MyWhoosh
{{short description|Virtual Cycling Platform}}
{{Infobox company
| name = MyWhoosh Technology Services L.L.C.
| logo = File:Logo Mywhoosh.png
| type = Limited Liability Company
| traded_as = Computer Systems and Software Designing
| industry = Fitness, Gaming
| founded = {{Start date and age|2019}}
Abu Dhabi.
| founders = {{Unbulleted list|}}
| hq_location_city = Abu Dhabi
| hq_location_country = UAE
| key_people =
| num_employees_year =
| products = Virtual Gaming, Computer Systems and Software Designing
}}
MyWhoosh is a UAE-based virtual cycling platform.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/2023/04/03/michael-vink-mywhoosh-revived-my-career-and-led-to-uae-team-emirates-opportunity/|title=Michael Vink: MyWhoosh revived my career and led to UAE Team Emirates opportunity|first=Michael|last=Vink|date=April 3, 2023|website=The National}}[https://olympics.com/en/news/michael-vink-cinderella-story-cycling-interview The Cinderella story of Michael Vink - The 31-year-old rider joining cycling's World Tour after Esports and amateur career: 'You've got to love what you do']{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/2023/04/14/sjoerd-bax-cobbled-classics-highlight-of-season-so-far-for-uae-team-emirates/|title=Sjoerd Bax: Cobbled classics highlight of season so far for UAE Team Emirates|first=Sjoerd|last=Bax|date=April 14, 2023|website=The National}} It is a massively multiplayer virtual cycling program that enables users to interact, train, and compete in a virtual world.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-24/this-invention-makes-riding-a-bike-indoors-a-lot-less-awful|title=This Technology Makes Riding a Bike Indoors a Lot Less Awful|newspaper=Bloomberg |date=February 24, 2017|via=www.bloomberg.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://gearandgrit.com/over-3-billion-miles-have-been-ridden-in-zwift-since-its-2014-launch/|title=Over 3-billion Miles Have Been Ridden in Zwift Since its 2014 Launch|date=September 8, 2022|website=Gear & Grit}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/what-is-mywhoosh-what-to-know-about-the-ucis-chosen-virtual-cycling-platform|title=What is MyWhoosh? — What to know about the UCI's chosen virtual cycling platform|author1=Christopher Schwenker|date=September 7, 2023|website=cyclingweekly.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://endurance.biz/2023/industry-news/new-races-features-and-virtual-world-expansions-on-mywhoosh/|title=New races, features and virtual world expansions on MyWhoosh|date=May 31, 2023}}
The programme has over 730 workouts and race options with rides that are designed to introduce players to locations like Arabia, Colombia, Australia and Belgium.
History
MyWhoosh was founded in 2019 by Akhtar Hashmi, an Emirati based businessman, investor and entrepreneur who is currently the CEO of many UAE-based technology companies. The company is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. It was developed as a virtual cycling solution for outdoor cycling.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/indoor-cycling-apps/|title=Best indoor cycling apps: Which is right for you?|first=Josh CroxtonContributions from Paul Norman last|last=updated|date=February 7, 2022|website=cyclingnews.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://road.cc/content/tech-news/mywhoosh-announces-1-million-prize-pot-race-series-299269|title=MyWhoosh announces $1 million prize pot for online race series|date=February 13, 2023|website=road.cc}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyclist.co.uk/buying-guides/buyers-guide-best-cycling-training-apps|title=Best cycling indoor training apps to make you a better cyclist in 2023|first=Emma|last=Cole|date=December 14, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/free-to-use-with-huge-prize-purses-what-is-mywhoosh-and-is-it-a-legitimate-zwift-contender/|title=What is MyWhoosh and is it a legitimate free alternative to Zwift?|author1=Christopher Schwenker|date=May 13, 2022|website=cyclingnews.com}}
It was designed as a free-to-play game where a participant can pursue training goals, join online events, and experience virtual environments that are accessible through mobile phones and desktops.{{Cite web|url=https://endurance.biz/2023/industry-news/mywhoosh-launches-new-world-of-arabia-virtual-cycling-routes/|title=MyWhoosh launches new World of Arabia virtual cycling routes|date=January 16, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/new-indoor-cycling-app-launched-by-former-chairman-of-the-zwift-esports-commission/|title=New indoor cycling app launched by former Chairman of the Zwift Esports Commission|author1=Christopher Schwenker|date=June 10, 2023|website=cyclingnews.com}}
Over the years, MyWhoosh has hosted many events, like the Weekly Sunday Race Club series, with a monthly prize pool of over $90,000. In April 2023, MyWhoosh gave the largest payout in the history of cycling esports yet, with 1 million dollars.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/21/zwift-merges-indoor-fitness-with-massive-multi-player-online-gaming/|title=Zwift merges indoor fitness with massive multi-player online gaming|first=Felicia|last=Shivakumar|date=October 21, 2016}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/zwift-story-behind-indoor-cycling-phenomenon/|title=Zwift: the story behind the indoor cycling phenomenon|first=Mark|last=Bailey|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=November 3, 2017|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}
In 2023, MyWhoosh was granted the rights to organise the Esports World Championship by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for the next three years. It is also the official indoor cycling platform of the World Tour UAE Team Emirates and its rider, Tadej Pogačar.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uci.org/pressrelease/uci-and-mywhoosh-sign-three-year-partnership-for-organisation-of-uci-cycling/7wbX3Jf24UMzVufmMCgpxx|title=UCI and MyWhoosh sign three-year partnership for organisation of UCI Cycling Esports World Championships|website=www.uci.org}}{{Cite web|url=https://road.cc/content/tech-news/mywhoosh-host-uci-cycling-esports-world-championships-303307|title=MyWhoosh to host UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, taking over from Zwift for next three years|date=August 17, 2023|website=road.cc}}
Gameplay
MyWhoosh is a free-to-play online cycling game that simulates real-world cycling scenarios and challenges. The game allows users to create and customize their own virtual cyclist, bike, and clothing, and join various online events, such as races, tours, and group rides.
The game also enables users to communicate with other players through voice or text chat, and form clubs or teams. The game tracks and records various fitness metrics for the users, such as speed, power, heart rate, cadence, distance, calories burned, and time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/2023/04/03/michael-vink-mywhoosh-revived-my-career-and-led-to-uae-team-emirates-opportunity/|title=Michael Vink: MyWhoosh revived my career and led to UAE Team Emirates opportunity|first=Michael|last=Vink|date=April 3, 2023|website=The National}}