The game that can make you a professional athlete

How Neve Bradbury accidentally became a professional road cyclist.

Neve Bradbury accidentally became a professional road cyclist through Zwift, a subscription-based app that allows you to ride bikes and go running in a kind of metaverse.

On the one hand, there is a massive difference between doing an at-home gym workout, and being a professional athlete. On the other hand, signing up to a Zwift Academy workout challenge during Melbourne’s lockdown is how 20-year-old Neve Bradbury accidentally became a professional road cyclist. So perhaps it’s not so different. It’s also something you can start working towards right now.

For the uninitiated, Zwift is a subscription-based app that allows you to ride bikes and go running in a kind of metaverse. All you need is a connected bike trainer and your normal bike, or a connected treadmill, as well as a smartphone, tablet or Apple TV. When connected to the bike trainer over Bluetooth, it can simulate going up and down hills and generally do a good job of synthesizing the experience of riding a bike outside, but without the inconvenience of weather, traffic or other people. It’s considered the gold standard of cycling training apps.

Courtesy Zwift.

Zwift Academy takes this training to the next level. Instead of just riding around to keep fit, Zwift Academy is a 4-week training program designed to get you into peak cycling condition. If you prefer a little more variety, there is also the Zwift Academy Tri, which wraps up later this week, and Zwift Academy Run, which starts in February. However, unlike other app workout programs that claim to get you into professional shape, Zwift puts its money where its mouth is, and people who complete all 6 Academy workouts, a baseline ride, finish ride, and two additional workouts can find themselves competing for a real professional contract with a team in Europe.

Zwift Academy is a 4-week training program designed to get you into peak cycling condition.

Bradbury had been using Zwift casually for 2-3 years until lockdown meant she started working out on it more frequently as a distraction from the, well, everything. “I was like, I might as well give it a go,” she said in an exclusive interview with The Oz. “I'm inside, I’m using it anyway, and if I don't win [Zwift Academy] I'm at least going to improve my fitness.”

As first, she was just pleased to be improving and didn’t really think about the actual ‘Academy’ side of the Zwift Academy. Then she got the email saying she was in the top 15 and decided she perhaps would be a little interested in some more data. But when she got the email saying she hit the top 5, it was on.

“Then I was like, if I’m doing this, then I have to win it.”

The two teams that recruit during Zwift Academy Road each year are Canyon//SRAM, which you might remember from the Tour de France Femmes and Alpecin-Deceuninck, which made its Tour de France debut this year.

While the winner does need to be chosen from the cream of the crop, the teams aren’t just looking for the fastest rider, but also the right fit for the team. So, once riders hit a certain level of the Academy, they get interviewed by managers and other key players at the team to ensure the winner has the right skills, personality and dedication.

Bradbury had been using Zwift casually for 2-3 years until lockdown meant she started working out on it more frequently as a distraction.

In the year and a bit since she won, Bradbury’s career has taken off, getting impressive results in major races, including 5th at the Tour of Scandinavia this year. But even with this success, Bradbury was really shy during our interview, clearly loving racing and missing home at the same time. “[My first year competing] was good, I really enjoyed it. But just jumping into the deep end was a bit difficult sometimes, knowing that I couldn't just go back home to Australia whenever I wanted.” Despite the challenges, she’s really looking forward to the next year now that her contract extension has been finalised. “I am still a bit of a newbie, really. But I think we've found what I'm good at together and then [we’ve] put me in races that suit me more.”

What apps and programs like Zwift Academy provide is a pathway for people all over the world to become professional athletes, even if they don’t live in an area with club sports or talent scouts or whatever else is required for international success in a particular sport.

It’s no wonder that Australians have excelled so much in the program, producing multiple winners in a worldwide contest. We live in a country that loves cycling, but has nowhere near as many opportunities as European countries for budding athletes, or even curious people who want to give cycling a go but are put off but the lack of safe infrastructure.

Courtesy Zwift.

For budding athletes, Bradbury suggests riders continue training on Zwift to get their endurance up, with a particular focus on training workouts as well as races, rather than just open-ended rides. “The rides are really fun, so definitely still keep doing them. But from a training point of view, I think there's nothing better than Zwift races in terms of riding on the road.”

If you’re considering taking that next stop and giving Zwift Academy a try, Bradbury encourages you to go for it. “If you're thinking about giving Zwift Academy go, just do it. You never know, maybe you can get the contract and if not, you'll gain fitness.”

Zwift Academy Tri wraps up next week, Zwift Run kicks off February 8, and training for Zwift Academy Road starts now if you want to be ready by the next competition.