Rick Sorenson

Background:

I was born in Texas but was raised and spent my first 35 years in Casper Wyoming. I worked as a newspaper photographer for over 20 years in Wyoming, North Carolina and Georgia. I moved to Rutland Vermont in 2001.

Racing:

Many old timers will remember the Casper Classic bike race and that is where I got my start. I spent the first 15 years or so racing in and around Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, the Dakotas and Utah. The second half of my career has been spent racing in New England. Quite different experiences. The west featured almost exclusively stage races, while New England features mostly single day races. The Stage Races helped forge my riding style, as well as training and recovery theories. Lay on a bed at Motel 6 enough Saturday nights wondering how you are going to race two more stages the next day, after getting hammered for 80 or so miles in the wind and heat, and you will figure out a way to maximize recovery. I was a GC rider, so I had to learn to time trial because you were TT'ing just about every weekend. So many memories! Great wins, hard losses, some nasty crashes, and the best friends I will ever have in my life. I have had a great career. If I complained, I'd be a fool. It certainly has been memorable. I never thought I was so much more talented than the other riders, I just ride hard and take chances. And I always tried to train against riders better than I was, as I was always looking to 'race up' and see how far I could go.  I am also a very keen Zwifter. I have been on the platform for 6 years, am a current level 84, 44,000 miles ridden and have over 1,000 event starts.

Coaching:

I was director of training for the Casper Wyoming Wheelmen for 10 years,

then coached many riders in an unofficial capacity once I moved away from Wyoming.

In 2020 I began coaching and have been studying, learning and working with so many cyclists, that it has allowed me to grow and continually improve.

Career Highlights:

1999 Masters National Road Champion (Master 40-44-RR)
2023 Gran Fondo National Champion (Men 65-69)
8-Time Masters National Podium finishes-2-Gold (RR/Fondo)1- Silver (TT)3 Bronze (1-RR 2-TT)1-4th-(RR)1-5th (National Championship Fondo)

Overall Winner-

Casper Classic Stage Race 1995

Killington Stage Race(X2)

Green Mountain Stage Race(X2), 

Platte Bridge Station Stage Race(X4). 
BAR/Best All-Around Rider 1999 Masters National Road Championships.

Western US Region Masters Champion 1998. 

One day races won in New England

Highlands Gran Fondo(X2)

Vermont Gran Fondo

Bow(X3) 

Hilltowns(X2)

Capitol Region(X3). 

Tokeneke(X2). 

 Battenkill Road Race.

Total career wins-over 170.

Over 200 Podium appearances. 
Spent 7 years as a Cat 1. 

Coaching philosophy:
My coaching philosophy is pretty simple.

I start with these questions:

Where have you been?
Where are you now?
Where do you want to go?
Then, we work together as a team and figure out how to achieve and crush your goals!

I believe goals drive your training. Whether you want to get to the end of your street faster or win Nationals, they both have the same importance to me as your coach.  I will use all the tools including cutting-edge power training metrics as well as the basics like resting heart rate. Along with your unique desire, personality, time constraints and life, I use this info to fit into a winning equation.
Your equation.

I will use over 40 years of cycling experience and coaching experience to ensure that you will achieve your goals and dreams in cycling. I am your teammate and excited to work with each of my athletes!

Athlete testimonials:

Evan Inglis-

"Got your note in TP. I've definitely been looking ahead and thinking about goals and how to approach the off-season. First of all, I want to thank you for all your guidance and support for the last few months. Looking back on things, it seems like so many things happened to make this year amazing and really almost perfect for me. Finding your name on the Zwift leaderboard was one of those. I suffered through two years of frustrating injuries, but in terms of the national championship, I wouldn't have known how to ride the Fondos in 2022 when I was first qualified, and I'm just as glad to have missed last year's rainfest. Having finished third this year, I got something to tell my friends and family, so they know I'm not just out enjoying the scenery on the bike trail, but also still have something to shoot for next year. I achieved times and regained levels of power beyond what I expected. You've achieved a lot over many years. In contrast, my history (going back to high school) in running and cycling has been filled with lots of ability and promise but not many results, due to injuries and other circumstances. It's hard to overstate how special this year has been for me."

James Johndrow-

"The other good thing that happened in my cycling world in 2021 is that Coach Rick started coaching!  Rick is one of the most successful masters racers ever, with 170-something wins in his career. He started doing a lot of the work on my weekly schedule. At that time, I was feeling weak on longer efforts, and Rick took my concerns seriously and designed a lot of custom workouts for me. I saw my FTP jump 30 or 40 Watts and it's over 5 W/kg now. Not bad for a 40-year-old guy who never raced bikes before".