Scott Shaw
Scott Shaw
I’ve always had a connection with riding. As a kid, my BMX bike was fun to ride and offered independence and freedom to quickly get around the small town of Cheyenne, WY. At 14, I started racing road bikes. Racing was fun and I had good results, but, again, the thing that was most rewarding was the long rides and the opportunity to expand my freedom and independence. By the time I turned 27, I had raced collegiately, all over the US and in Europe. At 52 now, bikes and racing have ebbed and flowed through my life since then. In a way, cycling is my “drug of choice” to work my body and ease my mind.
In 2017, I contacted Tom to coach me as I prepared for the US National Masters Road Race. He was my first coach...EVER. From our first conversation, I could tell that I could learn a lot from Tom, despite my age and “experience”.
After 3 years of training with Tom, I feel like my cycling has a 2nd life. I’ve come to understand and effectively use control, zones, body position, cadence, fueling. I have a foundation of fitness and knowledge that makes me a more resilient and faster rider. I can “Win my ride!” almost every time now. Just like training, life has challenges, struggles, growth, failures, successes, learning, and breakthroughs.
What CINCH gave me was a true appreciation for “the process”. It takes work, discipline, patience, intelligence, and most importantly focusing on the “right” things and how success on the bike (and in life) is an individual thing. As a Master athlete and someone that has come to this realization relatively late in life, as a CINCH coach, I want to help others find this on and off the bike (sooner rather than later).