First pilot international project supporting e-cycling.
The cycling federations of Poland, Denmark, Germany, and Spain, together with UEC andthe EUNIK Think Tank, are collaborating to promote cycling through the Zwift platform.
At the initiative of the Polish Cycling Support Foundation, a pilot project titled "Digital Innovation in Cycling"- DigiCycle has been launched. This project, implemented under the Erasmus+ program and supported bythe European Union, involves leading cycling federations from Denmark, Germany, Spain, the EuropeanCycling Union, and the Dutch Think Tank EUNIK. The main goal of this joint initiative is to popularize cyclingthrough gaming. The aim is to promote this sport discipline, physical activity, and ultimately generateinterest in cycling among young people.
Economic and social development, especially the Covid-19 pandemic, have impacted many areas of ourlives. – says Michał Jackowiak, President of the Polish Cycling Fundation – Being confined to our homeshas significantly limited physical activity for all of us, regardless of age, while the widespread access totechnology has attracted even more people to computer games. Seeing this natural trend, we thoughtabout harnessing it and redirecting interests towards e-competition, e-sports, and therfore physical activity. We elieve that with the help of new technologies and broad internet access, we can encourage not onlyyoung people but also older individuals and those with certain disabilities or impairments to engage in e-cycling. In this format, e-cycling can be accessible to everyone and not only improve physical fitness butalso enhance our mental well-being and bring joy through competition.
The DigiCycle project, implemented under the Erasmus+ program, is strongly rooted in the activieties of theEuropean Cycling Union and it’s member federations, aiming to increase the participation of marginalizedand underrepresented groups in this discipline. The adopted principles of promoting physical activity andutilizing digital innovation in sports align with the priorities of the European Union in this field.
The use of digital tools by sports organizations to promote sports and social integration seems to be anecessity in the current digital area. – says Grzegorz Botwina, Project Manager on behalf of the PolishCycling Federation. – Our project aims to understand how sports organizations at various levels – international sports federations, national federations and sports club – can utilize digital simulators topromote sports. Within the project, we intend to create a roadmap for cycling federations in Europe,facilitating the implementation of the Zwift platform as a tool for promoting cycling and increasing physicalactivity among different social groups.
The tasks for the upcoming months involve working together with partners to develop a plan of actions,activities, and events promoting e-cycling. In a lifetime of the project, a guide for sports organizations andan online course will be developed, targeting clubs, cycling event organizers, and sports federations atregional and national levels. The project will provide a set of best practices and international cooperationamong organizations responsible for the development of cycling in the EU.
The project will run until 2025.
