Led by two-time Canadian Olympian Zach Bell, who competed at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, the institute have created a curriculum which is designed to prepare athletes and aspiring staff to meet all of the requirements needed to be part of a professional team.

Delivered in three stages, the programme is set to begin on February 15 with the first stage focusing on sponsorship relations, media training, domestique skills, base miles and mechanical skills.

The second stage will include modules on nutrition, racing and communal skills, while a representative of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) will instruct cyclists on testing, the whereabouts programme and ethical sport.

Personal and race preparation will feature in the final stage, alongside modules on the business of cycling and moderate to high intensity training, with the programme due to conclude on March 19.

“Young athletes in North America have a broad range of options for training their physiology, but to this day there has been no centralised training programme for all the demands of the pro circuit,” said Bell, a two-time World Championship silver medallist in the omnium.

“These demands include media and sponsorship relations, nutritional challenges and navigating the complex frameworks surrounding anti-doping policies among other challenges.

“Athletes have had to learn these skills over time and only after they are accepted into professional teams - and that is just not necessary.”

The programme, which Bell hopes will give the cyclists an edge when fighting for highly competitive spots on professional teams, has been designed in collaboration with teams, cycling brands and educators.

Silber Pro Cycling and Holowesko Citadel, along with Axeon, H&R Block Pro Cycling and Circuit Sport, have all endorsed the programme’s curriculum, while the Holowesko Citadel p/b Hincapie team claim it will help them maintain a steady stream of quality young riders.

“We are excited to participate in an organisation that will teach potential riders some of the finer points of cycling,” said Thomas Craven, Sports Director of Holowesko Citadel.

“It’s not always about max watts and race wins, this is an observation that has been echoed by many teams in the search for a well-rounded athlete.

“The riders coming out of Parcours will have a distinct professional advantage over their competition.”

Parcours are also set to offer staff training programmes, for interested mechanics and massage certified practitioners, which will involve live athlete exercises and culminate with live race internship placements on professional teams.

Athletes have been encouraged to apply early for the programme with early bird application pricing set to apply until December 23, 2015.