National Club Esports Series: leaders hold firm after lightning-fast Round 4

Vikings Cycling Club continues to lead the AusCycling National Club Esports Series after a rapid Round 4 on the flat virtual roads of Watopia’s Waistband.

The 28-kilometre course saw extremely quick racing, with the A Grade Women averaging over 40km/h and the men exceeding 49km/h.

While four out of eight races ended in mass sprints — C Grade Women and A, B and C Grade Men —the high speeds and occasional lumps were enough to break up the other grades into smaller groups.

This week, Rob Fisher headlined the Vikings CC campaign, taking the D Grade Men’s win, his second of the series. Kirsty Lower, Katie Gregory, Andrew Thaller and Andrew Osborne kept the club’s tally ticking over at a high rate.

Former professional Vicki Whitelaw (Canberra CC) kept her unbeaten streak going, making it a spectacular four wins on the trot.

Youngster Aiden Sinclair (Hunter Virtual Racing) broke Canberran Ben Hill’s winning run, taking out A Grade Men.

The standings remain steady at the top, with Vikings CC holding a 233-point lead over Canberra Cycling Club and 309 points over Waratah Masters Cycling Club.

While the top five clubs have a clear gap to the rest, BrunZwick is making a late charge. The Melbourne club moved up two places to 8th, led by Oliver Nisbet’s win in B Grade Men. Em Gugel and Riley Meyland finished second in their respective grades, helping to boost the club’s tally.

There are only two rounds remaining in this National Club Esports Series. Next Wednesday's event will see riders swap skinny tyres for knobblies as they take on a mountain bike race along Zwift’s ‘Serpentine 8’ course.

AusCycling National Club Esports Series
Overall standings after Round 4

1. Vikings Cycling Club 1195
2. Canberra Cycling Club 962
3. Waratah Masters Cycling Club 886
4. eRANDWICK 849
5. Bathurst Cycling Club 802
6. Hawthorn Cycling Club 585
7. Parklife Cycling Club 582
8. BrunZwick 577
9. Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club 536
10. Jindabyne Cycling Club 503
11. Port Adelaide Cycling Club 444
12. St George Cycling 391
13. St Kilda Cycling Club 384
14. Sydney Cycling Club 370
15. Mornington Cycling Club 354
16. Sydney Uni Velo Club 353
17. Coburg Cycling Club 306
18. Gold Coast Cycling Club 295
19. Dubbo Cycling Club 275
20. Northern Cycling Inc 270
21. Southern Cross Cycling Club 244
22. Knox BMX Club 222
23. Blackburn Cycling Club 166
24. Balmoral Cycling Club 148
25. University of Queensland Cycling Club 140
26. Geelong Mountain Bike Club 129
27. Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club 113
28. Hunter Virtual Racing 81
29. Parramatta Cycling Club 76
30. Sydney BMX Club 72
31. Birrarung Cycling Club 72
32. Warrandyte MTB Club 71
33. Marconi Cycling Club 66
34. Norwood Cycling Club 51
35. Sutherland Shire Cycle Club 44
36. Sunshine Coast Cycling Club 32
37. Morten Bay Cycling Club 27
38. Whyalla Cycling Club 27
39. Italo Australian Cycling Club 27
40. Hobart Wheelers 20
41. Ipswich Cycling Club 16
42. Orange Cycle Club 10
43. Nambucca Valley Cycling Club 8
44. Camden Cycling Club 7
45. Mudgee Cycling Club 7