Big Wheel Coaching

08/13/2024

“Keep sharpening your blade and it will blunt…”
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Knives are tools to be used. The sharpening is only to keep them ready for work.
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Athletes aren’t all that much different in our view.
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Training is a necessary component for performance, but don’t miss out on great performances because you are always “sharpening your blade”!
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Don’t just train… get out and use the fitness you have worked hard for at an event or competition that challenges you!
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You’ll be glad you did!
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Athlete Highlight: Our BWC crew is small, but mighty! And we couldn’t be more proud of each of them for committing to a goal, working diligently toward it, and giving all they have on event day! We are proud Coaches!
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08/13/2024

It’s .bike Pedal Palooza time!
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Today is the last day to register for one of the most fun and challenging MTB races of the year.
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Reg closes tonight!
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Use promo code “CLUB50K24” to save a little cash on your entry costs.
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We had a blast there in ‘23 with Athletes all over the podium and are excited for another great showing this year!
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And if you are coming, join us for our Friday Course Recon Ride at 4pm from the race venue. We will be doing a sight-lap of the course at a chill pace.
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Come ride with us!
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But don’t forget to get registered today!
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See you on the trials of Mammoth!

08/06/2024

“The Basics” may not be flashy, stylish, or the most fun part of sport, but they are most definitely effective.
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In a word, they are fundamental.
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As Athletes we can achieve quite a lot by simply opting to relentlessly repeat, “the basics”.
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Its wisdom coined by one of the greatest artist-engineers of his time, that can help us find success in our every day life, not just this season of cycling!
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Athlete Highlight: We can’t think of a better Athlete that embodies Mr DaVinci’s words of wisdom than Shahrokh Shabahang. Shahrokh has been relentless in his pursuit to get back his racing savvy that he had over twenty years ago when he raced competitively. This season he has raced, raced, and raced in an effort to re-develop his skills, build his confidence, and dial-in his “race brain” after many years away from competing. This consistency has paid massive dividends for him as he has been getting both stronger and more capable through his relentless pursuit of “the basics”.
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Great work Shahrokh! We are so proud of you and thankful to have you in the Big Wheel family!
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08/05/2024

We had an awesome time at Saturday & Sunday!

We had over 15 athletes take part in the 70, 100 and Gravel distances!! All with great success!

Our Sunday recovery ride was a big hit again - thank you to everyone who came out and rode easy with us!

Lack of photos means we were having too much fun to pull our phones out! And we were riding & working hard 😅😬

08/02/2024

It’s time and we are super excited!
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We have a solid crew of Athletes headed up for one of the best events in SoCal!!
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If you are in the area, join us Sunday morning for our TdBB recovery ride at 9AM from the in The Village at Big Bear.
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We have two routes around the lake and a pace that will let you drink in one more gulp of fresh mountain air before the weekend is through!
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PS: We have socks for anyone wearing one of our new pink or Clay color kits! Make our day, wear your BWC kit and get some new socks!
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Happy Friday everyone!

07/30/2024

Calculated, deliberate, and purposeful change.
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It’s all too easy to try to implement drastic changes in the pursuit of a goal, but in most cases, small, deliberate, and purposeful changes punctuate the way to success.
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So set a goal, be open to making changes, remain “coachable”, and chart your course carefully because, like Mr Coelho says, direction is more important than speed when it comes to making changes.
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Athlete Highlight: Eli Watson of the crew is having a great year and it’s the sum of deliberate and well planned changes. Just this weekend he scored a fantastic 3rd place finish at the 15-16 Junior National Criterium Championships. Eli knew that positioning would be key to a great result after so many race days and training rides where he practiced his sprint. And we are excited to report that he positioned himself well enough to have a crack at the race win at nationals. Ultimately two riders bested him on the day, but Eli was in the hunt for the win in what turned out to be a very tactical sprint. Great job Eli! We are so proud of you and excited for all that lies ahead in your racing career!!! Keep up the good work Buddy!
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07/27/2024

🇺🇸 Coach does it again! 🇺🇸

Winning 40-44yr division Masters Road Race Championship in Georgia!

Congratulations Brian, and all the podium finishers and racers today!

Tough racing all the way to the line!

07/24/2024

We are in Georgia! 🍑

Next Up:
Junior & Masters Road National Championship races!
Thursday Time Trial
Friday & Saturday Road Races
Sunday Criterium

We have athletes, and coach racing through out the weekend!

