Meet Our Coaches
Years of Experience - On and Off Race Courses
Cadence's performance staff is comprised of an unparalleled group of accomplished athletes and seasoned coaching professionals. Each coach has been hand-picked based on their qualifications, personality, and track record. Not only does each coach need to bring valuable experience and credentials to our operation, but they must also share our clients' enthusiasm, passion, and even obsession for the sport. We are extremely proud of the coaching staff we have assembled, and we are certain that each coach will provide you with a level of personal service, attention, and dedication never before experienced.
Please review below the credentials of Cadence's coaching team. You'll quickly see what sets Cadence apart!
Brian Walton
VP In Charge Of Performance - Cadence Partner
bwalton@cadencecycling.com
Unequalled racing and coaching experience is provided by Cadence partner, Brian Walton. Brian has one of the most illustrious histories in professional cycling, a history that began with the notorious 7-11 Team and the likes of Sean Yates, Bob Roll, Norm Alvis, Eric Heiden, Alex Stieda, and Frankie Andreu. From 7-11, Brian became a teammate to Lance Armstrong with Team Motorola, and subsequently went on to be the team leader for Team Saturn from 1993 to 2000.
In all that time, Brian had both overall victories, stage wins and top GC results in some of the world's most prestigious races, including the Milk Race, the Tour of Langkawi, the Tour of Japan, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games, and the Giro d'Italia.
Brian was a three-time Olympian (1992, 1996, 2000), and took home the Silver Medal in the 1996 Olympics in the Points Race. He raced numerous times in Philadelphia's own US Pro Championships, where he placed in the Top Four on 3 occasions and finished Second twice.
From 2000 to 2003, Brian was the head coach and Directeur Sportif for Team Snow Valley, the Nation's premier elite men's racing team. As coach for Snow Valley, Brian was elected USA Cycling's Developmental Coach of the Year, and nominated to the USOC's 2003 Coaching Forum. In 2005, Brian was chosen as the Executive Cycling Coach for USA Triathlon's U23 Team and directs Cadence's coaching program for the United States Marines Corps' Triathlon Team. It's no coincidence that the United States won it's first USAT World Championship in 2005!
Brian Walton's palmares:
- Olympic Silver Medalist – Points Race 1996
- 3 Time Olympic Team Member (1988, 1996, 2000)
- 3 Time Pan American Games Gold Medalist
- 1995 Gold-Road Race (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
- 1995 Gold-Points Race
- 1995 Bronze-Pursuit
- 1999 Gold–Road Race (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- 1995 Commonwealth Games Bronze Medal – Scratch Race
- 1989 Overall Winner Milk Race (Tour of Britain)
- 1988 Overall Winner International Dortmund Ritter
- 1991 Overall Winner International Tour of Bavaria
- 1991 Winner Stage 6 (Time Trial) Tour of Pays Basque (over Miguel Indurain)
- 10 Time Canadian National Champion-Road and Track
In 2006, Brian was inducted into British Columbia's Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and recognized for his lifelong accomplishments in the sport of cycling.
^ Top
Colin Sandberg
Manager of Coaching Technologies - Road, Cyclo-Cross, and Track Cycling
csandberg@cadencecycling.com
Colin may not yet have the professional racing experience that Brian, Benjamin and Ryan can boast, but he's an extremely talented elite level racer with an impressive palmares. Currently riding for one of the Nation's premier elite teams, ESSM/GPOA, in 2004 Colin was 2nd overall in the State of Pennsylvania's Elite Cat 1/2 rankings. He accomplished this status in just his first season as an elite racer. In 2003, as a Cat 3 racer, Colin was almost unbeatable, and took home the prestigious title of Best All Around Rider in the State of Pennsylvania. That's no small accomplishment given that PA is one of the most competitive bike racing states in the country.
In 1999, Colin graduated from the highly regarded University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Industrial Engineering. After Pitt, Colin began working with Delphi Automotive Systems and pursued his passion for cycling by becoming a formidable amateur racer while obtaining his USA Cycling coaching certification. Now a USAC Expert level coach, Colin maintains his passion for cycling by training and racing hard, and devouring every new book he can find on sports nutrition and improved muscular and aerobic endurance.
With the typical mind of an engineer, Colin is Cadence's resident expert on everything scientific. From shaving a few seconds off a time trial with improved aerodynamics and training techniques, to maximizing caloric intake for efficient training and weight loss, Colin is extremely knowledgeable, thorough, and eager to share his ideas.
Colin's expertise includes bike fitting, power-based training, and special groups training for masters and juniors. He has teaching in his blood, and for many of our athletes is the favorite group training leader.
Colin has won Pennsylvania's longest one-day road race, the Turkey Hill Road Race in the Pro/1/2/3 category, and in 2008 is the PA State Masters Road Race Champion.
