Manx cyclist Becky Storrie has been named in the inaugural Movistar eSports team for the 2021 season.

The 22-year-old Island Games gold medallist forms part of the very first e-sports virtual cycling squad created by a UCI World Tour/Women’s WorldTour-licensed organisation.

It follows a selection process spanning more than one month and sees Becky join up with seven other international riders as well as two members of the Spanish-speaking community on the online training platform Zwift.

The Telefónica-backed squad’s riders, who will immediately enter the Premier Division of the Zwift Racing League - the highest-tier virtual cycling e-sports competition in the world, will also take part at other events (races or community events) in different virtual platforms.

They will additionally become ambassadors of the Movistar team in a sector whose growth over the last few years has certainly not gone unnoticed by those around cycling.

In her fourth and final year at Stirling University, Storrie finished ninth in one of Movistar’s recent e-cycling challenges up against former Olympic riders and National medallists from all over the world in a field of more than 5,000 women.

The reigning Scottish women’s hill climb champion and 2021 bronze medallist in the UK under-21 RTTC hill climb championships, spoke of her delight at her selection: ’For the first time in my life I was speechless when I got told, I really was.

’The participants had been asked to attend a meeting and I just thought it was to tell those of us who had not made it. I was really shocked to have gone so far from an initial 5,000 women all over the world which was whittled down over three rounds.

’At first, I thought I’d misheard it, did I just imagine that, did he really say my name? As the call was with all the finalists I didn’t know how to react because at the back of my mind I didn’t want to celebrate or look too pleased because some people on that call had not got on the programme so it was a strange experience.’

So how did this

all come about?

’The first selection round was on February 3 and I got a call from my boyfriend’s dad the night before saying "Becks, you should do it".

’I took a look but realised this is a race, yes I’ve been training but I’m not prepared for it. He said "you’ve nothing to lose and have to be in it to win it" so I went for it. It was all very last minute.’

How tough was

qualifying?

’It was absolutely brutal. Qualifying was rough because there were so many people in it but the final is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life on a bike.

’The format of it was basically an STP (Swim Threshold Pace) which is relentless until you simply can’t go any more. Then after 10 minutes recovery it was straight into the final race - a criterium points race.

’Your race wasn’t the only thing taken into consideration either. The selectors looked into your profiles as riders - what you are like as a person and an athlete - all your training peaks were logged and I had to submit videos showing weight, height etc, then undergo a power profile test [power to weight ratio].

’Zwift Racing regularly checked too. I suppose because it all happened so quickly, I was a bit naïve going into it.

’Essentially it was my first proper Zwift race and simply winning the race on its own was not good enough as we all had to show our sporting and personal abilities to a jury made up of Movistar team members.’

What happens next?

’I’ve known now for a little while and it’s still sinking in - it probably won’t properly until the new bike and kit arrives and I’m wearing it and ready to race. It is so exciting.’

How big could

e-cycling become?

’I think it’s going to become massive. Covid has facilitated all this of course because being in lockedown you just can’t go out and ride among groups of people. Until recently I’ve not been aware of the potential scale of it.

’Credit to Movistar as the first world team to do this and no doubt others will follow. The level of support being provided is wonderful and we are being prepped for the real world.

’Yes it is racing indoors but with all the full benefits of being a Movistar rider including the nutritional support.’

l Becky would like to thank those who have helped her on her cycling journey so far: ’It really was a team effort but I would like to give a special mention to Andrew Roche who has helped me enormously with his coaching business (Watts Up Performance).

’He has been a five-star coach and I couldn’t have done this without him.

’I can’t recommend him highly enough.’