MEET THE 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.
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Ann Marie Miller, MS
Cycling Coach, Wellness Programs Manager
Road & Track, Time Trials
Ann Marie Miller is a 4 time United States National Masters’ Champion, a 13 time US Masters’ National Medalist, and a Category 1 racer who “discovered” cycling after a variety of endurance activities, including running and duathlons. Ann Marie started doing group rides with the New York Cycle Club, and served as a leader of the “A” NYCC spring training program for three years. She started bike racing as a member of the CRCA bicycle racing club.
A USA Cycling Level 3 coach, Ann Marie has over 20 years of experience as a fitness professional, and holds an MA from Columbia University in Applied Physiology. She is also certified by the American College of Sports Medicine (Health Fitness Instructor). As a Reebok University Master Trainer for over 10 years, she presented workshops for fitness professionals throughout the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. In corporate fitness, she served as the Group Fitness Director and helped open New York’s first ”green” fitness center, theClub at the Hearst Corporation, powered by Plus One Fitness. She has been featured in major publications such as Glamour, Self, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, New York Newsday and has appeared on CNN, WNBC, WCBS, TV Food Network and FOX-TV.
An all-around rider, Ann Marie has won events from criteriums to time trials to Road Races. She was a member of the Verizon Wireless Women’s Cycling team from 2002-2005 and competed in events such as the Solano Stage Race, the Redlands Stage Race, Fitchburg Stage Race, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, The Philadelphia Liberty Classic, the US Pro Criterium Championships, the Montreal Womens’ World Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and the Grand Tour du Montreal UCI Women’s Stage Race. She also completed the 2001 HP Womens’s Classic, a UCI event consisting of 13 stages in 12 days around the state of Idaho.
In 2003, Ann Marie scored a clean sweep of the gold medals at the US Masters’ National Championships, winning the Time Trial, Road Race and Criterium, as well as the “Best All-Around Rider” award for her age group. In 2004, she won the Mad River Road Race, the “queen stage” of the Green Mountain Stage Race and was 3rd overall in the General Classification. In 2005, she won all 5 races she entered in the Bethel Spring Training Series, earning the Women’s Overall Series Championship, and repeated as the Series Champion in 2008.
Ann Marie has also competed in running events from 5k’s to marathons. She completed the 1997 London Marathon, where her time qualified for the Boston Marathon, and has finished 3rd in her age group at the Indianapolis 500 Mini Marathon. She has used her endurance skills in running and cycling to numerous wins and top placings in regional duathlons.
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Benjamin Sharp
Off-Site Coach & Consultant
Road & Track Cycling
bsharp@cadencecycling.com
A USA Cycling Expert level coach, Benjamin has been an active coach for over 7 years and in 2004 coached the Indiana University Cycling Team to 8 podium appearances and two victories at the Collegiate National Track Championships.
On the road and track, Benjamin has had his own great success. Although still young, he's raced in 11 countries, on 3 continents, and in the Carribbean. Benjamin started racing back in 1994 with an eye towards the 1996 Olympic Trials (where he earned two podium finishes). He raced throughout his time as a student at Indiana University (where he earned his BA in English with a minor in Spanish), and was 7 times the Collegiate National Track Cycling Champion. In 1997 and 1998, Benjamin raced on the US National Team and for Team Ikon/Lexus, which later became Team Jelly Belly. For those two seasons, he finished in the National endurance track rankings as 2nd and 3rd respectively.
After a serious training accident, Benjamin returned to training and racing in 1999, and managed a 2nd place finish in Stage One of the Tour of Venezuela. In 2000, he ventured to the Cycling Center in Oostende, Belgium, where he took a number of top-10 finishes in Belgium, France, England, and the Netherlands. From 2001 to 2003, Benjamin raced for Gomart/West Virginia and became the 2001 National Elite Criterium Champion after winning the gruelling Downers' Grove criterium. During this time he also managed to win two stages and took home serveral top-5s and top-10s from Superweek. Winding up 2001, Benjamin was 3rd in the Madison and 4th in the Points Race at the US National Track Championships.
