September 30/09 8:55 am - Olympic Cycling Coach Opens Private Training Centre in Victoria

Posted by Editor on 09/30/09
 

Veteran Olympic cycling coach, Houshang Amiri, today launched the Pacific Cycling Centre – a new, independent online coaching company and high performance cycling centre in Victoria, British Columbia.

Amiri, formerly the director of the National Cycling Centre at PacificSport and national team track and mountain bike coach, has 37 years experience in coaching and competition at the international level. Amiri said the Pacific Cycling Centre will build on Canada's recent success in international cycling as a centre for performance training.

"Canadian cyclists have tremendous talent. Pacific Cycling Centre can help develop that talent to compete against the great cycling nations of the world. We will take a careful, systematic and individualized approach to training," he said.

The Pacific Cycling Centre will offer both face-to-face and world-class online coaching services. By combining professional coaching, full sport science support and high caliber equipment and facilities, the Centre will offer holistic training programs designed to prepare athletes for competition at the highest levels of international racing, as well as local and national championships.

Amiri said the Pacific Cycling Centre will not take a 'one-size fits all' approach to training, because experience has shown it does not work. All athletes react differently to the rigors of training and competition. The Centre will custom fit training plans and testing protocols to individual athletes from junior to masters, who are seeking to compete at their personal best provincially, nationally and internationally in road, track, mountain bike, BMX and multisport.

Top level cyclists currently training with the Centre include World Championship Silver Medalist, four-time Canadian Time Trial Champion and UCI America's Tour winner Svein Tuft; Olympian Erinne Willock; two-time U23 Pan America Champion and U23 World Championship Bronze Medalist Max Plaxton; and fifth place finishers at the Beijing Paralympic Games in track pursuit and current World Cup leaders Brian Cowie and Devon Smibert. Also training with Amiri are nationally carded athlete and National Road Champion Cam Evans and two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Medalist in MTB Seamus McGrath.

During his extensive coaching career, Amiri has helped athletes to more than 90 podium performances in road, track and MTB, at National Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Pan Am Games, including two World Championship titles in MTB team relay; a bronze medal and two Elite World Championships in cross-country mountain bike; and a bronze in Elite U23 cross-country mountain bike.

Program details can be found at the Centre's web site: www.pacificcyclingcentre.ca.