2013-14 MOUNTAIN BIKE PROGRAM BY DAN PROULX, IAN HUGHES, JENNIFER MAHONEY AND JACQUES LANDRY Effective Dec. 20, 2013 PLEASE NOTE: ALL PROGRAMMING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE The purpose of this document is to provide insight on National Team planning for the upcoming mountain bike season. It is important to note that programming may change at any time due to financial circumstances, staffing, changes to the international racing calendar, etc.
1.0 INTRODUCTION The 2013 season was characterized by the rapid rise and progression of the Junior and U23 riders at the international level. It was a solid year that saw our program strengthen and unite with a larger cohort of athletes having potential to be among the best in the World - and performance-based evidence to demonstrate that this objective is realistic. In the next three years, we expect some of these athletes to accelerate their progression and contribute valuable points to Canada s Olympic qualification process. In 2013, there were significant improvements in performance on the World Cup circuit from the Elite men. Our Elite Women, who persevered through injury and illness, clearly demonstrated that they are still ranked amongst the best riders in the World. As a post-olympic year, 2013 was an intentionally lighter and less demanding year for our returning Olympians. As we move closer to 2016, training, racing and interaction with the National Team will become increasingly focused on the objective of medal performances at the Olympic Games. The mountain bike program continues to plan and implement successful strategies that lead to international success. Thus far, the implementation of the quadrennial plan is unfolding as planned. We expect continued breakthroughs in performance at every level of the program. With a strong athlete pool, world-class coaching and a dedicated IST team in place, 2014 should be another year of significant improvement. 2014 NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 1. National Team coach to increase the level of systematic evaluation for each of our 2016 podium potential athletes and those capable of scoring Olympic qualification points the Gold Medal Profile (GMP). 2. National Team coach to insure each athlete has a concrete and individualized plan for addressing areas of improvement. 3. Increased emphasis on Mental Performance throughout the Podium Performance Pathway. 4. Work with coaches and athletes to improve the quality of the Daily Training Environment (DTE) and training methods to meet evolving performance demands. 5. Increase support for developing Elite riders (U25) who are rapidly improving and can finish in the top 25 at Elite World Cup and World Championship events. 6. Increase support for U23 riders who are rapidly improving and can finish in the top 15 at U23 World Cup or World Championship events. 7. Continue to develop the National Team program so that international success is realized at an earlier age. 8. Continue to strengthen our Talent ID program. Identify and develop athletes earlier. 9. Provide more in-depth guidance and support to Talent Identified riders and coaches. Accelerated learning opportunities. 10. Continue to expose athletes to international competition at the Junior level. 11. Continue to improve the quality and frequency of communication with personal and provincial coaches. This document details the objectives for the 2014 National Team Mountain Bike program. It is organized by category to allow for easy reference. Documents to be consulted simultaneously include the National Team Program calendars and Selection Policies. These documents are located on the Cycling Canada website at: www.cyclingcanada.ca. In the event of a discrepancy between this document, the National Team Program or other information, the official Selection Policy document shall always take precedence. Version updated on 2013-12-20 Page 2 of 8
2.0 Elite Mountain Bike Program The primary objective of the Elite Mountain Bike program is a medal performance at the Olympic Games in Rio. To this end, the National Team program is designed to steadily build toward this goal ensuring athletes have the necessary tools and racing experience required to meet this objective. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2014 - Elite Mountain Bike Program: 2014 is a critical year for all riders needing to improve their UCI ranking in anticipation of the first Olympic qualification races in 2015. It is clear, that losing points in the 2014 season could potentially impact a rider s start position at the beginning of the Olympic qualification process. It is important that athletes have a solid plan for gaining the maximum number of UCI points possible in 2014. Support and empower athletes and coaches to build a comprehensive training and racing program that builds the tools required for medal performances at the World Championships and Olympic Games Gold Medal Profile (GMP). Increased emphasis on Mental Performance throughout the Podium Performance Pathway. Continue coaching and IST support at World Cup and World Championship competitions providing one on one technical