From First Pedal Strokes to the Tour de France

How to guide young cyclists from playful beginnings to elite performance.

Parents, coaches, and educators often ask how to maximize the benefits of cycling for youth. This is a timely question as more and more teenagers slip into a sedentary lifestyle, where joysticks and remote controls often take the place of bikes and helmets. But what about those children who are eager to follow in the footsteps of Hugo Houle or Magalie Tisseyre? What path should they take to become both high-performing athletes and well-rounded citizens?

Goals Should Evolve with Each Stage of a Cyclist’s Development

Supporting kids and teens who aim for excellence—whether in road cycling, mountain biking, or track—requires more than just engaged parents. It demands developmentally appropriate programs that evolve with the athlete. From the first wobble on training wheels to a podium finish at the Tour de France, each stage of development should emphasize specific learning outcomes tied to the child’s physical and mental maturity.

In the early stages, the focus should be on enjoyment and fundamental skill-building. Whether it's bike games, BMX, trial biking, or downhill mountain biking, the experience must be positive and fun. These moments build self-esteem and a love for movement when properly guided.

If kids are inspired to compete, the next phase is to train them to train. Once puberty is complete, we train them to race, and only in early adulthood should we train them to win.

“It takes 10 years of intense training to excel at anything.”
— Herbert A. Simon, Nobel Prize Laureate (1978)

A Child Is Not a Miniature Adult

It makes more sense to develop general movement skills before focusing on muscular or cardiovascular qualities. Experts in child growth and development recommend delaying intensive work on the physiological pillars of performance—VO2max, anaerobic capacity, and aerobic endurance—until late puberty.

Parents dreaming of raising the next Antoine Duchesne or Clara Hughes often push their children into intense competition far too early. But the emotional well-being of the child should always outweigh race results. Even for teens near the end of puberty, competition is not only physically demanding but also emotionally taxing.

While frequent racing does help develop physical and tactical skills, it can also increase risk if not managed wisely. That’s why young athletes should work with their coaches to assess which races are simply training opportunities, which ones truly matter, and which might be best skipped—to avoid burnout (for both athlete and parent chauffeurs!).

By Guy Thibault¹ & Pierre Hutsebaut²
¹ Scientific Advisor, Cycling Canada
² Former Director, Cycling Canada; now with Peak Centre Montréal