Ep. 88: Jason Osborne — Inside the mind of 3-time UCI Cycling Esports World Champion

Fresh off his third UCI Cycling Esports World Championship, Jason Osborne returns to the Virtual Velo Podcast for one of his most open conversations yet. From an extended stay in Abu Dhabi — part training camp, part cultural deep dive — to settling back into life as a full-time esports professional, Jason pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to stay at the top of a sport still defining itself.

He walks us through this year’s Worlds race moment by moment, offering a rare inside line on the tactics, the pressure, and the sensations that shaped his ride to another rainbow jersey. But Jason doesn’t stop at the victory lap. He talks candidly about the challenges facing the discipline, from its growing pains to the structural issues that continue to test its credibility.

We touch on his recent remarks in Domestique, where he called for stronger year-round doping standards and a more mature competitive framework — and why he believes the sport is at a turning point that could set its trajectory for years to come.

It’s an unfiltered look at an athlete who has become synonymous with cycling esports, reflecting on his own reinvention, the state of the discipline, and why he remains genuinely optimistic about its future.

Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to delve even deeper into the intriguing topics discussed in this episode.

• Listen to Jason’s last interview with us on Spotify!
• Triple world champion Jason Osborne calls for year-round anti-doping measures in cycling Esports [Domestique, Nov 2025]
• ‘It felt like, I wouldn’t say slavery, but like they were in too much control’ – Jason Osborne speaks out over exit from Alpecin-Deceuninck [CyclingNews, Oct 2024]
• Germany’s Jason Osborne and New Zealand’s Mary Kate McCarthy Win the 2024 UCI Cycling Esports World Championship [Zommunique, Oct 2024]

Statements made by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast, its hosts, or its partners. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions.