Art of Cycling

The Art of Cycling Method

Where Sports Science Meets The Creative Process.

The Art of Cycling Method is a personal, one-on-one coaching program that blends science-based endurance training, conscious recovery practices, and whole-athlete development into a powerful, integrated approach.

Developed over two decades of racing, coaching, and personal exploration, the Art of Cycling Method blends structured, science-based training with the creative process.

Just as an artist finds meaning in the act of creation, athletes working with this method find strength, clarity, and fulfillment through the process of training, not just the outcome. It’s not about ego here; it’s about clear goals, steady progress, and a commitment to doing the work that actually matters.

The Art of Cycling Method integrates three essential pillars:

Endurance Training with Intention and Precision
Your training is progressive, purposeful, and sustainable. It has you constantly improving in a way that feels challenging but doable.
Conscious Recovery Practices
Recovery is a disciplined practice that benefits your whole life. Mobility, restorative movement, nervous system regulation, stress-reduction, and athlete self-care are built into your program from the start.
Athletic Wellness and Whole-Self Integration
The time you invest in your sport should enhance not just your performance, but your overall well-being and quality of life.

You can be driven without being rigid, focused without being hard on yourself, and fast without losing the joy.

Athlete Onboarding:
A thorough intake process to understand your athletic history, strengths, goals, and lifestyle.
Custom-Built Training Schedules:
Fresh schedules every 4 weeks, tailored to your progression and availability.
Structured Workouts:
Detailed, downloadable workouts compatible with all major platforms and devices.
Zone Setting and Regular Testing:
Threshold test analysis to keep your power and heart rate zones accurate and up-to-date.
Check-In Calls:
Every 4 weeks, a coaching call to review progress, get questions answered, and plan forward.

Coaching Includes:

Plan Revisions as Needed:
When illness, travel, and life events happen, your schedule adjusts to keep you on track.

Unlimited Communication in TrainingPeaks:
Consistent, ongoing coaching support through workout analysis, feedback, and questions answered.
Yoga, Mindfulness, and Guided Meditations:
Integrated tools for stress management, recovery, and deeper mind-body connection.
Optional In-Person Skills Instruction:
For local clients in Bend, OR, technical skills coaching to support overall riding confidence and flow.

You’re A Great Fit If:

You have space in your life to train consistently, even with a busy schedule.
You’re open to structured training, regular feedback, and a guided coaching process.
You have a heart rate monitor, a power meter, and a reliable indoor training setup.
You’re currently training for goal events, or you’re ready to set clear goals and work toward them.
You’re ready for a training process that builds resilience, fulfillment, and long-term strength.

Every athlete’s story is different. Here’s a little of mine, and how it shapes the way I coach.

I didn’t grow up an athlete. I found cycling almost by accident on my first real mountain bike ride in Flagstaff, Arizona. I was a freshman in college, awkward, inexperienced, and with no reason to believe I belonged in endurance sports. But I had what mattered more than talent: focus, determination, and unshakable love for the sport.

That love carried me from complete beginner to racing at the Pro level in cross-country mountain biking, Cat 2 in road cycling, and competing across a full spectrum of endurance events, including 100-mile mountain bike races, XTERRA triathlons, stage races, criteriums, gravel races, and cyclocross.

Since 2004, I've coached athletes at every stage and every age. My approach blends structured endurance training, skills instruction, and recovery practices that help athletes avoid many of the mistakes I made along the way and enjoy the benefits of this beautiful sport even more.

About Kristen

Training on your own can sometimes feel like guesswork. My job is to build your program with precision, using proven training methodologies and a focus on sustainable, long-term growth. In the simplest terms, my job is to meet you where you are and help you get exactly where you want to go.

The athletes I coach know me as a constant presence and the bird’s-eye view that keeps them moving toward their goals year after year. An athlete once described me as a “zen killer” who is preternaturally calm, yet fiercely committed to their success. I love this description, and you can read more testimonials below.

