THE LAURETTA HANSON QUIET ACHIEVER SCHOLARSHIP
Supported by SQUADRA CYCLING CLUB
ABOUT
LAURETTA
Born in 1994, Lauretta grew up on a farm in the small regional town of Fern Hill, Victoria. An active child, Lauretta was always outside and played every school sport she could but found her love for cycling at 8 years of age with the Macedon Ranges Cycling Club. Racing track in the summer and road in the winter, she spent many weekends loading into the car with her family to head away for a weekend of racing, starting locally and progressing to state and then national level events.
In 2013, Lauretta took a gap year and travelled to the United States and Canada for a month of criterium racing. What was supposed to be a one-off trip, altered the course of her life after she was offered an athletic Scholarship at Milligan College in Tennessee. In 2014, she returned to America and in 2016 she signed her first pro-contract with American UCI team Colavita-Bianchi.
Quietly working away at her goals, it was in 2018 that she gained the attention of the newly formed Trek-Segafredo squad and signed her first World Tour contract commencing in 2019. Since then, Lauretta has found her home at Lidl-Trek as a loyal teammate and is often regarded as one of the world’s best domestiques. Over the years she has continued to learn and grow and has developed both as a teammate and as an athlete. She represented Australia at World Championships in 2021 and 2023, before going on to have the season of her life in 2024, earning selection for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where she finished 22nd.
Lauretta’s story is not one of overnight success, but one of resilience, perseverance, and consistency. The twists and turns of her journey are not lost on her, but instead are celebrated as they have shaped the athlete she is – hard working, resilient, humble, and kind.
WHAT INSPIRED THE SCHOLARSHIP?
Australia has a strong pool of talented athletes, but for many, there is rarely a clear pathway to the next level. Hailing from a small town and a country club, Lauretta also fell into this category, but was offered the support of the Scott People’s foundation in her junior years. A turning point in her journey, this helped establish a support network and the purpose that has propelled her career.
Through her passion for the cycling and a strong support network, Lauretta has been able to forge her own path, but recognises the need and value of support for athletes that sit on the cusp with no clear direction ahead of them.
In 2024, with support from Squadra Cycling Club, Lauretta created the Lauretta Hanson Quiet Achiever Scholarship which awarded 2024 recipient, Mia Williams financial support and mentorship to lower barrieres and help her take the next step in the sport. In 2025, Talia Appleton was the second recipient of Lauretta’s scholarship.
We are proud to announce that the Lauretta Hanson Quiet Achiever Scholarship is back for a third year, and this time, with two categories;
Scholarship: Australia-wide category for female athletes with international ambition
Regional Grant: A regional-Victorian category for female athletes with national ambition
INFO FOR APPLICANTS
WHAT IS AWARDED?
Both Scholarship and Grant recipient will receive:
WHO CAN APPLY?
Applicants must:
Be an Australian Citizen
Compete in U19 Women, U23 Women or Elite Women cycling category at time of application
Be aged between 16 & 25 years of age at time of application.
Demonstrate potential, commitment or ambition to progress to racing at a national level
Live in Regional Victoria (as defined at https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/discover/regional-victoria)
APPLICATION PROCESS
Top applications will be invited to submit a 5-minute video interview answering four additional questions
Top applications will then progress to a video call with Lauretta
2026 dates
Event
Applications open
15 November
Top applicants notified to create video application
30 November
Video applications close
1-13 December
Follow up calls
1-13 December
Recipient Notified
14 December
Recipient Announced
Who is the Squadra Cycling Club?
Our group was founded in 2015 in Melbourne, Australia and today is made up of 35 Men and Women who share a love of mateship, fitness, good coffee and cycling. Whilst young at heart, we feature members in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. We share weekly rides around Melbourne’s wonderful roads and back roads, compete in events and have travelled extensively as a team from Tasmania to Europe. We are grateful and mindful of our desire to give back to cycling, so in 2021 we started our foundation
