Australian Mountain Bike — December 01, 2017

(Jacob Rumans) #1

110 - AMB


Australia’s Mountain Bike future is looking very
promising. The recent win by Cameron Wright in
the Under-19 World Championships, along with
two other top 21 placings by Australia’s U19 men,
shows that our nation is starting to produce world
class cross country mountain bike riders.
There has been a marked increase in the
popularity of mountain biking within the junior
categories across Australia in recent years. For
example, at the 2017 National Championships,
the U17 men and women’s fields had the
most competitors. With higher participation
numbers, the level of competition has increased
dramatically and will no doubt continue to do so.
So how do we best support the development of
our younger generation over the coming years?

In my opinion, it is so important to get the right
balance of appropriate support versus putting too
much pressure on athletes at such a young age.
I am asked, on an increasingly regular basis, if
I will start coaching kids as young as 12 and 13
years. I have no doubt that parents have only the
best intentions for their son/daughter at heart.
However, personally I would recommend that
formal coaching and training shouldn’t start
until 15 years old. Before this age, I believe kids

DEVELOPING THE


YOUNGER GENERATION


In summary, the MTBA Junior
Policy states for the various
age-groups guidelines:

UNDER 10 YEARS


  • 1 ride session weekly, no
    longer than 30min

  • Emphasis of fun group
    learning outcomes

  • Limited Competition


11-12 YEARS (U13)


  • Total ride time between 2 and
    5hrs weekly, with each session
    no longer than 75min

  • Emphasis of skill development,
    bike handling and race craft

  • Club level competition only, with
    target race time 30-45min
    13-14 YEARS (U15)

  • Total ride time between 3 and
    8hrs weekly, with each session
    no longer than 2hrs

  • Emphasis of skill development,
    bike handling and race craft

  • Club, State and National level
    competition, with target race
    time 45-60min


15-16 YEARS (U17)


  • Total ride time bewteen 6 and
    14hrs weekly, with each session
    no longer than 4hrs

  • Emphasis of skill development
    and physical conditioning

  • Club, State and National level
    competition, with target race
    time 60-75min (XCO)


17-18 YEARS (U19)


  • Total ride time bewteen 8 and
    18hrs weekly, with each session
    no longer than 6hrs

  • Emphasis of skill development
    and physical conditioning, with
    specificity of training

  • Club, State, National and
    International level competition,
    with target race time
    60-75min (XCO)


should simply be having fun on their bike and
riding if and when they please. Generally it is
not until a rider gets to 15 that they are ready,
both physically and mentally, to start with more
specific, structured training.

The average age of the top 10 UCI Cross Country
riders is 30-years-old for men and 31-years-
old for women. With potentially 15+ years of
development ahead of them, there is no reason
to start our junior athletes too young and risk
potential burn-out or over-use injuries. While it
is fantastic for our country to have a Junior World
champion, it would be even more amazing to
produce an Elite World champion!

In 2013, Mountain Bike Australia published a
policy statement defining minimum age groups
for participation in cross country mountain bike
events - including Olympic, Marathon and multi-
lap endurance format racing. With the increased
participation of younger riders at such events, it
was deemed necessary to set out guidelines to
ensure appropriate development of juniors’ skills
and physical fitness and reduce the risk of stress
and injury.

WORDS: JENNI KING
PHOTOS: ROBERT CONROY
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