Rob Holmgren and daughters Ava and Isabella celebrating at MTB Worlds in Andorra, 2024.
Process before podiums
How Rob Holmgren coaches high-performance cyclists for the rides of their lives
When Rob Holmgren (BSc ’98, Kinesiology) looks ahead to the 2028 Summer Olympics, he’s thinking of more than medals. As the newly appointed coach of Australia’s national mountain bike team, his focus is also on building a sustainable development program for riders — from 13-year-olds just entering competition to elite athletes chasing World Cup and Olympic starts. It’s a role that blends decades of experience and a coaching philosophy shaped in part by his time at the University of Waterloo.
Rob bought his first mountain bike in 1988 and started racing soon after. His interest in physiology led him to Waterloo’s Kinesiology program, where professors like Drs. Rich Hughson, Howard Green and Mike Sharratt encouraged him to push past easy answers.
“They taught me how to think critically,” he says. “It wasn’t about memorizing facts. It was, ‘We know X is true, but why? And what else could explain it?’ That skill has carried me through every stage of my coaching career.”
Competing at a global level
Throughout his time at Waterloo, Holmgren immersed himself in the local cycling scene. While continuing to race, he began coaching and developing young riders through the Waterloo Cycling Club — work that later helped inspire a youth development model adopted by the City of Waterloo.
Holmgren went on to serve as Ontario’s head coach for high-performance mountain bike endurance, leading Canada Games squads and supporting athletes at World Cups and World Championships. That led to opportunities with Cycling Canada, where he coached the national cyclocross team from 2021 to 2023.
Travelling with Canadian athletes to cyclocross races in Europe was a turning point. The depth of competition, the demands of the European race calendar and the resources available to pro teams showed him what it truly meant to compete at the global level.
Holmgren brought that knowledge home to Canada, with great success. He was recognized twice as Canada’s Cycling Coach of the Year and his athletes earned national and international recognition, including Olympic berths. In fact, his three children are all elite cyclists, and two of them qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.
That breadth of experience was exactly what AusCycling was looking for. Australia had been without a national team mountain bike coach for 13 years, and rebuilding the discipline required someone who understood what it takes to succeed internationally. Holmgren stepped into the role in September 2025, with his first assignment at the World Championships in Switzerland.
Daughters Torunn and Ava with Rob at MTB Worlds, Crans Montana, 2025.
Three questions
It didn’t take Holmgren long to see the potential — and the challenges — of his new job. “There’s a strong racing community in Australia,” he explains, “but many athletes haven’t been exposed to world-class training environments. Things like preparation, training volume, altitude management — there’s a lot they simply haven’t been taught yet. That’s the exciting part. You can build something from the ground up.”
Holmgren’s coaching philosophy is process driven. He doesn’t talk about medals, podiums or finishing places. Instead, after every race or training session, athletes walk through three questions: What went well? What challenged you? What will you improve next time?
“When athletes fixate on results, stress goes up, mistakes happen and confidence can spiral,” he says. “But if they’re improving the small things every day, the results will follow. The process has to come first.”
That philosophy shapes how he trains everyone in his system — from U15 riders to athletes preparing for World Cups. He often sets up looped training sessions so advanced and emerging riders share the same space. Younger athletes see how the elite group rides, and the elite group stays sharp with the pressure of rising talent behind them.
What qualities does Holmgren look for in emerging riders?
“Trail speed and flow are huge,” he says. “Physiology is easy to train. Skills take years.”
Reading the course ahead
AusCycling’s goals are clear: Qualify two men and two women for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and build a system with the strength and sustainability to compete on the international stage. With world-class infrastructure, year-round racing weather and a renewed vision for athlete development, Holmgren believes those goals are within reach.
As he settles into the rhythm of his new role, reads the course ahead and guides his Australian team through the twists, climbs and challenges ahead, he has a message for all the other athletes he’s coached.
“You guys are awesome, and you're going to do well, but we're coming. We're coming for you.”