The Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) in partnership with Cycling Australia (CA) and Cycling Victoria (CV) are today delighted to announce the appointments of Shane Kelly OAM and Glenn O’Shea to the roles of VIS Track Sprint and Endurance Cycling Coaches respectively.
It’s full circle for the newly appointed coaches, who are both products of the highly regarded VIS Cycling Program, which has a proud history of producing world class cyclists including Cadel Evans, Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Katie Mactier and Shane Perkins.
Shane Kelly OAM spent two decades mastering the sport of track cycling; competing at five Olympic Games, three Commonwealth Games and 14 World Championships and holding a top three world ranking for an incredible 14 years in succession.
His greatest achievement was at the 1995 World Championships where he won gold in the 1km Time Trial and in doing so smashed the World Record, earning the nickname 'Minuteman'. His time of 1.00.613s from a standing start has only just been eclipsed, by compatriot Matthew Glaetzer, almost 20 years on.
After reaching the pinnacles of sport, Kelly transferred the skills and knowledge he acquired as an athlete, into his role as a high performance coach, holding the position of VIS Assistant Track Cycling Coach since 2015.
Born in Swan Hill but growing up in Bendigo, where he attended St Liborious school and Bendigo Secondary College, Glenn O’Shea emerged from a strong set of candidates and also brings a wealth of experience to the role.
Discovered by long term Coach and mentor Tim Decker through the Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport, O’Shea was an outstanding elite junior, who later quit the sport due to illness and got a job working in a car yard in Bendigo.
But when that didn't work out, he dusted off the bike and moved to Adelaide to reunite with Decker at the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI), where he trained and became the omnium World Champion and won a silver medal in the Team Pursuit at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
More recently O’Shea has been involved with the SASI Talent ID program alongside Decker to ensure the identification and development of athletes who have the potential to be medallists at future Olympics, Paralympics and World Championships.
“The VIS Program has enjoyed strong leadership and success over the past 25 years and we are certain Shane and Glenn will enjoy the challenge of developing riders and coaches to further strengthen the contributions by Victorians to the CA High Performance programs, and success on the international stage” said Dave Crosbee, VIS Performance Director.
The creation of the roles was a result of a restructure and refocus of the VIS Cycling Program, around the Track and Paralympic disciplines, along with taking a stronger role in the development of Cycling Victoria’s underpinning programs, athletes and coaches, which was a vital step in enabling the sport in Victoria to continue to contribute to Cycling Australia’s targets, and securing the services of experienced and well-regarded coaches was integral to this.
Cycling Australia is pleased to be supporting the two coaching positions, CA Performance Director Simon Jones said, “The athlete to coach pathway that Glenn and Shane have followed ensures we are looking to the future and at the same time capturing international level knowledge and know-how.”
“Both Glenn and Shane are native Victorians, which adds a further dimension and linkage to the local cycling community. I personally wish them all the best and that they develop into world leading coaches,” he added.
Lisa Byrne, President of Cycling Victoria said, "We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Victorian Institute of Sport and welcome the new coaches and existing into the Victorian cycling family.
“The pools of talent in Victoria run deep, supported by dedicated volunteers in our clubs. With the support of the VIS we can continue the winning formula of Australia's greatest cycling State,” she added.
The regional Victorians will be responsible for leading, planning, delivering and monitoring all aspects of the VIS Cycling program, conducted in collaboration with CA and CV, and will work with other network coaches throughout Victoria to continue the VIS's successful tradition in the sport.
Shane Kelly will commence his new role on 22 July 2018 and Glenn O’Shea on 1August 2018.
