HELPING OUR CLIENTS ACHIEVE THEIR INDIVIDUAL CYCLING GOALS BY ADAPTING TRAINING TECHNIQUES AS APPLIED IN THE WORLD OF PROFESSIONAL CYCLING
As busy professionals, time management can be challenging. As result, we end up cramming in a ride before or after work or jump on a smart-trainer for a quick virtual workout. By the weekend, we often struggle keeping up at faster group rides, feel fatigued and eventually end up discouraged.
Whether you are a beginner, seasoned rider or elite racer, training rigor is critical but more importantly, training correctly, requires experience and professional guidance.
My aim is to help you identify and develop your optimal cycling ability through experiential coaching techniques enabled by training software and my own professional racing experience. Our holistic approach will help you see improvement in not only your physical ability but we will also help you improve your mental agility in preparing yourself for goal events. Optional tactical coaching and education will enable you to fully enjoy and develop your cycling capabilities in all areas with personal encouragement and professional support throughout your journey with us.
As former professional cyclist, with participation in international cycling monuments such as the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, I have studied the sport of cycling for more than 30 years. Having had mentorship throughout my own professional racing career from world class coaches and athletes, I have experienced the value in having professional support in training preparation for goal events. My passion for cycling and mentorship, in combination with my post cycling career in management consulting, allows me to offer you a differentiated experience, professionally structured in helping you become fitter and stronger.
All consultations are done individually by phone or virtual meeting to set realistic goals aligned to your lifestyle needs.
We look forward to having you on our team.
COACHING OPTIONS
Back to Basics -
preparation, goal events and recovery
Ready to race like Eddy or new to cycling? We offer three simple options to help you elevate your cycling game.
THE LANTERNE ROUGE
Beginner's guidance to get you started and fall in love with the beautiful sport of cycling. Starting out is never easy. Whether it’s choosing your first bike and gear or finding validation for your decision to take up riding.
Let us help you look fast and ride slow and fully enjoy your introduction to the sport.
Before modern technology disrupted traditional, railway services relied on a red lantern hung behind the last rail-car to help signalmen identify if any of the cars had detached themselves. Aptly adopted in the cycling world, the last rider in the overall standings of a multi day stage race, like the Tour de France, is known as the "Lanterne Rouge" or Red Lantern.
THE CANNIBAL- EDDY MERCKX
Attentive personal coaching enabled by TrainingPeaks to provide you with an interactive platform to access your individual training plan and receive training feedback.
Let us help you train like a pro and navigate the phases of goal setting, periodization and load planning tailored to your unique lifestyle needs and level of riding experience.
Eddy Merckx, Flemish cycling god and one of the most successful professional cyclists of all time trained and raced like a true professional. He was nicknamed "The Cannibal" by a teammate's daughter, from overhearing her father say, Merckx would never allow anyone else to win!
THE PROFESSOR- LAURENT FIGNON
Personal one-on-one consultations by phone or virtual meetings to supplement your training and goal events helping you prepare like a pro. With a focus on mental skills development and tactical education for riding and racing smarter. Supplement your own training planning (e.g. WAHOO SYSTM or Zwift Training Plans) with professional support and evaluation.
Laurent Fignon, a smart, educated and tenacious rider not only looked the part but won many races by outsmarting his opponents. Leverage your coach's experience in having raced internationally in the Flemish classics and around the globe as a professional rider.
THE BADGER- BERNARD HINAULT
Four (4) week off season maintenance plan to supplement your training and help you prepare for the season like a pro. With a focus on endurance, power building and ample rest, you will have time to enjoy the holidays and recharge whilst staying active. The goal is to preserve some fitness so athletes can start their next phase of training fresh. This is a basic plan with assumptions of endurance maintenance and designed for dedicated athletes riding 6+ hours during the summer. Weekly load will be between 4-8h per week.
Bernard Hinault, "The Badger", defied wintery blizzards to solo to the 1980 Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The French rider won the race in abysmal weather conditions winning the monument defeating 20 other opponents out of 174 starters. Keep your winter / off season training on point by training smart indoors and outdoors this winter and sign up for our 4 week plan.
MEET YOUR COACH
Former professional cyclist
Johan van der Berg
Born in Kimberley South Africa in 1976, Johan demonstrated athletic ability from a young age. Cycling became his passion after witnessing the spectacle of a stage finish in South Africa's only domestic "grand tour" at the time, the "Rapport Toer" in 1988. The stage finished in his hometown of Knysna, won by an Italian invitational rider, Gianni Boscolo, in a bunch sprint. That was the moment Johan's dream started with the ultimate goal of turning professional some day.
After finishing high school at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch South Africa, Johan enrolled at the University of Stellenbosch where he later obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Commercial Law.
During his early cycling career, he participated in South Africa's major domestic professional cycling events such as the Boland Bank Tour (95,96) Sanlam Kermesse Series (96) and Giro del Capo (96,98,99,02,03 and 04). At the time, these events attracted some of the best riders in the World including Tour de France stars like Alexander Vinokourov, Jan Ullrich, Johan Bruyneel and 1994 Giro d'Italia winner, Evgeni Berzin.
Johan's made his first international breakthrough at the 1999 edition of the Giro del Capo, where he missed out on the yellow jersey by a mere second in the opening prologue stage, beaten by an accomplished Dutch professional, Jans Koerts. This result, helped him into Europe for his 1st European professional race a month later in Cologne Germany at the Rund um Koln. Johan raced across Europe over the summer and signed a contract with Dutch feeder team, Farm-Frites, which later in the year allowed him to do a trial contract (stagiaire) with top Dutch team TVM. Over a three year period he raced on seasoned professional teams including Belgium outfits Collstrop and Landbouwkrediet-Colnago until 2001.
European career highlights include participation in the Belgium Spring Classics including the Tour of Flanders and Liege- Bastogne-Liege. Other notable races included Gent-Wevelgem, Fleche Wallonne, GP Frankfurt, LUK Cup Buhl, GP Plouay, Milano-Torino and the French Cup series of races in 2000 and 2001.
Johan returned to home soil in South Africa for the 2002 season with the exciting proposition to become part of Africa's first Tour de France dream team and joined Douglas Ryder's professional outfit, Team Microsoft (now Q36.5), for 2 years. Highlights included South African National Team representation at the Tour of the Southlands (podiumed) in New Zealand, Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia and the Tour of Korea (podiumed). He also won a number of races on the domestic professional scene including a popular stage win at the 2002 Giro del Capo in Cape Town becoming the first South African to win a stage dominated by international teams with star riders like Fabian Cancellara riding for the U-23 Mapei Quick Step team.
In 2004, after six full professional racing seasons, Johan decided to retire from road racing in pursuit of a corporate career.
However, Johan's passion continued, supporting enthusiastic cyclists through VDB Cycling.
In 2016, Johan relocated to the United States where he now lives with his wife in Charlotte, NC.
LET'S CONNECT
Charlotte NC, 28203
