Lou Bates and Maria Holdcroft finished fourth and fifth respectively for Great Britain at the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships Finals in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The women’s competition kicked off with the Sprint as part of the three-race format, where riders had 15 minutes to record their fastest time over a 300m zone. Bates performed well in this section as she finished second overall to claim 19 points with a time of 18.615 seconds. Holdcroft was close behind in fifth to claim 16 points.
With the British riders in a strong position, Bates started the Strategist section where points were up for grabs at three intermediate sprints: at the base and the top of a climb, and on the finish line. The pair once again featured highly in the key sprint sections, claiming more valuable points to leave Bates on 63 points in joint third, and Holdcroft on 59 points in fourth with just one stage remaining.
In the third and final ‘All Out’ race which was contested over four laps of a 4km circuit, points were awarded at the end of each lap, with the prospect of double points on offer for the final lap. Bates secured the first 20 points of this one, but strong performances by Mary Kate McCarthy (NZL), Gabriela Guerra (BRA) and Kathrin Fuhrer (SUI) saw that trio secure the medals, with Bates finishing fourth and Holdcroft in fifth, both on 156 points, nine points behind the Swiss rider in bronze medal position.
