R A W   S P O R T  P E R F O R M A N C E
C O A C H E S

M I C H A E L                                              H E A D
​S M I T H                                                 C O A C H                

S T E V E                                                                                                 H E A D
​F A U L K N E R                                                                                 C O A C H 

Michael’s passion to succeed is what drives him to push athletes to the next level of their chosen sport. A family man, Michael has a thorough understanding of the demands of mixing a home and family life with the time needed to dedicate to achieve his own personal successes in cycling, more particularly in the discipline of time trialling. A lifetime cyclist, Michael is not shy from admitting he had a number of years where sport and health took a back seat, leading to becoming unfit and overweight. It was during the very early years of raising a young family that Michael realised that his lifestyle needed to change in order for him to experience all of the joys that being a parent had to offer. His determination to make this happen can be seen in his coaching, helping others to find the areas of improvement they need in order for them to make the changes they want.
​With a career in mechanical engineering behind him that spanned over two decades, Michael has naturally been subjected to coaching and problem solving on a daily basis. Statistics and data analysis have played a huge part in his success in his profession. Numbers are only part of what makes Michael tick though, the interactive side of training and coaching an individual, helping them to realise what they can actually achieve, is what motivates him. A certified trainer and coach, Michael has the knowledge to find what makes an athlete want to push on, then gives them the guidance and support to enable them to do so. Through living and breathing the life of training and competing in sport himself, Michael continuously goes on this journey with you.
More recently, Michael has become involved in the sports nutrition industry, playing a key role within the market leaders in plant-based nutrition, Rawsport.com. Teaming up with the guys at Raw Sport further fuels Michael’s ambition to provide both a world class coaching and training service with sports nutrition that is rivalled by no other company.
 
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Steve has been involved in coaching since he completed his degree in Sport and Exercise science from the University of Birmingham in 2005. He was initially involved in strength and conditioning, but as he started to take triathlon racing more seriously began to apply his degree knowledge first to his own training, and then to that of others. He helped coach a number of athletes who gained GB age group honours at triathlon. Steve moved to New Zealand in 2008 to lecture in Sports Science and exercise physiology, he also coached a small group of local triathletes in Wellington. On returning to the UK, Steve moved to Loughborough to study for a PhD in exercise physiology, with a focus on endurance performance in the heat. As part of his PhD, Steve worked with British Cycling and Adidas in the build up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Since finishing his PhD Steve has been continually looking for novel ways to approach training and racing that incorporate his detailed knowledge of human physiology and performance, to help give athletes the edge. More recently, Steve has had a significant role in the success of the Huub Wattbike Test Team, where he has provided scientific and coaching support for the riders during the 2018/19 season, where then team won multiple national and international medals in the team and individual pursuit events.
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Steve has a passion for working with performance orientated athletes who are willing to embrace new ideas and commit to training smart and racing fast.
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