April 1/15 7:14 am - Cycling Canada Announces New Development Program UPDATED

Posted by Editor on 04/1/15
 

April Fools!

Cycling Canada has followed up the recent launch of the NextGen men's track endurance program with a new, vastly more ambitious project - N2G. More formally know as NextNextGen, this program will take the concept of developing the next generation of athletes to its logical next step, and begin recruitment at age five. N2G will target playgrounds, bike rodeos, and schoolyards, looking for potential cycling champions in the 2030s.

"It isn't actually a new concept," explains High Performance Director Jacques Landry. "Many sports have recognized that it is best to start as young as possible, and we want to do the same."

Talent identification will take place in major centers to start, with coaches and a cadre of scouts watching for bike handling skills, speed, coordination and stamina. The program will also go into schools to do testing, with top performers identified and offered access to training and equipment.

"In the past, we have relied on hit-and-miss access to the best young talent," commented Landry. "We want to get them on bikes before they get grabbed for other sports."

Landry refused to comment on the reports that cycling coaches had had confrontations with hockey scouts at some schools.