^ Top
Holden Comeau
Triathlon & Swimming Coach - Triathlon, Swimming
hcomeau@cadencecycling.com
Cadence's superlative stable of coaches now includes pro triathlete Holden Comeau. Holden comes to Cadence armed with an arsenal of talents and accomplishments.
As a swimmer and an undergraduate at Penn State, Holden was the 1999 & 2000 NCAA Division I All-American Athlete. During 1999 and 2000 Holden also secured the ranking of 10th in the World for the 800 Freestyle Relay. For the same period, he was ranked 50th in the Nation in the 100 and 200 Freestyle events. For all his efforts, Holden also earned the title of Big 10 champion in both 1999 and 2000. In 2000 Holden was invited to participate in the 2000 Olympic swim team trials where he was a two-time top 50 finisher.
In 2001 Holden turned his attention to triathlon. Since 2001 Holden has won every swim leg (was first out of water) of every triathlon in which he has competed! In 2005, Holden was to compete in the USAT National Championships—an event which was rained out—but he returned in 2006 to take 11th place overall. That same year, Holden took 4th overall in the NYC Triathlon and was the winner of the Might Montauk and Pine Barrens triathlons.
Holden’s experience as a coach is perhaps even more vast than his experience as a athlete. In 2004 and 2005, Holden was the performance swim coach at Manhattan’s premier health club, Chelsea Piers Sports Center. In 2003 and 2004, Holden was the head age group swim coach for 150 athletes at the 92nd Street YM/YWCA in New York City.
Holden has a BA in English from Penn State University and resides in Philadelphia. He will be a wonderful addition to Cadence’s coaching team in our Philadelphia center.
^ Top
Joe Puleo
Head Running Coach - Running, Triathlon & Duathlon
jpuleo@cadencecycling.com
Joe is the founder of the Haddonfield Running Company (retail running store) and the Philadelphia Running Company (consulting, coaching, and race organization company). He is also the head cross-country, indoor and outdoor track coach at Rutgers University-Camden.
Joe has been coaching at the high school, collegiate, and post-collegiate levels since 1990. He has coached high school state champions in the 300 meter intermediate hurdles and discuss, as well as a two-time collegiate All-American in the 100 meter dash. His cross country teams at Paul IV high school in New Jersey were undefeated in dual meets (16-0) and finished fourth, third, and fith at the state championships during his tenure.
Since arriving at Rutgers University-Camden in 2003, Joe has produced an All American each of his two track seasons, and last year was name Women's Track Co-Coach of the Year for the NJAC Conference.
During the past 13 years Joe has gained a national reputation coaching post-collegiate athletes in a variety of disciplines and distances. Beginning with Cassy Bradley (Team Bontrager) in professional mountain biking through Dave Welse, recent winner of the Mount Mist 50K Trail Race. His athletes have qualified for the Olympic Trials in the marathon, finished third in the 2003 Fifth Avenue Mile, posted victories in both the men's and women's divisions at the Penn Relays 20K, and placed 24th at the 2004 USATF Winter 4k XC Nationals.
Joe's training methodology can be summarized in his own words: "Performance goals are attained through a systematic training program emphasizing consistent effort with gradual adjustments of volume and speed over defined periods. Objective data (workouts, races, and VO2 Max and lactate threshold testing) is reviewed to determine improvement and future training and racing goals; however, subjectivity is not disregarded. Innovation and creativity in training methodology must be incorporated intelligently into the training."
A cum laude graduate of Elizabeththown College (1989), Joe earned five varsity letters (three in cross country, two in swimming) in three years. While at Elizabethtown, Joe began an amateur career in triathlons which lasted until 1995. He has won over a dozen of the almost 110 multi-sport events he has competed in, including the 1989 and 1990 Pennsylvania Triathlons, the 1990 Philadelphia Cancer Society Triathlon in FDR Park, and the 1995 Fox Hunt Triathlon. Nationally, Joe placed 2nd in his age group at the 1989 National Sprint Triathlon Championships in North Miami Beach, Florida (where a teenaged Lance Armstong won overall!). Joe still competes as a runner, recently as a member of the Haddonfield Running Co. team which finished third of 1200 teams at the Fred Meyer Hood to Coast Relay in Oregon.
Joe lives in Phoenixville and Mount Gretna, PA with his wife and two children.
^ Top
Lisa Spohn
Triathlon Coach - Long Course Triathlons & Triathlons
lspohn@cadencecycling.com
Lisa started running 5Ks after graduating from Millersville University and quickly progressed to marathons. After competing in 12 marathons, including 3 Boston Marathons, Lisa looked for another challenge and opted for triathlons. Before the end of her first triathlon season she signed up for her first Ironman event. Though Lisa raced triathlons of all distances she particularly enjoyed longer distance events. To date she has competed in 5 Ironman triathlons with an 11:30:11 P.R. In 2007, she qualified at Ironman Louisville to race in the Ironman World Championships in Kona. At Kona, Lisa finished in 12:31:22 a mere 7 weeks after racing in Louisville.
