Introducing the Athletes of the Optimize Collective
Ben Delaney
FasCat is excited to announce the 2024 Optimize Collective – nine athletes with ambitious goals who will receive coaching support to help them build on their impressive 2023 results. To help these athletes train for their goals, these athletes will have full access to FasCat’s coaching services, including Optimize, the groundbreaking system that provides athlete’s with a complete view of their readiness to train.
These athletes are Kyleigh Spearing, Ethan Overson, Marisa Boaz, Kristian Haikala, Sierra Sims, Gavin Hlady, Logan Jones-Wilkins, Avah Cherry, and Phil Gaimon. Their full bios are below.
“As coaches, we take great pride in our athletes’ accomplishments – whether that’s finishing a first gravel event or standing atop a podium in an international competition. In this past year, there were a few of our athletes who truly stood out to us, and we’re excited to welcome them to the Optimize Collective for next season,” said FasCat Founder Frank Overton.
The Optimize Collective
Avah Cherry, Knoxville, TN
A collegiate national champion in Enduro and Dual Slalom, Avah specializes in technical racing throughout the southeast. Avah is studying aerospace engineering at the University of Tennessee and will be one to watch in the collegiate and mountain biking scenes for 2024.
Avah is coached by Sierra Sims.
Follow Avah on Instagram.
Ethan Overson, Boulder, CO
Gravel and road racer Ethan won the Fayetteville stop of the UCI Gravel World Series in 2023 and was then selected to represent the United States at the UCI Gravel World Championships.
Ethan is coached by Isaiah Newkirk.
Follow Ethan on Instagram and Strava.
Kristian Haikala, Boulder, CO
Gravel racer Kristian got tenth place at the 2023 Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Kristian is coached by Allie Legg.
Follow Kristian on Instagram and Strava.
Kyleigh Spearing, Boulder, CO
A recent convert to cycling from triathlon, Kyleigh took third at Gravel Worlds in Nebraska and then represented the United States at UCI Gravel World Championships.
Kyleigh is coached by Isaiah Newkirk.
Follow Kyleigh on Instagram and Strava.
Logan Jones-Wilkins, Denver, CO
Logan is a cycling journalist for GCN and an elite gravel racer for Rodeo Adventure Labs. While only 23, Logan's experience racing experience as a teenager that included a seventh place at junior nationals helped him finish top 20 at the 2021 Unbound Gravel 200.
Logan is coached by Ricky Arnopol.
Follow Logan on Instagram and Strava.
Marisa Boaz, Des Moines, IA
A wife, mother of four, and gravel racer, Marisa is coming back with a vengence from a pelvic fracture. The winner of Unbound Gravel 100 in 2022, Marisa has big gravel plans for 2024 with a special target on Unbound 200.
Marisa is coached by Isaiah Newkirk.
Follow Marisa on Instagram and Strava.
Phil Gaimon, Los Angeles, CA
Phil has been a FasCat Athlete since 2015. From the WorldTour to Strava, Phil is the OG Collective team member. In 2024 Phil will continue to do what he does and we may even see him at a gravel event...
Phil is coached by Frank Overton.
Follow Phil on Instagram and Strava.
Sierra Sims, Brevard, NC
Multi-discipline racer, former collegiate national champ and Team USA team member, Sierra races all the bikes and often lands on the podium at cross-country, enduro, and gravel races, including at Belgian Waffle Ride Kansas in October. Sierra is a FasCat coach as well as an athlete — and yes, even coaches benefit from having a coach!
Sierra is coached by Elliott Baring.
Follow Sierra on Instagram and Strava.
Each athlete in the Optimize Collective will receive year-round in-app coaching from FasCat coaches, as well as access to Optimize, the only training tool that lets athletes visualize the balance of their training and recovery by combining workout and wearable data.
FasCat will share each athletes’ progress and top results throughout the season on instagram, and each will also be a guest on the FasCat Training Tips Podcast.
We invite all racing fans to tune in and see what these athletes will accomplish in 2024, and to sign up for the same training plans used by these athletes!
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How to ride 1,200km in one go: Randonneuring with Lisa Charlebois
Weight Lifting Training Stress (wlOTS)
![Road Racing Intervals](http://shopify-proxy.fascatcoaching.com/cdn/shop/products/Roadintervalsfinal_{width}x.progressive.png.jpg?v=1619793764)
Road Racing Intervals
- Increase your functional and race-specific power output
- Includes Sweet Spot, VO2, Anaerobic, Threshold
![Road Race In-Season](http://shopify-proxy.fascatcoaching.com/cdn/shop/products/Roadinseasonfinal_{width}x.progressive.png.jpg?v=1619793470)
Road Race In-Season
- Weekend racing and group rides with weekday training and recovery
- anaerobic efforts like criss cross, Over/Unders Sweet Spot, Threshold
![Foundation : 3 Weeks](http://shopify-proxy.fascatcoaching.com/cdn/shop/files/FallFoundationwhite_{width}x.progressive.png.jpg?v=1724680465)
Foundation : 3 Weeks
- Perfect for all cyclists beginning off season training
- Raise your CTL and the all-important muscle tension intervals
![Phil Gaimon's Strava PR Plan](http://shopify-proxy.fascatcoaching.com/cdn/shop/products/philstravaplan_1_{width}x.progressive.png.jpg?v=1619630835)
Phil Gaimon's Strava PR Plan
- Perfect Plan for Those with Less Training Time, starts at 15 minutes per day
- VO2's, 1 minuters, Tabatas, threshold, suprathreshold, and even Sweet Spot