Preview: AusCycling Esports National Championships makes the jump to MyWhoosh

Later this week, we’ll see the Australian champions crowned in our sport’s newest discipline, cycling esports.

In just its second year, the 2025 AusCycling Esports National Championships return to The Cube, QUT, as part of the Brisbane Cycling Festival.

Here’s what you need to know.

The format

A single, one-off scratch race. First across the line wins – no second chances.

What’s new for 2025 is that masters and junior riders will contest their own championships. Those will be held on Thursday, with one all-in race for men and another for women. The top finishers in each age category will win their respective national titles.

On Friday night, it’ll be the main event – the Open Men’s and Open Women’s races.

Just one, all-out effort stands between each rider and the national title.

Online vs in-person

There is one other unique spin on these National Championships.

On Friday, the spotlight will be on a select number of men and women who have been invited to compete at The Cube, the Queensland University of Technology’s enormous digital learning and display space.

While they take centre stage in Brisbane, they’ll be competing against rivals from across Australia – and even the world – who will be racing online.

It’s a fusion of in-person and online racing, new for the AusCycling Esports National Championships.

The course

The National Championships will be on MyWhoosh for the first time, switching over from Zwift.

The course is 20 kilometres with a hilltop finish on the Wollongong City Circuit, made famous by the 2022 UCI Road World Championships.

The final climb is “just” 1.5km at 5.1%, but, thanks to a downhill section in the middle, the numbers don’t tell the story. Those who remember Ramah Avenue (aka Mount Pleasant) from the World Championships will know how steep the final stretch is, with ramps approaching a leg-busting 20%.

It suits punchy riders with an uphill kick, but they’ll have to time their effort. Otherwise, it’ll be an interminable grind to the top.

Riders to watch

An impressive field is lining up for the Open races.

In the women’s event, we start with defending champion Kate Trdin (Launceston City CC), who won last year with her powerful sprint.

Last year’s runner-up Tilly Field (Movistar eTeam) also returns. Remarkably, she’ll be racing from the other side of the world in Spain, where she’s been attending a global esports community event.

Movistar's Tilly Field will be competing all the way from Spain.

Competing in person at the QUT will be Gina Ricardo (Praties Cycling) winner of the Mt Mitchell to Inverell road race in the ProVelo Super League.

She'll be joined at The Cube by Imogen Alton (Nowra Velo Club), who represented Australia at the World Championships; Vanessa Nanfra (Women's Cycling Development Initiative), eighth in the individual time trial national championships; and 16-year-old Megan Moore (ARA Skip Capital), a seven-time junior national champion on road and track.

In the absence of defending champion Josh Wilson, the men’s field is headline by Josh Harris (Launceston City CC), who was runner-up in 2024 and placed eighth at the World Championships.

Marc Gates (Launceston City CC), who won bronze last year, also returns to the fray alongside fellow finalists Trent Stevenson (Echuca Moama CC) and Andrew Downie (Carnegie Caulfield CC).

Three riders from Penrith Cycling Club will be in action.

A Penrith trio of Nick Spratt and father-and-son Peter Milostic and Lindon Milostic will also surely be a factor. Spratt was a finalist last year, while Lindon, at just 18 years of age, is already featuring at the pointy end of Australia’s top road scene, placing eighth in the Grafton to Inverell this year.

Lindon will compete in person at the Cube alongside fellow road cyclists Ryan Thomas, Finn Walsh and Jake Cawthorn, with Walsh and Cawthorn coming off top-10 places in the ProVelo Super League.

What they’re saying

Kate Trdin has a strong chance of defending her title.

Kate Trdin: “I’m excited to have the opportunity to fight for the title again, this year on MyWhoosh. I think the course is great and could potentially favour various different rider types if people are smart enough to ride to their strengths. I’m excited to see how both the men’s and women’s events play out.”

Tilly Field: “I’m familiar with the platform; so is Kate who currently holds the jersey. She’s strong and will be tough to beat. While my fitness isn’t where it should be coming into this, I’m prepared to show up in any form to support what is an important emerging discipline of sport.”

Josh Harris will look to go one better than in 2024.

Josh Harris: “I'm really looking forward to the nationals on MyWhoosh. My form is great having finished top five in the world at the recent Zwift Games. I've been training a lot on the Wollongong course over the past few weeks, and it suits me well. There are several guys in the field that are stronger than me in certain areas, so I will do my best to ensure the race plays out in a way that suits my strengths.”

How to watch

The National Championships will be streamed live and free on the MyWhoosh and AusCycling YouTube channels.

If you're in Brisbane you can watch riders go head-to-head on Friday night at The Cube from 5pm. 