coaching; video feedback; tactical planning and implementation; race information and support; post-race debrief; individual training process refinement; IST support; and logistical support as needed. Continued refinement of our preparation and performance system for multi-sport Games competition. The Commonwealth Games will be a key event in our preparation process for the 2016 Games in Rio. Provide Tier 1 athletes and those with the potential to score Olympic Qualification points for Canada with an opportunity to compete at the Continental Cycling Championships (Brazil) and participate in a familiarization tour of the 2016 host city and venues. In preparation for the 2015 World Championships, Tier 1 athletes and those with the potential to score Olympic Qualification points for Canada will be given the opportunity to participate in a monitored altitude preparation camp in Colorado (June). The intention is to identify responders/non-responders and appropriate training interventions for the 2015 season (an Olympic points qualification year). Continue to provide individual/small-group technical camps and in-competition technical sessions to insure that our best Elite riders continue to be leaders in technical skill. Continue to improve the level of communication and interaction between athletes and the National Team through increased communication on training plans and athlete progress throughout the year. Enhance the daily training environment by increasing the level of post-race feedback provided to each athlete and/or their personal coach after each World Cup and World Championship competition. National Team Head Coach to continue providing coaching services and training programs throughout the year for selected athletes in the National Team Program. World Cup project opportunities for Elite riders will be focused on U25 athletes who have demonstrated rapid progression toward the Podium Performance Pathway as Elites. It is assumed that Elite riders aged 25 and over should be at a performance level that earns them the support of a professional team when attending World Cup competitions. Continued participation and accelerated learning through the XCE event at all World Cup competitions for athletes competing as part of the National Team. PERFORMANCE GOALS 2014 - Elite Mountain Bike Program: Top 5 finish at the World Championships for men and women Minimum of one Top 5 finish at a World Cup for men and women Medal performance at Commonwealth Games Medal performance at Continental Cycling Championships 3 men and 3 women inside the top 32 on final UCI individual ranking Version updated on 2013-12-20 Page 3 of 8
Competition and Camp Calendar - Elite Mountain Bike Program: The Elite Mountain Bike Program is comprised of the following main competitions and camps: COMPETITIONS March 25-30 Continental Mountain Bike Championships* Barbacena BRA April 19-28 World Cup #2*** Cairns AUS May 20-June 2 World Cup #3 and #4*** Nove Mesto CZE and Albstadt GER July 24-29 Commonwealth Games Glasgow GBR July 30-Aug. 11 World Cup #5 and #6** Mont-Ste-Anne CAN and Windham USA Aug. 19-25 World Cup #7**** Meribel FRA Aug. 28-Sept. 8 World Championships Hafjell NOR TRAINING CAMPS Feb. 10-17 Endurance Camp and Team Building California USA March 31-April 3 Olympic Games Familiarization Tour Rio de Janeiro BRA June 9-22 Monitored Altitude Camp Colorado USA TBD Targeted Individual/Small Group Technical Camps As identified by NT coach * This event not recommended for athletes who are competing at World Cup #1 - RSA with their professional team. ** Athletes will compete as part of their regular professional teams. *** Opportunities will be provided for select U25 athletes to compete as part of the National Team. Other Canadians will compete with their regular trade teams. **** Opportunities will be provided to U25 athletes based on the needs of the program and/or for athletes whose performance at the World Championships will improve as a result of competing at this event. 3.0 U23 MOUNTAIN BIKE PROGRAM The primary objective of the U23 Mountain Bike Program is to identify, build and support athletes who have the potential to win medals at the U23 World Championships. Medal performances at that level correlate strongly with an athlete s future potential to earn Olympic and World Championship medal performances. In 2014, we are identifying U23 athletes who have the potential to improve dramatically to a level where they can earn Olympic Qualification points in 2015 and/or contend for a position on the 2016 Olympic team. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2014 U23 Mountain Bike Program: Support and empower athletes and coaches to build a comprehensive training and racing program that builds the tools required for medal performances at the U23 World Championships Gold Medal Profile (GMP). Increased emphasis on Mental Performance throughout the Podium Performance Pathway. Identify and support U23 athletes who may be capable of earning points for Canada s Olympic qualification process. Continue to utilize Performance on Demand selection events for U23 National Team programs. Continue to educate coaches and athletes on the importance of building training capacity throughout an athlete s career. Continued National Team projects at World Cup and World Championship competitions providing one-onone technical coaching; video feedback; tactical planning and implementation, race information and support; post-race debrief; individual training process refinement; IST support; logistics as needed. U23 athletes with the potential to score Olympic Qualification points for Canada will be given the opportunity to participate in a monitored altitude preparation camp in Colorado (June). The intention is to identify Version updated on 2013-12-20 Page 4 of 8
