Since the start of the 2017 / 18 financial year, a massive shift in the focus of the cycling activities in KZN was undertaken with the focus being put on the development of the sport at all levels across all 11 x districts in the province as opposed to staging top end, international and large national cycling events.
This led to the advent of the KZN Cycling Development Programme with the primary focus being on introducing young riders in predominantly rural districts that have not had such opportunities in the past to the sport of cycling. The existing cycling academies and clubs in these regions were supported and new programmes also being created and included in the fold.
Funding for the programme is supplied by the KZN Department of Sport & Recreation and the funds supplied are utilised primarily in the rider development aspects of the programme as well as allocated to general capacity building programmes.
Since the inception of the programme to date, a large number of development and training clinics have been staged at a large variety of schools throughout the province and a total of just over 59 000 youngsters have gone through these clinics. By the end March 2020, this figure is set to rise to over 90 000 children being included.
Not only are young riders introduced to the sport, but the talented riders identified are graduated to a Higher Performance Squad that receives additional and more focused coaching and who are then prepared to be able to compete in a variety of aggregated process events with many riders competing in the various provincial and national championships events with a number that have even participated at international level events.
KZN Cycling hubs have been established in all eleven districts in KZN and supplied with storage facilities, bike trailers, bikes, helmets, spares and equipment to be able to stage clinics at the schools such as cones, tape etc as well as first aid kits.
A total of 13 x district training officers are now contracted by KZN Cycling to look after operations in the 11 x districts and these district training officers are supported by a further staff complement.
Hub activities in conjunction with the local clubs and academies continue to take place on an ongoing basis with some being more active than others but this programme allowed for the continued progress of the local learners on an ongoing basis and these accounted for more than
40 000 young riders being included in the two year time period.
HP Coach
HP Coach
HP Coach
ETHEKWINI
Amajuba & uMzinyathi
Ugu & Harry Gwala
King Cetshwayo
King Cetshwayo
uMkhanyakude
uMkhanyakude
uMgungundlovu
Zululand
uThukela
iLembe
An innovative partnership has been developed between organisations from the UK and South Africa to establish a specialist cycle hub which will enable thousands of children in rural South Africa
In the week of 25th – 30th April, 110 x young riders from all 11 x districts were transported to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday 25th April to take part in the
For the past number of years, all involved with the KZN Cycling Development plan have been making continual improvements and innovations and now, the programme is recognised as the leading
Apart from introducing young riders to the sport through the clinics programme and nurturing the talented riders in the higher performance element of the project, a significant pillar of the
Since the start of the New Year, it seems that things have been moving in fast forward around the development programme with all that has been going on of late.
It has been a very busy period of the year in the development programme these past months. In October alone there have been 112 scheduled clinics held which 4742 children attended and this far
