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A German rower has switched sports to cycling and won the men's gold medal in the UCI Esports World Championships on Zwift.
Jason Osborne, who won a rowing European title just last year, won the inaugural Zwift Worlds today just 1.7 seconds ahead of Danish U23 road international Anders Foldager (19).
Taking the bronze medal today in the men's race was Nicklas Pedersen, a 26-year-old Danish rider who competed with the BHS-Almeborg-Bornholm Continental team last year.
While new champion Osborne is not a full-time cyclist, he is also not new to the sport. However, the only UCI-ranked race he has ever ridden was the German national TT championships, in which he has finished 6th and 8th over the past two years.
Osborne will represent Germany at the Olympics next year as he has already qualified for the lightweight men's double sculls.
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Ireland had one rider in the race, Chris McGlinchey of Vitus Pro Cycling; the 26-year-old a former silver medalist in the men's road race at the National Road Championships
He was in the pack in the closing kilometres today and looked strong throughout. McGlinchey ended the race in 13th place, a very strong result.
The 50km world title race was a tight affair with just 3.1 seconds covering the top 10 in the men's race on the Watopia course.
While some of the riders in the field are not household names, there were a number of top pros also entered.
These included Belgium’s Victor Campenaerts and Thomas De Gendt, Tom Pidcock of Great Britain, Alberto Bettiol of Italy, Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway and Jack Haig of Australia, among others.
The women's race was also a hard fought one, with just 6 seconds covering the top 10. The gold medal was won by Ashleigh Moolman, the CCC-Liv rider representing South Africa.
Sarah Gigante, the Team TIBCO-SVB rider and reigning Australian TT champion, claimed the silver medal with Swede Cecilia Hansen claiming the bronze. There were no Irish riders in the women's race.
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