COACHING Pathways

This relatively new addition to the program helps guide coaches on their pathways in the sport. These encompass how coaches traditionally engage with athletes and the sport. They are designed to further a coach’s opportunity to monetize their knowledge and time investment through better integration within the bike racing ecosystem.

The pathways are only conceptual, everyone’s pathway will be different. Many will find a pleasant balance at some point in their development and remain there, others may continue on to leadership roles or decide to pursue other pathways.

Each pathway references the USA Cycling Education Pathway. This is the traditional coaching education pathway of Level 3, Level 2 and finally Level1. All coaches now begin their journey with obtaining a USA Cycling Mentor Certification before starting in the coaching program. Likewise, as a coach achieves upgrades in their education, they are encouraged to review the development pathways that interest them with the help of USA Cycling Coach Developers[Link].

Additionally, our partners at the Bicycle Instructors Certification Program (BICP) handle certification of teaching on-the-bike skills. BICP has standardized the language and process of skills instruction which is extremely valuable in creating a consistent experience for athletes. BICP also provides a scalable approach that makes skill instruction certification accessible to USA Cycling coaches.