News: Talent Development Programme

British Cycling announce a series of changes to its successful Talent Development Programme, appointing a first lead coach for female riders, dedicated support for MTB gravity and cyclo-cross and a clearer pathway for aspiring riders across the disciplines.

News: Talent Development Programme

The changes, which have been designed to ensure closer integration with the Great Britain Cycling Team, will better enable British Cycling and its network of Talent Development Coaches to provide positive and engaging opportunities for young riders across the disciplines.

The changes have been formally introduced from the beginning of this month, and are the first steps in the organisation’s ambition to broaden and diversify its talent development offering and pave the way for future success on the world stage.

Pathway integration
From April 2021, the Great Britain Cycling Team Foundation Programme (Road and Track) will be incorporated into the British Cycling Talent Development Programme. This will align road and track with the other cycling disciplines and ensure a more streamlined pathway for talented riders.

As a result of the change, all English Youth riders (under 16) will be supported by British Cycling Talent Development coaches, with the Great Britain Cycling Team programme then supporting riders from the Junior age category onwards. Current Great Britain Cycling Team Foundation riders who are part of the 2021/22 cohort will continue to be part of the programme with the same appointed coach. This level of the pathway will be renamed as the National School of Racing Foundation Programme.

The newly-merged British Cycling Talent Development Road and Track coaching team will grow from four to five coaches, while excellent collaboration with Scottish Cycling and Welsh Cycling in this area will continue to be a key strength of the programme.

Tom Stanton, Performance Pathway Manager for the Great Britain Cycling Team, said: “This is a positive move to ensure the Great Britain Cycling Team’s legacy of success continues long into the future. “It will allow for the support team who work at the Podium and Academy end of the pathway to really focus on their preparations for the next Games, while allowing more tailored support for riders at the Youth end of the pathway. “It also means we can implement clear and consistent benchmarks throughout the stages of development a rider goes through, not only for our own Pathway but for external cycling development programmes.”

Talent Development Coach – Female Lead
The organisation is pleased to announce that Tiffany Fletcher will become its first Talent Development Coach – Female Lead, having initially joined the organisation as a Go-Ride Coach.

Working closely with clubs, riders and parents, Tiffany will lead on a number of key projects including: understanding the barriers to young females racing; supporting the long-term development of female riders; and increasing the number of club activities for women and girls. In addition to this, she will support the broadening of the road and track pathway and existing talent transfer initiatives.

MTB Gravity
Michael Vickers has joined the Talent Development coaching team as Talent Development Coach for MTB Gravity. A well-established and recognised coach and educator, Michael will be tasked with developing and integrating the pathway for MTB Gravity, with a strong focus on young people, clubs, teams and the next generation of gravity riders.

A number of Gravity Development Hubs will be launched over the next six months across the country to foster stronger relationships with the Gravity community.

Cyclo-Cross
After a successful pilot in 2019, cyclo-cross will now become an integral part of the talent pathway with Matt Ellis joining the programme as the Talent Development Coach for Cyclo-Cross. With an initial focus on providing regular and accessible Development Centre opportunities across the regions, and the implementation of a new rider framework of skills and benchmarks, Matt will continue to support the country’s best young cyclo-cross riders to fulfil their ambitions.