For the second year in a row, an Australian rider has won a pro contract with Alpecin Phoenix through the Zwift Academy, with Queenslander Alex Bogna joining last year's winner, Jay Vine, on the 2022 team.

This pro contract-winning competition, which selects finalists through a series of competitions on the online fitness platform Zwift, is a great opportunity for the already sparse opportunities afforded by the border closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition offered a rare opportunity for Australian cyclists to launch their professional careers in Europe at a time when the already sparse opportunities were further limited by the border closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ten finalists were selected to participate in on-the-bike and off-the-bike testing in Majorca. Five women competed for a contract with Canyon-SRAM and five men competed for a contract with Alpecin-Phoenix. In addition to Australians Samuel Hill, Cooper Sayers, and Bogna, Denmark's Mads Rahbek and South Africa's Byron Munton competed for a contract with the multi-discipline Pro Cycling team

. Christophe de Kegel, Alpecin Phoenix's performance manager, said during the GCN broadcast announcing the winners, "Alex generally outperformed throughout the week. 'The first few days were still a bit difficult to judge because the level of the players was really close, but the last two days Alex really made a difference.'

The 19-year-old, the youngest of the Australian riders, is competing in the National Road Series with ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast, but while his teammates are in their hometown of Queensland for the final round of the 2021 season, Bogna was in Zwift and Mallorca climbing He won both and earned a one-year contract with the Alpecin Phoenix.

"I am at a loss for words, having just been accepted as a professional rider for Alpecin Phoenix. 'Honestly, I am in shock. This is absolutely life changing."

At Alpecin Phoenix, Bogna will race alongside riders such as Mathieu Van Der Pol, Tim Mellier, and Yasper Philipsen. He will also ride alongside fellow Australian Robert Stannard, who will move from Team BikeExchange in 2022, and Wein, who immediately after winning the Zwift Academy, performed well on the road and extended his contract with Alpecin Phoenix for another two years.

Over 150,000 riders participated in the Zwift Academy Road, ultimately resulting in valuable contracts with Alpecin-Phoenix and Canyon-SRAM. The five women's finalists were Maude Udemann and Willemine Prince from the Netherlands, Imogen Oulton and Rachel Wales from Australia, and Caitlin Conyers from Bermuda. 18-year-old Udemann excelled in her daily training, earning multiple " Rider of the Day" awards, which earned her a contract with the Women's World Tour team.