In addition to coaching, I’m also an artist and a yoga teacher. These practices shape how I work with athletes, helping you build strength without forcing it, stay competitive without losing your center, and train with purpose instead of ego. You can be driven without being rigid, focused without being hard on yourself, and fast without losing the joy.

My Coaching Philosophy

Coaching Investment & Availability

I work with a small number of dedicated athletes each year through The Art of Cycling Method. These athletes are committed to training smarter, recovering deeper, and growing stronger, both on and off the bike.

Coaching Investment

$350 per month
$100 start-up fee (covers athlete onboarding and training history review)
Billing is done through TrainingPeaks and includes a TrainingPeaks Premium subscription.
You can cancel anytime with 30 days notice.
I do not require long-term contracts and allow my athletes to take breaks and return to coaching when they are ready.

Who This Coaching Is Designed For

Adults of all ages and abilities who are passionate about gravel, road, or endurance mountain biking.
Time-crunched athletes who want to train smarter and maximize the time, energy, and resources they have.
Athletes who are preparing for goal events, or who want to deepen their experience of cycling through a structured, progressive approach.

I'm Ready!

Athlete Testimonials

"Kristen’s coaching has been a revelation. She’s a zen killer: preternaturally calm, but unwavering in her determination to see you succeed in the face of whatever’s being thrown at you. Her plans are consistent, sustainable, and rounded—they stoke your love of the sport without burning you out. They’re not gentle; sometimes they’re brutal. But Kristen serves them up with such steady encouragement, such faith in your ability to withstand the training, that somehow you just do it. And then suddenly (so it seems), you're faster."

-Sarah (45)
"Kristen and I have been working together to help me achieve my cycling goals since 2018. I can honestly say that without her deep knowledge of cycling training theory and practice, her relentless optimism and support and her willingness to help me get back on track when I (inevitably) get derailed by work, health, travel (and sometimes by frustration), I would never have achieved the cycling goals I have over the past five years. I am not a racer: far from it. What I am is a lifelong cyclist who had just hit menopause and all that entails when I started working with Kristen. I thank my lucky stars every single day that I was referred to her and I would enthusiastically refer anyone of any age and cycling ability and experience to reach out to Kristen if you want to Iove cycling - again, or forever. She’ll patiently and lovingly guide you to do the right work, at the right time, with the right intensity to get you there and keep you there. I can’t wait to see what challenges she helps me meet this year!

-Kris (60)
"Finding Kristen as a personal coach was one of the smartest moves I've made. When I first met with her, I was impressed by her knowledge and confidence while discussing what we wanted to accomplish together. She believed we could reach my goals and laid out a straightforward plan to do it. I found this to be immensely valuable because it allowed me to focus on the rest of my life, knowing I just had to follow the training plan. Best of all, she acts as a calm reassuring voice at critical times when I encounter challenges or anything unexpected. She makes it seem easy and her plan works. It still seems like magic to me."

-Elizabeth (61)
“In late 2020 I started working with Coach Kristen with the goal of improving my time on the Tour Divide. After I recovered a bit, Coach Kristen helped me set new goals: completing some multi-day events on a mountain bike. She suggested places to mountain bike, balanced my road training, mountain biking, and strength training, and suggested skills to work on. It paid off. In 2022, I completed the Cross-Florida ITT and 24 Hours of Old Pueblo, and then the more technical Transylvania and Breck Epics. Kristen has consistently encouraged and helped me develop my riding. I am enjoying my time on bikes substantially more than when I began and my sense of what is possible has greatly expanded. If you think some experienced and knowledgeable guidance could help you reach your cycling goals, I recommend her highly.”

