The new group of BMX Racing trainees at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland, know they are in good hands: former UCI World Champion Twan van Gendt will be coaching them through the season up until the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August.
Already coaching privately over the last few months, the three-time Olympian (5th in London 2012 and Rio 2016, and 16th in Tokyo 2020) joins the UCI WCC with as much motivation as in his athlete days.
“When I’m committed to something, I go all the way. I started coaching a little bit and found it pretty rewarding, seeing the guys grow as athletes, as people. It gave me back a little bit more than being an athlete myself. I never expected that.”
He continues: “When I was racing, I had two goals: to be the best athlete and to mean something for cycling. What better place to do that than at the UCI World Cycling Centre? It’s an opportunity for me to mean something for cycling in the future.”
The Dutchman, who recognises that he was not always the easiest person to coach during his own career, highlights the need to demonstrate patience and empathy when trying to get the best out of an athlete.
“I think a good coach needs to understand the riders’ feelings and what they are going through. The UCI WCC trainees will be learning what it is to be a full-time athlete, but I don’t want to get lost in the detail. I mustn’t forget how young they are.”
Although most of his “team” of athletes are Junior or Under 23 riders, they already have international racing experience. Six arrived last week, with another two joining the group in May.
“To start with I really need to get to know them,” says their coach. “They need to feel comfortable with me and be willing to tell me basically everything that’s on their minds and in their hearts. It’s really important because it can have a big influence on their performance.”
Intense calendar of training and racing
There will be plenty of time to get to know each other during a training camp from 8 to 24 May in France where they will be living and training together 24/7. The first few days of their French camp will be in Besançon on the track that will provide the stage for the UEC BMX Racing European Championships on 7-9 July. For the remainder of their stay in France, they will be based in Sarrians where they will have the chance to train with some of the UCI WCC’s former BMX Racing trainees including reigning Men Elite UCI World Champion Simon Marquart and Women Elite silver medallist Zoé Claessens.
The UCI WCC athletes will return to the UCI WCC for less than a week before heading to Turkey for round 1 & 2 of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup (3-4 June) followed by rounds 9 & 10 of the UEC BMX Racing World Cup one week later. The racing block will continue with the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in Papendal (the Netherlands) on 24 and 25 June then National Championships for most of them on the first weekend of July.
Back in Aigle, they will then spend four weeks gearing up for the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships where the BMX Racing will take place in Glasgow on 12 and 13 August.
It’s an intense calendar that Twan van Gendt is looking forward to attacking with his athletes. Already coach of one of the riders – Dutch Junior Jason Noordam – he had also witnessed the others riding either in person or via video before their arrival in Aigle.
“They can all ride a bike, that is for sure!” he confirms. “They need help in different areas, for some it’s the start gate, others it’s jumping the first jump… A lot of it is about getting the mental confidence. I need to get them comfortable with tackling their weak points. But I won’t push them, they have to want it themselves. l’ll try to give them that something that makes them push themselves. It’s a thin line, and that’s the line we’ll be looking for.”
The aim of the UCI World Cycling Centre programme is to help athletes progress, realise their full potential and achieve their goals. For some that might be success at the very highest international level - as achieved by Simon Marquart, Zoé Claessens and 2015 UCI World Champion and Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Stefany Hernandez (VEN) – while others may have objectives at national or continental level.
While at the UCI WCC, the BMX Racing trainees will also learn the basics of bike maintenance and coaching, skills that they will be able to put to use in the future, both on a personal level and as support for their respective National Federations.
2023 UCI World Cycling Centre BMX Racing trainees
Komet Sukprasert (Thailand), 22
Pedro Benalcazar (Ecuador), 19
Jason Noordam (Netherlands), 18
Renato da Silva (Portugal), 16
Patrick Coo (Philippines), 21
Dominica Manikova (Slovakia), 17
Teigen Pacual (Canada), 19
Miyanda Maseti (South Africa), 17
Twan van Gendt is the second BMX Racing UCI World Champion to take the UCI World Cycling Centre trainees under his wing: 2013 UCI World Champion Liam Phillips (GBR) was the UCI WCC BMX Racing coach from 2018 to 2021 and now works as the centre’s Performance Manager.