Osborne is world champion: How the 2024 UCI Cycling eSports World Championships went

After winning gold in 2020, bronze in 2021 and silver in 2023, Jason Osborne put in another impressive performance at the 2024 E-cycling World Championships to become Indoor Cycling World Champion for the second time. Born in Mainz, he excelled in two of the three world championship races, crossing the finish line as the solo winner in each of them.

Osborne mixes up the field from behind

The UCI Cycling eSports World Championships 2024 included three races. The first race, called The Sprint, was about completing 300 metres in the shortest possible time. Three US-Americans dominated this race. Neal Fryett sprinted the fastest, with Hayden Pucker coming in second and Zach Nehr third. For the German riders, on the other hand, it was not the best of starts. Martin Maertens finished 14th in the first race, Osborne only 18th out of a total of 22 riders.

Osborne dominance in The Strategy

The Strategy was the next race for the indoor cyclists. The 9-kilometre course included a climb, at the bottom and top of which points were awarded. There were also double points at the finish of the race compared to the previous classifications.

After James Barnes (New Zealand) and Zach Nehr (USA) were able to break away slightly in the first classification at the foot of the climb and take the most points, the tide turned during the climb. Before the mountain classification, Jason Osborne attacked and opened up a gap to the rest of the field. He not only won the mountain classification, but also crossed the finish line of the race as a soloist, catapulting himself towards the top of the overall standings. Behind the German, last year's winner Björn Andreassen (Denmark) and Lionel Vujasin (Belgium) finished in second and third place.

Jason Osborne wins All Out in superior fashion

All Out was the last race of the 2024 UCI Cycling eSports World Championships and included a 4-kilometre circuit that had to be ridden four times in total. At the end of each lap, points were awarded for the medal race.

While Kasper Borremans (Finland) was clearly ahead of Lionel Vujasin and Björn Andreassen after the first lap, Jason Osborne then took command once again. The 30-year-old pulled away from his rivals on the 2nd lap and crossed the intermediate classification 10 seconds ahead of his pursuers Borremans, Andreassen and Vujasin at the end of the lap. During the 3rd and 4th laps, Osborne extended his lead even further and crossed the finish line with a lead of around 30 seconds. Behind him, Borremans took second place in All Out and Vujasin third.

After winning The Strategy and All Out, it was clear that Jason Osborne was e-cycling world champion for the second time. With 177 points, the former road cycling pro came out on top ahead of Lionel Vujasin and Kasper Borremans, who took silver and bronze. Martin Maertens, the second German to make it to the World Championship final, finished in 15th place.

>> All information about the UCI Cycling eSports World Championships

>> Interview with Jason Osborne

UCI Cycling Sports World Championships 2024 - Results: the top 10 men

1. Jason Osborne (Germany) 177 points
2. Lionel Vujasin (Belgium) 174 points
3. Kasper Borremans (Finland) 164 points
4. Björn Andreassen (Denmark) 154 points
5. Hayden Pucker (USA) 145 points
6. Vidar Mehl (Norway) 133 points
7. Michal Kaminski (Poland) 127 points
8. Joshua Harris (Australia) 112 points
9. Ollie Jones (New Zealand) 110 points
10. Daniel Turek (Czech Republic) 107 points

McCarthy becomes women's world champion

Mary Kate McCarthy is world champion at the Indoor Cycling World Championships for the first time. After the previous dominator of women's e-cycling, Loes Adegeest, failed to compete, McCarthy now takes the crown in cycling eSports. She fought a thrilling duel with the Brazilian Gabriela Guerra, but in the end narrowly defended her lead.

The women ran the same races as the men, so they also started with The Sprint. Mary Kate McCarthy already set the fastest time there and took first place. Behind her, Lou Bates (Great Britain) and former skier Kathrin Fuhrer (Switzerland) were in the lead. The best German in the opening race was Pia Kummer in sixth place.

Brunnee is at the forefront of The Strategy

In The Strategy, it was Ellexi Snover (USA) who was the first to enter the climb and grabbed the maximum points at the foot of the climb. Mary Kate McCarthy then went on the attack and pulled away a little. Only Gabriela Guerra was able to keep pace with the New Zealander, Guerra even overtook her before the mountain classification. Guerra once again snatched maximum honours from McCarthy at the finish. In the chasing group behind the leading duo, the German Merle Brunnee cut the best figure. She finished in third place and thus moved up further in the overall classification.

McCarthy saves lead over the finish line

In the final all-out race, Kathrin Fuhrer showed her strength on the first two laps and came out on top ahead of Guerra and McCarthy. The Brazilian Guerra then took command again, and was the liveliest rider on the 3rd and final 4th laps, claiming the maximum points on both occasions. However, as McCarthy also finished third on the last two laps, her lead from the previous races was enough to secure the world title. Guerra had to concede defeat by four points.

In the end, Mary Kate McCarthy had a narrow lead over Gabriela Guerra in the overall standings. Meanwhile, World Championship bronze went to Kathrin Fuhrer from Switzerland. The best German was Merle Brunnee with a strong sixth place. The other two German riders Emilia Welte and Pia Kummer were 15th and 18th in the final standings.

UCI Cycling Sports World Championship 2024 - Results: the women's top 10

1. Mary Kate McCarthy (New Zealand) 180 points
2. Gabriela Guerra (Brazil) 176 points
3. Kathrin Fuhrer (Switzerland) 165 points
4. Maria Holdcroft (Great Britain) 156 points
5. Lou Bates (Great Britain) 156 points
6. Merle Brunnee (Germany) 145 points
7. Mike Söderström (Sweden) 145 points
8. Emma Julie Dyrhovden (Norway) 110 points
9. Kristen Kulchinsky (USA) 107 points
10. Emma Belforth (Sweden) 101 points