Thrilling night of esports sees Tilly Field, Josh Harris crowned national champions

Six men and five women took centre stage at Queensland University of Technology last night, pedalling on stationary trainers, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling screens in the QUT’s state-of-the art venue, The Cube.

These were some of Australia’s elite cyclists who were racing in the 2025 AusCycling Esports National Championships, part of the Brisbane Cycling Festival.

But their competitors were not just those in the room.

Also fighting for national titles were men and women riding in garages, living rooms and pain caves around Australia – and even across the world – all aiming to power their avatars across the finish line first within the MyWhoosh virtual cycling platform.

Tilly Field, an esports athlete with Movistar Team, was 16,000 kilometres away, riding in a hotel in Girona, Spain. Runner-up last year, the Victorian triumphed in the open women’s race, powering away on the steep finishing climb.

Her victory was followed by the open men’s race, where Launceston rider Josh Harris – also a runner-up in 2024 – marked attack after attack before surging to victory with an emphatic final sprint.

The hybrid format put riders in the spotlight in Brisbane, while others raced from around the world.

Open Women: Tilly Field turns silver to gold from Spain

Eleven riders took to the start of the women’s event, a 20-kilometre scratch race on the Wollongong City Circuit with a tough hilltop finish.

Although the Wollongong Climb only registers a modest 1.5km at 5.1%, a downhill section in the middle effectively makes it two back-to-back climbs, with ramps of some 17% on the second pinch.

The start list included defending champion Kate Trdin (Launceston City CC), and – among those at The Cube – Mt Mitchell to Inverell winner Gina Ricardo (Gold Coast CC) and Australian esports representative Imogen Alton (Nowra Velo Club). Last year's runner-up Tilly Field (Club MUD Ballarat) was also in action, competing from Spain, having recently attended an esports community event on the island of Mallorca.

Gina Ricardo was aggressive in the race's early, flatter sections.

Ricardo was active early in the race, contesting the intermediate sprints, but a leading group of seven arrived together at the foot of the final climb. Talia Chambers attacked first, countered quickly by Alton.

But when Field accelerated, she soon gapped her competitors. Alton was the last to lose the wheel, giving the Movistar rider a slender two-second gap over the first crest.

Field sustained the pressure on the pedals all the way to the top, holding off a late rally by Chambers to claim victory by five seconds.

“When I followed the hardest attack, which was Imogen’s, I thought, ‘this is good,’ because I know I’ve got more to give than this. That just gave me the confidence that I’ve got it,” Field said in her post-race interview over a video call.

Tilly Field (pictured here at the 2024 event) powered away to the finish.

“When I started gapping and I saw no-one was catching Imogen in the beginning, I thought this was good: ‘just fight now – just fight, don’t worry about it.’”

With the win, Field upgrades last year’s silver medal to the green-and-gold jersey of national champion for 2025.

“This is awesome. I gave up other disciplines to be here in esports, so to have a national medal in it, it hasn’t sunk in. It’s really cool,” Field said.

“I’m not comprehending what that means right now. Amazing. It’s all you want, to win, so to get one, it’s good.”

Chambers was able to pass Alton to take the silver medal, while Alton locked in the bronze after an excellent climbing performance.

Open Men: race favourite 'targeted' but staves off attacks to win

The men’s race was contested over the same 20-kilometre course, and it was a breathless affair from start to finish.

Luke Allport (Camden Cycle Club) attacked from the start banner, and it was pre-race favourite Josh Harris (Launceston City CC) who responded, closing the gap without pulling through to increase the pace.

That would set the pattern for the remainder of the attack-filled race: Penrith’s Nick Spratt, Peter Milostic and his 18-year-old son Lindon Milostic (the latter racing at The Cube); and Brisbane’s Ryan Thomas (also riding at QUT) were among those to accelerate off the front. It was clear that they wanted to put pressure on before the final climb, but each time, the Tasmanian was able to follow and shut the move down.

At just 18 years of age, Lindon Milostic rode an exciting race.

Harris was pushed to the limit on the approach to the climb, when Andrew Downie (Carnegie Caulfield CC) put in two stinging attacks on the flat. Harris was able to bridge across to both, but although the second gap took noticeably longer to close, the group arrived together at the foot of the climb.

Downie was first to accelerate, countered quickly by Spratt. Once again, Harris was able to follow, and he and Spratt crested the first part of the climb together at the front.

Behind, Lindon Milostic was chasing. He carried his momentum onto the steep ramps of 17%, slingshotting past the leaders. Harris was again able to follow, setting up a one-on-one battle with Milostic.

Harris and Milostic raced neck-to-neck as the terrain kept rising, holding some 8 watts per kilogram for two minutes, neither able to distance the other on the steep slopes.

That was until the duo rode through the KOM banner, 300 metres to the finish, where Harris kicked one more time, accelerating at over 11 w/kg to surge clear. Harris allowed himself a celebratory fist-pump in his Launceston garage as he crossed the line to win his maiden national title.

Josh Harris (pictured here in 2024) honoured his favourite status.

“That was insanely tough,” Harris said in his post-race interview. “The Milostic guys, I knew they’d be working together, and they’ve both got so many watts per kilo. It was just attack after attack.

“That was so hard. They kept throwing blow after blow. I just hung in there. I knew if I could get to the last 200 metres that I could win it. That race was nuts.”

After being attacked all race, Harris said Downie’s late surges nearly got the better of him.

“I went into that hill pretty cooked, I didn’t know if Spratt was setting them up as well because I think he rides with those guys [Peter and Lindon Milostic] a bit, so I just felt targeted, but I’m stoked to get the win.”

Milostic held on for the silver medal, a just reward for a dogged and determined ride by the 18-year-old rising talent. Marc Gates (Launceston City CC) took home bronze for the second year in a row.

The Brisbane Cycling Festival concludes this weekend with the Tour de Brisbane and the Active Lifestyle Expo presented by Optus.

Watch the replay

Results - 2025 AusCycling Esports National Championships

Open Women

1. Tilly Field (Club MUD Ballarat) 33:49
2. Talia Chambers (Vikings Cycling Club (ACT)) +5
3. Imogen Alton (Nowra Velo Club) +15
4. Kate Trdin (Launceston City CC) +25
5. Gina Ricardo (Gold Coast CC) +54

Click for full results from MyWhoosh.

Open Men

1. Joshua Harris (Launceston City CC) 28:16
2. Lindon Milostic (Penrith CC) +17
3. Marc Gates (Launceston City CC) +38
4. Andrew Downie (Carnegie Caulfield CC) +46
5. Nick Spratt (Penrith CC) +50

Click for full results from MyWhoosh.

Photos by Alex Polizzi