Benjamin coaches riders for road, track, cyclocross, mountain biking, and multi-sport. With a background and certificate in teaching, he sees coaching as a way to satisfy the natural teacher in him. He is extremely passionate about coaching, and perceives athletes as students studying the subject sport. In a very Aristotlean way, Benjamin sees his job as a coach as empowering athletes to realize all of their sporting potential. In 2006 Benjamin coached Liz Reap to two Masters World Championship Track Titles in the Masters World Championships, Manchester, England.
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Chad Butts, MS
Exercise Physiologist & Cycling Coach
Bike Fitting, Physiological Testing, & Road Cycling
cbutts@cadencecycling.com
Chad Butts is a Cadence New York City coach, but he has reach over the entire organization as our premier exercise physiologist. Chad brings to Cadence a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from Ithaca College as well as various accreditations with USA Cycling and the American College of Sports Medicine. Chad has a rich background of research and testing experience in cycling and has participated in numerous studies in addition to conducting three studies on various aspects of cycling as it relates to human physiology.
Chad has been published twice in the prestigious Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise. He is also a member of the International Serotta Cycling Institute and has over 3 years of experience with cycling biomechanics and positioning riders to maximize their performance and comfort on the bike.
Chad has been coaching beginner and elite cyclists for the past 8 years and comments that he loves "watching people get addicted to the sport. It is a great feeling educating cyclists who are committed to excelling.” Chad's strengths are physiological testing (metabolic, VO2max, power testing, etc.) and research to provide insight into improved human endurance performance.
Chad is a Cat 1 competitive cyclist and has been racing for 12 years. He started mountain biking at 15 years old and quickly moved up to the expert level before switching to road cycling. Chad stays very active with training and racing, to which he brings the same passion as he does to his position as Cadence's exercise physiologist.
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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.
In May 2006, Colin won Pennsylvania's longest one-day road race, the Turkey Hill Road Race in the Pro/1/2/3 category.
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Dianna Ineman
Multisport Coach
Long Course Triathlons & Triathlons
dineman@cadencecycling.com
Dianna Ineman was a 3rd place podium finisher at the Hawaii Ironman World Championship in 2006. In 2005, she finished 4th in the same event. For 2006, Dianna also had the 3rd fastest amateur bike split at a blazing 5h 10m!
Dianna is a 3-time USAT All American, a status which ranks her in the top 5% of female triathletes in the country, and, as crazy as it may seem to some of us, Dianna is a true long course enthusiast. She openly states, "I actually prefer to run a marathon only after swimming 2 miles and cycling 112."
Dianna's experience in racing and in coaching has resulted in two of her athletes qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. The same passion and diligence that Dianna brings to the hard training that landed her on the Kona podium is brought to her coaching. As she says, "I take no short cuts on the road to Ironman but believe there must be a balance between work, family and athletics. My work ethics are based on three principles: Consistency, Mental Fortitude, and Recovery. My coaching and training philosophy stems from an undying love for competition."
From a coaching standpoint, Dianna gets her biggest kicks teaching swimming lessons to athletes that were primarily cyclists or runners growing up. But, with a background in education, Dianna finds that her most rewarding coaching experiences come from coaching junior triathletes.
Dianna is a USAT Level 1 Triathlon Coach who is based out of Cadence's New York City (TriBeCa) center. She can be reached via email at: dineman@cadencecycling.com
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Harvey Newton
Cycling & Triathlon Strength & Conditioning Advisor
Strength & Conditioning
Harvey Newton began cycling 30 years ago. While working full-time, he raced road and track for more than 20 years in Florida and Colorado. Newton was the first national coach and executive director for USA Weightlifting from 1981-1988, followed by 10 years as an adjunct instructor at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs). During this time he was also the editor-in-chief of the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Strength & Conditioning and served as the NSCA executive director from 1995-99.
