Esports series wraps up with elite races around Paris

New Zealand’s Ollie Jones (St George Continental) and new cyclist Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Racing Team) have won the individual classifications in AusCycling’s elite esports competition.

The 2022 AusCycling Elite Teams National Esports Series concluded last Tuesday evening with a six-lap race around Zwift’s Champs-Élysées route, a total of 43 kilometres.

In the men’s race, Ben Hill (CCS Cycling) denied Jones a clean sweep of all four rounds. In the women’s, Rose Vassel (StepFWD Cycling) powered away to a solo victory.

Men: Ben Hill sprints to win after technical issue eliminates rival

The men’s race was animated from the beginning by Mark O’Brien (InForm TMX Make), who launched attack after attack on the opening three laps.

Nearly every salvo was marked by series leader Ollie Jones (St George Continental) before the bunch regrouped, each time with one or two more riders dropped off the back.

However, the pace of the race changed completely when its chief protagonist suffered a technical issue.

“My computer won’t charge,” O’Brien wrote in the messages before dropping out at the 28-kilometre mark.

Mark O'Brien on the attack before a technical issue saw him drop out of the race.

With the Grafton to Inverell runner-up gone, only six riders remained in the heavily reduced front group, and they seemed content to complete the race at a gentle tempo, in stark contrast to the frantic start.

Those six were Jones, Sam Hill and Ivan Bennett (Team Nero Continental), Ben Hill and Torben Partridge-Madsen (CCS Cycling) and Kobe Henderson (Team Rauland).

On the final lap, Bennett restarted the fireworks by attacking on the downhill from the Arc de Triomphe. Once again, Jones was the first to shut down the gap. Bennett attacked again, Jones chased again.

Bennett accelerated for a third time before entering the tunnel underneath the Jardin des Tuileries.

This time, Jones waited until the steep ramp exiting the tunnel before launching his own vicious move to catch and pass the Nero Continental escapee.

Only Ben Hill and Sam Hill could follow Jones into the final kilometre. Jones kept the pace high to ensure a podium finish among this leading trio.

Ben Hill proved the fastest in the finish. When he launched his sprint and deployed the Aero power-up, he quickly gained several bike-lengths on Jones and claimed the race victory.

With second place to add to his three wins, Jones wrapped up the individual classification in impressive fashion.

Women: Vassel flies solo to hold off chasers

In the women’s race, an early attack saw series leader Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Racing Team) off the front on the opening lap.

Rose Vassel counter-attacked after 7km and established a lead of 15 seconds to a chasing quartet comprising Nicholson and her Butterfields Racing teammates Emily Fowler and Kayla McSporran, plus Odette Lynch.

At this stage, Briana McDonald (Women’s Racing Project) and Mirella Willis-Hell (Butterfields Racing Team) were another minute down.

Vassel – who took a hard-fought second place in the previous round – settled into her own rhythm, holding around 4 watts per kilogram as she gradually increased her lead and ticked off the laps.

Despite the Butterfields team chasing behind, Vassel showed her superior strength in what became essentially an individual time trial. She pressed the pedals all the way to a solo win, 46 seconds ahead of Fowler and Nicholson respectively.

The Sydney rider completed the race in 1 hour, 6 minutes and 36 seconds, averaging a power output of 4.0w/kg and a heart rate of 178 beats per minute.

Nicholson secured the overall win, completing an excellent series for the South Australian who only took up competitive cycling this year from a background in rowing and triathlon.

The strong and consistent appearances by Butterfields Racing Team throughout the series ensured they ran away with the teams classification.

As this elite series comes to an end, the nation’s club riders will resume the AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series on August 25.

Replay

Results – AusCycling Elite Teams National Esports Series – Round 4

Men

1. Ben Hill (CCS Cycling)
2. Ollie Jones (St George Continental)
3. Sam Hill (Nero Continental)

Women

1. Rose Vassel (StepFWD Cycling)
2. Emily Fowler (Butterfields Racing Team)
3. Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Racing Team)

Individual standings - Final

Men

1. Ollie Jones (St George Continental) – 929 points
2. Ben Hill (CCS Cycling) – 704 points
3. Sam Hill (Nero Continental) – 579 points

Women

1. Katelyn Nicholson (Butterfields Racing Team) – 604 points
2. Rose Vassel (StepFWD Cycling) – 427 points
3. Carlee Taylor (InForm TMX Make) – 402 points