Advice for Parents

What if it gets serious?

For the majority of parents and guardians, PPYCC will always be a Saturday morning club where their kids can come and be active, make friends and learn great skills. But what if your young rider develops a passion for the sport and wants to take it further?

The below resources cover some cycling-specific parenting resources and general advice on parenting young athletes.

Growing passion, not pressure

These resources offer expert advice and practical tips to help parents and carers support young riders in a healthy, positive way – both on and off the bike.

British Cycling advice: Young Riders

Advice from British Cycling on how young riders should prioritise fun, skills, and varied sports, with structured training gradually introduced from age 14 onward.

Inspiring young cyclists

Advice from Merlin Cycles on how to inspire young cyclists by encouraging varied hobbies, sharing family rides, avoiding pressure, and letting passion grow naturally through fun, freedom, and positive role models.

PPYCC Parents and Carers Code of Conduct

Our Code of Conduct outlines the key responsibilities of parents and carers in supporting a safe, respectful, and positive environment for all young cyclists at PPYCC.

The power of supportive parenting

The parents of British cyclists like the Hayter brothers and Fred Wright, along with Jason Kenny’s family, exemplify the importance of supportive, non-pushy parenting.

Unwavering parental support

Article from racing website The British Continental, where the parents of British riders Leo and Ethan Hayter and Fred Wright, describe the unwavering parental support that is vital to nurturing talent and sustaining dreams through racing’s highs and lows.

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Be positive not pushy

How Jason Kenny’s success was built on supportive parenting, gentle encouragement, family values, and a balanced, pressure-free approach to sport. From The Bolton News.

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When is the right time to get a personal coach?

There comes a point in an athletes development when a personal coach will become beneficial in helping riders to attain ambitious goals they may have at a national level or beyond. Some of PPYCC’s most successful riders told us about when they got their first coach, and give some tips for getting the most out of the coach-rider relationship.

Lukas Nerurkar

Lukas writes about his rider journey with PPYCC, how he started using a personal coach at age 17 and how this taught him not just how to train, but how to recover, balance life, and grow steadily into a well-rounded athlete.

Felix English

Felix writes about receiving his first personal coach at 14, explaining how this sharpened his training and boosted results, yet weekend rides with friends and wider club learning remained equally vital to his ongoing progress.

Coaching and Parenting Young Athletes

A hub offering guidance on coaching and parenting young athletes – covering areas including self-esteem, respect, injury and burnout.

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8 tips for parenting young athletes

A supportive guide explaining how to nurture young athletes through encouragement, balance, growth mindset, communication and realistic expectations.