Drapac-Porsche Development Program launched

Image 1 of 11

Mike McKay introduces the team L-R:(Image credit: Mal Sawford)

By Mal Sawford in Melbourne

Introduced by the Managing Director of Porsche Cars Australia, Michael Winkler, Drapac detailed the primary objective of the Drapac-Porsche Development Program - to holistically develop elite athletes, particularly at the formative stage of their career. Drapac challenged the audience by saying, "should an athlete - having been a product of an elite sporting program or team - descend from a successful sporting career to an unfulfilled or inglorious life post sport, we would say the athlete has done us proud, but most probably we, society, have failed the athlete."

The Drapac-Porsche Development Program aims to ensure its riders avoid the lonely "black hole" at the end of their sporting careers by committing sufficient resources to develop an athlete's skill set and life balance, which will support their wellbeing beyond their productive sporting career in conjunction with developing their sporting potential. Success for the team, according to Drapac "will be measured by a cost to benefit ratio which includes long term social, educational, financial and health factors as well as on field success."

Cycling Australia's Vice President, Klaus Mueller, was on hand to endorse the program, and welcomed the creation of an alternative pathway to the top of the sport to the traditional Institutes of Sport. He indicated that CA had recently (unsuccessfully) lobbied the UCI to broaden the Junior World Championships to include Under 21 riders, arguing that a four year age group would prevent many riders being forced to sacrifice their final years of schooling for the chance to impress on the world stage.