ZWIFT ACADEMY RETURNS WITH SIX DEMANDING WORKOUTS AND TWO RACES FOR ZWIFTERS TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE ULTIMATE TRAINING CHALLENGE

Zwift, the global online fitness platform for cyclists, today announced the launch of Zwift Academy for 2023. The programme is Zwift’s ultimate training challenge providing 6 workouts designed to test every Zwifter and 2 races to help Zwifters get fitter and have fun with the community.

Registration for Zwift Academy opens on 30 October with events running from 6 November to 17 December. The Academy has proven to be one of the most popular events on Zwift and is a testing programme for all riders. This year Zwift Academy features 6 workouts and 2 races which are needed to graduate. Participants can choose between a long and short versions of each workout.

Zwift Academy workouts are a great introduction to structured training which will help Zwifters boost fitness and increase cycling strength. Long workouts last from an hour up to 90 minutes while all the short workouts can be completed in under an hour of concentrated effort.  Workouts will range from explosive anaerobic workouts that will strengthen your sprinting skills through to endurance-focused workouts that will help improve your aerobic efficiency - ideal for tackling those hills. All workouts will be available on-demand for the duration of the campaign and can also be completed in organised group workouts - keep an eye on zwift.com/events for those. The two races will focus on sprint power as well as ability to recover from climbs.

“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.”

Along the way, Zwifters will earn exclusive in-game unlocks including the ZA kit after the first activity, ZA cap once three have been completed, any race completion unlocks the aero helmet and after all 8 ZA activities are finished Zwifters unlock the ZA bike paint job.

First launched in 2016, Zwift Academy has served as a strong talent identification programme with a history of finding great, young riders. This year, female participants in Zwift Academy have the chance to earn a contract with CANYON//SRAM Generation, the development team for CANYON//SRAM Racing and male participants have the chance to earn a contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck’s development team. These development teams create a formal pathway to the World Tour such as Zwift Academy 2022 winner Luca Vergallito’s promotion from Alpecin Deceuninck’s development team to their World Tour team and Ricarda Bauernfeind who started with CANYON//SRAM’s development team. 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.

Register for this year’s Zwift Academy here.