Kiwi track cyclist Aaron Gate in action. Photo / Photosport
Kiwi track cyclist Aaron Gate in action. Photo / Photosport
Cycling New Zealand is under pressure to move away from a system that centralises elite programmes in Cambridge.
The four regional hubs in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill closed in March due to a funding shortfall.
Nine months after the death of Olympian Olivia Podmore, Cycling New Zealand (CNZ) andHigh Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) this week released the findings from an independent inquiry.
The report notes CNZ's resources and efforts are concentrated in Cambridge as its "home of cycling".
It says the lack of regional investment and development pathways is causing significant challenges for aspiring high-performance stakeholders and the lack of regional cycling pathways is at odds with HPSNZ's regional focus.
It recommends a shift away from the Cambridge hub model. But at Monday's media conference, CNZ chair Phil Holden said the organisaiton is already operating a mixed model.
But the system doesn't cater to all athletes.
Cycling NZ board chair Phil Holden. Photo / Getty
Holden said in the endurance programme athletes are spread across Europe and New Zealand. But it's different for team sprint athletes.
"It's very difficult for the team sprinters to actually become world class if they don't train together somehow.
"If we can isolate how we address that, we're probably already moving to a decentralised model. Clearly we've got to examine that further, but we're already doing some work in that space."
The document said from a wellbeing perspective, greater investment into regional programmes and pathways was logical.
"We consider that it would be ideal from a wellbeing perspective to enable high performance athletes to train at home to the greatest extent possible, supported by a high performance framework and resources delivered in the regions.
"We acknowledge the challenge in respect to the sprint teams and their greater need to be in Cambridge."
Being immersed in a centralised programme reportedly led to athletes feeling trapped within a high-performance environment all the time, diminishing their capacity to develop an identity outside of cycling.
In terms of sprint cycling, the report recommends CNZ should consider reducing the centralised period, and implement a policy of periodic rather than full-time centralisation.
The report highlighted the need to value athlete welfare ahead of medals, noting some participants felt isolated, and being in a centralised programme reportedly led to athletes feeling trapped within a high-performance environment. The report says this diminished their capacity to develop an identity outside of cycling, as well as having potentially serious mental health impacts, in particular for athletes who can't train due to injury, illness or are struggling for selection.
Olympic bronze medalist Aaron Gate agrees with the recommendations around centralisation.
Aaron Gate at the Avantidrome in Cambridge. Photo / Photosport
Gate told Newstalk ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave before the Cambridge velodrome was built, a normal period of centralisation would be a three-week training camp at the Invercargill velodrome before a major event. The group would travel overseas, return home then go their separate ways.
"During that time I could still be based at home with mum and dad, work part-time and study. I guess there's still access to do that, but the problem with centralisation is that you're forced away from that support network that got you to the level you were at.
"So you've kind of got to start from scratch."
Gate says some people deal with relocating well, but others don't.
"I was lucky that my wife was willing to uproot from Auckland and find a new job in Hamilton, then we were able to resettle in Cambridge. It wasn't easy, but people deal with that challenge in different ways."
He says there's not an immediate decision that can be made but it's a conversation that needs to happen.
Centralisation also affects athletes financially.
Gate says the base training grant of $25,000 is a lot of money to a junior, but for a full-time experienced athlete it's not enough money to live on.
"It's below the minimum paying wage of full-time work in New Zealand.
"This is a grant that's being added to support people in what they are doing; it's not something you can expect to live off. There are some grey areas there that need to be better communicated from the outset from High Performance Sport."
