The finals for Zwift Academy 2023 have just finished, and Zwift partnered with Eurosport to bring you a series of four episodes documenting the finals process.
Today episode 2 premiered. Watch it below, or read the summary if you’d like…
Episode Summary (Spoiler Alert!)
First up, we have the men doing an INSCYD test. They begin with a progressive set of 6-minute intervals at 4, 5, and 5.5 W/kg, followed by a 4-minute all-out effort. There’s just one problem – the coaches underestimated the strength of all three riders, and set the target powers too low!
The men have to redo the test at higher power. At the end, the coaches are impressed, since each of the young finalists has an FTP “relatively above” 6 W/kg. Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Head of Performance Kristoff de Kegel says, “This is the best level in the Zwift Academy that I saw in the last 3-4 years, actually.”
The coaches say Mattia is standing out with his profile of a GC rider, but Anton impresses them the most with his high relative FTP (6.5 W/kg). Can young Louis close the gap?
On to the ladies, who are taking on a 5-hour endurance ride 131km long. Each of the finalists are paired up with pro team riders for some sprints at the start, which proves to be a very humbling experience. During the middle of the ride, the finalists undertake some skills tests like dropping back to the team car for bottles, grabbing bottles on the side of the road, riding in a group, and paceline efforts.
Matt Stephens comments that Maddie and Laurie look strong, while Katy seems a bit hesitant on the wheels.
At the end of the 4 hours of riding, Laura is able to put out more sprint power than at the start! The coaches see that as a good sign, and Laura seems to come out on top on the day in terms of overall performance.
Up Next
Watch this space for episode 3, premiering tomorrow!
Questions or Comments?
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