Athlete of the Month

ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

April 2018 – Dave Krimstock

Dave’s Race Report from the Ouchita Challenge – 

Heading down to Arkansas for the 2018 Ouachita Challenge was a wild experience. For someone who rarely leaves the comfort of the mountains and desert of the western US, I really had no idea about what to expect as far as the type of terrain and how the climate would affect my performance. The race itself is part of a four race Arkansas Marathon Mountain Bike series, and I had been urged by a friend to head down and check the race out. I picked the longest race in the series, 60 miles and around a 4-hour 40-minute average winning time to give myself the best shot at doing well. She also informed me the Ouachita Challenge had some proper mountain biking which would also suit my growing comfort riding on technical trails.

            When I arrived in the Ouachita mountains, I made sure to check out key sections of the course. The main section I had been warned about is called Blowout Mountain, along with the Womble trail. The trails were fairly loose, switch backing, and had a lot of tight trees. Sharp rocky boulder fields characterized Blowout Mountain, that section is certainly not something to take lightly. Making sure to have an idea of the best lines through these features, I felt pretty good about my prep work, and knew that race day would be full of heads up and really fun riding.

            On race day, it was sort of strange not having any idea about the strength of any of the other competitors. At the start of a 300+ person race, there are always a ton of folks who look fast! When I saw Sara at the start line, she said, “alright, I wanna see a course record!” I laughed and said I’d do my best.. The start of the race consisted of about 8 miles of dirt road, with a river crossing. It was a full pace line, with no real chance to get away. After the river crossing, I went to the front to push the pace and see if I could make things break up a bit. While drilling it at the front I noticed a sticky white liquid hitting my leg and frame, and after checking it out I had a feeling I had punctured my rear tire on the rocks lining the river. I dropped back to assess the situation, but after several minutes of riding and some help from the others in the group, I decided to press on because it appeared the sealant had worked to seal the puncture.

            On the first section of trail I went in 3rd and was feeling pretty good. I tried to pass a few times, but the trail was a bit too narrow, and the hillside too steep to make it worth it. I waited for the Blowout Mountain aid station and the road leading into the trail to make the move. Passing into 1st, I gave a good effort on the initial climb before the rough section of the trail and got enough of a gap that I couldn’t see anyone behind. I pressed on, leveraging my Pivot Mach 429 SL full suspension race bike with proper Maxxis Ikon EXO (extra protection) tires. I’ve always thought that tires aren’t really a great place to skimp on weight or quality. Trying to ride smooth and taking advantage of racing at low elevation, I rode at the front for the rest of the day by myself.

            The only minor issue I had during the rest of the day was when my friend who was running support for me couldn’t make it to the first aid station. Not being familiar enough with the course, I decided to skip the feed zone. This came at about 1 hour 45 minutes into the race, and given the higher wattage I was pushing, it did cause me some concern about running out of fuel. I dialed it back slightly and made sure to take on some more EFS gel along with the remainder of my water. When I did get my hand up with a fresh bottle of EFS Pro and a gel flask, I drank the bottle on the road and had Taylor meet me a little further up to get some more. Making sure to not get behind on fueling is something I always prioritize in a long mountain bike race.

            Continuing to ride fast through the last hour of the race, I pressed on in hopes of keeping my gap and hopefully setting a fast time. I think it was my time as a swimmer at Rally Sport Aquatic Club growing up, but my focus on times and doing a personal best effort has carried through to my bike racing. After crossing the finish with a time of 4 hours 26 minutes the announcer said, in typical mountain bike race fashion, “I think that was a new course record, but we’ll send a message to the previous record holder to make sure.” When that fact was verified, it definitely added to an already solid effort. It felt great to know that the formula I have learned over the last few years mountain bike racing was good enough to ride at the front of a 300-person unknown field. I’m excited to see where working with Grant and the APEX coaching team takes me in the future, because the change has certainly been working very well.

March 2018 – Amy Parker, Bryn Laffey & Ange Loiseau

Amy, Bryn and Ange just completed the 230+ mile Run Across Haiti in support of WORK (dowork.org). Their mission is to end poverty in Haiti through good, dignified jobs. The run raised over $225,000 this year!

From Bryn – As soon as I read about Work’s Run Across Haiti and the positive impact it has on the community of Menelas, I was hooked! Upon deciding to take on what I thought to be  an impossible feat, the first item on my to-do list was to begin working with a coach. I reached out to Joe and immediately knew I was in great hands! Coach Joe managed to adjust my mindset from impossible to achievable within that first phone call! Training for this 200+ mile run seemed overwhelming at first, but having an experienced, knowledgeable coach break it down week by week, workout by workout made all the difference. He managed to remove any fears and doubts I had and restore my confidence in my ability to complete the run. (Also a good life coach, haha). My experience in Haiti could not have gone any better!! I was so well prepared not only physically, but mentally (oh, the mantras) and nutritionally. Between our texts, Skype calls, and checklists I was above and beyond prepared to handle whatever Haiti threw at me. 