During 1981-1992 Newton was the strength and conditioning adviser to USA Cycling, conducting numerous winter training camps for national junior and senior men’s and women’s teams. He also assisted the national coaching staff with the development of numerous coaches’ educational materials during this time. In 1992 the federation requested and supported Newton’s creation of the Strength Training for Cyclists videotape (now DVD) series.
He has authored, or co-authored with the late Edmund Burke, PhD, a number of articles and books related to strength training for cyclists and triathletes. Over the past 15 years, Harvey Newton has presented with Burke, Fred Matheny, Andy Pruitt, and others at several national workshops. He has presented at the 2004 and 2006 USA Cycling Summit programs. A USA Cycling Level 2 coach, Newton is also a senior international weightlifting coach and a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Author of the popular Explosive Lifting for Sports, Newton remains active as a rider, coach, and clinician through his business, Newton Sports (www.newton-sports.com), which is located on Maui, HI and Ormond Beach, FL.
Newton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Psychology) from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Arts (Sociology, coaches’ education emphasis) from the University of Colorado. You can learn more about Harvey at www.newton-sports.com.
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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.
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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.
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Laurie Hug
Triathlon & Swimming Coach
Road Cycling, Triathlon & Duathlon, Swimming
lhug@cadencecycling.com
Cadence's newest addition to our World-class coaching staff is professional triathlete, Laurie Hug. Not only is Laurie's palmares astonishingly impressive, so is her educational background and professional experience. Armed with a BS in Psychology (emphasis on sports psychology) from the University of Maryland, and with her coursework completed for an MS in Applied Statistics from Villanova, it's clear that Laurie has the brain power to match her athletic talents.
At the University of MD, Laurie swam for the UMD Division I varsity team. While there she made history by setting 4 records (400 IM, 500 Free, 1000 Free, and 1650 Free). After university, Laurie stuck with swimming and has been a US Masters swimmer since 1989. She has set several American records, including most recently the Female 25+ age group team record in the 2005 1 Hour Postal Swim National Championships and the individual record in Female 35 - 39 age group in the 2005 1 Hour Postal Swim National Championships (this record was later broken in 2006). To this day Laurie is still the World Record holder in Female 35 - 39 age group for 800 Free and 1500 Free short course meters.
Laurie started competing in triathlon in 1989 and raced as an age-grouper until 2000. In 2000, after a break-through 1999 season, Laurie turned professional. In that time she raked up the following results:
1999--Overall Female Winner, USA Triathlon National Sprint Championship
1999--3rd Overall Female, USA Triathlon World Championship Qualifier
2000--Silver Medalist, ITU Age Group World Championship
2001--Winner Pro Female, Memphis in May Triathlon
2003--USA National Team Member (ranked 60th in world, 8th in USA)
2004--10th US Finisher, ITU Honolulu Triathlon (US Olympic Trials)
In addition to her academic and competitive accomplishments, Laurie has been a swimming coach since 1989. She was the Assistant Age Group Swim Coach at Germantown Academy until 2005 when she became the Head Masters Swim Coach at Germantown Academy. Laurie is a USAT Level I certified coach.
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Mikael Hanson
Director of Performance, New York City; Head Triathlon Coach, New York City
Road Cycling, Running, Swimming, Triathlon & Duathlon
mhanson@cadencecycling.com
Mikael comes to Cadence to open our impressive New York City facility. Mikael’s credentials are equally impressive and befit the entire Cadence organization. Mikael is armed with over 20 years in endurance sports of every variety and every level, from cycling to cross-country skiing, from beginner to elite.
Mikael grew up in Wisconsin where he was a nationally ranked competitive cyclist and an avid cross-country skier. After completing his BA in finance and economics from the prestigious University of Wisconsin, Madison, he moved to New York where he worked towards and completed his MBA from New York University. After NYU, Mikael was a U.S. Treasury market analyst for Bear Stearns & Co. and also for SBC Warburg Dillon Read & Co. From there he went to the Bank of Montreal, NY, where he was head of the US Federal desk and director of fixed income trading. From 2001 to 2005, Mikael was VP of global debt research and the director of US fixed income research at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in NYC.
