Jason Osborne (Germany) and Mary Kate McCarthy (New Zealand) successfully defended their world titles in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, 15 November, reaffirming their status as the top competitors in virtual cycling.
Their repeat victories headlined the 2025 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, held once again in front of a live audience in Abu Dhabi. In 2024, virtual cycling platform MyWhoosh won the bid to host the official UCI championships, taking it away from Zwift and adding the first-ever in-person event. The live format proved a breakthrough, and 2025 built on that momentum with a bigger venue, a more polished production, and a growing roster of star spectators.
From walkout songs to a towering Jumbotron-style screen and real-time rider data displayed throughout the Space42 Arena, the Championships showcased not only elite competition but also the maturing spectacle of the sport itself.
To qualify for the final, Pucker and the other finalists competed in a global qualification system of events hosted both by national cycling federations and public races. Only 20 men have been selected for the final this weekend, where they’ll compete in a three-stage, points-based showdown in a custom MyWhoosh virtual world.
