Coaching

BFSC specializes in training women road cyclists of all ages as well as masters men road cyclists. This narrow focus is key. Women have different reactions to exercise and rest than men, Masters have different reactions to exercise and rest than young athletes.

Our coaching philosophy is based on creating  positive, effective, individual plans for each and every rider. There is no magic, there is lots of hard work. This hard work (your plan) is designed around your individual criteria, how much time can you devote, do you travel a lot, what are your goals, what are your key races, are you eating right etc. We use the latest software to be able to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in every level of your performance. We use many separate zones above FTP since this is where riders really start to differ from one another. These levels are based on power and duration like FTP but go many steps further gathering information from your rides to know your ability to push watts for 1 hour (your FTP), 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes 1 minute, 30 seconds and 10 seconds. 2 riders may have the same exact FTP, but likely vary widely in all the zones above FTP. You may be a natural time trial athlete and can push out 300 watts for that hour long time trial but in a sprint your max is 600 watts, while your friend who is a natural sprinter may be able to also keep 300 watts for an hour but can crush you in a sprint with 1000 watts for 10 seconds, If we were to design one identical plan for these 2 riders our high end intervals may work for one of those riders but not the other.  We can not use a percentage of FTP for these high levels of output. If they both have 15 second intervals at 200% of FTP, is rider #2 going to get a proper workout? Of course not. We will take the time and spend the money to get it right with sophisticated software to analyze every effort. Otherwise you may as well buy a well made generic training plan (we have several) – there are hundreds of excellent ones out there. The reason to hire a coach is to get individualization of unique plan designed for you.

We specialize in training women road cyclists of all ages as well as Masters Men road cyclists and you must have a power meter. (we can help you pick it out!)

The team coaching keeps us pretty busy  but we do have a few limited non team spots available each year with the following features and pricing:

Bronze $80/Month

Includes:

  • TrainingPeaks Premium account
  • 2 hour initial interview
  • Monthlytraining prescription/calendar updates
  • Monthly Data Review
  • Weekly emails and texts

Silver $175/Month

  • TrainingPeaks Premium account with ATP (Annual Training Plan) based on your goals and events
  • 2 hour initial consult
  • Weekly Data File review
  • FTP testing with full data review Every 2 months
  • Review  all  race data
  • Unlimited emails and texts
  • Nutritionist advice by email

Gold $325/Month

  • TrainingPeaks Premium account with ATP (Annual Training Plan) based on your goals and events
  • 2 hour initial interview
  • Daily data Review – Every workout
  • One initial, and 10 week FTP tests with full data review
  • Review all race data
  • Unlimited plan updates
  • Unlimited emails and texts
  • Bi-monthly Nutritionist meetings

Ed Blank

I grew up in New Hampshire where there was not much to do but fish and ski,  so I learned to do both very well.  My skiing career took me into my late twenties as a professional ski racer.  Bike racing was part of my regimen for fitness in the off season.  After retiring from ski racing I coached young racers for a few years and then decided that it was fishing’s turn for my next career.  In 1990 I started an Alaska outfitting business running week long adventures camping and rafting down remote rivers in the Bristol Bay region.  Leading small groups of 4 people for a week of camping and living on these remote rivers created life long friendships.

Later I rekindled my interest in  bike racing, while introducing it to my wife Lisa Berger  and together they discovered a passion they could share.  I studied every article on endurance fitness, bought some power meters for the two of us and discovered a new world  of the science of fitness for bike racers. These studies led me to the realization as a young athlete that I was a victim of over training, who knew such a thing existed back then?  My coaches believed my work ethic and dedication were admirable, as I worked harder and trained longer than my  teammates.  I would peak early in the ski season and then slowly tank the rest of the year.  So I would train harder to get it back (didn’t work).  Not until my last season as a pro when I had already decided to quit yet I needed to finish the season’s contract.  It was my most successful year.  I trained just to get by, yet my skills and fitness exploded,  was it that the pressure was gone ?  Maybe, but I think it was the over training of both skills an fitness that was always my elephant in the room.

Lisa and I had the opportunity to live and work in Belize  for several years. We found some passionate riders to train with.  There is quite a bike racing culture in Belize that was infectious.  Lisa and I founded a team of 11 masters riders for the Belizean Masters league, “Weekend Warriors”.  Team BFSC was born. Acting as coach and mentor for the younger less experienced masters, solidified my desire to help train masters bike racers.  I studied more  and more (probably overtraining my brain)   and became a certified coach under USA Cyling.  Since then Team BFSC has expanded in the Boston area with like minded masters racers  donning the BFSC colors.  Lisa and I now reside in Boston Massachusetts.

Biking into my 60’s has taught me a lot about what a masters body can and can’t do and my focus is on coaching masters riders and women of all ages.  I am happy to help your efforts to become a faster, happier racer every season. Whether you have 20 hours a week to train  or 6 hours a week to train, a well designed training plan and the support of a coach to help track the pace of your fitness will help your mental skills and your physical fitness develop at the fastest rate possible. We’ll stay realistic, but you can count on improvement when you hire a well matched personal trainer/coach to stand by your side in support.