Goal Setting for Coaches and Athletes: USA Cycling Course

Most athletes don’t need bigger goals—they need better ones. The kind that are clear, realistic, and tied to a plan they’ll actually follow through on.

Our course “Goal Setting ” goes beyond the generic advice. This course offers you actionable tools to prevent the most common derailers—like vague ambitions, mid-season burnout, or goalposts that keep moving. This course provides a clear framework for helping athletes define, refine, and actually achieve their goals—with tools built for real-world coaching, not motivational posters. You’ll learn how to:

• Refine vague goals into specific, data-backed priorities using the SMART framework—plus the key follow-up questions that uncover what the athlete really wants.
• Build outcome and process goals side-by-side, so when the podium feels far away, your athlete still has a reason to train.
• Keep motivation high through the season using goal attainment theory—a proven coaching model built on autonomy, competence, and connection.
• Recognize when a goal is misaligned—and how to pivot early to avoid frustration, injury, or dropout.

Goals that are grounded in reality, backed by data, and supported by a clear plan are the ones that lead to real progress. As a coach, knowing how to help athletes define, refine, and achieve the right goal is one of the most powerful tools you can bring to the table. Whether you’re working with juniors, elites, or masters, this course equips you with the same methods top coaches use to turn fuzzy ambitions into podium results and personal breakthroughs.

How to Enroll

All USA Cycling courses are offered exclusively through USA Cycling’s online learning management system at learn.usacycling.org.

Questions? Contact Suzy Sanchez, Director of DEI and Membership Programs, at ssanchez@usacycling.org.