PATHWAY
The Cycling Australia Performance Strategy
To secure investment from the AIS each sport writes a performance plan, detailing what’s required to achieve future results. This is the same as setting goals with riders. The plan works back from the end goal considering the environment, competitions required, nutrition and recovery and equipment needed to improve.
We do this on a bigger scale, with investment at three main areas:
These three main areas form what we call the Athlete Pathway which is illustrated below
To secure investment from the AIS each sport writes a performance plan, detailing what’s required to achieve future results. This is the same as setting goals with riders. The plan works back from the end goal considering the environment, competitions required, nutrition and recovery and equipment needed to improve.
We do this on a bigger scale, with investment at three main areas:
- Podium – This is about winning and inspiring by pursuing excellence
- Podium Potential – The focus is about learning to win
- Emerging and Developing – Talent Identification and development of skills and abilities
These three main areas form what we call the Athlete Pathway which is illustrated below
This has three core ingredients for success:
The able-bodied athlete pathway starts with an emphasis on sprint and endurance streams, rather than being discipline specific. This is because we want a greater focus on skills at an early stage, with athletes becoming event specific as they find their direction or event preference.
Investment is prioritised to optimise Olympic medal outcomes with the possibility of athletes “graduating” to other disciplines as they mature. For example, from Track Endurance to Road, from BMX to Track Sprint or Road, and from MTB to Road. The opposite transition has not been successful – for example from Track Sprint to BMX, Road to MTB, or Road to Track Endurance most likely due to the skills developed at an earlier phase of development and also due to different financial opportunities in the different disciplines at professional level.
For Para athletes the pathway to Podium is much shorter currently than the able bodied pathway. Athletes can be identified and developed into Podium level athletes in as little as three years. This depends on the discipline and skill level, but as a general rule of thumb we see athletes emerging and developing much more quickly to world class levels. We do anticipate as Para cycling develops globally that the athlete pathway may start to become longer and more specialised.
- Athletes
- Coaching
- Environment
The able-bodied athlete pathway starts with an emphasis on sprint and endurance streams, rather than being discipline specific. This is because we want a greater focus on skills at an early stage, with athletes becoming event specific as they find their direction or event preference.
Investment is prioritised to optimise Olympic medal outcomes with the possibility of athletes “graduating” to other disciplines as they mature. For example, from Track Endurance to Road, from BMX to Track Sprint or Road, and from MTB to Road. The opposite transition has not been successful – for example from Track Sprint to BMX, Road to MTB, or Road to Track Endurance most likely due to the skills developed at an earlier phase of development and also due to different financial opportunities in the different disciplines at professional level.
For Para athletes the pathway to Podium is much shorter currently than the able bodied pathway. Athletes can be identified and developed into Podium level athletes in as little as three years. This depends on the discipline and skill level, but as a general rule of thumb we see athletes emerging and developing much more quickly to world class levels. We do anticipate as Para cycling develops globally that the athlete pathway may start to become longer and more specialised.
Track and Road
Track is the primary focus of the Australian Cycling Team not only because it provides the highest probability of medal outcomes, but also because it provides athletes with physical, tactical and skill development which, for endurance athletes, can be transferred to road careers as the riders mature.
There is strong evidence of track to road conversion. Examples from Australia include Brad McGee, Rohan Dennis and Amanda Spratt, and from overseas riders such as Sir Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, Simon Yates, Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani began their careers on the track before transitioning successfully to the road.
Road preparation, both competition and training, forms part of the required development of endurance riders. However, we don’t support a road only development stream because the evidence tells us it’s not [rarely?] possible to identify future road stars at U17/U19. Therefore, road-only athletes are directly supported by the Australian Cycling Team only at Podium Potential level and above via Individual Athlete Performance Support plans.
To further assist the next generation of road athletes, Cycling Australia supports and operates the National Road Series which we want to see develop and thrive to provide a domestic competition opportunity for up and coming athletes. In addition, Cycling Australia will support the development of Australian athletes through Australian teams in Tour Down Under and the Summer of Cycling and will work with NRS teams to provide opportunities in Australian teams during overseas competition blocks with a focus on younger developing athletes.
The Podium Potential Academy, which contains endurance and sprint athletes, forms a critical part in the athlete pathway at the intersection of Junior U19 and U23 categories. It is the mechanism by which the best athletes in the HPN can bridge the gap between this level and the Podium program. This is also a challenging time which often requires a careful balancing act between education and commitment to the demands of a full-time high-performance athlete preparation.
Para Cycling
As previously mentioned the Para program is supported in the daily training environment by the HPN. Athletes have been assessed and prioritised within the following 3 tiers to support the best possible outcomes.
BMX
Our approach to the development of BMX athletes is similar to that of road athletes with Individual Athlete Performance Support provided to a select group of athletes in Supercross and Freestyle at Podium Potential level and above.
We are working with BMXA who provide the development pathways for athletes below Podium Potential level.
MTB
Our approach to the development of MTB athletes is similar to that of road and BMX athletes however at present there are no MTB athletes in the Australian Cycling Team as there are no Australian MTB athletes at Podium Potential level or above.
MTBA currently provide the development pathways for MTB athletes in Australia.
Track is the primary focus of the Australian Cycling Team not only because it provides the highest probability of medal outcomes, but also because it provides athletes with physical, tactical and skill development which, for endurance athletes, can be transferred to road careers as the riders mature.
There is strong evidence of track to road conversion. Examples from Australia include Brad McGee, Rohan Dennis and Amanda Spratt, and from overseas riders such as Sir Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas, Simon Yates, Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani began their careers on the track before transitioning successfully to the road.
Road preparation, both competition and training, forms part of the required development of endurance riders. However, we don’t support a road only development stream because the evidence tells us it’s not [rarely?] possible to identify future road stars at U17/U19. Therefore, road-only athletes are directly supported by the Australian Cycling Team only at Podium Potential level and above via Individual Athlete Performance Support plans.
To further assist the next generation of road athletes, Cycling Australia supports and operates the National Road Series which we want to see develop and thrive to provide a domestic competition opportunity for up and coming athletes. In addition, Cycling Australia will support the development of Australian athletes through Australian teams in Tour Down Under and the Summer of Cycling and will work with NRS teams to provide opportunities in Australian teams during overseas competition blocks with a focus on younger developing athletes.
The Podium Potential Academy, which contains endurance and sprint athletes, forms a critical part in the athlete pathway at the intersection of Junior U19 and U23 categories. It is the mechanism by which the best athletes in the HPN can bridge the gap between this level and the Podium program. This is also a challenging time which often requires a careful balancing act between education and commitment to the demands of a full-time high-performance athlete preparation.
Para Cycling
As previously mentioned the Para program is supported in the daily training environment by the HPN. Athletes have been assessed and prioritised within the following 3 tiers to support the best possible outcomes.
- Gold Medal Potential (higher resource input for gold medal outcome)
- Medal Potential (lower resource input to maintain a medal outcome)
- 2020 Qualification Group (elite and development riders outside medal outcomes due to factoring or events, but score highly and support our overall Paralympic qualification process)
BMX
Our approach to the development of BMX athletes is similar to that of road athletes with Individual Athlete Performance Support provided to a select group of athletes in Supercross and Freestyle at Podium Potential level and above.
We are working with BMXA who provide the development pathways for athletes below Podium Potential level.
MTB
Our approach to the development of MTB athletes is similar to that of road and BMX athletes however at present there are no MTB athletes in the Australian Cycling Team as there are no Australian MTB athletes at Podium Potential level or above.
MTBA currently provide the development pathways for MTB athletes in Australia.
