Background:

I have been riding and racing in the mid-Atlantic area since 1984. What started as a cheap way to get to school and work has grown into a healthy lifestyle based around cycling. A second place in my first road race hooked me and I have never been tempted to give up the sport, no matter how sparse the results have been over the years. I truly love riding my bike and would probably still ride every week even if I weren't racing.

A full time job, a desire to spend a lot of time with my family, a less than maintenance free home and an actual lack of physical talent have given me the opportunity to learn how to get as much out of the time I have on the bike. I have learned how everything that you do, from working, training and eating right to getting enough rest and even the people that you interact with, can affect your results and even your entire season. Hopefully you will be able to benefit from the lessons I have learned.

Coaching Philosophy:

To me, coaching is based on flexibility and communications. I believe that every training plan should be written in pencil. Very few people can control everything that may come up in their lives or know exactly how they will respond to a given training load or personal event. By keeping you involved in the formulation of your training program, together we can do what it takes to allow you to reach your goals with the time and resources available.

My primary goal is to get you to the point where you enjoy the time that you spend cycling. I can teach you the importance of balancing work, training and rest, how to take care of your equipment, and even how to juggle if you like. I can work with riders at all levels from beginner to professional racers trying to making a living in the saddle.

Other Services:

I am also a certified personal trainer, experienced preciesion bike fitter and mechanic.

Learn more about me and what we can do together to find you a better riding and racing experience at:
www.PowerTrainingCoach.Com

Client Results

Check out how BJ's athletes are doing here

Client Testimonials:

On Coaching:

BJ has done an outstanding job, I cannot give him high enough a recommendation. Certainly I have been more than satisfied with the service provided with me and am already making referrals for 2009. In fact, I think the team will be looking for team coaching in 2009.

A good coach is constantly riding the dividing line between being too hard or too easy, between being a controlling force or a guiding influence, between being a dictator or your best friend. Every trainee a coach has in their stable of talent, reacts to inputs differently. Some need gentle reminders, some need major league motivation, and still others a firm push. Some need all of the above from time to time.

So it is with BJ Basham and I. He realizes that training, while important to me, is not the most important thing in my life. He understands when higher priority demands on my time are exercised. We simply look at our schedule and dynamically figure out the options available to still meet our goals. I have confidence in his coaching ability to complete any given workout without the fear that I'm not going to ever recover. He has pushed me farther than I ever would have advanced on my own. He has convinced me that I have untapped potential, and he backs this realization with data and trend analysis.

I've only had one cycling coach, but I can't imagine having a better one than BJ. With BJ's guidance I've gotten results, continued to improve and get stronger, and pushed myself beyond where I thought I could go. Also, I'm in the best total shape of my life, not just on the bike.

But what really sets BJ apart is the personal attention I receive from him. Often, as soon as I've finished a workout and uploaded my data, I get an email back from him in minutes in which he addresses any concerns I may have raised in my comments and simply lets me know if I've done a killer job. And on really hard days, even if you know you've nailed it, nothing feels better than that simple "attaboy". In addition, BJ is flexible and works with my schedule and has no trouble adapting workouts or portions of my program on the fly due to weather or other conflicts. And there's no agenda with BJ. He listens to my ambitions and embraces them, writing a program to help me achieve what I want to achieve. Finally, although I know BJ has 20 athletes, I always feel like I'm the only guy he coaches.

If you want a coach who will challenge you, embrace your goals, work with your schedule, and fill you with positive energy you need to train with BJ.

BJ has been my coach for several years and coaches many Artemis team members. After recently becoming a USAC Level 2 coach myself, I find that BJ's methods are solid. He is extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. I have TOTAL confidence in his ability and recommend him to many without hesitation.

I've been racing bikes for the last 7 years and each year have struggled to improve to the point where I'm competitive with the other racers in my category. I'd tried joining the local fast group rides, the fast training rides, the regular club rides, with some improvement but not enough to get me where I thought I could be. Always, my goal during these rides was to hang on as long as I could before getting dropped.

I finally decided to invest in a coach to help guide my training. This was my special treat for me!! I chose to work with BJ Basham after discussing with him not only my goals for racing but also the importance of having "fun" on the bike by participating in club rides, multi day bike tours and bike commuting. For my race training BJ uses information gathered from my power meter as well as how I feel during training rides. From this he structures my training plan to work on areas that need improvement. He modifies the training based on power data, how I felt during the workouts, or any scheduling or time constraint issues that come up. Certain things he has me doing on the bike are things I would never have thought of doing on my own as I didn't understand how they fit into making me a better racer. However, I trust that (as a racer himself) he knows what skills are needed to race effectively and how to achieve or improve those skills. Since working with BJ, I admit I haven't won any races but I've truly been IN the races, from start to finish, which was one of my goals for this year.

Here is my story and I think it may help you in the end. I was a full time pro triathlete flying all over the world and racing the worlds best. After a 4 month training block in Australia I came back to the US with high hopes and all kinds of confidence that I would hit the big time. I had those dreams dashed when I injured my knee for what would be the last time. This had been the upteenth time my legs had been injured from running and I had had enough. I rehabed for one month and switched to cycling.

I found my way on to the LSV/Kelly Benefits Strategies Elite Team and was introduced to BJ Basham who I was told was my new coach. If he was supposedly the expert I would do what he said to the "T." And I did. I followed his workouts exactly as they were written and after only one month and half I won two stages and the overall at the Tour of Ohio. I went on to have a great season and even one offer to race as a pro. I declined and stayed with LSV/Kelly and BJ for another season.

To prepare for 2006 I spent the winter months in Tucson, Arizona. This place was great for training and even better when you actually have a plan. BJ gave me awesome workouts that worked perfectly with my surrounding geography. Again I did his workouts exactly as BJ prescribed and again the results were amazing. On a whim I did a road race in Phoenix. I won and I beat a many pros whose names would shock you. I next went down to a UCI stage race in Mexico. Again I was the highest placed amature and got 5th on the longest and hardest stage.

Once back in DC, BJ worked on a plan that would get me in peak for our main goal, Elite National Championships. Guess what happened, I won. I won the one race that we had been planning on since the previous November. Getting your peak just right is probably the single hardest thing to do in the sport and BJ did it for me.

I went on to have more success this season. Winning a stage and the overall at the Green Mtn. Stage Race and then having an incredible ride at the Univest GP. To top off it all off I have signed with the Navigators Insurance Professional Cycling Team for next year.

I have been doing this sport for less than two years and next season I will be on a UCI Division 2 pro team. I have had one coach since I became a cyclist and that coach is BJ Basham.

On Bike Fitting:

I would not be riding today if not for fitting services by BJ Basham. Road cycling hooked me in 2004, but I quickly developed knee problems. Joint pain prevented me from working hard enough to make significant progress. In early 2007, walking became misery and I was nearly ready to quit. I tried many remedies and had been "fitted" several times, but they did nothing. Finally, I was advised to try Wobble Naught.

After measurements and having nearly every setting adjusted, I left the session with hope. Getting back on the bike was starting from scratch; all the right muscles were neglected in my prior position. Another two months and I could finally ride without knee pain! I took a long off season and hit 2008 with renewed determination.

Prior races had always ended with drops or field finishes, but I pulled fifth place at my first event in March 2008. Nearly every competition since has put me within the top ten. Late summer, I joined the category four ranks. In the fall, my team recognized me as the most improved rider. Today, I am deep into winter training and looking forward to an incredible 2009, unfazed by long hours on the saddle.

Thank you, BJ, for helping to keep me on the bike and making all this possible!