My first bike race happened almost by accident. We were in high school and my pal Phil and I decided that we had outgrown our BMX bikes just as mountain bikes were hitting the scene. After saving our hard-earned pennies, we bought a matching pair and decided to check out a local race. We had only intended to watch the race, but a guy we met there, cigarette in mouth, told us that “bike racing is not about watching, it’s about doing.” The race was short, but up until then it was the hardest thing I had ever done. Phil ticked mountain bike racing off his list of “things I can now say I have done once.” I can’t put a finger on exactly why, but I was hooked!
Little did I know that that crazy day in 1987 would launch a career in cycling. Of course, there has been plenty of racing - mountain bikes, road bikes, cyclocross - in many different countries, including week-long events like the Tour TransAlp and BC Bike Race. There have even been some good results - a few state championships and even a TT win in Europe.
The most rewarding aspect of all this, though, has been helping hundreds of athletes accomplish their goals. As a USA Cycling Level 1 coach at Aeolus Endurance Sport, I’ve had athletes of all levels succeed in everything from beating their friends to the local hilltop to standing on the Cyclocross World Championships podium. Each one is equally gratifying and helps drive me to do even better.
That’s the drive that created VeloPro. I wanted to give athletes who may not want a full-time coach, or be able to afford one, a way to have a customized, structured training plan. With the proliferation of power measurement, we can now quantify exactly what we’re doing in training and put it to use for improvement. VeloPro helps you do that in a simple, organized, and progressive way.
Of course, having a solid training plan is just one part of being a good athlete. In this bi-monthly blog, I’ll write about a variety of training, coaching, and cycling-related topics that will help you get the most out of VeloPro and out of your training time. I’ll also answer questions you may have about training. So, if you’re curious about the science, methodology, and technique behind VeloPro, or just wondering whether to choose tall socks or short ones, check this space regularly!
