Cycling: Head coach Cheatley resigns from head job

Cycling coach Dayle Cheatley who has resigned from Cycling New Zealand. Photo / Bevan Conley

Cycling New Zealand have lost head track coach Dayle Cheatley, who has walked away from his full time job in the sport.

Cheatley, 39, has been a key figure in CNZ's high performance programme since 2008.
He believes he can no longer commit to the 24/7 demands of the role through to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"The role requires a person to be able to give 100 percent to the team and create an environment for the athletes to be the best they can be," Cheatley said.

"I can no longer see myself being able to be that person fulltime and I believe it is not right to carry on now and then find myself unable to give that 100 per cent commitment to the team in the critical period leading to Tokyo."

Cheatley, who has raced bikes since he was 11, moved into coaching, including the national junior track cycling team to the world championships, before being appointed to CNZ after the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

He played a key role in coach development as well as developing the-then defunct elite women's track programme into the top four track nations in the world.

After the London Olympics, Cheatley was elevated to the role of head coach, overseeing the programme and working with the coaching team through to the Rio Olympics.

In his almost 10 years with the programme, New Zealand cyclists have won seven world championship titles on the track among 35 medals in total, with only 11 medals in its history until 2009.

Cheatley will make himself available for contract work for the organisation if required and while "there's no good time to depart ... I will leave with no regrets and content with what I have added to the legacy that is cycle racing in New Zealand".

Current assistant coach Matt Shallcrass will take over as men's endurance coach through to next year's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.