Cycling fans attending the Global Bike Festival presented by Zwift will have the chance to ride with Grand Tour ex-professional Andre Greipel. The prolific German sprinter’s attendance has been confirmed by Zwift for this year’s inaugural event in June.
Originally launched by Play Sports Group, the company behind GCN, in early 2020, the festival was postponed in that year due to the pandemic.
Hosted by the world’s biggest cycling content channels GCN, GMBN and EMBN, Global Bike Festival presented by Zwift will take place on June 16-19 2022 in the skiing and cycling resort town of Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria.
Cyclists will be able to combine riding across road, MTB and gravel with a schedule of special guests, live DJs, tech talks, film screenings, and training tips suitable for all abilities. There will be challenges and competitive features including Zwift race nights, a timed hill climb and an underground crit race circuit.
Zwift will be integrated into the live experience at the event with a ‘GCN vs The Rest of the World’ race, where Greipel and GCN’s presenters will attempt to hold off a chasing peloton of Zwifters from around the world. A separate live event will pit road riders head-to-head with mountain bikers in a Zwift race, with teams made up of festival attendees plus GCN and GMBN presenters.
Greipel, who announced his retirement from racing last year whilst competing for UCI WorldTeam Israel Start Up Nation, will join festival goers on rides at the event in Austria.
With Zwift enabling fans to ride together before meeting in person at the event, the 22-Grand Tour stage winner will also join a series of virtual events on the platform in the lead up to the festival.
Additionally, everyone who takes part in a Global Bike Festival presented by Zwift virtual ride will be entered into a prize draw to win a VIP festival package worth more than £700. The prize will include Global Bike Festival weekend tickets, four nights bed and breakfast accommodation, airport transfers and VIP access to the event wrap party.
Andre Greipel, multiple Grand Tour stage winner and Zwift ambassador, said “As soon as I heard about the Global Bike Festival I knew I wanted to be involved. The concept of bringing cycling fans of all disciplines together to celebrate the sport is awesome.
“I’m looking forward to leading the group rides on Zwift in the lead up to the event and of course getting out on the Saalbach roads with everyone at the festival in June.”
James Pope, Events Director at Play Sports Network, said “We are delighted that Andre will be joining Global Bike Festival both virtually for our Zwift launch ride with GCN and in person in Saalbach.
“The series of Zwift rides will provide a great opportunity for fans to meet each other and prepare for the riding in the Austrian Alps. With the help of Zwift we will also be able to continue the racing into the afternoon with special events in the Festival village and race nights to get the party started in the evening.”
The Global Bike Festival Zwift ride series will begin on Wednesday 6th April at 18:00 BST with the opportunity to ride with Greipel and GCN presenter, Ollie Bridgewood. The Zwift series then continues weekly.
www.globalbikefestival.com
www.zwift.com/global-bike-festival
