Zwift announces six finalists of 2023 Zwift Academy

After weeks of stiff competition from quite literally all over the world, indoor training platform Zwift has announced the six chosen finalists of the 2023 Zwift Academy, a talent identification programme that will reward contracts to Canyon-SRAM Generation and the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team.

2024 will mark the eighth year in succession that Zwift has awarded professional contracts to two riders and this time around, over 108,000 cyclists put their names in the hat for contention. By now a very popular point on the cycling calendar, the Zwift Academy offers both a fitness programme for keen amateurs and a way to identify the next generation of talents for UCI WorldTeams Alpecin-Deceuninck and Canyon-SRAM.

Entrants had to complete six workouts to test their physiological profile, before riding two races on their indoor trainers to chance their arms in a more dynamic environment.

Over the course of a couple of months, aspiring professional cyclists completed the tasks at hand, before the Dig Deep Coaching team selected the six finalists. Oh and spoilers, neither Cillian Kelly nor Andrew Feather made the grade...

Read more:

• GCN takes on the Zwift Academy: Andrew Feather and Cillian Kelly begin the six-week test
• GCN takes on the Zwift Academy: Do Andrew Feather or Cillian Kelly have what it takes to make it as a pro rider?

Both men entered the Zwift Academy this year in a classic GCN two-up challenge and whilst Feather may be a hill-climbing phenom, his busy life left him too busy to complete the necessary steps. As for our resident stat guru Cillian, his training is being tailored towards another objective later down the line. Watch this space.

Where Feather and Cillian fell down, others were quick to take advantage, resulting in the six chosen finalists who will battle it out for the two developmental contracts up for grabs.

Zwift Academy finalists to compete for contracts in Spain

After six weeks of hard graft in the Zwift Academy Road programme, the six finalists were unveiled on Monday, with Katy Hill, Laura Simenc and Maude (Maddie) Le Roux vying for a spot with Canyon-SRAM Generation, whilst Mattia Gaffuri, Louis Kitzki and Anton Schiffer booked themselves a showdown for an Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team contract.

The three women and three men will now head to Denia, Spain, for the Zwift Academy Road Finals, in which the riders will be pitted head-to-head in a series of tasks, challenges and races. In some of these challenges, the riders will indeed work with one another, but it will all be a competition to decide the next winners of the Zwift Academy.

Watch more: An ultimate compilation: GCN follows the 2021 Zwift Academy finalists

Watching on as the riders showcase their talent, racecraft and teamwork, Dig Deep Coaching will be joined by riders and staff from Canyon-SRAM and Alpecin-Deceuninck, all of whom will play a role in deciding who succeeds Alex Morrice (Canyon-SRAM) and Luca Vergallito (Alpecin-Deceuninck) as the Zwift Academy winners.

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Winning the Zwift Academy will offer incredible opportunities to the lucky riders, as seen by Alex Morrice's participation in the recent Tour Down Under for Canyon-SRAM

It will be in Morrice that Katy Hill will perhaps take the most motivation, with the finalist following a similar path to the Zwift Academy finals as the Brit did last year. Much like Morrice at the University of Bath, Hill began her racing career with her University and will head into the finals with only a couple of seasons of racing under her belt.

That did not stop Morrice from winning last year, however, and both Simenc and Le Roux will have to be at their A-game. The former is a two-time UCI Gran Fondo champion, whilst the latter is well-versed with Zwift having competed for South Africa in the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships.

Mattia Gaffuri will be hoping to become the second Italian winner of the men's Zwift Academy in as many years, after Vergallito's success last time out. He will face stiff competition, however, from Louis Kitzki and Anton Schiffer, two Germans hoping to become the first from their nation to win the Zwift Academy.

Read more: Pro indoor training tips from Zwift Academy winner Alex Bogna

Schiffer has ridden both the Tour of Türkiye and the Volta a Portugal for Bike Aid in recent seasons, but will have to overcome the youngest competitor of this year's Zwift Academy in Kitzki should he hope to make the move to Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team in 2024.

The finals of the Zwift Academy will be broadcast as a four-part series by Eurosport across consecutive days, beginning at 19:30 CET on 20 February. This will culminate with the winners being announced on 23 February.

Read more: AusCycling is looking to find the next generation of talent on Zwift

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