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Dream within touching distance for Aussie pair
Oct 28, 2022
It may be via the road less taken, but two Australian cyclists are on the cusp of achieving the life-changing goal of becoming professional riders.
Lucas Hoffman and Cooper Sayers are among five male riders competing for a professional contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck at the Zwift Academy Road Finals.
Hoffman and Sayers beat out 96,000 other competitors over the four-week Academy program, which involved eight mandatory workouts and one optional ride, with riders that wanted to participate in the “Pro Contender” program also completing additional workouts.
Hoffman, a 4th year electrical apprentice from South Australia, said it was a surreal experience being selected as a finalist, and admitted coaching and time management had been the keys to his success.
“My coach Daniel Van der Laan of Nero Coaching worked out a program that would get me firing for the types of efforts that might be looked at in the academy selection based on previous years. The main thing has been managing my time well and getting enough good quality sleep, as I can only train after work,” Hoffman said.
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Sayers meanwhile takes satisfaction from knowing he still has what it takes after making the finals last year, and is similarly proud that his hard work, dedication, and persistence have paid off, likening the experience to putting together a puzzle.
“You need to have an element of experience, so you can prove to Alpecin that you will fit in with the team. You need time on Zwift so you know the ins and outs of the platform, and you need to be consistently training on the road, because at the end of the day that’s where you will be racing,” Sayers said.
The 23-year-old has also been racing in Europe over the last six months, a “priceless” experience that has helped the South Australian fine tune his race craft and identify his strengths.
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Hoffman conversely has drawn on the assistance of younger brother Leigh, Australia’s current track men's sprint starter, who has helped with equipment set-up and meal preparation during the trial stages, which he admitted were challenging.
“The Zwift pro contender extra workouts were brutal. They had some extra pre-fatigued efforts to really test you. In the baseline and finish line rides you also really had to get everything out to make sure you were in for a spot in the finals,” Hoffman said.
However, Hoffman’s performance in the pro contender workouts – where he recorded personal best times in his 4- and 12-minute efforts – gave him the belief that he could content for the finals, and says it would be a dream come true to win the Alpecin-Deceuninck contract.
“It would be a huge change going from working a trade to being pro rider, but I feel it would be a good fit with my drive to succeed and willingness to work hard. It’s tough working a trade and trying to get some sort of decent training in and I’m lucky enough to be in this position,” Hoffman said.
For Sayers, coming so close last year has made him hungrier to go all the way in 2022, and while not getting too far ahead of himself, admits it would be something special to win it all.
“I haven't really thought about what it would mean to get the pro-contract; I really just want to focus on all they key processes leading up to the Academy finals to ensure I have the best possible chance at winning.
“However, it would be a dream come true to be a pro, so fingers crossed all the hard work pays off.”
The Zwift Academy Road Finals will be held in Spain in mid-November and will be broadcast by GCN, with five films being released starting on December 13 and winners will be announced on December 17.
Read more about the Zwift Academy Road Finals.
Photo Credit: Con Chronis