21-year-old earns roster spot on Team Dimension Data U23 riding Zwift

After weeks of competition and evaluation on Zwift, Team Dimension Data’s under-23 UCI continental squad grows one stronger with the addition of Ollie Jones of New Zealand. The 21-year-old was announced the winner on Tuesday of Zwift Academy emerging from an initial field of 5,000 entrants. The competition culminated with a week of riding at Dimension Data’s team training camp in South Africa. Jones is the first male winner of the competition after American Leah Thorvilson won a contract with UCI women’s team Canyon SRAM Racing for 2017.

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“To say this is a dream come true is the understatement of the year. It’s a life changing experience and I still can’t believe it’s happening,” said Jones. “Now I’m onto the next challenge of making the move to a new home in Lucca, Italy and doing everything I can to support my team mates in the season ahead”

The competition consisted of a six-week program of workouts, group rides and races in the world of Zwift. A two-week long round of semi-finals then followed with 10 U23 candidates riding on Zwift and outdoors being scrutinized by a panel of judges from Team Dimension Data and TrainSharp coaching analyzed their data.

Jones then moved on to the Zwift Academy final alongside Sam Mobberley of New Zealand and Australian Nick White at Team Dimension Data end of season team camp in Cape Town. A week of real world riding with the team and further challenges lead to Jones being awarded a pro contract with Team Dimension Data’s U23 squad for 2018. Jones was a former speed skater who transitioned to cycling in 2016 after injuries hampered his skating career.

Team Dimension Data team principal Doug Ryder explained the value of scouting out raw talent through Zwift Academy. “Finding the next young talent is never easy, but Zwift’s reach and data collection opens our team up to the whole world,” he said. “Of course, there’s no substitute for the tactics, bike handling, and skills a rider needs in real-world racing, but these finalists presented us with the raw materials we need to find the next generation of world class talent.”

Also in other news, Zwift announced the virtual training game can now be used through Apple TV. The app can be downloaded on new fourth, fifth and 4K generation Apple TV. Using a bluetooth connection to connect to a smart trainer you can easily set-up the virtual training platform on your TV. The announce med follows Zwift becoming available on iPhone and iPad.