Are you the next Jay Vine or Neve Bradbury? Zwift Academy registration is now open with a pro contract on the line
The winners of the indoor riding series will race for the Canyon-SRAM and Alpecin-Deceuninck development teams in 2025
![Jay Vine](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wHwXwJdCZzMJXhbFQEwpTc-415-80.jpg)
Do you have what it takes to go pro? Here's your chance to prove it.
The Zwift Academy, the indoor cycling platform's renowned talent identification programme, is now open for registration. The programme will run from August 5 through November 3rd, at which time the winner will receive a contract with either Canyon-SRAM's or Alpecin-Deceuninck's development team for 2025.
The Zwift Academy is open to all Zwift users and has been one of its most popular events with more than 100,000 riders taking part in 2023. You do not have to be gunning for a pro contract in order to partake; many participate purely for the challenge and to see how the stack up against Zwifters world-wide.
Started in 2016, the Zwift Academy is part training series, part WorldTour testing protocol designed to uncover hidden talent and support their development through the professional ranks.
Participants will complete a series of workouts that are available on demand, so riders can set their own schedules. In addition to the workouts, riders will also need to compete in two virtual races in order to complete the programme.
All participants who complete the workouts and races will earn exclusive in-game features, including a Zwift Academy kit and bike paint job. One Zwift Academy finisher will also win a real-life Canyon Aeroad in Zwift Academy colours.
Several Zwift Academy winners have gone on to race on the WorldTour and are still racing today, including Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), winner of the 2023 Tour Down Under, two Vuelta a España stages and the 2022 UCI World Esports Championship. On the women's side, Australian Neve Bradbury won the 2020 Zwift Academy, and just last week she won the Queen Stage, Young Rider Classification, and finished third overall at the Giro d'Italia Women.
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“Zwift Academy has consistently delivered high-performing riders to Alpecin - Deceuninck. From Jay Vine in 2020, to Luca Vergalito, who this year moved to the WorldTour. The standard has increased every year and we’re very excited to discover who will join the team in 2025” commented Alpecin - Deceuninck’s Performance Director, Kristof de Kegel.
Dan Fleeman, Performance Director at Canyon-SRAM added, “We crafted the Zwift Academy programme this year to really push the boundaries for all entrants, to take all riders through a series of workouts that mirror the demands of WorldTour level racing, based on real WorldTour data. We know the riders that earn the contracts with both Alpecin - Deceuninck and CANYON//SRAM will have extremely bright careers as professional cyclists ahead of them.”
Learn more about the programme and get registered, here.
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Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.
Originally from The Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a cycling journalist for 11 years.
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