Training Program

JDRF partners with USA Cycling to certify all our chapter coaches. Riders are given expert coaching and training by these certified coaches. Even if you are not an everyday cyclist, our trained coaches will work with you to develop a training program based on your individual needs and goals.

Each rider will be assigned to a local or national coach who will help you to track your progress and get you prepared for Ride day. JDRF coaches help participants set realistic goals, hold group trainings, monitor progress, and provide clinics on everything from form and technique to injury prevention and changing a flat tire.

Our JDRF coaches have helped hundreds of athletes accomplish goals they never thought they could achieve. For more information on the JDRF Coaching program in your area, please contact your local JDRF Chapter or email the JDRF Ride Program at ride@jdrf.org

 

Meet the JDRF Divisional Head Coaches

EAST DIVISION: IAN JOYCE
Ian has been a T1D for 36 years and is also a lifelong cyclist. He participated in his first Ride to Cure Diabetes in 2008 and started coaching the Piedmont Triad chapter team in 2009.  Along with being the East Division Head Coach, Ian serves as the Leadership Chair on the National Ride Committee and believes in the idea that Rides to Cure can change lives.

As a USA Cycling certified coach, he loves to introduce beginning and experienced cyclists to new roads and places to ride. Ian focuses on helping cyclists achieve their individual goals on the bike, while making cycling fun and safe. He’s active in the North Carolina cycling community, as a ride leader and founder of a regional email list for cyclists.

Ian is a longtime resident of Greensboro, NC, where he lives with his wife Beth, son Eli, hyperactive beagle Rox, and too many bicycles to count. He spends his working hours with August Communication Consultants, the company he founded in 2006 to provide marketing services to technology-focused businesses. In his spare time he enjoys a good book and a Belgian Ale.

 

CENTRAL DIVISION: MIKE CLARK
Mike Clark has been a chapter coach for the Michigan Great Lakes Team since its inception in 2005 prior to joining the National Coach program in 2009. In addition to coaching, Mike has been responsible for the tech support of all the Rides since 2008. MC has attended over 30 Rides in one capacity or another over the past eight seasons. Mike's thirty years in the bike business have convinced him of the positive power of the bicycle. The wonders he's witnessed at the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes weekends are simply more evidence of that for him!

On the bike he's a classic "Jack of all trades”, competing in road, off-road and 'cross events of all descriptions. He's a USA Cycling Certified Coach and a Level 2 Fit-Kit Technician. In his "spare" time he sings and plays lead guitar in the same band he co-founded 30 some years ago. Mike's goal is to do whatever he can to ensure that every rider has the experience they are seeking while training, fundraising, or riding at any of the JDRF Rides. He's honored and humbled to be a part of something as worthy and powerful as the Ride to Cure Diabetes, has met some of the best people he knows through this program and can't wait to join you on the road!

Mike is a long-time resident of Holland MI where he resides with spouse Linda (a Death Valley veteran rider) and is the proud parent of Samuel and Katie Jo.

 

WEST DIVISION: DAVID ERTL
David Ertl first began bike racing in 1973 as a teenager. He continues to race and began coaching in 2001. He has been a JDRF chapter coach with the Greater Iowa Team since 2004. He is now a USA Cycling Level 1 Coach. He coaches the Des Moines Cycle Club Race Team as well as individual cyclists. While having no personal connection to T1D, he has developed a lot of friendships and relationships with those living with the disease.

David was born and raised in Connecticut. He attended the University of Connecticut, majoring in Agronomy, and then received his M.S and Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Iowa State. He worked as a corn breeder for 23 years. Being a coach for JDRF has literally been a life changing experience for him, leading him to doing a 3 year stint as a full time cycling coach and personal trainer. When not riding, he now does corn research for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. David is the author of the book “101 Cycling Workouts” and owner of Cyclesport Coaching.

According to David, one of his greatest sources of satisfaction comes from the JDRF Ride program. "There’s nothing like seeing riders cross the finish line having pushed themselves selflessly to limits they never thought possible. It’s wonderful to see riders take on the ride as a personal challenge and raise money to find a cure for T1D, only to have it lead them to a healthier lifestyle of their own." David and his wife Angie live in Waukee, Iowa with their twin sons Alex and Christian.