Zwift’s annual talent identification programme, the “Zwift Academy” has completed. And 6 finalists have been identified. They will join up with CANYON//SRAM Generation and Alpecin-Deceuninck for their final test which will take place in Denia, Spain, where they will compete for a contract on CANYON//SRAM Generation and Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team.
The competition
These 6 finalists have already achieved a lot by simply making it to the finals, with more than 108,000 cyclists participating in the 2023 edition of Zwift Academy Road. For many, Zwift Academy is an opportunity to improve their fitness, but for the very best participants, Zwift Academy presented a unique chance to qualify for the opportunity to join the CANYON//SRAM Generation or Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team.
The finalists
The three finalists competing for a spot with CANYON//SRAM Generation are:
Katy Hill, Great Britain: Classed as a climber, Katy started her journey into cycling through her University Triathlon Club and began racing her bike competitively in 2022.
Laura Simenc, Slovenia: An all-rounder, Laura has been the UCI Gran Fondo champion twice and is a former National Champion in Sprint Triathlon.
Maude (Maddie) Le Roux, South Africa: Another climber, for the last 2 years Maddie has competed for the UCI World Cycling Centre Continental Team and has represented South Africa in the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on Zwift.
The three finalists competing for a spot with the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team are:
Mattia Gaffuri, Italy: Mattia is a prolific climber finishing second in the European Climber’s Championships in 2023 and has raced the U23 Giro d’Italia.
Louis Kitzki, Germany: Louis is a strong time trialist and is Zwift Academy’s youngest competitor this year. He has competed across Europe and North Africa.
Anton Schiffer, Germany: A Climber, Anton most recently rode for a Continental Team in the Tour of Turkey and Tour of Portugal.
The finals
As Zwift notes “The finals will see all riders complete a mix of tasks designed to test their cycling abilities, their racecraft and their communication skills. Some tests will pit the finalists head-to-head while others will encourage collaboration as they work with members of their prospective professional teams. Team riders and staff of CANYON//SRAM and Alpecin-Deceuninck will be present at the camps in Spain. The Zwift Academy Coaches at Dig Deep Coaching as well as the Team Coaches will be analyzing all performances of the finalists from their outdoor efforts, their efforts in Zwift races, important bike handling challenges as well as analysing their culture fit within each team.”
You can view the finals, which will be broadcast by Eurosport, across 4 episodes on consecutive days with the first airing on 20th February 2024 at 18:30 GMT / 19:30 CET.
The winners will be announced in the last episode, that will broadcast on 23rd February.
