Ollie Jones and Chelsea Holmes win opening Elite Teams Esports Series round

St George Continental Cycling’s Ollie Jones and InForm TMX MAKE’s Chelsea Holmes have drawn first blood in the 2022 AusCycling Elite Teams Esports Series on Zwift, with both winning the opening round individual time trial.

Jones, the 2017 Zwift Academy winner, was untouchable on the Bologna TT course, besting second place Ben Hill (CCS Cycling) by 49.7 seconds and finishing with a time of 13 minutes and 30 seconds.

The Kiwi is no stranger to laying down huge power numbers in the Esports world and did so again on Tuesday night, averaging 461 watts (w) at 6.2 watts per kilogram (w/kg).

Replay

The 26-year-old went deep for Bologna's steep uphill finish (2km at 9.6 per cent), throwing down a 505w (6.6w/kg) average for just under six minutes.

St George Continental Cycling’s Connor Reardon joined teammate Jones on the podium in third.

Team Rauland’s Kobe Henderson was the first under 23 rider across the line, finishing sixth.

In the women’s series, it was an InForm TMX MAKE sweep of the podium courtesy of winner Holmes, Eloise Sandow in second and Zwift aficionado Carlee Taylor in third.

The InForm domination didn’t end at Taylor either, with two-time junior national criterium champion Lucinda Stewart’s fourth place finish well and truly announcing InForm’s presence in the 2022 series.

Week 1 of the @AusCyclingAus Elite Esports Series was a leg burner!🦵🔥 With riders tackling the 8km Bologna TT, it was short, sharp & definitely spicy! With the final 2km averaging 10%! ⛰

Find out who is in form and took home the victory in our mens and women's races here!👀👇 pic.twitter.com/1ev76NjWdm

— Zwift Australia | NZ (@GoZwiftAUSNZ) June 8, 2022

For South Australian Holmes, it was a time of 16 minutes and 49 seconds that gave the 21-year-old victory up Bologna, averaging 272w at 4.8w/kg.

18-year-old Sandow was 10.8 seconds behind her teammate and seven seconds ahead of Taylor.

St George Continental Cycling leads the men’s series team classification on 297 points ahead of CCS Cycling in second on 243 points.

InForm TMX MAKE leads the women’s series team classification with 578 points ahead of Butterfields Racing in second on 269 points.

Round 2 of the series on Tuesday, June 21 heads to Yorkshire to take on the 2019 UCI Worlds Harrogate Circuit.

Results

Women

1. Chelsea Holmes (InForm TMX MAKE) - 16:49
2. Eloise Sandow (InForm TMX MAKE) - 17:00
3. Carlee Taylor (InForm TMX MAKE) - 17:07

Men

1. Ollie Jones (St George Continental Cycling) - 13:30
2. Ben Hill (CCS Cycling) - 14:19
3. Connor Reardon (St George Continental Cycling) - 14:20

Full results via ZwiftPower

• Women
• Men