Zwift Academy 2022: From Virtual Reality to Professional Road Racing Contracts - GearJunkie

Alex Morrice, 22, and Luca Vergallito, 25, volition articulation large cycling teams aft winning the 2022 Zwift competition; (photo/Zwift)

Now successful its seventh year, the Zwift Academy Road contention means a 22-year-old British pistillate and a 25-year-old Italian antheral go the latest winners to deed the large time.

It’s hard to ideate that winning a biking video crippled tin onshore you connected a nonrecreational cycling team. 

Yet that’s precisely what happened this week to Great Britain’s Alex Morrice, 22, and Italy’s Luca Vergallito, 25. The 2 latest winners of Zwift’s endowment recognition programme articulation large cycling teams. It volition beryllium the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI, the planetary governing body) Women’s World Tour with CANYON//SRAM Racing for Morrice, and the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team for Vergallito.

Zwift’s yearly contention begins with virtual races successful the 2022 Zwift Academy Road, which included 160,000 participants. From that, the cycling app company chose 10 finalists astatine in-person tryouts successful Denia, Spain, which ended successful November.

The finals included antithetic challenges and races, meetings with coaches and each team’s staff, and rides with existing squad athletes.

“Alex and Luca distinguished themselves for having exceptional diversion talent, awesome on-bike skills, and the indispensable demeanor to larn what it takes to win astatine the highest levels of racing,” Zwift said successful a property release.

Alex Morrice, a 22-year-old Brit, volition present thrust for UCI Women’s World Tour with CANYON//SRAM Racing; (photo/Zwift)

Zwift Academy Road 2022 Winners: Alex Morrice & Luca Vergallito

A level 34 Zwifter, Morrice impressed the coaching unit astatine finals. And they judge the comparatively caller rider has a “huge magnitude of improvement potential,” the property merchandise said.

“Alex impressed maine with her existent powerfulness numbers for the benignant of rider we were hoping to find for the team,” said Magnus Bäckstedt, pb sports manager astatine CANYON//SRAM Racing. “She besides displayed a bully knowing of tactics, with a existent feeling for the contention moment, and she inactive has country to develop.”

Morrice said she felt privileged to enactment with the unthinkable women of CANYON//SRAM Racing.

“I was truthful excited to get to thrust with immoderate of the world’s champion women nonrecreational cyclists,” she said successful the release. “Everyone made maine consciousness truthful welcome, and I couldn’t beryllium much excited to contention alongside these ladies successful 2023 and beyond.”

Luca Vergallito volition articulation the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team aft winning the Zwift competition; (photo/Zwift)

As for Vergallito, the Italian rider has reached level 39 connected the cycling app. He impressed judges and displayed the earthy powerfulness and quality needed to win successful existent roadworthy racing.

“Luca performed successful a precise changeless mode during the Zwift Academy finals week, which shows that helium has the close carnal and intelligence skills to beryllium a nonrecreational rider,” said Kristof de Kegel, show manager astatine Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Vergallito intelligibly sounds stoked to articulation the team.

“Even for idiosyncratic who lives truthful adjacent to the bosom of nonrecreational racing, it tin beryllium precise hard to get noticed by the large teams,” helium said successful the release. “I’m truthful grateful that Zwift gave maine a mode to get noticed, and I’m truthful excited to articulation the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team for the coming season.”

A country from Zwift Academy’s virtual competition; (photo/Zwift)

Follow Zwift’s New Winners

Are you a Zwift user? Well, you tin really articulation Alex Morrice and Luca Vergallito successful virtual thrust events connected the Zwift Companion app.

The Alex Morrice CANYON//SRAM thrust volition instrumentality spot connected Monday, Dec. 19, astatine 10 a.m. PST. To thrust with Luca Vergallito, articulation the Alpecin-Deceuninck thrust connected Tuesday, Dec. 20, astatine 9 a.m. PST.

Find either connected the company’s lawsuit leafage here. Or, to spell down the scenes during the finals successful Denia, Spain, cheque retired this bid of videos.