It may not be bike racing, but indoor riding using virtual software is becoming more and more prevelant with the lockdowns in many countries probably helping to accelerate it. Canyon Sram and Alpecin obviously see that it is worth investing time and effort into searching for these riders via the Zwift (academy) platform. Previously it's been done rather seperately between the two teams, but these last two editions seem to be more interconnected. Last year was differen t because of covid, so a lot more of it was online but the riders still had to complete set parts outdoors, whereas this year I think the majority is outdoors with just a couple of tests and races indoors.
Also, I think most riders who apply and get close to the final five have some level of racing experience, with some even being continental riders.