From Amy – After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, my son (now 10) and I discussed the impact of the earthquake, what it means to live in poverty and the need to help others, all while supporting WORK and getting to know the organization. I’ve wanted to see Haiti for several years, and seeing it at “5 mph” seemed like a fantastic way to do it.  Coach Joe’s emphasis on pace and nutrition was critical to my success and allowed me to focus absorbing Haiti, not on whether I would be able to make it to the end.

From Ange – Deciding to run across Haiti with and for WORK was a no brainer. As a Haiti native, I was honored and excited for this opportunity to give back to my people in this way. While my training for Haiti was not as consistent (due to life and work obligations at times) as I would have liked it to be, working with Coach Joe in training for Haiti is the best decision I could have made to get ready for the 200+ mile run across my beautiful country. After God, without Coach there is NO WAY I would have survived Haiti because prior to working with Coach, I didn’t value or truly understand nutrition and long distance running. However, Coach really drilled the importance of proper nutrition and fueling the body to go the distance and I noticed the difference both in my recovery and energy to keep going! Although the running in Haiti was not easy, being in the country where I was born and raised was so amazing and I absolutely loved every second. From greeting every Haitian person I encountered on the streets, to not missing one single opportunity to speak my native tongue Creole, to enjoying every bite of that delicious Haitian cuisine, and to not missing a beat on asking any of the crew members (or total strangers) to dance konpa (Haitian) music with me. Running across my ‘ayiti-cherie’ is an experience that I will never forget as long as I live and it is an experience that I hope I am able to relive year after year as I would like to do it again.

From Coach Joe – It is a pleasure to work with such an amazing group of runners and this foundation. The journey these athletes go through is as eye-opening as it is inspirational. I could not be happier for their continued success and the immensely positive outcomes of this cause. 

All photo credit goes to @doworkorg on Instagram


February 2018 – Eric Brunner

From Eric – I have been working with Apex for the last year and a half. This season I won the Collegiate Cyclocross National Championships, took second in the Pan-American and National Championships, and will represent the United States at the World Championships. Grant and Apex have been a huge part of my success this season and I hope to carry this momentum into the 2018 road season!

From Coach Grant – Eric Brunner experienced a break through season on the domestic cyclcocross circuit this season. In his second U23 season, Eric was second at the Pan Am Championships And the US National championships while moving into the top 100 in the world in the elite ranking. 

Eric’s commitment to the sport is reflected in his sheer speed on the bike, but also in his advanced technical skills that produce ripping descents and impressive hopping ability. Brunner lines up as part of the US National team this month in Valkenburg, The Netherlands as he looks to complete a very successful season. 


December 2017 – Tyler Ruegsegger

From Tyler – Herb Brooks, USA Hockeyʼs most famous hockey coach said, “The legs feed the wolf!” He was right. 
Hockey players need to be able to skate for long periods of time, and they need to do that consistently for an entire game. This was one area of the game that was challenging for me. Skating endurance is important and I needed help training my legs to skate longer periods of time and to do so more consistently. Thus, I looked for a trainer to help me. 
I first met Neal Henderson in 2010 after my senior year of college. He spent a great deal of time getting to know me personally, understanding my story and learning all about my strengths and weaknesses as an athlete. After a few strenuous tests, Neal and I developed a short and long-term plan to get me where I needed to be. I would work with Neal for many years after that. With each year came harder and harder workouts, and more testing. They all would pay off. Thanks to Nealʼs hard work in helping draft my training programs, my stamina grew like never before. I no longer was skating from behind, I was helping lead the Way! 
I began working with Mac Cassin in April of 2017, after being out of hockey for three years due to several injuries. Macʼs task was difficult, as I asked him to help me get back into top competitive shape. Mac spent a great deal of time reevaluating where I currently was physiologically, and determining how to get me back to where I wanted to be. Not only had I been out of the game for 3 years, but I was older now. My body responded differently to training than it used to.
Thanks to all of Macʼs hard work and time, he helped me find the proper balance of training and rest. Mac pushed my body harder than I ever had before, yet helped me stay rested and fresh. Over a span of several months, my stamina grew to be the best it ever had been. Not only did Mac help me get back into the game, he took me to the next level. I still enjoy the results of all that effort today. 
Neal and Mac have both been instrumental in helping me become the athlete I am today. They both have been selfless in their time, and have dedicated a great deal of thought and effort into helping me. Without them, I would not be the athlete I am today, and I would not have reached and achieved many of my goals. I am thankful for all they have done for me, and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future!
From Coach Mac –  Every sport has its own unique list of demands, even within the same sport, the demands of athletes can vary widely based on their discipline.  Beyond that, two individuals rarely have the same response to the same training. 
Even though two athletes have the same “destination”, more often than not those two athletes will need to take different routes to get to that same destination. 
Tyler’s destination as a hockey player is quite different compared to most APEX athletes, and while that means his specific training is quite different, the way we have approached it is no different.  
After identifying the demands of his sport, mostly short explosive efforts followed by passive recovery, we took a look at what areas he excelled, and which areas he needed to improve.  
Just like every other APEX athlete, we worked out what training tools he had at his disposal, the amount of time he had to train, and how he had responded to the previous training he had done over the years (which was made easier thanks to his previous work with Neal). 
What we ended up with was a combination of running, cycling, lifting and skating, focused on increasing his ability to maintain his sprint speed at the end of a game.  
Getting the chance to work with athletes outside of “your” sport as a coach is one of the best learning experiences you can have, and I am very grateful to Tyler for reaching out to APEX to help him achieve his own athletic goals!


