Zwift has announced Drew Christensen as the winner of the second annual Men’s Zwift Academy Program. Christensen will join last year’s winner Martin Lavrič on the NTT Continental U23 Cycling Team for 2020.
“This is incredible!” says Christensen. “I entered Zwift Academy with an eye on a semi-final place, I can’t believe I have a pro contract! It will be great to ride on the team alongside Martin Lavrič and learn from his experience through the Zwift Academy and onto a pro team.”
18 year old Christensen hails from New Zealand. He emerged as the pick of the three finalists who traveled to Team NTT Pro Cycling training camp in Oliva, Spain.
At the camp, team management and coaches got to see how the riders perform in a team, communicate and ride on the road–vital information beyond just their power numbers. Of course, completing the Academy workouts and races gave Zwift’s panel of expert coaches the opportunity to look at each rider’s power profiles and ascertain where their strengths and weaknesses lay.
Zwift Academy saw a record 60,000 male riders enter for 2019. “We’ve seen some really strong riders come through the Academy again this year.” says Elliot Lipski, Coach to NTT Pro Cycling. “In fact, I think the pool of talent goes even deeper this year. It’s important to see how the riders react to different scenarios out on the road, how they communicate and how they fit in with the team. These are all incredibly important skills when fitting into a team that spends a lot of time on the road and needs to function as a unit. Having spent some time with the riders here in Spain, we’re really confident in Drew. He showed real instinct out on the road, and the other riders took to him well.”
“This year’s Zwift Academy has been great again,” adds Eric Min, Zwift Co-Founder and CEO. “As a cyclist, I get a lot from the Academy, both in terms of fitness and also through the enjoyment of leading rides and interacting with the community. I’d like to offer my congratulations to Drew. I’m really excited to see how he performs next year and fits into the team with his fellow Academy winner Martin Lavrič.”
Supporting the Qhubeka Cause
The 2019 Zwift Academy will donate 749 bikes to Qhubeka this year, which will be distributed throughout South Africa in order to bring people in rural communities closer to healthcare, jobs, and education.
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