Federation University shares sport science expertise with elite cyclists

Athletes and performance coaches participating in the Federation University Road Nationals are set to benefit from world-renowned sport science expertise through a series of seminars that will be co-hosted by AusCycling and the University.

The sessions will cover performance-related subjects that will be delivered by various experts, including experienced sport scientists, coaches, industry professionals, and members of Federation’s exercise and sport science discipline within the University’s Institute of Health & Wellbeing.

Aimed at educating cycling coaches, athletes and parents on preparing for the physical rigour of the sport, the free seminars will allow attendees to tap into Federation University’s expertise.

Hosted in-person at Federation’s Mt Helen Campus, and online, on Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th January, the seminars cover:

‘The Art and Science of Bike Fit’ - Chris Steffanoni
Chris will discuss the complexities and challenges of professional bike fitting from a clinician's perspective in a broad-scoping seminar. The seminar will cover historical developments in the racing world and bike fit industries. It will also discuss the practical challenges and misconceptions that cyclists, coaches, and bike fitters may encounter when refining bike and rider ergonomics.

Chris Steffanoni is a highly experienced bike fitter who has been working in the industry for almost two decades. He has worked with professional, amateur, and recreational athletes and has a background in health science and sports myotherapy. In addition, he has experience working as a consultant in product design and ergonomics. Chris holds a bachelor's degree in health science and an Advanced Diploma in Sports Therapy. He is a professional member of Sports Medicine Australia and the Australian Natural Therapists Association.

‘Virtus Games - Coaching Persons with an Intellectual Disability’ - Greg Meyland, Michael Thompson and Jans Koerts
The trio will discuss the opportunities, challenges and successes of working with Athletes with an Intellectual Disability including the success of the Australian Team at the Virtus Games.

Greg Meyland is a UCI Diploma Level 3 international coach and the current Education Coordinator and Athlete Pathways Manager at AusCycling. Greg has years of experience developing both high-performance and internationally recognised coaches and athletes, across all cycling disciplines.

Michael Thomson is the Victorian Project Manager with Sport Inclusion Australia and has been instrumental in the development and success of the Australian team at the Virtus Global Games.

Jans Koerts is an AusCycling Development Coach and was the 2023 Australian Virtus Games Team Coach. A former UCI professional cyclist with a professional racing career from 1992 to 2007, including racing at the Tour De France, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo, Koerts is a passionate cycling coach and operates his own coaching business.

‘Laboratory and Race Performance Characteristics of Elite Male and Female Cross Country Mountain Bike Athletes’ - Adam Kelsall
Kelsall will discuss the surprising physiological and stochastic course demands of XCO racing and the implications of those findings for physiologists and coaches into the future, including those working with on-road athletes.

Kelsall (HeroDirt Cycle Coaching) is a coach working with cross-country (XCO), downhill (DHI) and gravity enduro (GE) mountain bike athletes as well as cyclo-cross riders, ultra-distance bike packers and triathletes. Adam is ever curious about the intersection between sports science and coaching practice and has completed an Honours investigating the Performance Characteristics of Elite Male and Female Cross Country Mountain Bike Athletes.

‘Is the Norwegian Model the next step in cycling training evolution?’ - Dr Ryan Worn
Dr Worn will discuss the concept of the Norwegian training model, its popularity in other sports, the physiology that underpins the model, and its potential utility in cycling, citing a successful athlete case study.

Dr Worn is a lecturer in exercise and sports science at Federation University, specialising in high-performance athlete physiology and biomechanics. He is an active racing cyclist and an active cycling coach with success coaching athletes to a national level, including representation at world championships in road cycling, track cycling and BMX.

Federation’s Sport Science discipline is widely acclaimed and is ranked in the top 100 globally, as assessed by Shanghai Ranking Academic Ranking of World Universities. A recent joint report from Stanford University and Elsevier also revealed that two Federation University Australia researchers are in the top 2% globally in the Sport Science discipline in terms of total citations.

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Image: Dr Ryan Worn assessing biomechanics with a cyclist. Credit: Federation University.