07/22/2024

Who, in your orbit of family, friends, training partners, and coaches, helps “bring forth your best?”
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It’s not easy to consistently perform at a high level, in training or at the races, which makes having people around you that help you “bring your A-game” is invaluable.

•In our time coaching we have noticed something very important, when high performers get together everyone in the team or group will get better.
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But Coach isn’t cycling an individual sport?
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Yes, for the most part, but the best Athletes do not operate in a silo, they have top-tier training partners and coaches that push each other to be the best they can be.
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So keep those who help you be your best close, because daily tenacity adds up to substantial gains over time.
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And we would go further by encouraging you to be someone who helps your family, friends, and training partners be their best too!
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We must admit, this quote most certainly inspires us to strive to do that for our crew of Athletes, family, and friends!
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Athlete Highlight: We have been so proud of the racing team and enjoyed the opportunity to support and coach them this season. From pre season training camps to local races and ultimately national caliber success, this group of hitters are always pushing to be at the front and we hope we have inspired them as much as they have done so for us this season. Congratulations to our iSpeed family for a season of success on the road! 1-2-3 iSpeed!!!
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07/16/2024

Another round of National Champions!

Cross Country & Short Track (XCO & XCC) begin Thursday and wrap up Sunday!

We tested out the course with clients and friends at today here at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania!

It is HOT 🥵
Pitchy ⛰️
Rocky 🪨
And HUMID 😰💧💦

We have a few more days on the course to get it dialed & be race ready!

07/11/2024

We are primed and ready for Mountain Bike XC & STXC Championships!

We have a strong batch of athletes heading to Pennsylvania next week to race the events!

Finishing touches are being made and a great session at yesterday to ensure everyone is ready!

07/10/2024

No Zwift, No Problem! 😎

We spent years training for high level races on “dumb trainers” and it worked! Many races won, championships secured and so many hours logged.

All you need is a trainer (dumb or smart); bike, ability to shift, and a clock 😂

Bonus to have a garmin to connect to power and heart rate but RPE works as well!

Coach cranked out 90 minutes with focused intervals today in the 98F garage, no problem! 🥳

06/26/2024

Ever wonder about all the carbs and sugars you take in on the bike? Our friend and athlete Sol Cantwell was recently interviewed for this article for TrainingPeaks !

In the modern age of sports, high-carb nutrition plans are essential for performance, but they pose significant risks to dental health.

04/29/2024

We are in cloud 9 after one of our favorite weekends of the year: San Diego!!

We had many athletes in attendance - and on podiums - as well as many friends in the industry!

We loved the chance to connect as 3 coaches as well! And you know what’s cool? All 3 coaches finished on the podium in their age groups! Coach 2nd overall Wafer, 1st age group!

Coach 2nd age group wafer and same for Coach !

We are thankful for the support so that all of us could race, coach and be present with athletes and friends!

02/29/2024

We had a rare Sunday at home for Coach so getting out on the trails was a priority!

Great community rides are a big part of our DNA and this one hit the spot!

9 ladies on dirt checking out portions of was a blast!

Next dirt events we will be at:

Kenda Cup round No. 3 this Saturday MTB
Redlands’s Strada Rosa March 15th
Kenda Cup round No. 4 March 15th

See you there!

02/27/2024

Life is no open book test and neither is bike racing!
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As athletes we learn, grow, and achieve success by applying the lessons learned through experience, but there’s a catch…
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Experience is difficult to acquire and oftentimes costly as missed opportunities are most often only seen with the benefit of hindsight.
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So what can we learn from Mr Wilde’s observation that “life is the hardest kind of teacher”?
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Being strong is not enough… Study your courses, understand your equipment, know your opponents, stash an extra gel, dial-in a bullet-proof fueling strategy, get a bike fit, and develop your own pacing strategy that you will stick to!
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Life may be a harsh teacher, but we think the road to success is shortest for those that learn from every experience, negative or positive.
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It’s not, “winning or learning” as we oftentimes hear. Instead, we should always be learning because within both our successes and failures lay the seeds of future success!
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Athlete Highlight: raced to his first win of the season this weekend at the Huffmaster and we couldn’t be more proud. Todd has amassed a lot of experience the last few years and this is the strongest start to his racing calendar yet! Winning the Huffmaster was something he really wanted to do, and by applying all his past experience with some solid training he did just that. Congratulations Todd we are so proud of you!!! The best is yet to come Boss Man, we know it!

02/26/2024

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico Race Podiums!

