Thai Cycling Federation Steps Up Personnel Development with National Coach Training Program

The Thai Cycling Association is advancing personnel development in line with its strategic plan by launching a foundational national-level cycling coach training program. Federation President General Decha Mekarachari announced that the association is conducting its 2025 training curriculum in collaboration with the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), beginning with a foundational cycling coach development and skills enhancement program from May 13-17 at Wasitthi City Hotel in Suphan Buri province. Twenty representatives from member clubs will participate, with the International Cycling Union (UCI) appointing American professional mountain bike coach Robert Huber Jr.—a Level 4 certified instructor—as the program's lead trainer.

General Decha stated that the program aligns with the federation's strategic vision, which extends beyond athlete development to encompass comprehensive personnel development across multiple domains: coaching, refereeing from apprentice to international levels, and professional bicycle mechanic training. This comprehensive approach enables the association to build a skilled workforce capable of advancing Thai cyclists to international standards.

"Our approach to elevating Thai coaches starts with building a strong foundation by recruiting new coaches through programs coordinated with both the Sports Authority of Thailand and the UCI," General Decha explained. "We primarily select participants from our member clubs to ensure we're developing coaches with solid theoretical and practical knowledge in cycling. These trained coaches will serve as crucial drivers in developing the next generation of cyclists for Thailand's national team and sustained success. Currently, we're seeing a significant increase in capable young coaches."

General Decha noted that five Thai coaches—"Coach Tum" (Wissuth Kasiyapat), "Coach Bass" (Pongchong Saiudomsil), "Coach B" (Juthadip Maniphanthae), "Coach Nop" (Adisak Wangsri), and national team cyclist "TJ" (Jay Angsudasavit)—have completed the UCI Level 3 advanced coaching curriculum at the World Cycling Center in Eagle, Switzerland. After six years of training at the world center, they earned certification and are now licensed UCI coaches eligible to work globally.

"The association continuously invests in personnel development, offering multiple courses annually across road, track, mountain bike, and BMX disciplines," General Decha said. "We've also been developing referees with strong UCI support for both national and advanced-level international training. Most recently, BMX cycling referee Katthiya Srisodata passed the theory exam for the UCI international referee program and is awaiting practical examination in June. Once certified, Thailand will have added another international BMX referee to our current roster of one international road and track referee, Nathpong Lohitnavi."