There was little surprise about the winner in the men's UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on Saturday night. Germany's Jason Osborne, recently retired from WorldTour outfit Alpecin Deceuninck, was on another level to his competitors and soloed to victory in Pogačar-like fashion on the final stage.
But there was a surprise in 3rd place, as well as another likening to Pogačar, courtesy of 18-year-old Kasper Borremans from Finland. He told media in the post-race press conference that this was only his second-ever online race, much to the bemusement of esports veterans Osborne and Lionel Vujasin, who sat beside him.
He added he was only here because his coach told him to come, as he prepares for a season on the road in 2025.
Third place in a World Championship would be a career highlight for most of the riders in this race, but for young Borremans, this could be just the start.
"I signed with Bahrain [Victorious], so I'll be a road cyclist next year,” he began. “So, not esports. My coach said to do this so I just came here."
His contract with the team, he later told Cyclingnews, will take him through 2028. He’ll spend two years with Cycling Team Friuli Victorious - the Bahrain Victorious development team - before stepping up to the WorldTour outfit at the start of 2027.
He describes himself as "probably a climber," adding "I'm like, a long climber, 20 minutes, and then the short efforts I'm pretty good at that too. Quite punchy like Pogačar I think."
The young Finn is clearly a talented rider, and his result here confirms as much, but prior to his podium in Abu Dhabi, his 2024 season has included general classification podiums at some esteemed junior races. He took 3rd at La Philippe Gilbert Juniors earlier in October, and in June he took victories in both the time trial and road race at the Finnish Junior National Championships.
Whether he can translate this into Pogačar-like results at the top level is a long way from a known entity. Not least because for now, he still has to focus on school.
Returning to the topic of the bronze medal hanging around his neck, he doubles down on the happenstance that brought him here.
“In Finland it's winter, so I ride on Zwift. I still have school, so I can't go to Italy or Spain. That's why I do this. My coach said to do it.”
With his earlier comparison to Pogačar, the conversation turned to his future goals. At 18 years old, with two years in a development team, the Finn will be given a slow build through into the WorldTour, but dreams of winning the Tour de France are already on his mind.
"You need to believe in yourself. That’s the first thing," he said when asked if he thought it was possible. “I think it's doable, but we will see how things happen. I want to keep my feet on the ground.”
