2025 Esports World Championships: Defending champion Mary Kate McCarthy dominates to claim world title for New Zealand

New Zealand's Kate McCarthy dominated to claim back-to-back elite women’s titles at the 2025 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships, winning the first two of three stages of the race held live in Abu Dhabi.

Gabriella Guerra of Brazil claimed the silver medal, a position she established in the first stage.

The bronze medal was decided in the third and final stage, in a heated duel between Italy’s Francesca Tommasi and Sweden’s Camilla Ahlberg, with the Italian coming on top with one point in the final sprint.

“I don’t think I was aiming to crush anyone's spirits. You know, I was aiming to show what I can do at that first climb and then hopefully hang on for the next two stages,” McCarthy said.

For the first time this year, the racers faced each other as opposed to seeing each other on a screen.

“It sort of brings a different element to it, but it's wicked because we don't see each other. We don't get to see how everyone races, what everyone looks like. So it's cool to bring it all together, and you get to race each other in person.

“Honestly, I'm not sure yet,” she replied when asked what it means to be a two-time world champion.

“I’m still kind of letting it sink in. I was so wrapped up with last year and the year I've had, so to get this is like I couldn't have had a better year.”

McCarthy finished with 597 points, 72 points ahead of second-place Guerra. Tommasi garnered 487 points for third place, one point ahead of Ahlberg. Germany’s Merle Brunnée finished fifth with 442 points.

How it unfolded

The 2025 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships finale unfolded across three distinct stages, each crafted to challenge every dimension of a rider’s power, strategy, and endurance.

The competition opened with Mountain’s Verdict, a punishing uphill test, followed by Puncher’s Playground, a dynamic course blending sprint and climb segments. It all concluded with Sprinter’s Paradise, an eight-lap battle around a fast 1.5 km criterium circuit.

Twenty-two finalists raced shoulder to shoulder in a live arena in Abu Dhabi, competing on the MyWhoosh platform.

The championships employed a points-based scoring format, with all riders starting at zero. The strategy revolved around getting the right balance between scoring aggressively and managing recovery across the three stages.

McCarthy dominated in the first stage, the Mountain’s Verdict over the 8km course with gradients increasing up to 20%. In this stage, riders earn points for every five seconds they remain ahead of the chase line, with points scoring starting two minutes after the race begins.

Seven minutes into the stage, McCarthy pulled away at the front, taking with her Francesca Tomassi (Italy), Gabriela Guerra (Brazil) and Camilla Ahlberg (Sweden) as the chase line crept closer at the back. Six minutes later, Anna Svärdstöm (Sweden) was the first rider to be eliminated, while McCarthy pulled away at the front.

The chase line continued to sweep up riders, with McCarthy the final rider to be eliminated, but only after building a strong lead with 235 points, 22 points ahead of Guerra. Ahlberg was third with 202 points, Merle Brunnée (Germany) with 198 points and Tommasi with 197 points.

McCarthy continued to stamp her authority on stage 2, which took place on a 12km undulating circuit featuring sharp climbs and fast descents. Points are awarded across a combination of two sprint and two climb checkpoints, with additional points on the finish line. Snover picked up top points on the first sprint checkpoint, but McCarthy attacked on the climb to the next checkpoint and continued solo to the finish line, nabbing more points. Tommasi and Guerra battled together to the line for the points, with Tommasi crossing the line first.

After two stages, McCarthy stood with 449 points, a solid lead on second-place Guerra with 398 points, and third-place Tommasi with 365 points.

McCarthy stayed close to the front of the pack in stage 3, which unfolded over eight laps of a fast, flat 1.5km circuit with points awarded at the end of each lap, and double points available at the finish.

A heated battle for the bronze medal took place between Tomassi and Ahlberg. The Swedish rider pulled ahead by taking top points on the penultimate lap, but Tomassi attacked and was able to get enough points to secure third place.

Results