responders/non-responders and appropriate training interventions for the 2015 season (an Olympic points qualification year). Continue to provide individual/small-group technical camps to insure that our best U23 riders continue to master World-leading technical skills. Continue to improve the level of communication and interaction between athletes and National Team through increased communication on training plans and athlete progress throughout the year. Enhance DTE by increasing the level of post-race feedback provided to each athlete and/or their personal coach after each World Cup competition. Provide on-going daily training environment based on athlete and program needs in Victoria, B.C., throughout the year. National Team Head Coach to continue providing coaching services and training programs throughout the year for selected athletes in the National Team Program. Continued participation and accelerated learning through the XCE event at all World Cup competitions. PERFORMANCE GOALS 2014 U23 Mountain Bike Program: Top 8 finish at the World Championships for men and women Minimum of one Top 8 finish at a World Cup for men and women Medal performance for men and women at Continental Cycling Championships Competition and Camp Calendar U23 Mountain Bike Program: The U23 Mountain Bike Program is comprised of the following main competitions and camps: COMPETITIONS March 25-30 Continental Mountain Bike Championships* Barbacena BRA April 19-28 World Cup #2* Cairns AUS May 20-June 2 World Cup #3 and #4** Nove Mesto CZE and Albstadt GER July 30-Aug. 11 World Cup #5 and #6*** Mont-Ste-Anne CAN and Windham USA Aug. 28-Sept. 8 World Championships Hafjell NOR TRAINING CAMPS Feb. 10-17 Endurance Camp and Team Building California USA March 31-April 3 Olympic Games Familiarization Tour Rio de Janeiro BRA June 9-22 Monitored Altitude Camp**** Colorado USA TBD Targeted Individual/Small Group Technical Camps As identified by NT coach * Pending selection criteria, these competitions will be for top performers from the U23 World Championships. ** Pending selection criteria, these competitions would be for U23 top performers who were on the World Championship team in 2013 and who were not selected for Continental Champs or World Cup #2. *** Athletes will compete with their regular trade teams. ****Pending selection criteria and based on available space after Tier 1 and Olympic Points potential athletes have been selected. 4.0 JUNIOR MOUNTAIN BIKE PROGRAM At this level, we anticipate that athletes will possess a high degree of speed and skill and an ever-improving overall training capacity. Successful athletes at this level typically come from programs with a quality DTE and quality coaching. Typically, successful Juniors at the National Team level have already competed in the sport for 1-2 years as Cadets and/or may have come from another sport prior to becoming part of the mountain bike program. This level of experience is a key element as the Junior category is becoming increasingly competitive. The aim of the Version updated on 2013-12-20 Page 5 of 8
National Team Junior Mountain Bike Program is to develop athletes who are capable of winning medals at the Junior World Championships. The program relies heavily on the expertise of personal, club and provincial coaches who begin working with athletes in a systematic manner at an early age. The Junior program involves a strong emphasis on athlete and coach development. It s important that Canada provide an accelerated and systematic learning environment for its young mountain bike athletes. The program also has to be fun if it s to be successful in the long-term. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2014 Junior Mountain Bike Program: Continue to build an in-depth development program for talent identified athletes and their coaches. Create a development camp format to be used by provinces to help increase the athlete pool and number of provincial high performance coaching opportunities. Create targeted camps to help talent identified athletes progress onto the Podium Performance Pathway. Identify and address gaps in performance between Canada s best Junior athletes and World Championships medalists using the Gold Medal Profile (GMP). Increased emphasis on Mental Performance throughout the Podium Performance Pathway. Continue to provide National Team projects to accelerate the development of Canada s juniors: o European junior race series (Czech and Germany World Cups) o o High performance junior team