Zwift Academy 2019 has entered its next phase with men’s and women’s semi-finalists being selected. Ten men and ten women will complete a mix of indoor workouts on the Tacx Neo 2 and outdoor workouts–an important step in the validation process.
Three finalists will then be chosen from each group to travel to the Zwift Academy Finals in Spain for a week-long camp to ride and complete structured drills to win a professional contract. One man and one woman will be chosen for a pro contract for the 2020 cycling season.
Here’s a little more about our semi-finalists…
Men’s Semi-Finalists
- Drew Christensen (New Zealand): an experienced cyclist, Drew’s 5-minute power of 6.55 w/kg is impressive and shows he’s able to take on punchy climbs. ZwiftPower Profile
- Drake Deuel (USA): an elite-level rower who recently moved to bike racing, Drake’s 5.72 w/kg 20-minute power impressive. ZwiftPower Profile
- Kees Duyvesteyn (New Zealand): 2nd at New Zealand U23 National Road Race 2019 and took 3rd in the Time Trial, Kees has the real-world results to back up his Zwift performance. ProCyclingStats Profile
- Luuk van Gestel (Netherlands): rode for the U19 national team last year, and has 10 years of racing experience on cross, gravel, and road. ProCyclingStats Profile
- Brad Gouveris (South Africa): the most experienced Zwift racer of the group, Brad was a ZA semi-finalist last year as well. His 1-minute power of 9.96 w/kg makes him a powerful puncheur. He’s won multiple titles in track cycling, as well as this year’s KISS Super League Grand Finale race. ZwiftPower Profile
- Filip Kvasina (Croatia): 2nd place in this year’s national U23 ITT, Filip is definitely a powerful rider. ProCyclingStats Profile
- Mathijs Loman (Netherlands): one of the less-experienced of the bunch, Mathijs is going to have to prove himself in the coming weeks. ProCyclingStats Profile
- Campbell Pithie (New Zealand): with outdoor titles on the road and track and a strong power profile, Campbell is an aggressive rider with big aspirations. ZwiftPower Profile
- Rhys Robotham (Australia): an outdoor racer who finishes in the front pack consistently. ProCyclingStats Profile
- Ryan Rudderham (Canada): solid 20-minute power and a strong mind to back up his legs. ZwiftPower Profile
Read more about the men’s semi-finalists on Zwift.com >
Women’s Semi-Finalists
- Olivia Baril (Canada): a former competitive swimmer, Olivia took this year’s U23 National titles in both the time trial and road race. ProCyclingStats Profile
- Catherine Colyn (South Africa): 2018 U23 National road race winner, Catherine is a strong climber with solid race intuition. ZwiftPower Profile
- Imogen Cotter (Ireland): a former runner with national titles, Imogen has competed in track cycling and won 2nd at Irish Road Nationals. ZwiftPower Profile
- Nathalie Eklund (Sweden): a ZA semi-finalist in 2018, Nathalie has stood on two Swedish National Podiums, is an Ironman Champion, and certainly is out to prove she’s worthy of a spot in the finals. ZwiftPower Profile
- Veronica Ewers (USA): though not a very experienced cyclist, Veronica has the power numbers to be successful in the game. Road-Results.com Profile
- Emily Gass (USA): a former competitive rower, Emily has the cardio engine to put down big efforts on long climbs. Road-Results.com Profile
- Ione Johnson (New Zealand): a finalist in last year’s Zwift Academy, Ione is obviously a strong rider who knows how to compete at the top. ZwiftPower Profile
- Mary Kate McCarthy (New Zealand): with more ZwiftPower races under her belt than almost any other semi-finalist, Mary Kate has the experience to perform well indoors. ZwiftPower Profile
- Jessica Pratt (Australia): U19 National road race winner, Jessica has done a fair amount of outdoor racing including a 2017 European tour with an Australian development team. ProCyclingStats Profile
- Samara Sheppard (New Zealand): a multi-time National and Oceania MTB champion with more plenty of Zwift races under her belt, Samara’s power profile show she’s a force to be reckoned with. ZwiftPower Profile ProCyclingStats Profile
Read more about the women’s semi-finalists on Zwift.com >
Final Zwift Academy Stats
Zwift released some numbers for Zwift Academy participation, and they’re quite impressive. Participation doubled from 2018 to 2019!
