Mission Statement
Our Mission is to develop junior riders, age 10-18, to become elite riders.
who
Boost CycleSport is founded by Armin Rahm and James Qua. Both were looking for ways to facilitate more youth opportunities in cycling by sharing their love of the sport, the benefits cycling brings to focus, character strength, and foundational health, as well as a social environment that supports developing teens in a positive way outside the regular peer groups of school or neighbors.
Armin is a USAC Elite Level 1 Coach, has over 150 victories on the Road and Track and has placed as high as 6th place at the Masters World Championships. He coached many Junior and Elite National Champions here in the USA. Armin began cycling as a 10yr old junior in Germany. He found his experience to be fulfilling and life guiding, and now shares the rewards of cycling with young people, bringing his experience, talent, and coaching skills to a team that embraces youth development and becomes a force in Southern California Cycling, and outward throughout North America and the World, promoting the new generation of cyclists.
James Qua is a NICA top level Coach, USAC Level 3 Coach that also wants to pass on the passion of cycling to the next generation. Cycling has brought a tremendous amount of positivity to his life and believes that being able to give back is a great gift. His favorite quote is “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”
WHAT
Cycling can offer positive social reinforcement for both girls and boys, through competition and camaraderie, exploration of trails and roads, objectively develop their performance with a coach, and determine goals that lead to tangible results, all supporting personal fulfillment and achievement.
WHEN
Capturing the passion for cycling during youth is a great thing! We see the massive expansion of Interscholastic competition and intramural athletics through programs like NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) and Specialized Bicycles Outride Program embracing the benefits of cycling within the context of middle and high school settings.
Besides the Joy we see on the faces of these cyclists, research by RTSG Neuroscience Partners and Stanford University has specifically found that middle school students experience "positive changes in their cognitive, emotional/social, and physical wellbeing before, during, and after a month long, five-day-a-week cycling program.” Additionally, these students “had improvements in attention and mood, as well as long-term cognitive performance, social relationships, and general emotional and physical health… showing faster imformation processing… and... improved academic performance."
WHERE
In our Southern California area, around Los Angeles and Pasadena specifically, many schools do not have cycling programs, yet, with the many benefits of cycling evident, from physical health to cognitive development, Boost CycleSport is intent on providing the next level engagement across the spectrum of cycle sports, from mountain biking and road cycling, to cyclocross and track. Boost CycleSport is integrating with already established youth cycling programs and teams to build camaraderie and social strength in a modern world where ‘screen time’ can diminish our quality face-to-face relationships.
HOW
Boost CycleSport is led by one of our area’s most successful cycling coaches, and a former pro racer himself with a deep passion for cycling. Armin Rahm has assembled a group of master cyclists and parent volunteers, as well as NICA and USAC licensed coaches to help our youth discover and explore more in and through cycling.
We are always looking for safe places to ride our clinics or work on skills. From riding in larger groups where there is safety among the pack, to finding private property or public parks open to our work on specific skills, our coaches put safety first, and fun right along side it!
WHY
All of the coaches and parents involved in Boost CycleSport’s Junior Development Program are lifelong passionate cyclists, and revel in the joy of passing on this love of the sport. We all embrace leadership of our youth as a privilege and treat each individual with honor and respect. Our process embraces each athlete’s talents, and we work with them in setting personal goals, including the micro-goals they can meet each day that build up to their main season goals and beyond.
FUTURE
As our juniors develop and ride hard into their futures, we hope to continue supporting them into senior racing, developing mentorship and team dynamics that ensure our continued success and growth for all. Our goal is to expand our sponsorship to allow us to take our top racing youth to European venues or large races here in North America, potentially developing a professional arm of our team.