November 2017 – Tim Bell

From Tim: Belt Buckle Fever

It’s dubbed the “toughest mountain bike race in Atlantic Canada”. With 120 km (75 miles) of mixed trails and plenty of climbing, the Elgin Mountain Bike Marathon rewards the first 25 finishers with the coveted and elusive “Elgin 120” belt buckle. This combination of factors elicits symptoms of Belt Buckle Fever. 

Having raced the 40 km event and won the 80 km event, the next step was the 120 km race, the only distance of the three with the possibility of receiving the belt buckle. I admit it, I caught the Belt Buckle Fever: I had to have a belt buckle of my own. To help me reach that goal, I connected with Grant Holicky of Apex Coaching in May 2017, and so began his work of crafting a plan to have me as prepared as possible for the October event. 

Throughout the summer mountain bike season, with Grant’s guidance, I was getting noticeably stronger, picking up speed and improving on results from previous years. In the back of my mind, however, I questioned whether I had trained enough and particularly, whether I had done enough long rides to prepare me for the 7 plus hours that would be the marathon.

Fast forward four months to October 7, 2017.  At the start line, I looked around and thought: “Oh No! There are a lot of riders here!” My anxiety was confirmed as I learned the turnout is a record sixty-eight riders vying for 25 buckles! This is going to be tough!

I then remind myself of Grant’s parting words before the race: “Pace, fuel and be smart!” At the sound of the gun, belt buckle fever consumes the field. Despite the 25 minute climb to start the race, the field splinters, with half giving their all to stick with the handful of lead riders. My mantra echoes in my head: “pace, fuel and be smart!” The belt buckle isn’t earned in the first hour.

Luckily, I had the good fortune of starting with two friends who had not only done the marathon before, they agreed to ride together for the duration. They reminded me off the start: fuel and pace. Unfortunately, our trio did not last long. As one of our group fell off the back, I stayed with the faster rider. Unfortunately, not long after starting the second of three 40 km laps, he started cramping and fell off the pace as well. With less than half the race under my belt, I knew I had to keep going alone. 

My biggest concern going into the race, alone, as a racer who often experiences cramping, was when, not if, the cramps would strike. However, as I finished my second lap and now 80 km down, I felt remarkably strong. My legs and body were holding up. Cramps were being held at bay. I refuelled and set out for the last 40 km lap. Knowing a belt buckle was within reach, the fever was taking hold. I picked up the pace slightly and started catching, then dropping racers. I reminded myself, over and over, of my mantra. 

As I crossed the finish line, 7 hours and 33 minutes later, sprinting it out for 15th overall, not only was I relieved that it was over, but I was extremely satisfied with the execution. I paced perfectly, if not a little too conservatively. In hindsight, proper preparation was key to my performance and execution on race day. This preparation was due to Grant’s attention to the particular event, my individual circumstances and his wealth of knowledge and experience. I honestly could not have asked for a better race!

Coming away from the marathon (belt buckle in hand), goal setting has already begun for next year’s event. Building on this year’s success, I’m ready to challenge myself even further. I’m confident that Grant and Apex Coaching will again be a big part of helping me get there. 


October 2017 – Eugenio and Emiliano Mirafuentes

From Eugenio – APEX and my coach have helped me to improve my training program with profesional preparation, allowing me to be at the same level as others cyclists on international competitions.

From Emiliano – APEX and my coach Cody helped me during this year to improve my level and performance in the races, it has been a long and tough season but my coach has been very helpful to finish it with success.

