Champion Cyclist Confesses To Robo-Doping, Stripped Of National Esports Title - Forbes

Champion Cyclist Confesses To Robo-Doping, Stripped Of National Esports Title - Forbes

Cameron Jeffers and his Zwift "Tron" bike.

Cameron Jeffers/YouTube

YouTuber Cameron Jeffers has today been stripped of his title as the U.K.’s first national cycling esports champion. The 22-year-old elite cyclist has admitted the upgraded virtual bicycle he used in the indoor cycling platform Zwift, and which won him a place in the live finals of British Cycling’s Esports Championships, had been acquired via a simulation program.

Jeffers claimed he was offered this bot-powered bicycle by a third-party, a ploy he now admits was “unethical and unsporting.”

Acquiring the “Zwift Concept Z1” in game usually requires almost a month of hard indoor riding, but Jeffers acquired his through use of a program which used his Zwift account to fake his avatar riding for many hours at an elevated power level.

The Concept Z1–known as a “Tron” bike by Zwifters after the 1982 sci-fi movie of the same name–has in-game performance benefits over Zwift’s starter bicycles.

The live-audience esports final was staged in March from the BT Studios in London. Other riders in the final were also using Tron bikes.

Getting to the finals through the use of a “robo-doped” bicycle is prohibited in British Cycling’s new esports regulations, although in a mea culpa YouTube video uploaded on October 4, Jeffers stated that he acquired his Tron bike before these rules were in place.

“I fully believe in esports and its part of cycling’s future,” wrote Jeffers in a Twitter statement, apologizing “to the people who support me.”

Before his confession Jeffers had said that his victory was down to “a lot of hard work,” including “many hours watching the best Zwifters race, trying to pick apart the mechanics, memorizing courses and working on my tactics.”

In his YouTube statement, Jeffers admitted that his cheating was a “mess I got myself into.”

Cameron Jeffers being presented with his British Cycling national esport champion's jersey.

British Cycling/Zwift/YouTune

Jeffers has uploaded more than 500 videos promoting his life as an elite cyclist, and he has 63 paying fans on Patreon.

“I’ve been producing and uploading vlogs following my life, documenting my training and racing, through the highs and lows,” states his Patreon profile.

His YouTube confession is undoubtedly one of these lows, but he believes his cheating could help British Cycling tighten its wet-behind-the-ears esports rules.

Jeffers–who races on the road for the Saint Piran team of Cornwall–was hit with a £250 fine from British Cycling and suspended from all racing for six months. His national title has now been awarded to second-placed James Phillips of the Canyon ZCC team.

In a statement, the national governing body said the charge against Jeffers “related to manipulation of pre-race data to gain an unfair advantage via in-game equipment by the winner of the event.”

British Cycling’s integrity and compliance director Rod Findlay said that “the fact that we have been able to investigate the offense and uphold the charge reflects the strength of our new disciplinary regulations and our determination to pursue misconduct.”

Zwift, together with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), will organize the first international esports world championships in 2020. Reacting to the Jeffers judgment, Zwift Esports CEO Craig Edmondson stressed: “Good governance and integrity are the cornerstones of Zwift Esports.”

Cheating has a long and inglorious history in the (real) world of cycle sport, including the use of performance-enhancing drugs and–in the early years of the sport–riders jumping on to trains to get ahead of rivals.

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2019-10-04 20:39:42Z
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2019/10/04/champion-cyclist-confesses-to-robot-doping-stripped-of-national-esports-title/
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