Sam Krieg

Coaching philosophy

The first key to my philosophy is finding the right coach for the athlete and the right athlete for the coach. I am certainly not the coach for every rider. Cycling is hard, but nothing worth achieving comes easily. As an athlete you have to have as much patience as you do passion. My coaching philosophy revolves around three elements: having a killer plan, being consistent, and maximizing efficiency. My end goal is to harness your passion and turn it into results. Let’s face it: training and racing are hard, and sometimes epic and quite painful. The roller coaster ride we take as endurance athletes is wild and unpredictable. The key is being able to see the forest through the trees when your eyes are burning from sweat and your mind is on the rivet. My goal is to prepare you for that "moment of truth" when you're pegged and searching for that last 1 percent. I like to think of myself as a killer cup of coffee. If I can't get you fired up to go out and suffer, then I'm not doing my job.

Athlete testimonials

I am particularly happy with Sam, because, despite being my first coach and without a comparison point, he knows what he is doing. His innate understanding shines through all the time. Sam's training is intelligent and seems very instinctive. Once he gets into the data, how he sees stuff he sees is totally unexpected, magic to me -- simple to him. It always motivates me when he interprets progress. I'm three months with Sam, and at 66kg have broken 400 for 5 minutes, 340 for 15 minutes, and 300 for 40 minutes, and these are maximums -- mainly controlled targets. With an 8-day 2.2 stage race under my belt 10 years ago, even then the numbers did not come close. Sam doesn't hold back and pushes me, we even cracked 1200 for a 10-second sprint. Results are good: 5 races, 5 top 10s. I haven't raced in 10 years. I finally believe I can compete, and I hope its just the start of the journey. Maybe others are more qualified -- I'm not sure, but Sam knows what he is doing, his racing intelligence is there.  - James, Czech Republic

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I don't know how I got so lucky to hook up with Sam. - David, Nebraska

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Sam is the best. Considered quitting many times and Sam was always there to encourage me and get me back on rack. He always gives the right advice.  - John, Nebraska

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I've been working with certified coaches for more than fifteen years, and I have to say that I get the most enjoyment and support from working with Sam. Chatting with Sam is a lot of fun, and he is a genuinely passionate, high-energy, motivational guy. It's hard not to be excited about bike riding while working with him. He is consistent and workouts are posted on time with a fantastic amount of detail. - Rob, Hong Kong

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Sam has a style that fits mine. It's not so clinical in approach and not just raw numbers. He takes the effort and applies it to race situations so that when that particular power profile happens in a race it's not foreign to me. This helps me stay motivated because I know that the workouts I'm doing are applicable in the real world. I've never gotten off the phone with Sam and not been in a better place mentally. His energy is tremendous and contagious. Encouraging texts and email are constant. - Paul, Oklahoma

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As a four-minute miler in college, I had a history of being able to run about any way I wanted and get results, but cycling brought new challenges that at times I struggled with. I have been riding with power for years but not really training with it. Over the past few seasons, working with Sam has really helped me apply my horsepower and get results. With a family and limited time, I turned a few "A" race goals into first-place GC results. At 40+ years old I am just starting to find the form I had years ago. - Rob McGovern, Elkhorn Classic Stage Race GC 1st, High Uintas Stage Race GC 1st, Cat 3

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Sam helped me build the foundation that I will be able to build on for years to come. I had done so much research on all aspects of training that I was a bit overwhelmed. With volumes of training information at my fingertips, I was having a tough time sorting through it all to determine the most effective training for me. Sam saved the day. Sam helped me get back to the basics and provided the clarity and guidance I needed to feel confident in my training plan. Furthermore, Sam was flexible enough to make adjustment as needed with my busy and unpredictable work schedule. In addition to structuring the training in a way that worked for me, Sam's passion for cycling is inspiring and helped fuel me to train at higher levels than I ever had in the past. As a result, at 38 years old, I can honestly say I am lighter, stronger, and faster than I have ever been. I can't wait for the next season to begin!  - Mike, Utah

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A big thanks to both Hunter and Sam! As a result of their training plans, training advice, and knowledge of all things power, I killed it right at the right time this season: at nationals! I feel my success this year was due to a training plan that was specific, realistic, and challenging. There were many mornings I looked at my workout and thought, There's no WAY! And then I did it. Overcoming some of my own mental barriers related to what I thought I could do was the key. At nationals this year, I put out the same wattage for one hour that I had put out for twenty minutes three years ago. WOW! I'm excited to take that knowledge, training, and confidence to the next level this year and try for it again. Thank you two!  - Karen Appleby-Krieg, first place women 30-34, master's national time trial 2008

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Wanted to drop you a line on Sam Krieg and let you know how much fun I've had working with Sam since we got connected in Nov 2014. First off, I feel like I have a friend for life which is the best way I can characterize what he has meant to me. We just run to the beat of the same drum -- although I can't come close to laying down his pace! Ha! 

As background, I tracked Sam down after I saw his 2:36 result at the NYC marathon in 2014 (along with Billie Demong). We immediately hit it off and shared a lot of stories about cycling and the NRC circuit in  the US. In a prior, I spent a lot of time on the bike. I let him know that I had aspirations of running a sub 3 hour marathon and I needed  someone way smarter than me to help get me there. Sam seemed like the prefect guy. While I underestimated what it would take and the timeline to reach that goal, WE accomplished it this past Sunday at the Naperville Marathon with a time of 2:53:36. I celebrated my 40th last month and I guess it took me getting a bit wiser to reach the sub 3 hour goal! I blew a couple of attempts in the past year trying to get to this point but Sam was always there and my biggest cheerleader, even though I probably set too steep of goal relative to my running fitness when we started out. Like a lot of athletes, got a smidgen too greedy. Sam's sage advice on running and training combined with a super cool perspective on athletes and performance has been so incredibly motivating. Most importantly, he brought me along slowly and put a long term lens on what's possible to accomplish over a multi-year time period. His advice has always been centered on keeping me in the game and staying healthy. I'm so excited about the work that lies ahead and what's possible, the 2:53 is just a start. There are certain people that come into our lives for some unknown reason, and in the case of Sam Krieg, I feel super lucky.

You have a great one in Sam, which I know you know, and wanted to share my story with you and my excitement about the future! Best, Scott K