camps Additional North American races may be added to the schedule when the UCI World Junior Series events are finalized Create a comprehensive LTAD to help coaches and athletes to increase their performance level. National Team Development Coach to continue providing coaching services and training programs throughout the year for selected athletes in the National Team Program. Keep inspiring and developing high performance provincial coaches in our system. Provide opportunities for their professional development. PERFORMANCE GOALS 2014 Junior Mountain Bike Program: Top 10 finish at the World Championships for men and women Top 10 finish at the Czech and Germany World Junior Series Races Competition and Camp Calendar Junior Mountain Bike Program: The Junior Mountain Bike Program is comprised of the following main competitions and camps: COMPETITIONS May 20-June 2 Junior Series Races at WC#3 and #4* Nove Mesto CZE and Albstadt GER Throughout season National Development Coach in attendance at all Across Canada Canada Cups to provide feedback and support for athletes planning to qualify for World Championships Aug. 28-Sept. 8 World Championships Hafjell NOR TRAINING CAMPS May 12-14 Bromont Development Camp Bromont QC June 11-15 Bromont Development Camp Bromont QC July 15-17 Hardwood Ski and Bike Development Camp Hardwood Hills ON July 30-Aug. 4 Mont-Ste-Anne World Cup Camp Mont-Ste-Anne QC Aug. 13-15 Whistler Development Camp Whistler BC TBD Targeted Individual/Small Group Technical Camps As identified by National Coach * Pending selection criteria, top performers from the 2013 Junior World Championships will be selected for this project. Version updated on 2013-12-20 Page 6 of 8
5.0 TALENT IDENTIFICATION PROGRAMS The Talent Development program is comprised of cadet and junior athletes. The long-term aim of the program is to consistently identify athletes, coaches and programs with the potential to reach the Podium Performance Pathway. Young athletes need a FUN and positive environment in order to succeed. A fun club environment that is built around friendship and shared experience is best. Games and fun races help athletes to build the skill and agility needed to be World Class. Young athletes can learn to apply the core values of the National Team at an early age. Increase emphasis on Talent ID and recruitment. Identify athletes earlier (i.e. Cadet). Identify and grow talented coaches who can build fun programs that align with National Team. Identify and build upon fundamental skills required to progress toward Best in the World. Identify and nurture personal and athletic traits (i.e. work ethic, optimism, accountability, perseverance) that are essential to success. National Talent ID program and hosting Talent ID days. Development Team Camps in coordination with the Canada Cup schedule. Outreach programs for PSO and Club programs. Database of Talent ID coaches and athletes. Mountain bike specific LTAD model. Help parents, athletes and coaches to learn faster. TALENT DEVELOPMENT CAMPS May 12-14 Bromont Development Camp Bromont QC June 11-15 Bromont Development Camp Bromont QC July 15-17 Hardwood Ski and Bike Development Camp Hardwood Hills ON Aug. 13-15 Whistler Development Camp Whistler BC TBD Targeted Individual/Small Group Technical Camps As identified by National Coach Version updated on 2013-12-20 Page 7 of 8
6.0 Downhill Program The National Mountain Bike Team will continue to provide services for Downhill athletes at the World Championships. In the past few years, Downhill athletes have been very successful at the World Championships and on the World Cup Circuit. We anticipate continued success in the future. The 2014 World Championship Team will be comprised of 3 Elite Men, 3 Elite Women, 3 Junior Men and 1 Junior Woman. Details on the selection policy for this event will be available in mid-february. Cycling Canada does not currently receive any government funding to support Downhill athletes. In 2014, all athletes will be required to pay a project fee that covers the cost of their participation at the World Championships. Only athletes who regularly compete on the World Cup circuit as part of a registered UCI Elite Mountain Bike team will be exempt from this fee. 7.0 Conclusion The mountain bike racing community in Canada is comprised of ambitious and hard working athletes and coaches who truly believe that we can be the best in the World. As a National Team, our systems and programming are being constantly strengthened and refined to insure we are World leaders in the sport of Mountain Biking. Each year seems to get better and better. We re excited to see where the 2014 season will take us. Together, we can build the best Mountain Bike program in the World. If you have any questions or suggestions about the proposed National Team program outlined in this document, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing Off-Road Coordinator Jennifer Mahoney at jennifer.mahoney@cyclingcanada.ca or National Mountain Bike Coach Dan Proulx at dan.proulx@cyclingcanada.ca. We welcome your feedback and contributions toward Canada s success. Version updated on 2013-12-20 Page 8 of 8