The SEG Racing Academy, one of the world's leading U23 programs, has made the decision to rebrand itself as the SEG eRacing Academy and move all registered racers online until further notice. The move comes in the wake of a pandemic of the coronavirus, which has caused racing to be suspended around the world. [The Dutch team has produced many talented riders in recent years, including Fabio Jacobsen, Alberto Dainese, Edoardo Affini, Nick Schulz, Cees Boll, Stephen Williams, and Alberto Dainese.

Many WorldTour teams have already taken the step into eSport racing in the wake of the Coronavirus, including Mitchelton Scott earlier this month with a number of events and rides. Last week, the Veron teams announced plans for an online race series.

The SEG eRacing Academy is the first U23 team to rebrand.

"For the time being, we would like to announce that the Academy will be renamed SEG eRacing Academy as part of a program focused on resuming racing activities through a virtual cycling platform," a statement from the teams said. [At the same time, our talent will be offered in in-depth webinar sessions featuring interviews, lectures, and master classes from our performance staff, alumni riders, and the biggest names in the sport," the team said in a statement.

"As such, the SEG eRacing Academy is committed to continuing to develop and educate riders through a unique and alternative calendar, aiming to keep the momentum going after winning a total of four races in the first six races of the season.

"The SEG eRacing Academy calendar kicks off tomorrow with the fifth stage of the Tour de Zwift, with another race on Sunday. Also during the month of April, our talent will be participating in the Zwift Classic Series.

The team now has 12 riders, and the first race took place on Saturday, with Tymen Arensman, who will move to Team Sunweb later this year, taking his first online win.

"With everything that is happening in the world today, we want to encourage everyone to do their part, follow the rules, and if you are a cyclist, ride alone or train at home," team directeur sportif Eike Visbeek said.

"We had to be creative because our goal is to keep developing our riders and educate them for the next step. We are very excited about this new part of the team and it is clear that the eRacing program is here to stay