USA Cycling Level 1 Coach
I have been riding bikes as long as I can remember, and maybe even longer. I got my first bike when I was five years old – a cherry red Schwinn Typhoon. I began racing in 1973, so that makes this year my 42nd year of racing bikes. I do mostly road racing and some mountain bike racing but have dabbled in cyclocross and track as well.
In 2001, the whole concept of cycling coaching came into being and USA Cycling started offering certifications in coaching. I’ve made about all the mistakes there are to make in training and racing. I decided to begin coaching to help other cyclists benefit from my experience and also to share my love for the sport.
I have worked my way up to the highest level of coaching that USA Cycling offers, the Level 1 Coach. I have worked with individual cyclists from all over the country as well as Canada and Mexico. I also coach with the Des Moines Cycle Club Race Team and write the training blogs for RAGBRAI, the weeklong ride across Iowa every summer (www.RAGBRAI.com). One of my most rewarding coaching roles is that of a national coach for the JDRF Ride To Cure Diabetes Charity Ride program. This program assists cyclists, some quite novice, to become prepared to ride in a charity ride, with distances up to 100 miles, while also raising money for Type 1 Diabetes research (www.ride.jdrf.org).
I am a coach with the Peaks Coaching Group (www.PeaksCoachingGroup.com), and have written four books and numerous articles on cycling training, many of which are available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach David Ertl, Ph.D., including my bestselling eBook, Pedal Off the Pounds, Practical Weight Management through Cycling and Good Nutrition.
Contact:
Accepting New Athletes?
Contact David for current availability.
Hello! I am a retired bodybuilder looking to get into cycling with the hopes of competing in a race in 2022. I have absolutely no background on cycling so want to spend at least a year working on the craft and really learning the ins and outs. I would like to start this fall. Was wondering if you offer any services to help with this goal and what you charge if so? I am not even sure what I am quite looking for, but I just know I will need some sort of guidance on this journey.