With a masters degree in exercise science, Joe Friel was a marathoner and running coach throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. After his first triathlon in 1983 and falling in love with the sport he began coaching multisport athletes becoming one of the first triathlon coaches in the country. The following year he opened a triathlon store in Ft. Collins, Colorado--probably the first in the world. Throughout the 1980s his race management company organized several triathlons in Colorado. He left retail and race management in 1987 to focus on coaching. The athletes he coached for over 30 years ranged from novice to high-performance amateur to professional to Olympian. In 1997, he was a founding member of the USA Triathlon Coaches Association. He served as co-chair in 1999-2000. In 2000, he attended the Sydney Olympics to assist with team preparation. The following year he was the coach of team USA for the World Triathlon Championships. Throughout the 2000s he was a frequent speaker at USAT coach seminars. He wrote 17 books on training, the most notable being The Triathlete's Training Bible, which is now in its 5th edition and translated into 15 languages. It remains the best-selling book in the world on triathlon training. In 1999, he co-founded TrainingPeaks, online training software for endurance athletes. As an athlete he competed in hundreds of events including national and world championships, was an All-American Age Group Triathlete several times and a USAT-regional multisport champion. He stopped competing after a bike crash in 2014 restricted range of shoulder movement. He continues to present at triathlon camps and clinics for triathletes and coaches around the world. Joe currently lives and trains in the mountains of northern Arizona and is working on his 18th book--this one for coaches.
"Praise for Coach Joe Friel and The Triathlete's Training Bible ""Joe Friel is arguably the most experienced personal cycling coach in the U.S.""--Bicycling magazine ""The Triathlete's Training Bible can help you train for any distance and is most useful to newbies and self-trained athletes who want traditional training advice.""--Library Journal ""The Triathlete's Training Bible is a fantastic guide. You can't go wrong using the advice in this book.""--Scott ""The Terminator"" Molina ""As a triathlon coach, 2004 Olympian, and former top-ranked triathlete in the world, I've used The Triathlete's Training Bible as one of my key references. Joe Friel's training books have made the once 'crazy' sport of triathlon accessible to the public while also guiding seasoned athletes to their full potential.""--Barb Lindquist ""Joe Friel has spent most of his life in devotion to the understanding and teaching of sport. Joe has managed to focus on the key components to athletic success while weeding out the noise. This book will play a substantial role in helping you take the next step as a triathlete.""--Justin Daerr, professional triathlete ""Joe Friel is one of the world's foremost experts on endurance sports.""--Outside magazine ""Joe Friel's wealth of knowledge in triathlon is astounding and he has a wonderful way of sharing that knowledge with all athletes from beginners to elite professionals.--Siri Lindley, elite triathlon coach and world champion triathlete ""One of the most trusted coaches in triathlon.""--LAVA magazine ""To say that Joe Friel knows a thing or two about how to ride a bicycle and stay fast would be a severe understatement.""--Road Bike Action ""What Time Noakes's Lore of Running was for running, Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible is for triathlon.""--Runner's World"