Start lists

Open Women

• Imogen Alton (Nowra Velo Club)
• Peta Antonello (Footscray Cycling Club)
• Katie Banerjee (Harlequin)
• Hannah Bush (Shepparton Cycling Club / Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club)
• Talia Chambers (Vikings Cycling Club (ACT))
• Nina Dowling (Dubbo CC)
• Tilly Field (Club Mud)
• Pip Hill (Tamworth CC)
• Madelene McNeil (Port Adelaide Cycling Club)
• Megan Moore (Balmoral Cycling Club)
• Vanessa Nanfra (Balmoral Cycling Club)
• Gina Ricardo (Gold Coast)
• Brianna Samuhel (Parklife Cycling Club)
• Carlee Taylor (Norwood Cycling Club)
• Kate Trdin (Launceston City CC)
• Rachael Wales (South Perth Rouleurs)

Open Men

• Luke Allport (Camden Cycle Club)
• Laurens Black (Lakes Bikes)
• Tim Brook (Highlands Trails)
• John Broughton (Waratah Masters CC)
• Jake Cawthorn (Gold Coast Cycling Club)
• Jonathon Cridland (Southern Cross Cycling Club)
• Tim Cutler (Portland CC)
• Andrew Downie (Carnegie Caulfield CC)
• Marc Gates (Launceston City CC)
• Josh Harris (Launceston City CC)
• Nick Kaine
• Lindon Milostic (Penrith CC)
• Peter Milostic (Penrith CC)
• John Peters (Sutherland Shire CC)
• Aashirwad Saxena (Saint Kilda CC)
• Nick Spratt (Penrith CC)
• Trent Stevenson (Echuca Moama Cycling Club)
• Ryan Thomas (Brisbane Cycling Club)
• Connor Vickers (Team Mount Beauty)
• Finn Walsh (Balmoral Cycling Club)

 Mens Masters 1

• Barry Crouch (Centennial Park CC)
• Madison Bland (Gold Coast Cycling Club)

Men Masters 2

• Luke Allport (Camden Cycle Club)
• Tim Brook (Highlands Trails)
• Jonathon Cridland (Southern Cross Cycling Club)
• Luke Symons (Balmoral Cycle Club)
• Nick Kaine

Men Masters 3

• Andrew Bain (Blackburn Cycling Club)
• Ryan Roberts (Randwick Botany Cycling Club)
• Nicholas Squillari (Hawthorn Cycling Club)
• Jonathan Lowe (Vikings Cycling Club ACT)

Men Masters 4

• Tony Graf (Southern Cross Cycling Club)
• Andrew Neville-Ross (Waratah Masters Cycling Club)
• Carl Holleman (Mudgee Cycle Club)
• Craig Lindenmayer (Vikings Cycling Club ACT)
• Ben Kirk (Midland Cycle Club)
• Trent Stevenson (Echuca Moama Cycling Club)
• Pete Fox (Orange Cycle Club)

Men Masters 5

• Peter Milostic (Penrith CC)
• Lochlan Gibson (Swift Triathlon)
• Gary Hamer (Bathurst Cycling Club)
• Stuart Whiting
• Jerome Smith (Parklife Cycling Club)

Men Masters 6

• Paul Guest (Mersey Mountain Bike Club)
• David Judson (Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club)
• Brett McMurtrie (Warratah Masters Cycling Club)

Men Masters 7

• David O'Connell (Mackay Cycling Club)
• Francois Fabre (Southern Masters)
• Peter Ridley (Peel District CC)

Men Masters 8

• John Broughton (Waratah Masters Cycling Club)

Men Masters 9

• Darryl Cram (Vikings Cycling Club ACT)

Women Masters 1

• Peta Antonello (Footscray Cycling Club)
• Katie Gregory (Canberra Cycling Club)
• Caitlin Leach (Gold Coast Cycle Club)

Women Masters 2

• Hannah Bush (Shepparton Cycling Club / Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club)
• Nina Dowling (Dubbo CC)
• Pip Hill (Tamworth Cycle Club)
• Amy Sudibyo (Hawthorn Cycling Club)
• Carlee Taylor (Norwood Cycling Club)
• Emma Sonerson (Tamworth Cycle Club)
• Alicea Burns (Hawthorn Cycling Club)
• Brianna Samuhel (Parklife Cycling Club)

Women Masters 3

• Katie Adkins (Rats Cycling Club)
• Emily Yorkston (University of Queensland CC)
• Amy Bradley (Carnegie Caulfield CC)

Women Masters 4

• Jayne Rutter (D'Aguilar Range Cycling Club)
• Melanie Skicko (Warragul Cycling Club)
• Kylie Adair (Balmoral Cycling Club)
• Renee Henderson (Geelong SCCC)

Women Masters 5

• Katie Banerjee (Harlequin)
• Bridget Bremner (Parklife Cycling Club)

Women Under-19

• Megan Russell (Darling Downs Cycling Club)
• Avara Donovan (CDF Racing)
• Hayley Dell (Newcastle Hunter  Cycling Club)

Men Under-19

• Nicholas Broxam (City of Burnie CC)
• Liam Cuthbertson (Sunshine Coast Cycling Club)
• Ryan Wain (Geelong Cycling Club)

The 2025 Brisbane Cycling Festival is proudly supported by Brisbane City Council through Brisbane Economic Development Agency and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.

Photos by Alex Polizzi.