Have you ever watched the pros and thought you could do that? Well, if you are under the age of 23, you may have your chance.
After the success of the women's Zwift academy - in which amatuer rider Leah Thorvilson outrode 1,200 competitors to earn a one year contract with women's WorldTour team Canyon-SRAM - Zwift have partnered up with Dimension Data to launch the men's Zwift academy.
With the academy now open, phase one will see an estimated 5,000 graduates complete a six week structured training programme.
Beyond that, ten U23 riders will be selected to complete an additional two weeks of training.
Finally, three finalists will be invited to the Dimension Data for Qhubeka training camp in Cape Town in November, with the eventual winner being offered the chance to rider for the Dimension Data Continental Squad in 2018.
Besides the professional contract on offer, all graduates will unlock charitable donations to Qhubeka funded by Zwift.
Zwift has also pledged to fund 500 Qhubeka Bikes with the view to provide more.
Dimension Data Team Principal Doug Ryder recognises that this a great opportunity not only to find undiscovered talent but also spread the Qhubeka message.
'We want to take part in this unique experience to not only identify and discover talent, but also to educate others about our charity partner Qhubeka, an organisation that works to bring rural communities across Africa closer to nutritious food, clean water, schools, employment, and health care by providing them with utility bicycles,' he said.
Keen Zwift user and British National Champion Steve Cummings is also a supporter of this collaboration.
'The team are super supportive about joining forces with Zwift. Many of our staff and riders are keen Zwifters, so it’s a great fit.
'Zwift isn’t only a credible training platform, but a cool way to engage with our fans and support the Qhubeka mission.'