In July of 2005 Mikael left banking and investing behind and started his own endurance training and consulting company, Enhance Sports. Enhance Sports focused on training runners, cyclists, and triathletes of all abilities and in just a short time amassed an impressive clientele and palmares. Two of Mikael’s athletes qualified for Team USA for the Triathlon and Duathlon World Championships, and Mikael was brought on board as a consultant for Suunto, the Finnish heart-rate monitor manufacturer.
Mikael is a self-proclaimed multi-sports junkie. He’s an active competitive cyclist, duathlete, triathlete, and runner. In addition to all this, Mikael has built an outstanding reputation in NYC as one of Manhattan’s leading multisport and cycling coaches: he is a Level 2 USAC certified coach; a Level 1 USAT certified coach; and he is completing his USA Track and Field certification. In 2006, 2004 and 2002, Mikael was named the New York Flyers’ running club’s Multisport Athlete of the Year. In addition to coaching accolades, Mikael has an impressive palmares: he is a nationally ranked duathlete and represented Team USA at the 2007 short course duathlon world championships in Gyor, Hungary. Annually, Mikael competes in more than two dozen duathlons/triathlons, bike races, running events, and cross-country ski races.
As a former high-pressure analyst, director, and even VP in the banking and investing industries, Mikael knows the importance of a balanced lifestyle which includes cycling and multisports at its core. He is the ideal coach to manage Cadence's triathlon performance offerings in NY--we're certain the regional Cadence athletes will agree!
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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.
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Mike Attie
Cycling Coach
Road Cycling
mattie@cadencecycling.com
Mike is a well-known Philadelphian among cycling circles. He has been racing on the road and track since 1993, and at the age of 15 was coached by Chris Nadovich, designer of the Atlanta Olympic Velodrome and protege of Mike Walden.
Mike's cycling "career" has seen numerous wins and podium finishes as an elite rider in both road and track events. But whereas some highly talented elite cyclists choose the road of going pro, Mike instead opted for a premier education at one of the nation's most respected colleges, Vassar. Mike managed to balance his academic endeavors with a life of competitive cycling, and despite Vassar's diminutive stature in collegiate cycling--they only had 4 team members when Mike was on the team!--they went on in 1996 to win the Northeast's conference beating power houses like Penn State and the University of New Hampshire!
Incorporating his passions for cycling, coaching, and developmental programs, through 2004 and 2005 Mike was the Amoroso-sponsored TriStateVelo's Elite and U23 Teams' manager. He was responsible for developing competitive squads for the region's numerous NRC events, like Fitchburg-Longsjo, Univest Grand Prix, and Elite and U23 Nationals. On a personal note, Mike adds that his greatest pleasure in coaching comes from seeing riders find both the independence and the camaraderie that cycling has brought him throughout his life.
Mike is a USAC Level 3 coach who has a penchant for cycling memorabilia. He is continually seeking out cycling lore, especially films, photos, and books from competitive cycling's infancy.
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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!
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Todd Parker, MS, MA
Triathlon Coach
Triathlon, Running, Sports Psychology, Kinesiology
tparker@cadencecycling.com
Todd Parker is a multisport coach with a Masters in Exercise Physiology from San Jose State University and an experienced former professional triathlete who specialized primarily in sprint distance events – where power and lactate threshold are constantly pushed to the highest levels. Todd’s most recent coaching experience was in 2006, where at Saint Francis High School, Mountain View, CA, he led the girls junior varsity cross country team to victory in several Northern California invitational meets and the West Catholic Athletic League Championship.
In high school, he was competitive in swimming, soccer, and volleyball. Todd’s athletic background in endurance sports stems from triathlon where, after racing amateur and for the Army for a few years, decided to turn pro at age 38. For 3 years he raced as a pro – earning numerous podium finishes and national-level sponsorships. During this period, Todd was also afforded the opportunity to train under some of the world’s best coaches at USAT's Pro Camp held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in San Diego.
