverse portfolio of clients and partners, successfully developing and strengthening long-term commercial relationships. His active participation in key industry events has enabled him to build an extensive professional network and maintain a strong, up-to-date understanding of market trends and dynamics.

Martin’s strong leadership and strategic thinking allow him to identify new business opportunities, drive sustainable growth and support partners with tailored commercial solutions. His collaborative approach and results-driven mindset make him a trusted point of contact for clients and colleagues alike.

With his deep understanding of the iGaming landscape and proven commercial expertise, Martin Dimitrov is a valuable addition to the CT Interactive team.

The post CT Interactive Appoints Martin Dimitrov as its New Commercial Manager appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

blask

Greece Led Europe’s iGaming Growth in 2025 — Now the Drivers Are Fully Explained

Published

2 days ago

January 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

greece-led-europe’s-igaming-growth-in-2025-—-now-the-drivers-are-fully-explained

In the second half of 2025, Greece emerged as Europe’s fastest-growing iGaming market. While several major jurisdictions slowed or declined, Greek market demand rose by more than 50% between June and December, standing out as one of the year’s clearest growth stories.

According to data from Blask, the surge was not the result of a single tournament or seasonal spike. Instead, it reflected a structural shift driven by a combination of sports momentum, regulatory reform and casino market dynamics — factors that can now be traced in detail through Blask’s newly released Market Explanation feature.

Continuous sports momentum without demand gaps

Greece’s growth was underpinned by a tightly stacked sports calendar that sustained engagement across multiple months. EuroBasket 2025 in late August, the kickoff of the Stoiximan Super League, UEFA Champions League matchdays under the new league-phase format, and the EuroLeague season featuring Greek clubs created a continuous rhythm of high-interest betting cycles throughout autumn.

Rather than short-lived peaks followed by sharp declines, demand remained elevated well beyond individual events. This is a pattern clearly visible on the Blask Index trend line.

Casino reform reshaped demand behavior

One of the most significant contributors came from the casino segment. Greece’s decision to raise RNG stake limits from €2 to €20 altered the mechanics of the market, allowing online casinos to absorb demand during sports off-peak periods.

As sports-led acquisition increasingly converted into casino play, operators reported double-digit iGaming growth. Market Explanation analysis shows that this effect persisted over time, confirming the shift as structural rather than seasonal.

Enforcement redirected demand to licensed operators

Regulatory action further reinforced the upward trend. In December, Greek authorities blocked approximately 11,000 illegal gambling domains. Instead of suppressing demand, the move redirected player interest toward licensed platforms, strengthening regulated market performance.

The impact was amplified by the adoption of IRIS instant payments, which reduced deposit friction and improved conversion from interest to activity.

From tracking trends to understanding causes

To surface these drivers, Blask has introduced Market Explanation — an AI-powered layer within the Blask Index that allows users to click on any country’s trend line and instantly see a sourced breakdown of the forces behind the movement. Sports calendars, regulatory changes, casino dynamics and macro factors are analyzed together, turning raw demand signals into actionable market context.

Greece’s 2025 performance illustrates how this approach changes market analysis. Rather than simply observing that demand is rising, operators, suppliers and investors can now see why it is happening — and which levers are shaping the trajectory of a market in real time.

The post Greece Led Europe’s iGaming Growth in 2025 — Now the Drivers Are Fully Explained appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Crypto Turnkey

GR8 Tech Delivers 1.6× Higher Deposit Conversion and 3× Reduction in Transaction Costs for Crypto Turnkey Clients

Published

2 days ago

January 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

gr8-tech-delivers-1.6×-higher-deposit-conversion-and-3×-reduction-in-transaction-costs-for-crypto-turnkey-clients

Initial performance metrics from providers utilizing GR8 Tech’s Crypto Turnkey solution indicate notable enhancements in player conversion and operational efficiency within months of transitioning to cryptocurrency payments.

Operators utilizing Crypto Turnkey are indicating:

● 1.6 times greater conversion for initial and subsequent deposits

● Cost per transaction can be as much as 3 times lower than conventional payment methods.

● Withdrawal processing up to 2.5 times quicker

“The conversion improvements and cost reductions we see would take much longer to achieve through payment optimization alone,” said Denys Parkhomenko, GR8 Tech CPO. “Crypto Turnkey unlocks access to the fastest-growing and highly valuable player demographic in iGaming. When over half of your target audience is already using crypto for investments, offering it as a payment method is a must—numbers prove it.”

The findings confirm the business rationale presented at Crypto Turnkey’s inception: cryptocurrency eliminates reliance on payment providers and draws higher-value participants who deposit larger amounts and wager more often. With settlement finishing within minutes rather than days, operators are experiencing enhanced margins and clearly superior player satisfaction.

Crypto Turnkey is now accessible worldwide and can be implemented as a new option or transitioned from Hyper Turnkey.

Unlock Your Crypto Advantage at ICE Barcelona 2026

The post GR8 Tech Delivers 1.6× Higher Deposit Conversion and 3× Reduction in Transaction Costs for Crypto Turnkey Clients appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.