Zwift Academy Returns

It’s back, the Zwift Academy for 2023

Good enough to win a professional contract with CANYON//SRAM Generation and Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team? There’s only one way to find out; enter the Zwift Academy, the ultimate training challenge.

Zwift Academy is one of the most popular events on Zwift and is a testing programme for all riders. This year it features six workouts and two races which you need to complete to graduate. Riders can choose between long and short versions of each workout. Long workouts last from an hour up to 90 minutes while all the short workouts can be completed in under an hour.

The workouts will mix explosive anaerobic and endurance focused efforts to really test you. You can tackle the workouts as part of an organised group effort; check zwift.com/events for those. Alternatively they will be available on-demand, so you can complete them any time during the campaign. The two races will focus on sprint power as well as ability to recover from climbs. So expect some tough racing.

“This year’s Zwift Academy will make you faster and help you cope better with that lactate burn,” says Dan Fleeman at Dig Deep Coaching, the coaching team behind the Zwift Academy workouts. “We have designed a challenging programme which will test every energy system to the limit. So if you are looking to improve your times on local climbs, race on Zwift, progress to the professional Peloton or just become a stronger cyclist there is something for everyone.”

Exclusive unlocks

As part of the challenge, Zwifters can earn in-game unlocks exclusive to participants. The unlocks are: ZA kit after the first activity and a ZA cap once three have been completed. You’ll get the ZA aero-helmet when you finish any race and after all eight activities are finished you’ll unlock the ZA bike paint-job.

Zwift Academy was first launched in 2016 and has a history of finding great, young riders. 2022’s male winner was Luca Vergallito, who went to Alpecin-Deceuninck’s development team and then to their World Tour team. Meanwhile the female winner was Ricarda Bauernfeind who started with CANYON//SRAM’s development team. For 2023 female winners will have a chance to earn a place with CANYON//SRAM Generation. Male winners can earn a contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck’s development team.

Registration

Registration opens today, 30 October, with events running from 6 November to 17 December. To be considered for the Zwift Academy pro contract, participants must wear a heart rate monitor for all Zwift Academy activities as well as complete all the long workouts.