Bill Gros

Background

I started racing in 1985 in the midst of the Greg Lemond era. Looking for a sport to replace my beloved baseball, I began training for triathlons. When my hometown bike shop in Brunswick, Maine put on a bike race in May of that year, I participated and was hooked. I have over 25 years of bicycle racing experience with over 1,000 career starts. I am an accomplished Master level racer, and direct my own team, PTS Racing LLC, based in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

I started coaching in 2006, and hold a USA Cycling Level 1 (Elite) Coaching Certification, am Certified in Power Training, a Level 1 USA Track Coaching Certification, and have been an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer. I am a 2017 PowerTap Local Coach and was a 2016 PowerTap Grassroots Athlete.

I still ride and enjoy going to local events like gran fondos and fast century rides now. Every once in a while, I entertain some of the fast Saturday group riders as well with my speedy antics.  ;-)

I am also a Bike Fitter for BikeFitr , Utah's premier bike fitting service in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Coaching Philosophy

Congratulations! You’ve chosen to participate in one of the several challenging sports that I participate in and/or coach. Participation and finishing any sport requires a high level of fitness and skill. This is where a coach, like me, can provide the pathway to flattening the learning curve. Then when you reach seemingly unattainable levels, I can show you how to get that much more out your racing as you stride toward the top.

While being a dedicated power meter advocate, it is also important in the coach/athlete relationship, to determine how you the individual athlete, responds physiologically and psychologically to science backed training. You don’t have to be a slave to the numbers; the numbers provide a guide and ultimately show us the response you have toward the prescribed training. I also teach my athletes how training at specific power levels stimulates a specific energy system, how these systems develop over the course of a training/racing season, and how this translates to improvements in racing performance. For many of my athletes, I hold a long-term view on their development, encouraging them to not only focus on their coming goals, in the short term, but help them to undertake cycling, or being an athlete, as a lifestyle, a way, that gives the athlete long term support and guidance which lessons chances of athlete burnout.

I work with riders of all levels and really enjoy working with riders over 50 that are focused, have big goals and want to improve. Riding in a tough gran fondo feeling strong and then finishing with energy to spare is something that so many of us strive for and I can make that happen for you. I understand the critical work:rest ratio needed by riders over 50 and now that I am in my late 50's, I empathize with your desire to train smart while not overdoing it.

I also love working with the racers as well and my vast racing experience gives me the ability to convey the proper race behavior that matches up with your current fitness level, and physiology. Not only do I convey the training, I do my best to teach the best racing tactics and strategies. Training with Power allows one to race instinctively with power!

To sum it up best: “To succeed, you have to do the work, or none of this occurs”

Personal Notable Achievements 

2001 -  1st Bob Beal Masters Stage Race – 35+

2001 -  1st Bob Beal Masters Stage Race Criterium

2004  - 1st MABRA Criterium Championships 30+

2005  - 1st Tour of Walkersville RR

2005  - 1st The Mayor’s Main Street Classic

2007 -  1st City Center at Oyster Point Criterium

2010 -  1st Capital Criterium

2011 -  1st Dawg Days of Summer Circuit Race

2012 -  1st Tour of Americas Dairyland Fond Du Lac Crit 45+

2013 -  1st Turkey Hill Country Classic RR

2014 -  1st Air Force Cycling Classic Criterium

2014  - 1st Tour of Washington County Kick Off Criterium

2015 -  1st Ride Sally Ride Criterium

2015 -  1st Crossroads Classic Mocksville Criterium

2016 -  1st Crossroads Classic Statesville Criterium

2017 -  1st Rocky Mountain Raceways/Utah Criterium Series

Athlete Testimonials

Bill helped me crush the Gran Fondo Asheville!

"I have been working with Bill for the past year and as a busy executive, along with family duties, I have a limited time to train and want to get it right.  I turned 60 this year and I told Bill that I wanted to be the fastest 60+ rider at Gran Fondo Asheville.   The course is tough with tons of climbing and lots of rollers and even includes a nearly 5-mile flat timed section.   We worked hard to optimize my training, improved my FTP by 20 watts and increased my stamina from 73 to 84 on the WKO software.  He gave me great pacing instructions on the climbs along with ensuring that my nutrition was dialed.  Not only did I finish first in the 60+ division, but I finished with energy to spare and was able to head home and mow the grass later that day!  Bill is a great coach and takes the time that you need to ensure you understand the data in WKO and the workouts, along with the "WHY" of the workouts.  He found the optimal work:rest ratio for me and I am grateful. Working with him at the Gold level of coaching has been the most economical investment I have made in myself in a long time."

Bob M., Charlotte, NC.

A Most Successful Season

“After 2 years of racing and seeing minimal results, I decided to look into coaching. I always saw the PTS team at local races and knew they were doing something right with their athletes. It was only after 2.5 months of training plans when I started to see how much stronger I was getting. The summer has just begun and I already have my first podium of the season under my belt.”

Angela swept the Tour of Washington County Stage Race Cat.4 Womens race, placing 1st in the road race, criterium, time trial and General Classification. She also won the Tyson’s Corner Circuit Race, the Giro D’Coppi Road Race and 8 other podium finishes during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Angela Parrotta, Washington D.C., Team Sticky Fingers

Sticking to the Plan

“I came to the sport three years ago without any endurance athletics background. After a frustrating half season of Cat 4 racing, I started working with Bill. I didn’t immediately follow the plan entirely at first, and my race results reflected that. Bill challenged me to follow the plan and after a hard block of training I earned my first win, a second place finish and my Cat 3 upgrade immediately followed. An off season of training gave me FTP gains, a double peak season, podiums, and my Cat 2 upgrade. If you are serious about being serious, Bill can provide the structure, consistency, and careful planning, that will make you stronger, reduce your limiters, and help you become a complete rider and effective teammate.”

Michael Russo, Washington D.C., Battley Harley Davidson Racing Team

The Voice Of Reason

"I've been working with Bill for a couple years now. When I first started, I went from pack fodder to competing for top 10s almost immediately, based on a few simple words of guidance that I hadn't figured out in my previous couple years of racing. Not long after, I started getting podiums on a regular basis. Crashes do happen, and I suffered a fairly bad on that took me out of competition for several months. This is where Bill really shined. He didn't pressure me at all, and as I pushed hard to get back, Bill calmed me down and encouraged me to stick with a conservative approach. He worked around my physical therapy sessions and busy work schedule. Though it seemed slow at the time, in hindsight Bill got me back up to form quickly. I was back on track to enjoy my honeymoon (which consisted of 6 days of riding up and down mountains), and finish the year off with a few crits, placing 5th at Catonsville, 2nd at the Benchmark qualifiers, and snagging my first ever win at the Seagull Circuit race. Bill offers more than just extra watts. He is a voice of reason, has provided key insights on race tactics, and takes an overall approach that has helped me become a better cyclist and overall racer. " 

Andrew McLaren