In a glass-slipper approach, Rockhampton Cycling Club is keen to give every young person in Rockhampton the chance to be talented-spotted as a potential cycling champion of the future - even those who may never have ridden a bike.

Since Rockhampton has been a springboard for national, world and Olympic champions in the past, the Club has been awarded funding from the Australian Sports Commission's National Talent Identification and Development Program to search for the next generation of talent.

High-school PE classes are already being searched for talent, with teachers helping with pre-testing of their students.

But the Club is also keen that all interested people aged 13-23 get a chance to be considered for a quality coaching and mentoring system. The Club is home to Ken 'Reggie' Tucker, who is one of Australia's high performance coaches, and approximately 10 - 15 Level 1 Coaches.

Rockhampton Cycling Club will host a special testing day at CQU Rockhampton athletics oval on Saturday May 26 (8am - 11am or 2pm - 5pm).

Participants will be tested for their endurance, power, height and weight, with activities including vertical jumps, sprints and multi-stage fitness courses.

The process will be coordinated by CQU Human Movement Science (HMSC) Masters researcher Morwenna Kirwan, with help from HMSc undergraduate students.

Morwenna Kirwan

Ms Kirwan said all people aged 13-23 were welcome, although those under 18 would need their parents to be present to provide informed consent.

Details are available from Morwenna via m.kirwan@cqu.edu.au or 4930 6421.

"The Rockhampton Cycling Club has a rich history of producing cycling talent for Australia: Anna and Kerrie Meares, Miles Olman, Jeremy Hogg and Glen Chadwick are just a few of the cycling greats to come out of Rockhampton," Ms Kirwan said.

The Rockhampton Cycling Club Talent Search Program is viewed as an important talent identification and development program by Cycling Australia as the Club has previously provided elite cyclists to the World Junior, World Senior, Commonwealth and Olympic Games level. Some of these riders have won gold medals at these competitions, including one world record while others are racing the European Road Circuit.

In 2003, the Rockhampton Cycling Club senior riders took out 19 of the 23 medals won by Queensland at those State Championships and they recently filled 9 of 24 positions in the Queensland Team at the 2006 Australian Track Cycling Championships. The Club's most outstanding riders include:

-         Anna Meares OAM (2004 Olympic Champion, World Record Holder, 2001 World Junior 500m Time Trial Champion)

-         Kerrie Meares (2002 Dual Commonwealth Games Champion, 2000 World Junior 500m Time Trial Champion)

-         Miles Olman (SouthAustralia.com-AIS, 3 x World Junior Track Champion)

-         Wade Cosgrove (2002 World Junior 1000m Time Trial Champion)

-         Jeremy Hogg (2005 Australian Junior Track Cycling Team, bronze medallist)

-         Cameron Jennings (Team DFL-cyclingnews, Belgian based semi-pro road team)

-         Glen Chadwick (Navigators Insurance, US Division 2 professional cycling team)

The Rockhampton Cycling Club is home to past cycling champions including:

-         Kenrick Tucker (1980 and 1984 Olympian, 1978 and 1982 Commonwealth Games Sprint Champion)

-         Russell Tucker (1981 Australian Scratch Race Champion, 1984 Dual Track Teams Pursuit/ Australian Road Time Trial Champion (only person to do), World Masters 1000m Champion)

-         Byron Tucker  (1984 Australian Teams Pursuit Champion)

-         Michael McLachlan (1981 - First RCC member to win a road Australian Championship)

-         Bernard Paton (1992 World Junior Pointscore Champion)

In 2003 the Queensland Academy of Sport, in conjunction with the Rockhampton Cycling Club and Central Queensland University's School of Health & Human Performance (HHP) ran a successful Talent Identification program, the first of its kind to be run in a regional centre.  This program ran from August 2003 - March 2005 and was successful in achieving the following:

-         Philippa Hindmarsh - won 3 gold and 1 silver medal at the 2004 and 2005 Australian Junior Track Cycling Championships in Melbourne and Perth respectively

-         Lindsay McMaster - Queensland team representative and 2004 Australian silver medallist (team sprint)

-         Michelle Firth (Simpson) - 2004 Queensland team representative

-         Jack Rassie - 2005 Queensland team representative

-         Jay Callaghan - State gold team sprint member 3 consecutive years (2004 - 2006)

-         Numerous new club members and officials including family members of the TID squad

The RCC has a proven track record in producing talented cyclists to the international stage and has had success with club members' involvement in past talent programs run by the QAS and the AIS (Anouska Edwards and Alex Bright).  Both Edwards and Bright are products of Talent Search/Talent Transfer, Edwards in 2003 with the Queensland Academy of Sport Talent Search Program for women's road endurance cyclists and Bright in 2002 with the Australian Institute of Sport's (AIS) 'Talent Recycling'. Edwards is a two-time Queensland track representative and was a QAS representative at the Women's Geelong Tour and Geelong World Cup in February 2006.  Bright is a team National Gold Medallist, three-time Qld track representative and Australian representative at the 2004 Oceania Track Championships.  Both cyclists have won numerous State Championship medals, with Edwards recently winning the Queensland State Criterium Championships.

Cycling is a Beijing Athlete Program sport, with a track record in recent years that indicates a very high probability of medals at World
and Olympic competitions and strong representation overall on the international stage.  The Rockhampton Cycling Club has contributed
cyclists at both Australian and International competitions, including Anna Meares OAM (Olympic Champion, World Record Holder), Kerrie Meares (Dual Commonwealth Games Champion) and Miles Olman (SouthAustralia.com, 3 x World Junior Track Champion). ENDS

For interview contact Morwenna on 0428 999 072 or m.kirwan@cqu.edu.au

Comments about (or suggested additions to) this item welcome via publicrelations@cqu.edu.au  

Morwenna Kirwan