Phil Dixon: “New coach will mean better product”

Phil Dixon has welcomed British Cycling’s decision to recruit an Olympic Development Programme mountain bike coach, declaring with the performance and development athletes resourced, there will be a better product.

Following the news, Dixon - British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike coach since 2007 – told of his ambition for a squad which contained more athletes, more success at major championships and having three men and two women to qualify points for participation at the Olympic Games.

“I want a full quota of atheltes scoring points, more athletes on the Programme and with it more success at major championships” Dixon said, outlining his plans under the new structure.

“We certainly weren’t having that conversation four years ago and we need more resource. Over the next 4-6 weeks there will be a new coach in place and that will be massive for the Programme. Long term it will help to look after 2020.”

Coach contact time was at a premium in the approach to London 2012

The decision to double resource for the Programme follows success at London 2012, where Dixon presided over a system that identified and nurtured the first British woman to qualify for the Olympic Games in over a decade – but he revealed that result came at a compromise to those not on course to compete at Hadleigh Farm.

“In 2011 and 2012 the focus for the Programme was Olympic athletes. There wasn’t a massive amount of time spent in developing athletes; this time round you have the performance and development aspects of the Programme resourced which means a better product.

Dixon coached Annie Last from Olympic Development in 2007 to Olympic athlete in 2012

“Coach contact time moves athletes on – with two coaches we are doubling that time. Athletes will move on faster, my time is not filtered, it’s channeled and I think you’ll see the product of that quickly.

“A well resourced pathway in place to deliver athletes to the Olympic Academy and Podium Programmes to deliver winners at major championships is my goal, it’s massively exciting and I think it will take the Programme on.

“We’re already advanced upon where we were four years ago when I sat to plan for London and I think there are exciting times ahead.”

In February, chosen junior athletes who applied to be part of the Olympic Development Programme will attend a selection day before being informed of their acceptance to the system which supported world championship medalists Annie Last and Dave Fletcher.

The Olympic Development Programme coach will be revealed in March, with British Cycling’s Road To 2016 following the story throughout the year.