Last weekend will be hard to forget for members of the Mount Gambier Cycling Club and the Limestone Coast Regional Sporting Academy, who were treated to three days of mentoring from one of the biggest names in the sport.

With financial support from the Mount Gambier City Council, the Mount Gambier Cycling Club and the academy welcomed Australian Endurance Track Cycling Team coach Tim Decker and his family to the Blue Lake city for a weekend of coaching.

The huge three days started on Friday night where Decker viewed local cyclists fly around the Blue Lake Sports Park Velodrome for 90 minutes until poor light ended proceedings.

On the following afternoon Decker used his findings from the previous night to help improve riders’ endurance skills individually with expert analysis and encouragement.

After being in the thick of the action himself, the national coach shared his thoughts on the race and welcomed a fresh group of riders during the final stages of the coaching session.

Decker recognised each rider’s varied level of experience and skill and tailored his advice to suit every individual in a professional manner.

The current Australian coach spoke with the SE Voice during the Friday night session and said it was great to be back in Mount Gambier having recently been in town for the 100 Mile Classic, plus his formative years.

“I have always had a passion for the Mount Gambier club and their racing,” Decker said.

“When I was coaching at SASI (South Australian Sports Institute) we ran a camp down here for a week and my father also did some work down here.

“When I was a young kid racing BMX I used to come here to race events like the SA/Vic Challenge which was always one of the biggest weekends.

“That is where the connection started which has grown into racing on the track at Vansittart Park and also here (BLSP) with cars everywhere.”

Decker said the weekend was all about giving the local riders an opportunity to refine their skills on the bike.

“I put together a plan based on the track with a little bit on the track to give athletes the opportunity to improve the technical side of things,” he said.

“I am looking at how they use the velodrome because you can use the banks to gain or lose speed.

“Also how they ride in bunches and if they can follow a wheel well and move around confidently.

“The other thing is seeing how fast they can go or what determination they have when challenged.

“Hopefully we can get a few of the athletes to become up-skilled enough to maybe come up to Adelaide and race on the board velodrome or get one more inspired about the sport in the long term.”

Decker has recently returned from Tokyo where Australia collected a bronze medal on the velodrome.

Mount Gambier played an integral part in the team’s preparations for Tokyo where the riders competed in the 100 Mile Classic and State Kermesse Championship races held in the Blue Lake City.

Although it was the Australian Track team’s worst summer games haul in 31 years, the national coach was pleased with the grit shown and believes they will come back bigger and better in Paris 2024 after learning from moments such as Alex Porter’s freak accident.

“Tokyo has been and gone, but that does not mean it has disappeared from my mind,” Decker said.

“I look at the team pursuit which was the men’s priority event as a challenge with some success as well.

“For those guys to fight back and get bronze just shows the character they have.

“We never got to race our strongest team which was the most disappointing aspect, but what the world did get to see was a group that came together really well.

“It was a challenging, but very rewarding time.”

Despite maintaining a busy schedule as Australia plots its path to Paris 2024 and next

year’s Commonwealth Games, Decker said it is always easy to find time to give back to the sport.

“It is always good to come and give back to country clubs, especially in this time after the Olympic Games,” he said.

“It keeps you pretty grounded and you cannot forget where you came from.

“You can use those experiences to either ground you or give back because you never stop learning in this game.

“My nine-year-old son has been racing and the stress I feel when he races is the same as watching the Olympics.

“You can learn wherever you go if you keep an open mind.”