Christchurch’s Ollie Jones and Waikato’s Kate McCarthy have been confirmed today as finalists for the first official UCI 2024 Cycling Esports World Championship to be held in Abu Dhabi on 26 October.

Jones, the former Bolton Equities Black Spoke rider, won the recent semifinal and goes in as the top seed for the first world final, while McCarty, who won the UCI Gravel & Tar title in Manawatu this year, is ranked third among the women’s finalists.

What began as a stationary training system and developed by Zwift to encompass the cycling community, especially through Covid times, has gone to a new level with MyWoosh, expanded to a three-race finals championship concept, requiring in-depth verification processes.

The top 20 riders in women and men from the international competitions will head to Abu Dhabi, grouped together in one venue for the finals, instead of taking part online from their own venues.

“It’s great to be part of these finals. I managed to get the job done and now some hard training before heading to Abu Dhabi,” said Jones. “This is definitely a step in the right direction for where the sport is going.

“The race structure is more like an omnium or points race – with three races on three courses and raced in quick succession. One is a sprint course, the second is longer with a climb but sprint banners and the final one is earning points throughout.

“There are a lot more efforts and your recovery will be more important. It is more taxing and more tactical and you need to decide where your skillset is best served.

“To have all the riders together in one location is fantastic and I think it will be really exciting.”