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Cycling
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The WAIS Cycling program is a squad-based program with each squad having a mix of road, track and mountain bike athletes.
Squad Structure
The WAIS Elite Squad
The program is targetted at athletes who are either current national representatives or who have been identified as having the potential to represent the national team in the very near future.
Some athletes in this squad spend lengthy periods of time either at the AIS or on tour with the AIS/National teams. The WAIS head coach is responsible for ensuring that the program each athlete follows, when they are at home in Perth, is consistent with the national direction.
The WAIS Emerging Squad
This program is targetted at athletes who would normally be in the U17 and U19 age groups and who show potential to be selected in the National Junior teams. Cycling is a multi-disciplinary sport where athletes at senior level specialise. However, emerging athletes are encouraged to ride both road and track.
Athletes within the program may gain individual scholarship status. An individual scholarship affords an athlete some extra assistance with their expenses over-and-above the assistance given to them through the squad budget. This extends to athletes with disabilities.
Athlete & Coach Information
The WAIS Cycling Program numbers among one of the top performing programs at WAIS in the recent past producing 2 world champions in the past 2 years.
Ryan Bayley started the trend winning the World Keirin Title in 2001. Peter Dawson joined Bayley’s winning streak as they both came away from the Commonwealth Games bearing Gold Medals, Peter’s Team Pursuit Team setting a new World Record. Peter’s World Title came in the Team Pursuit at the Track World Championships in 2002.
Other notable riders among the 7-strong elite WAIS squad includes joint AIS scholarship holders Peter, Ryan and Hayley Rutherford, a joint WAIS/AIS road rider, who came 4th at the Commonwealth Games and has recently joined a pro team in Italy training with other Australian National Team Members. Daniel Mackey and Ric Steele have both also represented Australia, and Ian Longville, Mountain Bike Rider, has also represented his country and is one of the top riders in Australia.
Ryan’s younger sister, Kristine Bayley, is a rising star, having been on the medal podium as an Australian Junior, she has broken into the Senior National Track Team already in 2003.
Several of the WAIS development squad show the same potential, in particular the young Sunderland brothers, Scott and Lee. Scott won 6 national titles and broke 2 national records at U15 level in 2002. Amber Malone won the national 2002 U19 Women’s Road Race. Benjamin (B.J.) Miles, Amy Kirk, Leeanne Manderson and Kerry Cohen all won National Medals in 2002 on either Track or Road.
It is highly likely that Ryan, Peter and Hayley will represent Australia at the Athens Olympics, with several of the WAIS squad in with a very decent chance of breaking into the team over the next 14 months.
Staff
Currently the program is staffed with one full-time Head Coach.
The breadth of the program is such that part-time assistant coaches are used where a need exists and suitable coaches are available.
Program Staff
- Program Coordinator - Andy Smith
- Head Coach - Darryl Benson
Cycling Program Support Personnel
- Physician/Doctor - Dr Carmel Goodman
- Physiotherapist - Alison Low and John Annear
- Massage Therapist - Bernd Adolf
- WAIS Sport Psychologist - Matthew Burgin
- WAIS Nutritionist - Deborah Kerr
- WAIS Exercise Physiologist - Ben Dascombe
- WAIS Athlete Career and Education Advisor - Jenny Marsh
- WAIS Biomechanist - Matthew Doyle
- WAIS Strength and Conditioning Supervisor - Greg Morgan
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