Cream rises to the top in AusCycling Club Esports Series – Round 5

Round 5 of the AusCycling National Club Esports Series saw an honest sorting-out of the peloton on Zwift’s ruthless Bologna climb.

The 24-kilometre race was held over two laps of Zwift’s ‘Bologna Time Trial’ route, a replica of the 2019 Giro d’Italia prologue course that finishes in the 2km, 9.6% wall-like climb to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Luca.

Men’s A

Grafton to Inverell runner-up Mark O’Brien lined up in Men’s A and dominated both ascents. Only Aiden Sinclair and two international riders were able to return to his wheel after the first ascent. After this quartet held off the main peloton along the flats, O’Brien lifted the pace on the final climb and rode away to cross the line first.

Ben Pegard (University of Queensland CC), Brendon Brauer (Mackay CC) and Zachary Muetterties (Illawarra CC) took the top three spots out of the AusCycling-registered riders for maximum club points.

Women’s A

The Women’s A race saw Oceania time trial champion Georgia Howe make her first appearance this series. She rode a dominant race, taking off solo from the start and sailing away at 4.5 watts per kilogram to finish over 3 minutes ahead of her nearest competitor.

Behind, Jessica Bemrose (Gold Coast CC) once again collected maximum points to make it five from five. She finished ahead of Kathryn Alley (Randwick CC) and Dayna Davidson (Southern Cross CC).

Other categories

Elizabeth Hall (Hawthorn CC), Deborah Ainslie (Northern Sydney CC) and Emily Hohnke (Randwick CC) collected top points in the other women’s categories. Philipp Joebges (Lifecycle CC), Benjamin McMahon (Waratah Masters CC) and Shane Kelly (Waratah Masters CC) won the other men’s races.

Overall standings

It was a big week for series leaders Waratah Masters Cycling Club, which added 400 points to extend their lead to over 500 ahead of Bathurst Cycling Club. Thanks to their high placings in the women’s categories, Randwick CC have now overhauled Vikings CC for third spot.

The AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series continues on Zwift next Thursday with round 6, a sprint-friendly race on the Makuri Islands 'Electric Loop' course.

Replay

Standings after round 5

1. Waratah Masters Cycling Club 2073
2. Bathurst Cycling Club 1549
3. Randwick Cycling Club 1245
4. Vikings Cycling Club 1129
5. Gold Coast Cycling Club 970
6. Southern Cross Cycling Club 831
7. University of Queensland Cycling Club 635
8. Northern Sydney Cycling Club 575
9. Mackay Cycling Club 546
10. Illawarra Cycling Club 520
11. Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club 427
12. Port Adelaide Cycling Club 399
13. Balmoral Cycling Club 375
14. Lifecycle Cycling Club 370
15. Jindabyne Cycling Club 330
16. Mudgee Cycling Club 295
17. Byron Bay Cycling Club 264
18. Parklife Cycling Club 228
19. Newcastle Hunter Cycling Club 222
20. Dubbo Cycling Club 199
21. Manning Valley Cycling Club 195
22. Birrarung Cycling Club 175
23. Hamilton Wheelers Cycling Club 162
24. Brunswick Cycling Club 162
25. Hawthorn Cycling Club 139
26. Sutherland Shire Cycle Club 133
27. Cairns Cycling Club 118
28. Knox BMX Club 97
29. St Kilda Cycling Club 91
30. Italo-Australian Cycling Club 59

You can continue to register for your club throughout the series. For more information, visit the series page or contact your club.