Domination ruled the day, but the remaining podium spots weren’t sorted until the final sprint.
This weekend in Abu Dhabi, New Zealand’s Kate McCarthy and Germany’s Jason Osborne successfully defended their esports world titles. The indomitable duo retained their rainbow stripes for another year in the fifth edition of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, in the second live final on MyWhoosh.
The three-stage omnium-style points race went exactly to plan for McCarthy, who seized control in stage 1 and never relinquished her stranglehold, looking poised and controlled in the process.
Osborne overcame an uncharacteristically lackluster (for him) climb in the first stage. He fell behind momentarily in the second race before asserting his will and continuing his podium streak by climbing onto the top step for another year – and for the third time in total.
The full replay of the Esports Worlds finals.
Brazil’s Gabriela Guerra claimed silver for the second straight year. Italy’s Francesca Tommasi took the final step of the women’s podium by a single point in a heavyweight slugfest for bronze. In the performance of the night, Poland’s Michal Kaminski shocked the crowd and himself to take the men’s silver medal ahead of Belgium’s Lennert Teugels.
With former UAE Team Emirates pro turned esports rider Michael Vink forced to withdraw due to illness, the podium promised to be less crowded for the other contenders.
Stage 1: The Mountain’s Verdict
The opening stage was a pure elimination ‘graded FTP test-type effort’ on a climb that steepened as the race progressed. Riders started with a two-minute lead on the “Chaser drone,” which eliminated anyone it caught, and were awarded a point for every five seconds they stayed ahead of the cut line.
In a stage that seemed certain to play to McCarthy’s strengths, she made no mistake, grinding away the competition in a show of force, finishing with 235 points. The elimination drone caught the Kiwi after 19 minutes and 35 seconds as she powered away from the field at an average of 5.7 W/kg.
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