-Jamie (63)
"Kristen Phillips is a truly exceptional cycling coach. I reached out to her when I decided to ride my bike across Switzerland, and it was clear from the start that Kristen knew how to prepare me for the ride of my life. I needed a coach not just to give me a training plan and walk away, but to be responsive to my questions, hold me accountable, and check in on me. It was clear she read every word of my emails and addressed every question I had. I'm incredibly happy with Kristen's coaching abilities. She's a wonderful, knowledgeable and experienced cyclist. I recommend her without reservation."

-Michelle (40)
"Coach Kristen is the consummate teacher. She is highly skilled and knowledgeable in all areas of cycling, from skills to trails to gear. She is patient, encouraging, and able to hone in on just the right guidance to get you to the next level. She turned my curiosity about mountain biking into a joyful pursuit that has brought me on adventures all over the country. I’m forever grateful!"

-Kymberly (43)
"Coach Kristen has been my 2020 quarantine survival coach! Even though we haven't had a chance to meet or ride together in person, Kristen assessed my strengths and challenges and helped me figure out how to keep learning/growing as a cyclist and stay motivated even as all my goal events were canceled. I needed new routines and equipment, and we identified (and achieved) new goals. If you want to find out what you are made of and have someone working with you to figure it out, Kristen will be your sounding board, advisor and share in the joy of your success- however you define it."

-Rebecca (56)
"The best thing for me about working with Kristen was checking in with her on an almost daily basis and getting thoughtful replies to comments and questions. It made me feel like I had continual support in my cycling endeavors, no matter how small (contemplating different cycling shoes) or how large (targeting specific races). Another valuable thing about coaching with Kristen is that she taught me about training with metrics. Although I’d been riding a lot for a few years, I wanted to understand what training with power was about, since it was completely foreign and seemed daunting. Kristen’s workouts and the way they involved working with power gave me a solid background in periodized training with a power meter. And finally, Kristen is just a cool and caring human being—that she happens to know a great deal about cycling and coaching is almost a bonus: She’s a person you feel lucky to have in your life."

-Gabby (38)
"My first Gran Fondo ride was 100% positive and I was very proud and happy to have this accomplished. Thank you to Coach Kristen for all of your help these past months. I honestly must say I could not have made it if I had not had your advice and guidance. All those painful training rides paid off!"

-Jo’el (49)
"I've been a lifelong athlete, training under lots of coaches in many sports over my lifetime. This past summer I had the opportunity to take a MTB clinic with Kristen. I'd been riding MTB for almost 2 years, but was still looking to up my game. She took us to a few spots along the trail where we could focus on varied skills. She broke things down into simple steps: choosing a line, how to approach an obstacle, where to focus, etc. I still need to work on my skinnies, but she had me up and over obstacles I never thought to try or thought I could handle. She gave me the courage and confidence to not only try, but succeed. Those same obstacles today are a no-brainer. Kristen is a patient, knowledgeable and supportive coach who has helped me take my riding to a new level."

-Regina (50)
"I am a relatively novice mountain biker who has taken a wide variety of skills clinics with various coaches, and Kristen is one of the best out there. Kristen exudes patience and the kind of quiet confidence that immediately puts me at ease. Her teaching and communication style is thoughtful, and her progressive technique instills confidence in me to push beyond my comfort zone, knowing that I have the fundamental skills to overcome the obstacle or accomplish the task at hand. In one hour with Kristen at a recent clinic, I was able to ride trail features that I never would have expected to do on my own!"

-Lucia (37)

Train with Intention. Ride with Strength. Recover with Purpose.

If you’re interested in working together, please complete the application below. I’ll review your responses and reach out to schedule a free consultation where we can talk about your goals and any questions you may have.

Prefer email? You can also send the information below directly to:
flowandstillness [at] gmail [dot] com.

Ready to begin?

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Tell me a little about your cycling background.

What goals or events are you currently working toward?

What challenges or obstacles are you currently facing in your training or life?

What’s most important to you in a coaching relationship?

Why are you interested in the Art of Cycling Method?

Is there anything else you’d like me to know?

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