Rally Cycling announced Monday that it is one of 23 men's teams and 16 women's teams invited to compete in the Virtual Tour de France in July.

The race will be held on Zwift over the weekend of July 4-19, using four new courses designed specifically for the race, from Mont Ventoux to Chalet Reynard and a simulation of the Champs-Elysees circuit in Paris, with six men's and six women's There are six stages available for both men and women.

Larry Cycling has participated in many of the top-level virtual races since the Coronavirus pandemic halted all real-world racing, competing in the Digital Swiss 5, Women's Tour V Series 2020, and Zwift Tour for All.

Men's team director Pat McCarty has been working to replace the new race format, which pits pro teams against top riders such as Chris Froome, Greg Van Avermaet, Mathieu Van Der Pol, and Marianne Vos, with a balanced We chose a balanced nine-rider team.

"We chose the men's roster based on our experience in past virtual races and who would best make an impact in the upcoming virtual Tour," McCarty said.

"We know that you don't need a large roster to get results in e-race, so the best strategy for us is to pick a few guys that we know can do well and focus on a few e-races.

"At the Zwift Tour for All, we had young riders who were familiar with the platform. A lot of strategy is involved, including knowing the course (knowing when resistance works, staying near the front), knowing how to minimize effort in the draft, and knowing how and when to power up.

"For example, in the first stage of the Zwift Tour for All, our young sprinter Pierre-André Coté finished fifth, despite having the lowest average watts per kilometer among the front group of competitors. This really speaks to his ability to interact with the platform while sustaining his effort"

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On the women's side, director Zach Bell is helping athletes master the finer points of racing on Zwift, including drafting, powering up, and what kind of effort to expect.

"With Zwift, I've learned that knowing and understanding the subtle differences between platforms makes a big difference," says Bell.

"Zwift is a totally unforgiving race where riders almost always have to run at or above the threshold. Our registered riders have the ability to manage their efforts at very high work rates, which we believe leads to the best results for our team.

"Riders need to be tough and can suffer quite a bit from start to finish. Hiding and floating like in a normal race is not possible in Zwift. You have to constantly put pressure on the pedals and think about your next move. Tough riders who push the limits are the riders who perform well week in and week out. These characteristics, coupled with superior power to weight in longer efforts, help riders consistently make the final cut."

Men: Steven Bassett, Rob Britton, Nate Brown, Pierre-André Coté, Matteo Dalsin, Gavin Mannion, John Murphy, Kyle Murphy, Nicholas Zukowski

Women: Sarah Bergen, Allusion Beveridge, Krista Dobel-Hickok, Heidi Frantz, Lee Ann Ganser, Megan Jastrab, Sarah Poidevin, Emma White, Lily Williams

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