Changes on the AusCycling Board

Former professional track cyclist John Nicholson has been elected to the AusCycling Board of Directors, while Jenni McLeod was re-elected at the annual general meeting on Saturday.

Nicholson joins the board in place of Katrina Cowan, who along with McLeod nominated for re-election at the expiry of her term.

John Nicholson

John Nicholson brings experience from high-performance cycling, sports administration, IT, accounting, and business.

During the 1970s, Nicholson won two world championships, two Commonwealth Games gold medals, and an Olympic Games silver medal in the individual sprint. He won the Oppy Award in 1975 and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986.

He served as a director of Cycling Victoria and a long-time president of Blackburn Cycling Club, taking a particular interest in rider development. Nicholson remains a qualified coach and commissaire for road and track cycling.

A fluent Danish speaker, Nicholson holds a degree in business administration and computer science from Copenhagen Business School. His professional experience includes management of IT infrastructure services in the Asia Pacific region. 

Nicholson said his high-performance experience, time spent in Denmark and role as a club president gave him perspectives that can assist the board in its strategic deliberations.

“I’m coming to the board from a club background, but also as someone who has competed at the highest levels,” Nicholson said. “I’ve been involved with the Victorian Interschool Cycling Series and Junior Tours for many years, working as a commissaire and with timing, so have followed junior riders and seen them prosper, or not, through the pathway system.

“Spending time in Denmark – a country that punches above its weight in cycling – has also given me an insight into the European environment and I hope that experience can also be of value to the board.”  

Jenni McLeod  

McLeod was appointed to the AusCycling Board on 21 September 2020 and re-elected 11 May 2024. 

She holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree from RMIT and a Diploma in Outdoor Education from LaTrobe University. 

McLeod has been mountain biking for 23 years, volunteering with clubs, events and trail-building activities.

In 2017, she founded ‘Shredding Betties’, Australia’s first women-specific affiliated mountain bike club, to connect, support and inspire women and girls with the aim of increasing female participation. 

For the past 10 years, McLeod has worked as an on-ground political staffer applying her skills to develop and implement campaign strategies to connect and unlock capacity contained within communities. McLeod now runs her own consultancy business.  

Nicholson and McLeod have both been elected for three-year terms.