In the past … After 18 years in the IT department of a major government contractor I took advantage of the opportunity to change careers and decided to become a coach and try to make use of the experience I had gained in the sport that I have loved for over 25 year. In 2004 I started coaching full time working with athletes of all levels from beginners to Pros.
Since 2004 … In the last 20+ years I have worked with riders all over the US and internationally with results ranging from finally finishing with the faster group on Zwift to National Championship medals. With every athlete I have worked with I have gained more and more experience and understanding that every athlete is different and requires a different approach to reach their goals. Even though I have had few results of my own over the years, I tried to learned from every mistake I have made. One of my goals as a coach is to guide the athletes I work with around the pitfalls that I have run into.
My philosophy … When I coach an athlete I truly see it as working with that person. Together we work toward a program that will help the athlete get to where they want to be in their development. Balance and flexibility with life in and out of cycling are the constant themes within my coaching methodology. I believe that real life has to come first. Family and work provide the support that is required for a successful cycling career. And no one can know for sure what may come their way in life or even how well they will feel the day after a workout or race to have a program that is written in stone. The coach and the rider need to be willing to change the plan at any time. My favorite quote comes from Joe Friel: “If you feel like you should not do today’s workout, call me and I will tell you not to do it.” Nobody knows better that the athlete how they feel.
What People Say
I’ve only had one cycling coach, but I can’t imagine having a better one than BJ. With BJ’s guidance I’ve gotten results, continued to improve and get stronger, and pushed myself beyond where I thought I could go. Also, I’m in the best total shape of my life, not just on the bike.
Brian Sacawa
BJ took me, in a few months, from being a perennial top-10 finisher to a race winner. Before working with BJ, I thought I knew how to train. I had been racing successfully for years, but just below the level I thought I was up to given the limited time I have available, and I had no reason to question my training. I just thought it was a question of time on the bike. But BJ proved me wrong. In the somewhat limited time I have to train, BJ’s training regimen produced major performance gains by focusing on the essentials necessary to race at a high level.
Chris Hardee
I’ve been racing bikes for the last 7 years and each year have struggled to improve to the point where I’m competitive with the other racers in my category. I’d tried joining the local fast group rides, the fast training rides, the regular club rides, with some improvement but not enough to get me where I thought I could be. Always, my goal during these rides was to hang on as long as I could before getting dropped.
Diane Harris