Where do you get your CEUs?!

As coaches we can’t seem to sit long enough at the computer to get through some Continuing Education Units….but we are racking up a ton of points in real life!

Our Big Wheel Coaching CEUs - Course & Event University - took Coach to Puerto Rico!

Brian joined athletes & for the where Caleb had break through performances in two UCI events!

Finishing 2nd today in the HC event was the crescendo of months of focus and targeted work to ensure he was ready to be his best!

The learning curve is so high with travel, tropical rain, language barriers, different food - having the chance to be at the epicenter of it all is huge education as a coach.

Being at events, meeting promoters, riding and racing the courses (Brian won his event Saturday) makes our jobs as coaches so much easier. We take that knowledge - then look at the course map - and come up with a strategy for success.

We are taking everything we learned at this event and making it applicable to all our athletes as they explore new and old events with lofty goals.

Thank you Puerto Rico for great hospitality, a top notch event, and great experience! We will be back! And hopefully with more BWC Crushers 😃

02/21/2024

Do you even lift?! 💪🏼

You bet we do!!

One of the most impactful elements we have added to our coaching & training for ourselves as athletes is STRENGTH!!

Sharing this journey with our athletes has been really cool and seeing them put their new found power and confidence into the pedals on the bike is fantastic.

Coach is lucky to be coached by for strength, and our clients/friends Karen and Erin got to do an awesome deadlift workout yesterday!

💥💥💥

02/20/2024

It is all too easy to expect progress to be speedy or even instant.
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Are you guilty of expecting progress to be quick?
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…Guilty as charged, here at Camp Big Wheel.
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But its wisdom like that of Mr Fitzpatricks’ great quote that remind us that health, fitness, and performance, most especially elite-performance is a result of consistency, not gimmicks, tricks, or hacks.
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In our estimation, the most beautiful part of endurance-sport is that when you put in solid work, progress and results follow.
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No matter your age or ability, when you put in “the work” you will get better.
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So don’t be afraid to adjust your expectations in favor of modest daily progress and away from the instant gratification mantra that surrounds us.
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Because when we do, success is sure to follow.
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Athlete Highlight: had a standout performance at this weekends opening round of the MTB Series earning himself fourth place in the Varsity boys category. Way to go Bro Bro! Brody had a hard crash and tough injury to overcome during the offseason that derailed his preparation for this season. But with diligent work and a consistent commitment to progress he has arrived at Race #1 in podium shape. Great job Brody, we are so proud of you, Buddy! The best is yet to come. Keep up the good work!

02/17/2024

We are officially event hopping!!

Coach is clocking in for lap 1 at 24HOP! A full day of racing awaits for our crew of 5! Team *Pedal for Pua* is ready for an awesome event! 🌺

02/13/2024

Being first across the line in a bike race is no small feat… and is a pretty special thing.
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But does that mean we are only “winners” on that specific day?
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—HARD NO — FOLKS!
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Winning is a mentality, a mindset, consistent action, and progress. And you don’t need to look any further than Mr Chemrktvskiy’s wisdom for confirmation of this reality.
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Just as bike race wins don’t come all that often, big wins in life aren’t that frequent either.
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But having a winning mindset and doing the work necessary to progress means that you can celebrate small wins as well as be confident that you have some meaningful “wins” coming your way in the future.
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Photo Highlight: We are thrilled to have achieved what we think is a pretty significant win for our tiny coaching business. This past weekend Coach Joy won the Pebble distance at an event that we are “super fans” of and you must experience to fully appreciate. And on top of that Coach Brian, with the help of his teammates won a criterium in a sprint! We love racing alongside our Athletes and putting to practice what we teach because successful bike riding is about a lot more than just building fitness!
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And did we mention that Séamus The Nugget did a barrel race, lead out the Cobbler riders, and did the “big kids” full-lap course at the Roger Millikan Crit? It was a full-gas weekend that highlighted all that we have to be thankful for with our business. And hopefully, along the way we have embodied some of that winning mentality that today’s quote is all about!
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Make it a great day Friends and keep getting after it!
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Photo Credits: Thank BOSS!!!

