So far, Emily Dixon’s path in cycling has been one of steady development and opportunity.

Growing up in an active family, sports and bikes were always part of her life. Living in New Zealand for a few years as a child introduced her to mountain biking through classic weekend trail rides, although it wasn’t love at first sight. When the 2020 pandemic lockdown put all other sports on hold, Emily finally gave cycling a fair chance, riding her dad’s oversized old bike on Zwift and challenging herself to train daily.

She made her foray into road racing during 2021 and joined the 99 Bike Women’s Academy in 2022 as an U17, also remaining with the programme through her U19 years. In 2024, she claimed two podiums at the Australian National Road Championships before embarking on a month-long junior development trip in Europe with the ARA Australian Cycling Team. Racing in Belgian kermesses and UCI Junior Nations Cups gave her valuable exposure to the European standard of cycling and the global epicentres of the sport.

A turning point came on a dreary Melbourne winter’s day when a club race was cancelled, prompting her to spontaneously go indoors and instead race a Zwift Academy event. Despite initially believe she was too young for the programme, that decision proved defining, setting her on off on a months-long quest of rigorous testing. She ultimately earned her a place in the Zwift Academy finals at the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto winter training camp in Portugal.

Against three other candidates, Emily distinguished herself by combining strong power numbers, first-class riding technique, and experience beyond her age. Tackling every challenge with a calm and collected spirit, her focus was on proving her talent and not let competitor performances affect her – an approach that impressed the judges. The then 18-year-old consistently rose to every challenge, including lung-busting 8-minute hill climb tests and furious efforts around a technical go-kart track.

She was chosen as the ninth Zwift Academy victor, and her first year as a professional is now history, performing admirably across 44 race days in her first season away from juniors and her home country of Australia.

At the start of the year, while still on home soil, Emily claimed second in the Youth Classification at the 2025 Tour Down Under, achieved through a storming ride up the famed Willunga Hill. Impressively, this was her very first WorldTour race, and she was the youngest rider in the event. Later in the year, she rode with the WorldTeam at the Tour de Pologne Women, where Chiara Consonni claimed two stage wins and the overall title.

Reflecting on 2025, with a 2026 contract in hand, Emily says:

“I’m pleased with how I’ve adjusted to being away from home for so long and how I embraced every new opportunity with the team. I handled the challenges of learning European racing and made real progress from the start of the season until now. Seeing that growth makes me even more excited for what I can build on next year.”