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Registration is now open for the 2017 CANYON//SRAM Racing Zwift Academy in a continued partnership with the Women’s WorldTour team.
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 1200 registrations from 51 countries. Zwift and CANYON//SRAM are expecting to triple that number in 2017.
“When we announced the 2016 Zwift Academy, there was a lot of curiosity as to whether the program could deliver on its lofty goals,” said CANYON//SRAM team manager and sports director Ronny Lauke. “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.”
Following the registration period, the Zwift Academy will commence on September 1st, with a six-week qualifying stage open to all women. Participants will be tasked to complete a series of group rides and structured workouts in Zwift.
“Introducing a racing component to the Zwift Academy provides the judges with another important evaluation component,” commented Zwift co-founder & CEO Eric Min. “Zwift Academy eRacing will be an ideal testing ground for measuring and gauging new talent in an expansive, fair, effective and competitive environment.”
Three 2017 Zwift Academy finalists will be invited to the CANYON//SRAM Racing team camp in Mallorca, Spain, in December of 2017 – with the overall winner of the pro-contract announced shortly afterwards.
