Canyon//sram Racing Zwift Academy Launches

14 Jun 2017 | tshego

Share on

Zwift, an online fitness platform for cyclists, has announced that registration is open for the 2017 CANYON//SRAM Racing Zwift Academy in a continued partnership with the Women’s WorldTour team.

Launched at the Rapha Club House, London, the global talent ID program invites female cyclists to compete to win a UCI World Tour contract by riding Zwift. In 2016, the inaugural Zwift Academy saw 1,200 registrants from 51 countries.

Following the registration period, the Zwift Academy will commence on 1st September with a six-week qualifying stage, with participants tasked to complete a series of group rides and structured workouts in Zwift.

Ronny Lauke, CANYON//SRAM’s team manager and sports director said: “When we announced the 2016 Zwift Academy, there was a lot of curiosity on whether the program could deliver on its lofty goals. The success of the first year showed that not only could we discover a world-class talent, but we could inspire a global community of female cyclists. With that proof of concept, the sky is the limit for the 2017 edition.”

“My transition from running to cycling to elite level cycling was unreal and only made possible because of Zwift,” said Leah Thorvilson, winner of the 2016 Zwift Academy. “I hope my story will inspire thousands more women to strive to be a better cyclist by being part of the 2017 Zwift Academy. It is more than just a competition, the Zwift Academy also created a super friendly and motivated international women’s cycling community, so I’d encourage women of all abilities to sign-up!”

Zwift Academy is partnering with training software, Today’s Plan, to organise and track participants’ ride data and coaching partner, TrainSharp, to prescribe the workouts and analyze performance.

“Introducing a racing component to the Zwift Academy provides the judges with another important evaluation component,” said Eric Min, Zwift co-founder & CEO. “Zwift Academy eRacing will be an ideal testing ground for measuring and gauging new talent in an expansive, fair, effective and competitive environment.”