This January, Federation University and AusCycling are once again helping you level up your coaching with a series of seminars during the Federation University RoadNats Ballarat.
Experienced sport scientists, coaches and industry professionals will share their insights across different aspects of cycling coaching and training.
They’ll be covering these four topics:
Bike fitting
Coaching persons with an intellectual disability
The demands of XCO racing
The Norwegian training model
The seminars will be hosted in person at Lecture Theatre C001, Mt Helen, Federation University, with the option to attend online via Teams. Either way, they are free to attend.
Click the links below to register for the Teams webinar. No registration is required for in-person attendance.
(If you are encountering issues when registering for the Teams webinars, try a different browser or clearing your cache).
The Art & Science of Bike Fit
Wednesday, January 3, 6:00-7:00pm AEDT
Presenter: Chris Steffanoni
Chris will discuss the complexities and challenges of professional bike fitting from a clinician's perspective in a broad-scoping seminar. The seminar will cover historical developments in the racing world and bike fit industries. It will also discuss the practical challenges and misconceptions that cyclists, coaches, and bike fitters may encounter when refining bike and rider ergonomics.
Chris Steffanoni is a highly experienced bike fitter who has been working in the industry for almost two decades. He has worked with professional, amateur, and recreational athletes and has a background in health science and sports myotherapy. In addition, he has experience working as a consultant in product design and ergonomics. Chris holds a Bachelor's degree in Health Science and an Advanced Diploma in Sports Therapy. He is a professional member of Sports Medicine Australia and the Australian Natural Therapists Association.
Virtus Games - Coaching Persons with an Intellectual Disability
This presentation is an AusCycling recognised professional development opportunity
Wednesday, January 3, 7:00-8:00pm AEDT
Presenters: Greg Meyland, Michael Thompson and Jans Koerts
Greg, Michael and Jans will discuss the opportunities, challenges and successes of working with Athletes with an Intellectual Disability including the success of the Australian Team at the Virtus Games.
Greg Meyland is a UCI Diploma Level 3 international coach and the current Education Coordinator and Athlete Pathways Manager at AusCycling. Greg has years of experience developing both high-performance and internationally recognised coaches and athletes, across all cycling disciplines.
Michael Thomson is the Victorian Project Manager with Sport Inclusion Australia and has been instrumental in the development and success of the Australian team at the Virtus Global Games. Michael has a proud and successful history of working with Athletes with a Disability across a range of sports.
Jans Koerts is an AusCycling Development Coach and was the 2023 Australian Virtus Games Team Coach. Jans is a former UCI professional cyclist with a professional racing career from 1992 to 2007, including racing at the Tour De France, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo. Jans is a passionate cycling coach and operates his own coaching business.
Laboratory and Race Performance Characteristics of Elite Male and Female Cross Country Mountain Bike Athletes
Thursday, January 4, 6:00-7:00pm AEDT
Presenter: Adam Kelsall
Adam will discuss the surprising physiological and stochastic course demands of XCO racing and the implications of those findings for physiologists and coaches into the future, including those working with on-road athletes.
Adam (HeroDirt Cycle Coaching) is a coach working with cross-country (XCO), downhill (DHI) and gravity enduro (GE) mountain bike athletes as well as cyclo-cross riders, ultra-distance bike packers and triathletes. Adam is ever-curious about the intersection between sports science and coaching practice and has completed an Honours investigating the Performance Characteristics of Elite Male and Female Cross Country Mountain Bike Athletes.
Is the Norwegian Model the next step in cycling training evolution?
Thursday, January 4, 7:00-8:00pm AEDT
Presenter: Ryan Worn
Ryan will discuss the concept of the Norwegian training model, its popularity in other sports, the physiology that underpins the model, and its potential utility in cycling, citing a successful athlete case study.
Dr Ryan Worn is a lecturer in exercise and sports science at Federation University, specialising in high-performance athlete physiology and biomechanics. Ryan is an active racing cyclist and an active cycling coach with success coaching athletes to a national level, including representation at world championships in road cycling, track cycling and BMX.