by Seth J. Welsh, ’06 (MS in Health & Exercise Science)
Although I’ve known him for more than four years, I still wonder, if Corey Hart loosened his designer tie and shed his Italian leather coat and dress shirt, would there be a red cape and “S” hiding underneath?
Hart (’02, ’06) is no stranger to flying around in spandex, although he’d prefer to have a racing bicycle underneath him when doing so.
Like many accomplished athletes, Hart began young, although he might disagree. “I was the last kid on the block to learn how to ride a bike,” he said. Once he did learn, success wasn’t far behind. At 13, Hart was cruising through 125 km stages of Register’s Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa near his hometown of Waverly, Nebraska. In fact, one rider crowned him the Greg LeMond of the tour.
By age 16, Hart was racing competitively, and by 17 he had won the 18 & Under Junior Tour of the Midwest, a series of races with riders competing from five states. Over the next couple of years Hart continued to race locally and tried out for the Junior National Team, but a 40+ hours/week factory job and his dedication to music took priority over training for the elite level of competition.
In addition to cycling, Hart grew up an aspiring percussionist who received a full music scholarship to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln with an emphasis on jazz performance. He has “jammed” in clinic sessions with world-renowned musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma and Branford Marsalis.
Cycling success and setbacks
In 1996 Hart honed in on cycling and spent the winter training in Northern Arizona. Conditions were minimalist Hart recalled, “I spent my 21st birthday in cycling gear eating cake in a double-wide trailer in the desert with two French guys, a kid from Illinois, a Czech coach, my dad, and a friend from Kansas.” The training paid off that summer when Hart traveled to France to race at the elite amateur level for the VC Beauvais team.
For the next couple of years Hart spent long summers racing in France and short winters for off-season training in Nebraska and Phoenix. In the summer of 1999 things took a turn for the worse. “Races were going well that year,” said Hart, “then within three months I developed a hernia, broke my collarbone in a crash, and developed a severe case of pneumonia.” The trio inevitably would send Hart back to the States for a full year of recovery. “It was rough.The excessive training, illness, and constant competition had worn me out. I just needed to rest, but it was difficult to do,” recalled Hart.
When Hart was ready to compete again, his path crossed with Lionel DuMont, an accomplished ex-rider turned team director from Normandy whom Hart remembered during his early riding years in France. DuMont offered Hart a place to live while he trained, and he planted the seeds of racing theory and a coach’s mentality in Hart. “He really helped me find a passion for the sport again, to put my heart back into it,” said Hart, “His main idea was balance, and to find enjoyment in a life with cycling.” The two men returned to the course where they had met years before and Hart cranked his way to a solid 7th place in a heavily competitive field.
Cycling and studies: Hart at CSU
Upon his return to the States in the fall of 2000 Hart transferred to Colorado State University to finish his undergraduate degree in exercise science. There he was introduced to the CSU Human Performance Clinical Research Laboratory (HPCRL) and to sports performance testing. Hart quickly earned his coaching license and became a certified fitness instructor specializing in cycling. By 2002, Hart completed his undergraduate degree in health and exercise science and was coaching a small but dedicated group of cyclists.
After graduation Hart headed to Europe once again, this time to Belgium. Although his intentions were to race, Hart found himself spending large amounts of time in the team car shouting instructions to fellow cyclists, or with Dr. Dag VanEslende, the team physician who also worked with the U.S. Postal Service team (made famous by Lance Armstrong). “My interest in cycling performance from a physiological and coaching standpoint was growing,” said Hart.
It was this interest that brought Hart back to CSU where he accepted an internship at the HPCRL. Wanting to stay focused on cycling, Hart sat down with Tiffany Lipsey (assistant director of the HPCRL) and Dr. Gay Israel (department head of Health and Exercise Science), and developed performance-based, blood lactate testing protocols, drawing cyclists and publicity to the performance clinic.
Hart as coach and trainer
It wasn’t long before Hart was introduced to Jim Miller, head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Pleased with Hart’s work and experience, Miller offered him a position working with the Performance Enhancement Team as an exercise physiologist. It was then that Hart decided he wasn’t finished with CSU and he began working on his master’s degree in health and exercise science.
Working under Dr. Raoul Reiser, Hart’s thesis analyzed the ability to predict cycling performance with power meters in the field. “It really helped bring the big picture together,” said Hart, “Dr. Reiser, Dr. Hickey, Dr. Melby, everyone, they all helped me truly understand the physiology and mechanics of cycling performance. I’m very grateful for my time there.”
These days you can find Hart at the International Center for Performance and Health (www.icphbalance.com) in Denver and at AthletiCamps, where he belongs to a select group of coaches and sport scientists. Stop by and you might catch Hart performance testing, coaching, counseling, or prepping for one of his non-profit youth cycling clinics. That is if he’s not out in the Colorado hillsides spinning the wheels himself.
Hart says he’s always free to talk shop with anyone who shares his passion for cycling. He can be reached at chart@athleticamps.com.
This article was published in the CSU Alumni Association’s monthly membership e-newsletter, AlumLine. Stay connected to CSU alumni and friends around the world – become a member today. Join the CSU Alumni Association at www.CSUAlum.com.
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