Sprinters get their way in round 4 of AusCycling esports series

After last week’s hilltop finish, round 4 of the AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series presented an opportunity for the sprinters. The 26-kilometre race was held over two laps of Beach Island Loop in Watopia, a largely flat course with two gravel sectors per lap.

Men’s A

As expected, a large peloton of almost 70 riders survived until the finale of the Men’s A category. Nathan Campbell (Lifecycle Cycling Club) made a bid for solo glory with 4km remaining but was only able to eke out a lead of four seconds before a counterattack by Cadel Howie, who exited Watopia’s underwater tunnel in the lead.

In the final kilometre, Jonathon Cridland (Southern Cross CC) struck out on a long sprint in pursuit of an international rider who had caught and passed Howie. Despite hitting over 12 watts per kilogram, Cridland could not reach the front of the race and was swallowed up by the peloton.

In the bunch sprint, Mitchell Stewart (Balmoral CC) took maximum points and his first podium finish of the series. Zachary Muettertis (Illawarra CC) and Adam Bemrose (Gold Coast CC) completed the podium.

Women’s A

In the Women’s A category, Jessica Bemrose (Gold Coast CC) continued her flawless series by snagging maximum points for the fourth round in a row. The race came down to another reduced group sprint of six riders.

Bemrose was best of the AusCycling-registered riders, with Kathryn Alley (Randwick CC) in the runner-up spot and Dayna Davidson (Southern Cross CC) claiming her second podium in as many weeks.

Other categories

We saw some new names take top points in the other women’s categories, as Tanya Cross (Manning Valley CC), Georgia Marjoribanks (Newcastle Hunter CC) and Clair Doree (Gold Coast CC) each added 30 points to their club’s tally.

Philipp Joebges (Lifecycle CC) made it two wins on the trot in Men’s B, Peter Davis (Port Adelaide CC) took out Men’s C and Robert Dannoun (Waratah Masters CC) once again topped a small Men’s D field.

Overall standings

Waratah Masters CC continue to hold steady at the top. Randwick is slowly gaining ground, closing in to Vikings CC’s podium position.

The AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series continues on Zwift next Thursday with round 5 with a steep uphill finish on the Bologna course.

The series is streamed on the AusCycling YouTube channel. For circumstances beyond AusCycling’s control, no stream was available for round 4.

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

Standings after round 4

1. Waratah Masters Cycling Club 1667
2. Bathurst Cycling Club 1283
3. Vikings Cycling Club 1021
4. Randwick Cycling Club 974
5. Gold Coast Cycling Club 764
6. Southern Cross Cycling Club 732
7. University of Queensland Cycling Club 479
8. Northern Sydney Cycling Club 467
9. Illawarra Cycling Club 407
10. Mackay Cycling Club 364
11. Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club 362
12. Balmoral Cycling Club 316
13. Port Adelaide Cycling Club 316
14. Lifecycle Cycling Club 275
15. Jindabyne Cycling Club 267
16. Newcastle Hunter Cycling Club 222
17. Mudgee Cycling Club 205
18. Parklife Cycling Club 202
19. Byron Bay Cycling Club 187
20. Manning Valley Cycle Club 150
21. Birrarung Cycling Club 146
22. Dubbo Cycling Club 142
23. Hamilton Wheelers Cycling Club 140
24. Brunswick Cycling Club 137
25. Sutherland Shire Cycle Club 133
26. Hawthorn Cycling Club 95
27. Cairns Cycling Club 92
28. Knox BMX Club 88
29. St Kilda Cycling Club 84
30. Italo-Australian Cycling Club 57