Hi, I'm Pablo (and yeah, I helped start a coaching app)

by Pablo • 13 years old • Mountain biker • Accidental co-founder

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Hi! I'm Pablo. I'm 13, I love mountain biking, and somehow I ended up as one of the founders of Corsa. I know — most kids my age are doing normal kid stuff. But my dad has been racing and coaching endurance sports for basically forever, so honestly this was kind of inevitable.

I got into biking because of him. My mom and him loved taking my brother Philip and me out on trails when I was younger (like, 4 years old), and at first my main goal was just "do not crash." But then something clicked. There's something about flying down a trail, picking your line, and timing a jump just right that's really hard to explain unless you've done it. MTB isn't only about being fit — though trust me, your legs will tell you all about that the next day. It's mental too. You have to read the trail, commit to lines, and sometimes you have to convince yourself NOT to grab the brakes when every part of your brain is screaming at you to slow down. That part is honestly kind of addicting.

But the best part? Being with my family on our family rides and trips. And being with other kids who share the passion at team events. NICA races are the most fun sporty thing I do all year. You roll up to a venue with hundreds of kids who actually get it. They're stoked about the same weird stuff you are — sketchy trails, tire pressures, why your seat post keeps slipping mid-race. You make friends fast when you're all sharing the same passion (and pain).

So why Corsa? It actually started from stuff I was noticing around me. A lot of my team mates want to get faster. Like, really want it. But most of us have NO idea what we're supposed to be doing. Should I do intervals? How long? How often? Am I going too hard? Not hard enough? Real coaches exist, but they cost a lot, and let's be real — most kids my age aren't out here hiring personal coaches. That's kind of an adult thing.

The other thing I noticed is that NICA season is kind of a trap. Everyone trains super hard during the season. Then the season ends and… a lot of kids basically stop riding seriously until next season starts. Not because they want to, but because nobody tells them what to do in the off-season. So they show up the next year having to rebuild from zero. It's such a bummer, and it's so avoidable.

And here's the other thing — not everyone wants the same stuff from biking. Some of my friends just want to stay in shape and have fun with the team. Other friends are full-on grinders trying to win state. Both are awesome! But the advice you usually get is one-size-fits-all, and that doesn't really work when one kid is training for a podium and another kid just wants to keep up on the Saturday team ride without dying.

That's the gap Corsa is trying to fill. It's kind of like having a coach in your pocket who actually gets what YOU are trying to do — whether that's racing for a podium or just enjoying team rides. It works year-round, not just during the season. And it tells you WHY you're doing each workout, not just what to do, which I think is huge. If you don't know why you're doing something, you're not going to stick with it. That's just human.

Oh, one more thing — even though I keep talking about MTB and kids my age, Corsa isn't just for us. My dad's adult running and triathlon friends are using it too, which is kind of funny to picture but makes sense because the app does pretty much every endurance sport.

Anyway, that's the story. I'm pretty excited about all of this, and I'm extra excited that mountain biking is finally getting some love in the coaching world (most apps act like MTB doesn't even exist, which is rude honestly). If you're a mountain biker — especially if you're a kid, or you know a kid who's into it — check out Corsa at www.corsa.coach. The app is coming soon, we're just waiting on the App Store people to do their thing.

And if you see me at a MTB event, come say hi.

— Pablo