Paul Merkes, PhD   Merkes Coaching

Over the past decade my interest in cycling has increased exponentially, it is therefore that both my master’s degree and my PhD project focused on road cycling. The PhD project focused on improving sprint performance in road cycling based on aerodynamics, physiology, and a combination of different coaching techniques. So far, three scientific papers have come out of this project. As part of my PhD, I coached one of the Mitchelton-Scott’s U23 riders during the 2018 season and occasionally gave scientific support to Mitchelton-Scott men, women, and U23/continental. For example, for two months in 2017 I was based in Italy from where I joined the U23/continental team during road races (e.g. Tour de l’Avenir and Tour Alsace) and answered direct questions from staff and riders (e.g. pacing strategy World Championships time trial, training, and nutrition). During and shortly after my master’s degree I worked at the Dutch Cycling Association where I monitored national road cyclists and I was a video analyst for the national track team.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-merkes/