From Coach Cody – Through the thick and thin, Eugenio and Emiliano push through all odds to excel during even the toughest of competitions and training environments. The brothers are lucky to have each other travel, train and race with, making both of them progressively faster year after year. As a coach, Eugenio and Emiliano are an inspiration with the success they’ve produced despite very little government support, most recently during the Road World Championships in Norway. We are all looking forward to the 2018 season! 


September 2017 – Maxx Chance

From Maxx – I chose to work with Grant after deciding I wanted to focus on cyclocross and after seeing the success of his other athletes and getting to know him personally. Grant quickly challenge me to train harder and ride my cross bike off road more on dirt courses and in parks. He puts a strong emphasis on including skills while doing intervals. This switch to more cross focused training helped me almost win the under23 national championships after only six months of working with Grant. Also he is just fun to ride with, which helps

From Coach Grant – Maxx’s commitment as an athlete is incomparable. He is great at being a professional about his training and at the same time enjoying his time in the sport.


August 2017 – Tomas Castillo

From Tomas – When I was planning out a race schedule for 2017, my main goal was to become a finisher of the Pennsylvania Triple Crown of Mountain Running. I had run Hyner 50k previously (31 mile trail run with ~7500 feet of climbing) and was confident to finish that one well, but saw Worlds End 100k as a bit daunting (64 miles with ~12,000′ of rocky ups and downs), and downright terrified for Eastern States 100. Now that August is approaching, I’ve completed Hyner and Worlds End, and have one challenge left to tackle. A few weeks prior to Worlds End 100k, I picked up Coach Joe with APEX. While I had put in a majority of the miles for the race, that was only one piece of the equation, and Joe helped me to hone in my attack plan despite being sick the week prior. A solid training block after Worlds End, with a variety of workouts and utilization of running power data, have left me much more confident that I have the tools and legs to finish the race. An ultramarathon is much more than just fitness, and Joe knows that, and I’m counting on his strong knowledge of physiology to give me an edge of confidence, as I’ll need every bit of help to finish this beast

From Coach Joe – Tomas is a model of consistency. He’s a strongly motivated individual who knows how to pull himself out of the most difficult periods during ultras and press on. Tomas is coached remotely, living in the Pittsburgh, PA area, and utilizes many of the great trail systems there for training. Having personally crewed/paced for Tomas during the Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile Run in 2016, I’ve seen first hand his unwavering will to succeed and it has been an honor to watch his journey unfold.


July 2017 – Omar Dickenson

From Omar – This June was my most successful month as a masters bike racer with a number of victories culminating with the Colorado time trial championship in the 40+3s.  Much of the credit goes to APEX Coaching who has helped me unlocked my potential as a bike racer in three key areas.  First, Coach Grant has had me focus more on intensity by structuring the right set of intervals to compliment my power.  Second, we have worked on time trial pacing again and again to try to get it right.  It is easy to say “do not start to hard”, but putting it into practice is the challenge!  The last area is helping educate me on the tradition, norms, and responsibilities of being a road bike racer.  This area is where the considerable experience of Coach Grant and Coach Neal really helps out as I make the transition from a recreational MTB rider to a road bike racer.  Understanding the sport, respecting the efforts of everyone you race against, and learning that road bike racing is about much more than just Watts or W/Kg continues to be a journey.  Thank you!


June 2017 – Tayler Wiles

From Tayler – I made a change this year to focus on my time-trialing and I wanted to work with Neal because of his experience in looking at the details in training athletes to prepare for TTs. We started working together late last fall and I’ve already seen changes in the type of training that I’ve done so far that have had an impact on my ability on the bike. I’ve already met one of my 2017 goals in winning the Tour of the Gila overall GC. I’ve been working on my weaknesses in my training, not just my strengths, but am still getting stronger in all areas. I’m looking forward to hitting more of my upcoming goals for the rest of this season with the help of Neal and APEX Coaching!

Check out Tayler’s Website: http://www.taylerwiles.com/


May 2017 – Matt Joyner

From Matt – APEX Coaching has been a game changer for me. I travel a lot for work and without my coach at APEX, I would have never been able to stay in shape and make the advances I have made over the last three years. As a former division 1 athlete, I set the bar very high for myself and I have been able to surpass, even my own expectations. I am proud to say that because of APEX I am in the best shape of my life at 41. 

From Coach Cody – As coaches, we often need to teach athletes to embrace their very own “dark place.” Matt has no trouble embracing the suffering (literally, and figuratively, as he is a huge fan of The Sufferfest). Matt was able to engage in many of the on-site services APEX has to offer when he lived in Colorado, but now living in Pennsylvania, Matt is coached remotely to balance his hectic work schedule. Born a competitor and raised as one (he played football at Penn State), Matt jumps at the opportunity to race local crits and time trials, and loves the opportunity to beat up on his group ride buddies. I am proud to call Matt one of my athletes, and friends.