The Zwift Academy finals are back
Neve Bradbury won the Zwift Academy competition in 2020, subsequently joining the Canyon//SRAM Women’s WorldTour team, where she’s just starting her fourth season.
At 21 years of age, the Australian is already developing impressive palmares, including 10th place overall in the 2022 Giro d’Italia Donne and third overall at this year’s Tour Down Under.
The Zwift Academy 2023 finals take place throughout February, with three women’s and men’s finalists competing for a development team contract over four rounds.
There’s programmed coverage on Eurosport and on-demand replays via the Eurosport player and its YouTube channel.
Here, Bradbury tells us how it feels to compete and win with the eyes of the world on you, and how Zwift is still a key part of her training regime.
Competing in the finals
The Zwift Academy finals for 2023 are being held in person, with the competition streamed live on Eurosport.
As part of the 2020 cohort of riders, Bradbury’s experience was disrupted by the pandemic.
Lockdowns meant almost all the challenges were held on Zwift.
“[The finals are] a tense atmosphere because you’re close to realising a dream, but you haven’t reached it yet,” says Bradbury.
“I can only imagine it to be more nerve-racking when the finals are in-person, where you’re face to face with the pro cyclists and the team, as well as the other finalists.”
Rising to the challenge
Winning Zwift Academy in 2020 enabled Bradbury to jump to riding professionally for Canyon//SRAM, providing a pathway to fulfilling her dream of riding and racing professionally.
“Zwift Academy changed my life drastically,” she says. “I moved to the other side of the world and made a dream come true.
“Coming from Australia, there are certainly more challenges in the pathway that you need to overcome. Now, four years later, I’m still living overseas and racing professionally.”
Racing as a pro
The step up to professional cycling at the top level isn’t for the faint-hearted.
There are huge challenges in racing on the Women’s WorldTour circuit, with events across Europe and the world.
For a young Australian, moving away from home, it’s even more of a change than for a European rider.
“The transition into pro cycling life was quite a challenge,” Bradbury continues.
“You’re living a long way from home, you have to make new friends and meet a new community, the peloton is bigger, the racing is harder, and there are many different languages and cultures to experience. Despite all of that, I am confident to say that it is all worth it.”
Training on Zwift
Although life in the pro peloton centres around racing, Bradbury still uses Zwift as part of her training. She’s found it a useful tool when the weather’s poor or when injured, as well as for targeted training for acclimation and the more niche disciplines she needs to master as a GC contender.
“I broke my elbow last year, so I used it twice daily, every day for around three weeks, as part of my rehabilitation and to ensure I continued training ahead of the Giro d’Italia,” Bradbury says.
“I’ll use Zwift for heat training, for specific intervals, especially TT efforts, when the weather doesn’t enable me to ride outside, for some pre-race days, and for some warm-up or cool-down training when I’m with the team at races.”
Bradbury’s success in the pro peloton mirrors that of 2020 Zwift Academy men’s winner and fellow Australian, Jay Vine.
It’s enabled them to step up to compete at the highest level, a feat that this year’s winners will be hoping to emulate.
How to watch the Zwift Academy 2023 finals on Eurosport
Eurosport is broadcasting all four rounds of the Zwift Academy 2023 Finals.
The three women’s and three men’s finalists are the cream of the 108,000 riders who competed in Zwift Academy in 2023, and will go head-to-head to win a pro development team contract, with the winners announced in the last episode.
The 30-minute first episode sets the scene for this year’s competition and you can catch it via the Eurosport Player or the Eurosport YouTube channel, where each round will be available immediately after the television broadcast.
Episode 1
- Eurosport 1: 7.30pm CET, 20 February
- Eurosport YouTube: 8.30pm CET, 20 February
- Replays, Eurosport 2: 1.30pm CET, 21 February
Episode 2
- Eurosport 1: 7.30pm CET, 21 February
- Eurosport YouTube: 8.30pm CET, 21 February
- Replays, Eurosport 2: 1.30pm CET, 22 February
Episode 3
- Eurosport 1: 7.30pm CET, 22 February
- Eurosport YouTube: 8.30pm CET, 22 February
- Replays, Eurosport 2: 1.30pm CET, 23 February
Episode 4
- Eurosport 1: 7.30pm CET, 23 February
- Eurosport YouTube: 8.30pm CET, 23 February
- Replays, Eurosport 2: 11:15am CET, 24 February