Louis Kitzki (20) beat the other two finalists Anton Schiffer (also from Germany) and Mattia Gaffuri (Italy) in the final of the Zwift Academy in Denia, Spain, to secure a place in the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team, i.e. the junior team of the Belgian World Tour team. The Zwift Academy talent search and training programme took place for the eighth time. Over 108,000 cyclists took part in the 2023 Academy. From these, the three best male and female riders were selected and invited to Spain for the final.
Louis Kitzki wins Zwift Academy 2023 and joins Alpecin-Deceuninck
At the final, the races were not only held in the app, but also on the road. The finalists even got to know their potential coaches and teams and took part in joint rides. At the final, Louis Kitzki stood out from the other two competitors thanks to his talent, ambition and determination. At 20 years old, Louis was the youngest Zwift Academy finalist and showed strong development potential for his future career.
"In this edition, the finalists were the most comparable in terms of their physical characteristics," said Kristof de Kegel, Performance Manager at Alpecin-Deceuninck, praising the newcomer: "Louis combines his young age with the will and awareness that his 'weaknesses' are just points to work on, which gave him an advantage over the other finalists. All three had enormous physical capacities, but in our opinion Louis has the most sustainable long-term profile."
Louis himself can't wait for his next task: "I'm really looking forward to joining the Alpecin-Deceuninck development team next season, learning from some of the best cyclists in the world and hopefully following in Luca's footsteps!"
Maddie Le Roux is the female winner
In the women's category, South African Maddie Le Roux was able to beat Laura Simenc from Slovenia and Katy Hill from England thanks to her performance data and her high-level racing experience. She has signed a professional contract with Canyon//SRAM Generation. "Maddie excelled in many of the challenges, but what set her apart from all the finalists was the support of her predetermined lead riders during the Zwift race," explained Adam Szabó, Team Director at Canyon//SRAM Generation, adding: "This moment was a turning point in the week and we were sure that this was exactly what we were looking for in our team. We are delighted to welcome her to the team."
Maddie herself still can't believe her luck: "I'm over the moon that I can finally announce the news. To be honest, it still feels unbelievable, but I'm sure I'll realise it soon. It's been a storm of emotions since I came back from the finals, but I'm looking forward to joining the team in Europe and starting the season."
Both winners joined their new teams in January and ride their specially developed Zwift Academy Canyon Aeroad. The whole final can be watched afterwards in a four-part documentary on the Eurosport YouTube channel.
Lukas Niebuhr
Working student
