MyWhoosh is a UAE-based virtual cycling platform that combines indoor training, esports-style racing and performance analytics within a free-to-use digital environment. Originally recognized as a competitor to Zwift, it is increasingly operating as infrastructure for media coverage, brand activation and data-driven competition.
From training platform to media infrastructure
MyWhoosh has entered a new phase. Recent developments show a platform expanding simultaneously across media distribution, gamification and product depth – three areas that define long-term positioning in the virtual cycling market.
Instead of competing purely on user numbers or subscription value, MyWhoosh is building structural relevance within the professional cycling ecosystem.
For a broader sponsorship overview across professional cycling, see the Pro Cycling Sponsorship Overview 2026 (PDF).
Broadcast integration with Warner Bros. Discovery
MyWhoosh has entered a season-long partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and will become the lead cycling partner across its 2026 coverage. The virtual training platform will serve as main sponsor of live cycling broadcasts on Eurosport, TNT Sports, HBO Max and discovery+.
With more than 300 days of live racing and over 1,000 race broadcasts per year — including the full UCI Men’s and Women’s WorldTour calendars — WBD reaches around 130 million fans annually across linear, digital and social platforms. MyWhoosh will receive extensive brand visibility and integration across this ecosystem.
Beyond on-screen branding at major races such as the Giro d’Italia and the UCI Road World Championships (excluding the Tour de France), the partnership includes dedicated original content. A short-form digital series titled “Human vs. Virtual” will feature WBD cycling experts testing themselves inside the MyWhoosh environment. These segments combine broadcast commentary with live performance data — including speed, power output and heart rate — visually merging real-world racing with virtual competition through custom-built graphics.
The partnership positions MyWhoosh not just as a sponsor, but as a technology-driven storytelling layer within WBD’s cycling coverage.
This move is strategically significant for several reasons:
- Media legitimacy: Virtual racing gains visibility within established cycling broadcasts.
- B2B positioning: MyWhoosh becomes a technology partner, not only a consumer app.
- Rights-holder integration: Platforms move closer to race organisers and media rights ecosystems.
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Gamified activation: the Bitcoin treasure hunt
MyWhoosh has introduced a platform-native activation format with its in-app Treasure Hunt.
Instead of a traditional competition or leaderboard-based challenge, the Treasure Hunt transforms the virtual world into an interactive exploration space. Riders search for hidden in-game objects distributed across different routes and environments. Participation is tied directly to riding activity inside the platform.
Key mechanics include:
- Exploration-based engagement within existing virtual maps
- Time-limited activation window
- In-game discovery rather than external sign-up mechanics
- Reward logic embedded in the riding experience
Unlike performance-driven race events, this format shifts the focus from watts and rankings to curiosity and participation. The activation is structured to increase route usage, session time and return frequency – all core platform metrics.
From a marketing perspective, the structure is notable:
- The virtual world becomes programmable inventory
- Digital environments function as activation surfaces
- Gamification drives retention without altering core performance features
The Treasure Hunt illustrates how MyWhoosh is expanding beyond structured racing into interactive engagement formats. The platform is no longer only a training tool or esports venue – it is evolving into a digital environment where branded challenges, hidden rewards and thematic campaigns can be layered onto the riding experience.
For the broader cycling marketing ecosystem, this signals a shift: virtual platforms are not just hosting races — they are building activation-ready worlds.
MyWhoosh 5.5.0: deeper insights and smarter race logic
With the 5.5.0 update, MyWhoosh introduced:
- Enhanced rider performance insights
- Improved race categorisation and matchmaking
- Expanded virtual environments
- Greater transparency in race data
This layer is crucial. Media partnerships and gamified campaigns create spikes in attention. Product sophistication creates retention.
In the competitive landscape – alongside Zwift, Rouvy and performance-oriented platforms like TrainingPeaks or Strava – analytics depth and race integrity determine credibility.
Virtual cycling is increasingly a hybrid category:
- Part esports
- Part performance technology
- Part media infrastructure
The 5.5.0 update reinforces MyWhoosh’s ambition to compete on analytical robustness, not just immersive experience.
Strategic context: three layers of expansion
Across these developments, a clear structural pattern emerges:
1. Product infrastructure
Data depth and race logic build competitive trust.
2. Engagement mechanics
Gamified activations create brand-ready environments.
3. Media distribution
Broadcast partnerships extend visibility beyond the app ecosystem.
Few virtual cycling platforms currently operate across all three dimensions simultaneously.
For the broader cycling marketing landscape, this raises structural questions:
- Will virtual platforms become recurring broadcast assets?
- Can digital race environments evolve into sponsorship surfaces?
- Does this create new inventory independent of physical events?
For market observers, this is less a feature update story and more a platform strategy case within the evolving cycling performance technology ecosystem. Compared to how brands activate on platforms like Zwift and ROUVY – as outlined in this analysis of Zwift and ROUVY brand activations – MyWhoosh is increasingly combining product depth, gamification and broadcast distribution in a single strategic layer.
Sources:
https://media.wbdsports.com/post/mywhoosh-set-to-power-warner-bros-discoverys-cycling-coverage-to
https://mywhoosh.com/mw-treasure-hunt/
https://mywhoosh.com/mywhoosh-5-5-0-deeper-insights-smarter-races-and-a-whole-new-world/
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