Converts from elite rowing to cycling are not unheard of but German Jason Osborne has taken it one step further by pedalling to an esports world title while in preparation for his preferred discipline at next year's Tokyo Olympics.
Osborne, who will compete in his second Olympics in the lightweight double sculls, swapped the boat for a bike, hooked up to an indoor trainer, to compete in the UCI's inaugural esports world championship.
The 26-year-old, riding on the popular Zwift training application against some of the world's best cyclists, used his rowing power to stunning effect to claim gold and take possession of a coveted rainbow jersey.
"I know how to hurt myself a lot," Osborne said after beating the likes of former Hour record holder Victor Campenaerts and Ineos Grenadiers rider Tom Pidcock around Zwift's fantasy 49km Watopia circuit.
"I took that strength from rowing to cycling and it worked really well. Zwift is not really comparable with outside cycling: here there is so much going on, and it's the experience that wins on Zwift -- the guys who know how to race it."
While surprising maybe, Osborne has form in indoor cycling, having won Alpe du Zwift, a virtual ascent of Alpe d'Huez.
The cardiovascular similarities between the two sports have encouraged crossovers before, notably Britain's Rebecca Romero who was a rowing world champion in 2005 before winning individual pursuit gold on a bike at the Beijing Olympics.
Britain's 2012 Tour de France and Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins considered trying to qualify as a rower for the Tokyo Olympics but abandoned the idea after competing at the British Rowing Indoor Championships (BRIC) in December 2017.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)
.png?w=600)