In order to better understand her own triathlon training Lisa became a certified USAT Level I Coach in April of 2005. From there her training partner and she started Tri-Kal Racing. Due to her passion for the sport and her belief that children should exercise and have fun, Lisa coached cross country and track at St. John of the Cross Elementary School in Roslyn, PA, during the 2002-2005 seasons.
Lisa's enthusiasm and passion for triathlon shows through her love of racing, coaching and desire for continuing education. In addition to being a USA Triathlon Certified Level I Coach, she is a Certified Indoor Cycling Spin Instructor, a USAT Race Official, and has attended the Total Immersion swim program. She is currently studying for a Personal Training Certificate plans on obtaining her USA Cycling Coaching Certification and USA Track & Field Certification in 2008.
^ Top
Mike Kuhn
Senior Mountain Bike Cycling Coach - Mountain Biking, Road, Cyclo-Cross, and Track Cycling
mkuhn@cadencecycling.com
Mike has an extremely impressive Elite palmares. He is a two-time PA State Champion in the Individual Time Trial (Cat 1/2), holds the individual time trial records for the Lake Ontelunee and HACC 5 Mile TTs, and has won many of PA's regional time trials, including the Lance Armstrong TT and the Lancaster County TT Series (all Cat 1). For several years, Mike has finished in the Top 5 Overall for the PA State Elite BAR Competition. He has had a number of Cat 1/2 podium finishes in road races, including the Wilmington Stage Race, Cloudsplitter Stage Race, and Olean Stage Race.
Mike is also an avid mountain bike and cyclo-cross racer and coach. He was a member of the winning Elite teams for the 24 Hours of Big Bear, 24 Hours of Seven Springs, and the 24 Hours of Canaan. He has had wins and podium finishes in such mountain bike endurance events as the Wilderness 101 Mountain Bike Marathon, the 12 and 8 Hours of Roundtop, the 12 Hours of Ole Bull, and Michaux Monster events. Mike was 3rd Overall in the Elite Men's Mid-Atlantic Mountain Bike Super Series, and First Overall at the CapTech Mountain Bike Stage Race (winning 3 out of 4 stages).
Outside of competitive cycling, Mike still finds ways to contribute to the sport. He is the Co-Director of the VisitPA.com Mountain Bike Team, the official semi-pro mountain bike race team of Pennsylvania. He founded the PA Scholastic Cycling Association, and is an avid promoter of events with a focus on developing the Mid-Atlantic Super Series, Iron Cross (the longest cyclo-cross race in America), and the Unofficially Official State/National/World Cyclocross Relay Championships.
Mike is a USAC Expert coach and holds a degree in education from the prestigious Bucknell University. His core areas of coaching strengths are mountain biking, cyclo-cross, road racing, and time trialing, but he has diverse skills and coaches a variety of riders, from beginner to Elite. He still competes regularly so he can practice what he preaches and continually hone his coaching skills. Although a self-proclaimed "big bike geek," Mike brings a lot more to Cadence and his athletes than just a geeky passion for the sport!
^ Top
Ryan Oelkers
Director of Performance Operations, Philadelphia - Road & Track Cycling, Triathlon & Duathlon
roelkers@cadencecycling.com
Ryan's normally quiet demeanor and thoughtful nature is contradicted by his fiery persona on the bike. Still an active professional cyclist, Ryan lights it up and still lands on the podium with his aggressive racing style in criteriums and track races. You can still catch Ryan in the feature events at the Nation's #1 velodrome in the Lehigh Valley.
Ryan was a two time member of the Junior World's National Team, as well as a member of the National Team which was directed by Chris Carmichael. On the National Team, Ryan trained and lived in Colorado Springs with such highly regarded teammates as Freddy Rodriquez, Levi Leipheimer, and Kevin Livingston.
With over 15 years of racing experience, Ryan has his fair share of praiseworthy results. Ryan is the 2001 National Track Champion, and, in 1996 was the winner of the prestigious Six Days of Moscow. In Madison events Ryan formed one half of the threatening duo which included American cycling legend and Olympic Gold medalist, Marty Nothstein. Together, Oelkers and Nothstein dominated the international track scene. Ryan has raced with the EDS, Sportsbook.com, Fuji and Snow Valley professional cycling teams.
Ryan is a graduate of Kutztown University and is a USAT Level II certified coach and a USA Cycling Expert coach. Ryan has over 9 years of coaching experience and has been deeply involved with the American Cycling Academy, where over 80 medals have been won at the Junior and Senior National levels. His specialties include coaching triathletes, juniors, and masters level racers, and between 2004 and 2005 coached four masters level cyclists to state and national championship titles, and in 2006 and 2007 he coached two triathletes to National titles and placements at IronMan Hawaii.
While Ryan has been with Cadence since its inception and remains on Cadence's coaching staff, his primary position is now Director of the Cadence Cycling Foundation, a non-profit organization encouraging cycling among youth with a special focus on inner-city youth.
^ Top