All about the AusCycling Club Esports Series

Grab a gym towel and and calibrate those trainers: the ever-popular AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series is back for 2024!

Hosted by AusCycling and Zwift, the six-round series decides which is the best esports club in the country.

Waratah Masters Cycling Club has led the way since the competition began in 2020, but the likes of Bathurst, Vikings, ZSUN and others have begun emerging as serious challengers.

Here’s what you need to know before embarking on this season’s campaign.

Race format

Each round is a points race, where you aim to score points at intermediate segments. That means you can’t just wait until the end for a sprint: you’ll need to pick up points throughout the race.

Intermediate segments are separated into First Across the Line (FAL) sprints and Fastest Timed Segment (FTS) climbs. The top 10 riders at these segments will receive points (from 20 points down to 2).

In addition, the first 30 riders across the finish line will score points (from 30 points down to 1).

Club rankings

The AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series is a competition between clubs, not individuals.

Your placing in each round gets converted to points for your club – from 30 points for the winner, down to 1 point for finishing 30th. In addition, every participant earns 1 point for finishing a race.

Points across all grades are tallied together to determine your club’s position on the leaderboard.

The format rewards breadth and depth: clubs do best when they place multiple riders across several grades for men and women.

Para-cycling (new in 2024)

Starting in 2024, the series will now also have a category for para-cycling.

Para-cyclists will race in their usual ZwiftPower category (A, B, C or D). However, an additional set of results will be provided according to their para-cycling classification, based on their race time.

It’s just another great reason to get involved.

Routes and schedule

Races will start at 7:30pm AEST on Thursday evenings over six rounds between April and August.

• Round 1 – April 18

Downtown Titans (25.4km): Warm up the legs with a solid punch up Titans Grove Reverse, then buckle in for a frantic finale from the foot of the Hilly KOM onwards.

• Round 2 – May 2

Climbers Gambit (27.9km): Begins at Downtown Watopia start pen, ends atop the Epic KOM.

• Round 3 – May 16

Glasgow Crit Circuit (24km – 8 laps): Eight fast and furious laps of Glasgow, with points on offer every 1.5km. Sprint, recover, and go again.

• Round 4 – July 4

The Muckle Yin (25.14km): A punchy up-and-down course full of short climbs. You’ll need bit of everything to succeed here.

• Round 5 – July 18

Island Outskirts (22.75km – 2 laps): The long uphill drag is the place to make a difference on this map. Get yourself off the front and you’ll mop up those FAL points.

• Round 6 – August 1

Innsbruckring (26.6km – 3 laps): The Leg Snapper climb defines this route. A one-minute all-out effort, then hope you’re still in contention by the time you reach the bottom!

How to take part

To register, your club must submit a Club Team Roster form to AusCycling. Let your club know that you’d like to race, so they can add you to the roster.

On the morning of each round, registered riders will receive an email containing the link for the race.

The series is open to AusCycling affiliated clubs only. Riders must be aged 17 or above and hold a current membership.

Crucially, make sure you link your Zwift account to ZwiftPower and set your club as the Primary Team. Otherwise, your points won’t count towards your club.

In addition to the para-cycling category, there are four grades: A, B, C and D for men and women. You should race in the grade allocated to you by ZwiftPower.

You’ll need a power source (a smart trainer or power meter), and A- and B-grade riders will also need a heart rate monitor. If you’re good enough to make the podium, you may be asked to send in a weigh-in video, so keep your phone within reach.

Note that trainer difficulty will be forced to 100%. In-game equipment will be neutralised, so there will be no performance advantage based on your choice of frame, wheels, etc.

For the registration form, series regulations and more details, visit the AusCycling National Club Cycling Esports Series page.

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Route profiles by zwiftinsider.com.