Why Personalized Cycling Coaching Actually Works (3 Cats Racing Style)

Cycling isn’t just watts and willpower. It’s knowing what your body needs, when to push, when to rest, and how to grow without burning out. That’s where personalized coaching comes in. It’s not a spreadsheet—it’s a partnership. And when you get it right, it can change your riding forever.

Sometimes the goal can just be to finish. Despite earlier illness, adverse reaction to medication and crashes, Sam still finished USA Cycling Marathon Nationals and rode the last 10 miles stronger than the first 10!

Unlocking Your Potential with Personalized Cycling Coaching

Personalized cycling coaching is designed around you. Your strengths. Your gaps. Your schedule. Your goals—whether those goals are the podium, the group ride, or simply loving the sport more every month you stay in it.

For junior athletes, this matters even more. Your bodies are still developing. Your lives are busy. And your motivations are shifting constantly. A good coach sees the whole picture: school, stress, growth spurts, racing ambitions, confidence swings, and everything in between.

Instead of forcing you into a rigid plan written for someone else, personalized coaching adapts with you. You get:

• Workouts that fit your energy, school load, and growth

• Feedback that helps you build healthy habits

• Guidance on nutrition, gear, race tactics, and recovery

• A coach who listens and responds in real time

When training is tailored, athletes progress faster and stay healthier.

The best goals aren’t built on someone else’s results — they’re built on your own work. Nathan B. showed up all summer, quietly stacking effort on effort… and earned his first podiums because of it.

That’s the magic of clear goals + consistent work: you get to surprise yourself.

How Personalized Coaching Beats the Generic Stuff

Generic plans assume everyone is the same. But no two junior athletes are. Personalized coaching digs into the things that actually matter:

• Your current fitness

• Your injury history

• Your time constraints

• How you handle pressure and setbacks

• Your long-term dreams

Instead of grinding through a plan that doesn’t fit, you get something efficient, safe, and sustainable. Coaches help you stay accountable—not through pressure—but through support, clear goals, and a system built around consistency. And consistency is what makes athletes—future pros and lifelong riders.

Three teammates, three podium spots, and one seriously fun day at Woodbury. Owen, Nathan, and Mat didn’t just race their way onto the blocks — they laughed, pushed each other, and high-fived their way there.

Because the best podiums are the ones earned together.

Why Does 3 Cats Racing Emphasize Fun?

Because the truth is simple:Most junior riders won’t choose the WorldTour—but every junior can choose to ride for life.

And the kids who ride for life are the ones who learned early on that bikes = joy, freedom, and community.

At 3CR, “fun” isn’t a throwaway word. It’s a strategy.

• Fun keeps kids showing up.

• Fun builds confidence.

• Fun protects mental health.

• Fun creates lifelong movers, not short-term grinders.

• Fun makes space for friendships, laughter, and the weird, magical energy of being a teenager on two wheels.

If you want kids to stay in the sport, feel strong in their bodies, and build habits that will support their health decades from now—fun is non-negotiable.

And the research backs it up: people who ride regularly through adulthood enjoy massive health benefits—better heart health, stronger bones, improved mental health, lower lifetime disease risk, and the kind of resilience that makes navigating adult life a whole lot easier.

We want these kids riding at 40, not quitting at 17.

That starts now.That starts with fun.

Training is better when it feels like connection, inside jokes, and a little bit of chaos. We’re here for teamwork, silliness, play — anything that keeps the ride fresh and the memories stacking.

The 3 C’s of Coaching (Our Way)

Great coaching lives on three pillars:

Communication

Athletes talk. Coaches listen. Plans change. Everyone stays human.

Consistency

You don’t have to be perfect—you just have to keep showing up. We build systems that make that possible.

Customization

Every athlete is different. Every plan should be too.

Together, these create the foundation of a healthy, sustainable, joy-filled cycling life.

Mat doesn’t fit in one box — and we love that. Some athletes go all-in on one sport. Mat goes all-in on joy. He runs, he swims, he bikes… and on the bike he does it all: enduro, downhill, XC. At 3CR, we believe kids should get to try everything their world offers.Training shouldn’t shrink their lives — it should make space for what lights them up.

Real Results from Personalized Coaching

We’ve watched athletes transform—not because they crushed themselves, but because their plan supported them:

• A junior winning their first national title after event specific preparation and following  their pacing plan perfectly

• A long-time rider building confidence through small wins, and using this to achieve goals they had only dreamed about

• A student-athlete coming back from a potentially sporting career ending condition to find themselves competing better than they believed they ever could

• Teens learning to train smart, recover well, self-organize, and proving that even the hardest workouts are more fun together

When coaching meets the rider where they are, the results speak for themselves.

Training and coaching are made doable for your schedule. Consistency and a plan make a big difference in your fitness. Coach Erik’s understanding of kids helps him set reasonable expectations and support us in all the ways we need.

How to Get Started

• Find a coach who understands youth development—not just racing.

• Be honest about your time, goals, and energy.

• Commit to the process.

• Use tools that help you understand your body.

• Stay open, curious, and communicative.

If you want a team who believes in fun, longevity, and real growth, 3 Cats Racing is here for you.

Sometimes personalized coaching looks like dad jokes in staging and reminding everyone that we do this because it is fun.

Your Next Ride Starts Here

Personalized coaching isn’t just about performance. It’s about building a relationship with the bike that lasts—through high school, through adulthood, and through every adventure waiting for you down the road.

Ready?

Let’s ride.