Zwift Academy: Why so many Aussies are riding the virtual path to pro cycling

Australians are known for punching above our weight in sport, but something extraordinary is going on in the world of cycling esports.

Last week, the ten finalists for Zwift Academy Road 2021 were announced – and astonishingly, half of them are Australian.

Rachael Wales (VeloFit Australia), Imogen Alton, Cooper Sayers (Nero Continental), Sam Hill (Nero Continental) and Alex Bogna (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) will join five other hopefuls in Spain this month vying for a pro contract.

They’ll aim to follow in the footsteps of the three other Aussies – Neve Bradbury, Jay Vine and Jessica Pratt – who have won the competition in the past two years.

To find out what’s behind this Aussie assault, AusCycling spoke with finalists Sam Hill and Rachael Wales.

But first: what is Zwift Academy?

Zwift Academy Road is a global talent ID competition held via the popular virtual cycling app, Zwift.

Over the past two months, thousands of cyclists across the world have pedaled away on stationary trainers in their homes and garages, following structured workouts and test rides on the platform.

Most riders enrol in Zwift Academy for fun and personal fitness, with no thoughts of parlaying it into a career. For those at the top, however, there’s the very real prospect of earning a spot on a pro cycling team.

The Zwift Academy Road 2021 finalists

The ten finalists have been chosen based on the data and results they’ve achieved throughout the Zwift Academy season.

They’ll fly to Mallorca for the finals, where it’s expected they’ll undertake a week-long training camp involving a mix of outdoor efforts, Zwift races and off-bike challenges. Staff from the Alpecin-Fenix and CANYON//SRAM teams will assess their performances and choose one male and one female winner.

The winners will receive the money-can’t-buy position on one of those teams in 2022.

Antipodean ascendancy

Zwift Academy only began in 2016, but riders from down under already have an impressive track record.

Of the nine contracts awarded in the event’s history, three have gone to Australians: Jessica Pratt (2019), Neve Bradbury (2020) and Jay Vine (2020).

Only our neighbours across the ditch have been as successful: New Zealanders Ollie Jones (2017), Ella Harris (2018) and Drew Christensen (2019) have won the competition.

That means two-thirds of all Zwift Academy prizes have gone to Aussies and Kiwis.

Forced iso

What’s driving the blinding success of Zwifters from this part of the world?

AusCycling posed that question to Wales and Hill. Both believe that Australia’s geographical isolation has a lot to do with chasing results in Zwift Academy.

“The main reason, I would say, is because pro contracts come from getting results in Europe,” said Wales, who hails from WA but now lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. “We’re so isolated from Europe, we’re on the other side of the world. So, for a lot of riders that may not have had that opportunity yet to go to Europe for actual racing, Zwift Academy is basically a foot in the door.”

The Tamworth-based Hill, who won the NRS Tour de Brisbane in real life this year, pointed out that being a strong cyclist in Australia may not be enough to turn pro, whereas for European cyclists, the pathway is more straightforward.

“I really think if Jay [Vine] and his strength, and Neve [Bradbury] and her strength, were over in Belgium or Europe somewhere, they would have so much opportunity and there’s a good chance they would have become professional earlier and in a more traditional sense,” Hill said.

Sam Hill winning the 2021 Tour de Brisbane NRS race. (Photo: Pete Wallis)

Like it or not, the centre of professional road cycling remains in Europe, so Aussies need to find ways to get noticed by big teams.

“I think there’s a certain level of desperation from Australian riders, and we see Zwift Academy as a very real shot to make it as a professional,” Hill said.

“So, a lot more of the high-profile racers in Australia at a domestic level are targeting Zwift Academy, whereas a high-profile racer in Belgium would most likely be targeting real-life races that would get them into the Pro Tour,” Hill said.

Success inspires success

Perhaps there’s another reason five of our riders have made this year’s finals. Success begets success, so seeing three Aussies win Zwift Academy has likely inspired more domestic racers to throw their hat in the ring.

Sam Hill credits the win of Jay Vine – Hill’s former NRS teammate at Team Nero Bianchi (now Nero Continental) – for making him take Zwift seriously.

“It really was just Jay Vine. He inspired the hell out of me by winning Zwift Academy finals,” Hill said.

“When they opened up to elite riders last year, I did start Zwift Academy, but it was always half-heartedly because it seemed too good to be true,” Hill said. “I assumed there’d be a Remco Evenepoel out there who would blow us out of the water, and all these maximal ergos were going to be for nothing.

“And then Jay went and won, and got a pro contract with Alpecin-Fenix. He’s living the life up in Girona, racing a grand tour in a neo-pro season.

“I decided pretty much right after Jay won last year that I would make it a big target this year.”

Lockdown goals

For Wales, however, who has a background in professional triathlon, it was one of Australia’s recent COVID-19 lockdowns that pushed her to take on Zwift Academy.

“I’d always done Zwift. I’d do the occasional race, or if it was raining outside I’d do it,” Wales said. “Earlier this year in Queensland we had a lockdown and we could only be within a 5km radius. I thought, I’ll just ride on Zwift.

“Then Zwift Academy came around and a few people said, ‘Why don’t you do it? Even if you don’t get anything out of it, it’s good training anyway.’

“At the time, I was coaching myself and I thought it was good to do those workouts. It’s a bit different to what I would give to myself on the road. I got halfway through and I thought, I don’t know if I want to keep doing it, the workouts are pretty hard.

“My partner, Oliver, said, ‘You have to keep going, I think you’re doing quite well.’ He kind of pushed me to keep going.”

Given her hesitance to complete Zwift Academy, it came as a surprise when she was told she’d been selected.

“I wasn’t really expecting to get much out of it,” Wales said. “I kind of knew it was good training, it was good for me to get some intensity because I hadn’t as much intensity for a while.

“I kind of got into it, and kept doing it, I suppose, and then got in the top five!”

Next stop: Mallorca

Whatever’s brought them to this point, the five Australians will now head to the Spanish island of Mallorca to contest the Zwift Academy finals.

Neither Wales nor Hill have a clear idea of what the camp will entail and the tests they’ll be asked to perform, but they’re expecting a tough challenge and a rewarding experience.

“There’s five girls going for one pro contract, so we’ll have to be on our game,” Wales said. “I’m really looking forward to going over there and seeing what it’s like at that WorldTour level.”

“I think if you just go in and put your best version of yourself on display, then that’s the main thing,” Hill said.