Gordon Paulson. Gordon Paulson. I started racing bikes in the mid 1980’s at the age of 34. After racing for 6 years, I dropped out of the race scene and took up full time responsibilities that come with raising children. In 1999, after 12 years away from the bike race scene, I decided to return to the sport I loved. Much had changed in that time. Bikes were lighter, training more sophisticated, and it seemed, the racing was faster. In order to become competitive I learned how to use power measurement as a training tool and I adopted a periodized approach to my training. This approach worked for me. Since returning to bike racing, I upgraded to USAC Road Cat 1, rode to six Master’s National Championships (Road Race in 2003 & Time Trial in 2004, 2006, and 2007, and, with my wife, Diane, Tandem Road Race and Time Trial 2007), and won 10 Wisconsin State Championships along with numerous local victories. I have had particularly good results in time trials and have set numerous course records in Wisconsin and Minnesota. While these records have, in many cases, been eclipsed, I’m proud to say that often athletes I coach have been the new record holders.

As a practicing attorney (UW-Law 1980), a Level 2 USAC cycling coach and father of three, I’ve learned to balance family and work with the demands required to successfully race bikes. As a ‘Fifty-Something’ racer I do a fair amount of Master’s racing, and, I’ve continued racing in Pro/1/2 category races. Competing at that level requires a combination of skill, ability and luck. Focused, effective training can be the key ingredient that leads to success at the highest levels. I’ve learned to efficiently use the training time available to me to make successful racing possible. Having a coach structure and guide your training can be the single most important step you take on the path to maximizing your success. As a coach, I believe that I can help athletes on many levels, not the least of which, is providing structure and balance in training so that bike racing is fun, effective, and successful.