The Challenge of Stars, a virtual competition between the best cyclists in the world in KO format

16 of the strongest professional cyclists from the international squad will participate in this virtual competition in an innovative format.

14 May 2020Updated on December 23, 2023

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The Challenge of Stars, professional cycling competition with Bkool

The Challenge of Starts, in collaboration with Bkool and with the official sponsorship of Tissot and Enel, it will be held throughout Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24, with an online broadcast internationally.

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He is the first virtual tournament between professional cyclists

RCS Sport in collaboration with Bkool, Presents The Challenge of Stars, first virtual tournament between professional cyclists.

Eight sprinters and eight climbers will measure strength in various heats until they find the strongest runner in each category.

Will use Bkool technology

Technology Bkool It will allow to follow the event at an international level, with an innovative and immersive format, transferring the spectator to each duel to experience it from within as one more participant.

They will compete in KO format

For the first time, runners will compete through a KO format with the mythical Stelvio or the beautiful landscapes of Tuscany as a luxury setting. The results of each tie will be published at the moment on the official social networks of the event.

Among the names of the stars who will take part in the challenge stand out Vincenzo Nibali and Giulio Ciccone (Trek - Segafredo), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana Pro Team), Matteo Trentin (CCC Team), Mathieu van der Poël (Alpecin-Fenix), Pascal Ackermann (BORA-Hansgrohe), Warren Barguil (Arkéa – Samsic), Rafal Majka (BORA-Hansgrohe), the world champion Mads pedersen (Trek - Segafredo), Bouhanni born (Team Arkéa Samsic), Fabio Jacobsen (Deceuninck - Quick Step), Caleb ewan (Lotto Soudal), thomas degendt (Lotto Soudal) or Simon Geschke (CCC Team).

In the next days we will know the definitive list.

On the official social networks of The Challenge of Stars (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) the pairing table will be released until the final phase, offering fans the opportunity to try to guess the winner of each duel in the days prior to its celebration.

They will also be able to enjoy live shows on Instagram by the protagonists and many other surprises.

In the words of Paolo Bellino, CEO and General Manager of RCS Sport: “These days when it was not possible to go out and enjoy cycling abroad, have led us to think of new racing formats.

This is how competitions such as the Milan Sanremo Virtual Experience or the Giro d'Italia Virtual Experience were born.

The next step was to create a unique and innovative format, unlike anything that had been done before, The Challenge of Stars.”

It is an event with great potential at the television level, which thanks to Bkool technology, pwill give fans a real insider's experience of a professional cycling race and at the same time, it will give top riders the opportunity to compete on new terrain in an unprecedented format.

Benito Vázquez, CEO of Bkool: “After many years organizing amateur cycling competitions on our platform, Bkool has recently taken the step towards the professional field, with international broadcasting through various media and a great reception success.

We are convinced that the technological possibilities of our simulator, together with the experience and knowledge of RCS Sport will mark a new milestone in the creation and development of this type of competition, offering an innovative format, very attractive to both the public and the stars of professional cycling. We have never seen a cycling competition like this before.

The competition will be broadcast live through the official social networks of The Challenge of Stars and will have international media distribution.