When Being An Athlete Cultivates The Desire To Become A Coach And Help Others Succeed: 4-Questions With Leo Bugtai

Leo Bugtai may have only joined the BWC staff recently, but his impact has been significant.

With his Athletes already achieving great performances in Gran Fondo’s as well as various racing events we wanted to share his passion for Coaching with our BWC Family of Athletes and better introduce him.

So instead of our typical 4-question Athlete Profile interview, we are proud to share a special Coach Profile edition of our newsletter featuring Coach Leo.
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We hope you enjoy the interview as well as get a feeling for the enthusiasm he is bringing to all of the Athletes he works with!

Coach Leo is more than just a well-trained Coach, he is a Category 1 road cyclist with a tremendous amount of talent and work ethic. Photo Credit: Alfred Aldaco 

Interview:
Question #1: Welcome to the Big Wheel Coaching Family, Leo! But you are not new here… you have been in the family for a while. What got you into coaching and ultimately join BWC?

Coach Leo: I wanted to join BWC for a variety of reasons, three of which are their training methodologies, their extensive experience as professional Athletes, and their reputation for helping cyclists of all levels achieve their potential. 

Working with BWC over the last year and a half, as an Athlete, has been great. In my pursuit of national caliber cycling I knew I was going to face many challenges. BWC helped me conquer all of those challenges and helped keep me pointed in the right direction. 
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Their relentless drive to help every Athlete, regardless of their goal or level, stoked my desire to follow-through on my long-held ambition to become a Coach!
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And here I am today as a member of the team, getting to work with great Athletes like Eric Zook, Arthid Pisuttipong, and Tony Magdaleno, to name a few!

Coach Leo's smile is contagious and his enthusiasm for helping his Athletes is pretty special too. Photo Credit: Leo Bugtai

Question #2: In just a short time you are already working with a few Athletes and are excited to help many more, what is one piece of advice you have for anyone thinking about getting a coach?

Coach Leo: One piece of advice for anyone thinking about getting a cycling coach is to “do your homework” and find the right Coach. 
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I think it is important to develop a close-knit Coach/Athlete relationship in which your Coach is intensely focused on helping you achieve your goals.
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Ultimately, a Coach that values your goals, is willing to listen closely, and work with you tirelessly to help you achieve your best is the right fit.

Last year Coach Leo competed in his first elite level National Championship event and is bringing that experience to his Athletes. Photo Credit: Leo Bugtai

Question #3: What is one aspect of Coaching you are excited to bring to your Athletes and the Coach/Athlete relationship?

Coach Leo: There are many elements that I am excited to bring to my Athletes, but one of the biggest is experience.

Having faced many challenges as a competitive cyclist, I quickly learned to both appreciate and develop the strategic element that must be honed to be a successful cyclist.

It is an appreciation for the tactical element of cycling and how it compliments great fitness that I am excited to share with my Athletes.
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Explaining the layers of training and racing to help an Athlete maximize their results is my favorite part of the job!

Last year Coach Leo won the California Bicycle Racing Most Aggressive Rider Jersey for the whole year and stood on the podium with his Coach, Brian McCulloch.Photo Credit: CBR

Question #4: Flash forward one year from today, what will you be most proud to have accomplished in your first year of Coaching with BWC?

Coach Leo: I will be most proud of the Athletes that I work with and the work they put-in to achieve their goals!

Outside of that, I am looking forward to all the “on the bike” Coaching opportunities we will have coming up at BWC. 

Each of these rides or events will allow me to share my Coaching perspective and cycling experience in a one-on-one setting like we did at the Team Tactics & Race Strategy Training Camp in January.

Summary:
We hope that you have enjoyed getting to know a little more about Coach Leo!

Ever since Leo came to us as an Athlete we knew he would develop into a great Coach and be a great addition to the BWC team.

And as you can see, his passion and focus on helping Athletes develop their fitness as well as the strategic elements of their cycling is top-notch!

We are excited to say that Coach Leo is ready to help you #TrainYourPotential and achieve your best at your spring and summer cycling goals. 

So, please reach-out to schedule a consultation with him and start working toward the events on your calendar with purpose!

#TrainYourPotential
Until Next Time, Be Safe, Train Hard, & Have Fun!
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-Brian & Joy McCulloch
Big Wheel Coaching