AusCycling welcomes four new staff to evolved Performance senior leadership team

AusCycling is delighted to announce the addition of four new staff members to an evolved Performance senior leadership team (SLT) for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games cycle. 

Among the new quartet is the exciting return of Eric Haakonssen as Head Coach of Action and Acceleration following a stint with Surfing Australia leading performance and podium support, as well as overseeing preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

Haakonssen’s return to AusCycling adds exceptional breadth to the Performance program courtesy of 14 years of experience in several cycling disciplines. 

As a former senior physiologist with the ARA Australian Cycling Team, he played a central role in the success of Olympic medallists across BMX and road cycling.  

Haakonssen will lead the recently announced AusCycling and Queensland Academy of Sport Action and Acceleration Centre of Excellence at Sleeman Sports Complex, which extends its reach to the AusCycling BMX freestyle program on the Gold Coast. 

Vosse de Boode will relocate to Brisbane from the Netherlands as the Director of Data and Insights in a newly created role focussed on optimising insights and performance into the future. 

De Boode joins AusCycling holding more than a decade of leadership in football performance science and analytics and is renowned for her pioneering work at AFC Ajax. 

As the head of data analytics and sport science at Ajax, she integrated data-driven methodologies into both academy and professional environments, spearheading advancements in player monitoring, load management, talent tracking and technical-tactical analysis. 

Beyond Ajax, she has been involved in engagements with FC Barcelona, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other leading institutes that crossover between high-performance sport, data and research.  

With a background in physiotherapy and human movement sciences, and experience working across multiple sports, de Boode brings deep technical skill, a sharp analytical lens, and a collaborative approach to working with coaches and athletes. 

Experienced coach Conor Taylor has been appointed as the Head Coach of Endurance, covering road, track endurance and cross-country olympic (XCO) mountain bike. 

Taylor brings extensive experience from his tenure with INEOS Grenadiers (and before that when the UCI WorldTour team was known as Team Sky), British Cycling, the UK Sports Institute, and projects that span across sailing and Formula 1. 

Taylor has played pivotal roles in the performance of Tour de France podiums and wins and is a holder of a Phd in exercise physiology. His research has been widely published, further reinforcing his reputation as a thought leader in sports performance. 

Finally, Sheila Galloway will lead the direction, delivery and evolution of AusCycling’s para-cycling program as the Head Coach of Para-cycling in a new role that represents para-cycling in the SLT and organisational structure. 

Galloway joins with a global pedigree in performance systems leadership, having held senior roles with the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS), where she was instrumental in the resurgance of the cycling program, New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS), and national swimming programs in both Canada and New Zealand. 

Galloway’s expertise lies in high-performance system strategy, performance pathways, and interdisciplinary support structures.  

In previous work, Galloway has led the development of integrated team environments across individual and team sports and has been a key driver in revitalising national programs to deliver podium success. 

AusCycling Executive General Manager of Performance Jesse Korf said he is absolutely thrilled to confirm the appointments of Eric, Sheila, Vosse, and Conor to the SLT.

“Each of them brings outstanding quality and depth of experience from different systems, sports and performance environments – and that richness of diversity only strengthens the energy and ambition already driving us towards LA28 and Brisbane 2032,” Korf said. 

“The blend of perspectives and expertise in this group is not only exciting, but it’s also exactly what we need to keep pushing boundaries and leading the way in high-performance cycling.”