Our WE DEVELOPMENT Program offers two pathways for the developing off-road cyclist: coaching + UCI race support; or coaching-only.

Both of our options provide extensive personal coaching and an individualized training plan, along with industry leading communication and coaching support for our athletes. The WE National Team option adds a motivating team structure, sponsorships, and race-day support at UCI events.

The coaching & communication is the cornerstone to our program and what sets us apart from other development programs. Coaches Cody & Kathy use Zoom calls to address the big picture topics and create team unity, while regular private phone calls are utilized to touch base and review the training progress of each individual rider’s training progression. As educators, our end goal is to teach our riders the “why” along with the “how to” so they better understand the process and attain the maximum growth.

Our WE DEVELOPMENT Program has 6 coaches for the 2026 season.

Cody and Kathy Waite coach the WE National Team riders, while leading and mentoring the four Apprentice Coaches that will be coaching the WE Development Coaching athletes.

Every rider in the WE Development program will be following the proven methods and programming we’ve fine-tuned over the last 7 years of junior development coaching.

We have found that a 9-month program works well for developing junior and U23 riders to the highest levels of competition. We begin in November, often following a rider’s high school or collegiate MTB season, with what we call Base Builder. This is typically a 3 month period of base training, incorporating strength training, aerobic endurance riding and structured intervals, to set the rider up for a fulfilling spring season of racing.

We then follow Base Builder with two 3-month Race Prep blocks that build a rider’s race specificity for an early spring racing peak (in March/April) and a second build (May-July) towards a summer peak for Nationals at the end of July. Our Race Prep blocks include strength training, intervals and endurance structured around a rider’s school, travel and racing schedule for optimized performance.

August through October are left for the rider to enjoy “alternative” racing options (marathon, stage races, gravel, cross, etc.) and/or their high school or collegiate seasons*. We are still there for the rider as their coaches, but we feel it is important to back off the structured training during this time and keep things fun so riders are eager to get back to focused training for the next MTB season with training ramping up again in November.

* For the riders who have demonstrated their ability to race at the highest level into late summer (ie. World Cups and/or World Championships), we continue working with them in full force, and in some cases travel with them, as they jump into the international racing environment.

Here are the essentials, beyond the obvious like a bike and cycling clothing:

• Training Peaks account (required)
  • • All riders are required to have a Premium Training Peaks account for the most effective way to share training information on a daily basis.
• Heartrate Monitor (required)
  • • Wahoo TICKR and/or Wahoo ELMNT available at 20% discount
• Stationary Trainer (highly recommended)
  • • Wahoo Fitness trainers (KICKR, CORE, SNAP) available at 20% discount
    • non-smart trainers are acceptable as well
• Power Meter (strongly encouraged)
  • • Quarq Power Meters available at 20% discount

The primary criteria that will assist us in rider selection for the WE DEVELOPMENT program are:

• You are 15-22 years old.
• You are “coachable” (you listen & hear what your coaches say, you like following a plan, you provide LOTS of feedback).
• You can communicate with your coaches (phone calls, emails, texts).
• You have used TrainingPeaks, heart rate and power data in your training… and are eager to learn how to use it more effectively.
• XC MTB is your main/only racing focus.
• You have raced national-level XC events in previous seasons.
• Your racing objectives are UCI Junior Series/U23 events (like: Puerto Rico, Vail Lake, Fayetteville, Englewood, Missoula, and Nationals) to gain experience towards international competition.
• Perhaps the most important: You are a GOOD PERSON (helpful, supportive, encouraging to your teammates, and can represent the WE brand in the most positive way possible)

As we receive rider applications, we will read through them to get a feel for the applying rider. If we like what we see, we will set-up a phone call with the rider to gain more insights on your training and racing experience (and to see how riders are actually able to communicate with their (potential future) coaches).

Following that, we may contact you to set up a video conference call with you and your parent(s) to explain in full detail what you can expect from being a part of  the WE Developement program and what we will expect from you as a rider.

We will inform selected riders of acceptance within the process as individual decisions are made (August-September). A final selection announcement will occur in October.

We will contact every rider who sends in an application in regard to continuing on to the next selection process step. Space is limited within our program, so only a few riders will make the selection.

Our goal is to offer the highest quality coaching and support program.  Working with a small number of riders each season is critical to maintain the quality and attention each rider requires.