Todd's Master's degree in Exercise Physiology & Human Performance was confirmed from one of the nation’s renowned programs at San Jose State University. As for coaching philosophy, he believes in a “holistic” approach, in that optimal performances are not obtained merely through physical training methodologies. Todd has experience and conducted research in addressing the mental aspects of sport such as coping with competitive anxiety, negative thought stopping, and using imagery to visualize more successful performances. Other critical components he assesses and attends to are individual athlete’s needs in terms of recovery, hydration, nutrition, as well as supplementation of key vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes – especially when deficiency indicators arise.
Todd also holds a Masters in Business Management from Troy State University, a Bachelors in Political Science from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, an Associates in Technical Photography from Antonelli Institute of Art & Photography, and is a retired Major from the United States Army. Todd’s wife Maria, daughter Rebecca, in her 2nd year at Foothill College, and son Todd, senior at Mountain View High School, are currently residing in Mountain View, California. Todd has also written articles for Triathlete Magazine.
Some Race Highlights:
1999: Falmouth Sprint Triathlon – Falmouth, VA – 1st (broke course record by over 1 minute)
1999: Lancaster Triathlon (Sprint Race) – Lancaster, PA – 2nd
1999: Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon – Dewey Beach, DE – 5th
2000: Virginia Commonwealth Games – Huddleston, VA – 5th
2000: A Day at the Beach Triathlon – Hermosa Beach, CA – 5th
2000: Imperial Beach Triathlon – Imperial Beach, CA – 9th
2001: A Day at the Beach Triathlon – Huntington Beach, CA – 6th
2001: Carpinteria Triathlon (Sprint Race) – Carpinteria, CA – 2nd
2002: Temecula Triathlon – Temecula, CA – 8th
2002: A Day at the Beach Triathlon – Hermosa Beach, CA – 4th
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Tucker Brown
Cycling Coach
Road, Track, and Mountain Cycling
tbrown@cadencecycling.com
Tucker's racing career began in 2001 at the young age of fourteen when he decided to quit scholastic swimming in favor of cycling. By the age of sixteen Tucker's father and Alaric Gayfer, a local Junior mentor and coach, convinced him it was time to get serious and to set goals for the national level.
He began training year-round and at the Junior National Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Tucker received national recognition in the team pursuit. It was the same Florida Nationals where he placed ninth in the individual time trial in the fifteen and sixteen junior category. At this point Tucker's training became intense, and under the coaching guidance of Bob Schuler and the watchful eye and recommendations of Jack Simes, he earned a spot on the Junior National Team.
As the caliber of racing escalated Tucker continued to meet the demands. He won a total of twelve national medals on the track which gave him the opportunity to participate in the 2002 Pan-American Championships, qualify for the 2002 and 2003 Junior World Championships, and ride at the collegiate level during the 2003 season where he earned crucial points in leading the Marian Cycling Team to its eighth national team title.
With all this early racing success Tucker's love for cycling was solidified until early 2004 when he contracted Lymes Disease. This malady, in addition to a hit-and-run incident during a training ride the following year, were major setbacks to his 2004 and 2005 seasons. 2006 became a year of rebuilding for Tucker, a year to reclaim his previous level of fitness, to regain his mental composure, and to again fall in love with the demanding sport of track racing and competitive cycling. Currently Tucker is taking a year off from enrollment Temple University to again pursue his passion as a cyclist. While education is of great importance in Tucker's life, he says that "Cycling is something that truly challenges me physically and mentally. That passion for cycling has led me to become a coach at the Cadence where I work with and learn from the finest cycling and multisport coaches in the country." In the future, Tucker intends on finishing his degree in sports physiology, be competitive on the NRC circuit, and reach the international level in cycling once again.
Tucker comments that, "It is a strong, personal belief that an individual’s success is measured by his personal ambitions as well as the success of his team. I will always respect my teammates’ goals as if they were my own. I value the importance of a team working towards a goal, directing individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives and the commitment it takes to reach the top of the podium."
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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 catch Ryan most every Friday night 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 he coached two triathletes to National titles and placements at IronMan Hawaii.
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