02/06/2024

Winter weather — frigid cold, harsh rain, and stiff winds — can make the “endure” part of endurance training a big bummer.
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But warmer weather and big rides are just around the corner!
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Winter can’t last forever, even if it feels like it sometimes, but training and competing in these conditions helps build the foundation for a spring and summer of great cycling!
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So maybe it’s time to embrace the Norse proverb that states, “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!” And squeeze all the fitness we can out of winter!
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Athlete Highlight: Juan “The Cannibal” Bernal showed us how to ride in the elements this weekend at the which as you might guess from its name is notorious for chilly winter weather. And the participants love it! Way to go Juan! Way to bring those Midwest Cyclocross skills to Colo-RAD-o for some hardcore winter racing miles. We are proud of you!
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01/31/2024

👋🏼 Coaches in the wild! 🦊

Coaches & took on the event this past Saturday!

This was the perfect event to kick off the season, get the legs moving and challenge every rider!

Coach Chi had a blast on the 47 mile route, racing all the way to the line where she sprinted and finished 4th!

Coach Joy dug into her “suitcase of courage”, racing the long course - getting off course etc etc - and ultimately finishing 4th as well.

We had 15+ athletes participate in the event as well!

Our friends from did a great write-up on the event, be sure to check it out!

🔗 in Bio 🤓

01/30/2024

Inspiration for this weeks comes from a small family-owned restaurant that proudly displays this quote for all their customers to see.
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It reminded us that it is easy to overlook the little things and that having an attitude of gratitude always seems to make our days brighter.
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And although we are unaware of a “white paper” confirming that an attitude of gratitude is performance enhancing, we can’t see it bringing anything but positive things for you or anyone who adopts an attitude of gratitude.
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So take an extra minute today to offer some thanks to your spouse, your kids, a neighbor, a friend, the checker at the grocery store or someone else you meet during the day.
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We are sure it will brighten your day, as well as theirs, AND maybe even lead to a more productive workout for you too!
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Photo Highlight: BWC is a lot like the “hole in the wall” restaurant that displayed this quote. And we are very thankful to work with many good people and brands, not to mention teams like and .r.t.racing . We appreciate you all! So hopefully a “thumbs up” from Séamus The Nugget in the final photo of the carousel will brighten your day and help you squeeze in a great workout too!
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Have a great week everyone!

01/27/2024

We are excited to be back in the road scene with a bit more for us for the 2024 season!

Repost from
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😎 We are very excited to announce we have on our side this year! Coaching is very essential in professional cycling today and we are very happy to have them guide us to succes on and off the bike! 😎

01/20/2024

We are at Vail!

Kenda Cup #1 with .official on a perfect day at Vail Lake!

Come by and say hello, grab some water and shade, (possible rain cover 😅) and learn about coaching!

We have 15 athletes racing through out the day as coach & Seamus man the put and coach races XC!

01/16/2024

Powerful words AND an important reminder for all of us to make sure our 2024 goals are challenging and meaningful.
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Sacrifices have to be made to achieve the targets we set for ourselves.
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Early mornings, cold rides, cross-training workouts, and challenging intervals, not to mention balancing family, school, or work commitments to make time for your training.
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The point is, it’s easier to do the work necessary when you know WHY you are doing the training and WHAT you are sacrificing for.
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Don’t just have goals this year, think up something powerful that drives you to do the work necessary to hit your targets with full force.
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It will make all the difference when you are tired, frustrated, time poor, or unmotivated.
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Athlete Highlight: Mads Holm Hansen knows his “why”… and it’s very powerful! Mads got the golden-ticket and is going back to the LT100 MTB! In 2023 he had a tough ride at Leadville, but that only stoked the fire for our Danish Destroyer, as he had been working hard despite the notoriously cold Danish winters. Although we wanted to add a picture of him on the trainer at some wee-hour of the morning or a photo of him doing his intervals on snow covered roads, neither was available… The best we could come up with were some memories from his time in the high mountains of Colorado. Leadville, here we come! Way to go Mads! We are so proud of you and stoked to help you prepare for this epic challenge!

01/14/2024

Gil Ron has done it again!

Winning both the time trial and road race at the Pan American Championships for the Maccabi games in Argentina!

Many layers of challenge led up by a these events and Gil weathered them with poise. Not easy to do in a foreign country but just new routes, but Gil did amazing.

These two victories were not only for his age group, but 1st place overall in both events. These victories back up his wins in Israel at the Maccabi games representing the USA! 🇺🇸 🇮🇱

01/10/2024

We got to check in with our friend and client today!

She broke her collarbone on Christmas Eve and is recovering well, plotting her return to two wheels.

Being the most popular cyclist injury, welcome to the club Erin!

We hope you heal up soon so we can ride again!