Due to the custom programming and intensive coaching communication, space is limited. The WE National Team will be kept under 25 riders for optimal race-day support, while there will be up to 30 spots available in our WE Development Coaching pathway.

First and foremost, riders receive unparalleled coaching, training support and guidance that molds them into professional riders; along with a serious and supportive group of like-minded athletes working together towards similar goals.

Product discounts can be expected on many of the products you may need for the season. Current brands we are partnered with include SCOTT Bikes, SRAM, Schwalbe, Wahoo, Skratch Labs, and ESI. The exact discount amounts TBD.

In order to be able to provide the highest level of coaching and training to our riders, along with ever improving race support, the cost of our program will be increasing in 2026. The total cost for the 2026 season is still being determined.

Waite Endurance supports the WE DEVELOPMENT team in many ways; one way of the ways is by offering limited scholarships to riders/families that can not meet the fees. Scholarships are limited and are by request only.

WE Development does not provide travel support for junior riders. Junior rider are responsible for arranging their own travel logistics such as transportation, housing, meals, etc. Most of our junior riders travel with a parent(s) to events.

We can provide housing options for U23 riders in our WE National Team. This includes a roof to sleep under and food on the table in the days surrounding team supported events. The cost is shared amongst the rider utilizing the option. Transportation to/from event is still the responsibility of the U23 rider.

There are opportunities for parents to discuss event travel plans within our (optional) monthly Parent ZOOM calls (and Slack workspace) that assists in the logistical organization for each event.

We have worked with CUORE for our cycling kits since 2019. There will be a team store open in October for riders to order clothing. Typical delivery is in December.  A second order window will open in February (with March/April delivery) to refill your needs before the bulk of the season begins.

There will be clothing options for both the WE National Team  and the WE Development Coaching options.

Cost is still TBD for the 2026 season.

For WE National Team riders: YES.

We are working to secure bike-buying opportunities for  WE Development for 2026. We will expect each rider on the WE National Team to ride a 2025/2026 team bike with SRAM Flight Attendant spec from our bike sponsor. We will work to gain the best possible discount from the manufacturer as possible. All other sponsor brands will also be required for rider to use as part of the team program. Stay tuned for more info.

There will not be bike/sponsor requirements for WE Development Coaching athletes. However, we will strive to extend similar sponsor discounts to coaching athletes as available as optional opportunities.

Personalized coaching is the cornerstone of the program for WE DEVELOPMENT. All WE National Team riders are coached by both Cody & Kathy. Riders in the WE Coaching pathway will receive coaching from one of our Junior Coaches (former WE Development ‘graduates’, now elite riders themselves), with assistance from Cody & Kathy.

If you already have a coach you work really well with, then we recommend you stick with them instead of being a part of our program. If you have a coach and you’re not super-impressed with the results thus far, then consider letting us impress you.

Most importantly a positive and supportive attitude is expected as part of our program. We’re all in this together, and no one person is more ‘valuable’ than another.

You are also expected to communicate with your coaches on a daily/weekly basis with your training and life balance. This can be done through Slack, text, email and/or phone. We need your communication to better coach you and maximize your performance.

As a high-level development race program, you are expected to race. We want our riders at as many of the UCI level events as possible, with budget and time constraints in mind. UCI events are highest priority including: Puerto Rico, Arkansas, Soldier Hollow, Wisconsin, Montana, and of course Nationals. We will help you with your event planning to maximize your budget and performance.

Interactive social media efforts are also expected from our riders to help us spread the good work of the team and all of our sponsors. We will help you with this if you are uncertain of how to go about it.

Being a national-level program, we do not offer regular in-person training opportunities. The majority of our training program is delivered online, and we see riders in person at events.

We do host our annual WE Development National Team Camp to get the squad together before the race season begins. This typically occurs within the holiday break following Christmas around the New Year, in Cave Creek, Arizona.

We are currently working out the logistics for a WE Development Coaching Camp with similar intentions to be announced soon.

If riders do not make the WE DEVELOPMENT National Team selection for 2026, we will be offering WE Development coaching-only pathway to consider. The same great coaching and communication will be available without the race day support of the WE Development Team. This pathway provides the opportunity for acceptance in the national pathway in the future.

Training Plans will also be available for rider to enter the development process at a low price-point while getting to learn how professional training works.

From these options, a rider can learn how we do things while following a great program to have them racing their best in 2026!