2024 Esports World Championships: Jason Osborne attacks alone to snatch victory on final lap

Jason Osborne of Germany won the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship after an aggressive, high-power performance in the 22-rider live final held in Abu Dhabi.

Osborne went on the attack in the Strategist race and then again in the decisive All Out race to sweep up a haul of points.

Lionel Vujasin Belgium had scored points early in the three races but Osborne closed the gap lap after lap in the All Out race. He scored 40 points on the finish line and that was enough for him to pass Vujasin and take the rainbow jersey.

Osborne totalled 177 points with his aggressive strategy. Vujasin finished with 174 points, with Kasper Borremans of Finland taking the bronze medal with 164 points. 2023 world champion Bjorn Andreassen of Denmark was fourth with 154 points. The USA's Hayden Pucker finished fifth, with 145 points.   

Osborne won the first Esports world championships in 2020 and has never finished off the podium.

"I'm quite exhausted, my heart is still racing. It was brutally hard but there was some amazing racing today and I enjoyed it," Osborne said. 

"I wasn't sure that the race format didn't suit me but my form was growing in the last few weeks."  

The 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships had a new format that included a timed 'Sprint' lap race, a hilly 'Strategist' road race and then the final All Out race over four laps of a 4km criterium circuit. 

Points in each race and at key points decided who became the 2024 world champion. The focus on points and different kinds of racing made the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships much like an Omnium on the track, combined with the intensity and pain of a British hill-climb race.  

The men's Sprint race was a tactical race, just like in the women's championships, with the times for the 300m sprint to the line, deciding the points scores for the event. It is much like the qualifying racing in Formula 1, where the fastest win the event and score the most points, between 20 for the winner and 2 for the slowest rider.  

The USA had three riders in the 22-rider final in Abu Dhabi and used their strength in the Sprint race. Early in the 15-minute time window, Neal Fryatt, Zach Neyr and Hayden Pucker took off together and used their slipstream to set a fast time. Other riders tried to better their time but always came up short, leaving the Fryatt top of the leaderboard after the Sprint race. 

In the Strategist race, James Barnes of South Africa attacked and then beat Neyr to win the sprint at the bottom of the 1.5km climb and take 20 points. 

On the climb Jason Osborne showed his Esports skills with a strong attack. He won the sprint to summit to score 20 points, ahead of Lionel Vujasin of Belgium and 2023 world champion Bjorn Andreassen of Denmark. Pucker was fifth to stay in contention. 

Osborne pushed on the descent and flat road towards the finish. He opened a 20-second lead to test his rivals, who were spread down the road behind him. Osborne stayed away to take 40 precious points. Andreassen scored 38 points, Vujasin scored 36 for third place, with Pucker beating Australia's Josh Harris to finish fifth and score 32 points. 

Osborne scored a total of 77 points in the Strategist race and so moved up to second overall with 80 points. Vujasin took the lead with 86 points, with Pucker in third at  72. 

Just like the women's race, the final All Out four-lap 4km circuit criterium and the sprints to the 12% hilltop finish would decide the world champion in the men's race. 

Kasper Borremans of Finland was the first to attack on the climb and scored 20 points but Vujasin, Andreassen and Osborne were just behind and also scored significant points. Vujasin topped the leaderboard with 105 points but Osborne was now close, with 97 points. 

Osborne again decided to take on the racing and attacked alone on the valley road. He started the second climb with a ten-second gap and stayed away, scoring another 20 points. However Vujasin was tracking him and finished fourth in the sprint to score 17 points and keep the lead by five points. 

Osborne started the third climb to the line with a lead of 20 seconds and again scored the maximum 20 points. Vujasin was only fifth and so this lead on Osborne fell to just a single point. 

Just like in the women's race, the final sprint to the hilltop finish would decide the world title.   

Osborne was clearly stronger than his rivals and was able to extend his lead on the ride to the foot of the climb. He went deep on the 12% climb but Vujasin and the other chasers were out of contention. Osborne finished alone and punched the air, knowing he had scored enough points to win the world title.