Waratah Masters take early lead in Club Esports Series

Former winners Waratah Masters Cycling Club has taken the early lead in the 2022 AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series after the opening round on Zwift yesterday.

The Sydney-based juggernaut scored big in the Women’s A and Men’s B, C and D categories to amass 467 points. Defending champions Vikings Cycling Club sit in second place on 345 points with Bathurst Cycling Club in third on 290 points.

Round 1 of the 12-round series took place on Zwift’s ‘R.G.V.’ route, a 25-kilometre loop around the sunny French countryside. Mostly flat, the course lent towards the sprinters, although the Aqueduc KOM and a section of twisting bends provided opportunities to string out the bunches.

The Men’s A category finished with a sprint of around 40 riders, and while the imaginatively named American ‘Mashed Potato’ crossed the line first, Mackay Cycling Club’s Kyle Marwood was the best-placed AusCycling-registered rider, taking the maximum 30 points for his club.

All lined out for the final sprint in the Men's A race.

Waratah Masters CC took wins in Men’s C and D with Benjamin McMahon and Robert Dannoun respectively. The club placed multiple riders in the top 10 across several categories, including five riders in Women’s A and four in Men’s B.

The Women’s A race finished in a three-up breakaway battle between Kate Spicer (Dubbo Cycle Club), Jessica Bemrose (Gold Coast Cycling Club) and Queensland’s Stephanie Corset. Corset – who had not registered with her club for this series – looked to have been dropped with two kilometres remaining but dug deep to latch back on. In the sprint, Corset timed her launch perfectly, accelerating into Bemrose’s slipstream before roaring past. Bemrose took maximum points for her club.

Bathurst CC locked out the Women’s B podium with Angela Falzarano on the top step, while Vikings Cycling Club’s Peta Brill led the way in Women’s C.

The opening round also saw wins for Nick Banks-Watson (Balmoral Cycling Club) in Men’s B and Virginia Riches (Port Adelaide Cycling Club) in Women’s D.

The 2022 AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series is run by AusCycling and Zwift. It’s a team competition, where a rider’s placing in each race contributes to their club’s points tally.

The winning club will have their club jersey made into an in-game kit for their members to use on Zwift.

Each round is being streamed on the AusCycling YouTube channel.

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

Replay

Standings after round 1

1. Waratah Masters Cycling Club 467
2. Vikings Cycling Club 345
3. Bathurst Cycling Club 290
4. Randwick Cycling Club 200
5. Gold Coast Cycling Club 177
6. University of Queensland Cycling Club 134
7. Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club 114
8. Southern Cross Cycling Club 112
9. Balmoral Cycling Club 110
10. Mackay Cycling Club 104
11. Port Adelaide Cycling Club 88
12. Illawarra Cycling Club 76
13. Northern Sydney Cycling Club 73
14. Newcastle Hunter Cycling Club 66
15. Lifecycle Cycling Club 62
16. Birrarung Cycling Club 57
17. Dubbo Cycling Club 56
18. Hawthorn Cycling Club 53
19. Mudgee Cycling Club 48
20. Byron Bay Cycling Club 48
21. Jindabyne Cycling Club 42
22. Italo-Australian Cycling Club 37
23. Sutherland Shire Cycle Club 27
24. Hamilton Wheelers Cycling Club 24
25. Cairns Cycling Club 22
26. Knox BMX Club 19
27. Manning Valley Cycle Club 19
28. Brunswick Cycling Club 14