CCNS athlete Galen Bolard has quickly established herself as one of the top women in domestic road racing. Since beginning bicycle racing in 2019, she’s progressed from local criteriums in New York to major stage races like Redlands Bicycle Classic and Tour of the Gila, and she continues to pursue opportunities at the highest levels of North American and even international racing.

Results like these can make success look inevitable. Galen tells a different story.

Her progression hasn’t simply come from getting stronger. It’s come from learning patience, trusting the coaching process, racing with greater intention, and understanding that sometimes the hardest decision isn’t pushing harder… It’s knowing when to back off.

We caught up with Galen and Coach Nick to talk about her journey and what she’s learned along the way.

Galen, you’ve been racing for about five years now. Looking back, where do you feel you’ve grown the most as a rider?

I think overall I’ve become a much stronger rider, but more importantly I’ve become a much more intentional racer. Early on I was focused on what I could do physically. Now I think much more about how I can influence a race. Even if I’m not the strongest rider on the day, I can support my teammates, control situations, and help create good outcomes instead of just reacting out of desperation. Looking back over the last five years, that’s probably the biggest difference. I’m just much more comfortable with where I am as a racer and much more confident in how to use my strengths.

Nick, what stood out about Galen when you began working together? Where did you see untapped potential?

When I started working with Galen, I was blown away by her level of grit. There are few people that know how to suffer in the way that she does. She is strong. Not just physically but mentally too. As far as untapped potential goes, I think she battles with the same things that we all do and that is controlling the fire that we light. When there is a goal or event that she is very excited about she wants to push that little bit extra or if she gets sick or injured, panic sets in a little bit and it is important to hold her back a little and remind her of the big picture. If motivation wains or if she has a string of events she is not super excited about, I try to help her reignite that fire by giving here challenges or pitching events that she would be excited about that she can look forward to beyond the “work” events. It is not ONLY motivating her or ONLY holding her back its about figuring out the right times to step on the gas and the right time to back it off.

Galen, making the jump to local NYC races to the National scale (Redlands and Gila) can be intimidating. What did you learn from that experience?

Honestly, the first year was mostly about getting my butt kicked. I think that’s true for almost everyone who makes that jump. The first season you’re simply learning what those races are like. You’re figuring out the speed, the tactics, the level of fitness and just trying to survive. Then you come back the following year with context and start making real improvements. It takes patience. It’s very rare that someone jumps into that level and immediately gets huge results. Most riders have to build toward it one season at a time.

Before working with Coach Nick, what was something that was holding you back?

I was doing most of my training through TrainerRoad, and I think I was overtraining without realizing it. I kept plugging races into my calendar because I love racing, but I wasn’t really asking why I was doing each event or what I hoped to gain from it.

Working with Nick has changed that completely. Sometimes he’ll actually tell me not to race. That sounds funny because most athletes think they need to do more, but he’ll ask, “What are you getting out of this race? You have a big objective next week.” That perspective has been huge.

Nick… less racing? How does that work?

When building out Galen’s race calendar, we always start with HER goals. The events that she cares about the most that she is intrinsically motivated to do. Then we see what is required of her by her team. Then we pepper in local races that are either fun for her, good community engagement opportunities, or good training when they make sense. I want Galen to race regularly, but not at the expense of feeling burnt halfway through the season or feeling too much fatigue that she is feeling flat at the races she cares about. For example, Galen does a lot of stage races. In the spring when her race calendar is very heavy, we make sure to have a weekend away from racing here and there and try to avoid racing double weekends if we can.

Galen has been very honest about where her head has been and if she feels like she is excited about racing or not. Then relating how she is feeling to the bigger picture goals we have helps us make the decision when we skip a race.

Galen, was there a point when you realized the coaching process was really working?

Definitely during Redlands and Gila last season in 2025. I trusted the process completely, even though it wasn’t always comfortable. By the spring, I could feel real improvement. The interesting part wasn’t simply that I was stronger. It became about learning when to use that fitness. Instead of attacking because I felt good, I started asking myself when my effort would actually matter. I became more patient and started reading races better. That was when everything started to come together.

What’s surprised you most about working with Nick?

How relatable he is. Our strengths as riders are actually pretty similar, so he understands exactly what I’m experiencing in races. That makes conversations much easier because I don’t have to spend twenty minutes explaining how something feels. He already gets it. That level of understanding has made a huge difference.

Nick says, “I think Galen has a certain intensity about herself that has gotten her to where she is. This definitely stems from her background in Ballet and is a HUGE part of why she is where she is in cycling. But over the years we have a level of trust built up so that we both can be very real with each other. That helps a ton. That level of transparency and honesty is HUGE in a Coach/Athlete Relationship. We don’t always get it right but being able to identify when it is not right and make adjustments before it becomes a problem are what separates us from athletes who are not honest with themselves/their coaches, and coaches who are set in their ways and do not want to adapt to the athlete.”

Back to Galen, how has working with Coach Nick changed the way you think about training?

One of the biggest lessons has been becoming comfortable with recovery. I’m very consistent with completing my workouts, but when something doesn’t go well, Nick doesn’t just move on to the next day. Instead, we break it down. Why didn’t it happen? Was it physical? Was it stress? Was I mentally tired? Instead of beating myself up, we figure out what actually happened and how to move forward. That’s probably been one of the biggest shifts for me. It’s made me trust the process a lot more.

Some athletes think coaching is simply getting a training plan. What would you tell them?

It’s so much more than workouts. Last year we spent time improving my nutrition and recovery habits. Those lessons have stayed with me, so this year we’ve been able to focus on other things. But even more important than that has been the psychological side. How do you approach training? How do you approach racing? How do you analyze a race afterward? How do you respond when something doesn’t go according to plan? To me, that’s every bit as important as the physical training.

Every athlete has difficult days. What keeps you coming back?

I know those difficult days usually mean I’m building toward something. There’s a reason they’re hard. Whether it’s a breakthrough workout or a difficult race, I know those experiences are preparing me to become stronger later. That makes it much easier to keep moving forward.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the next stage of your cycling journey?

Of course I want to keep racing at a high level, but I’m actually becoming more excited about giving back to the cycling community. Especially here in NYC.

When I first started making the jump to bigger races, there really wasn’t anyone nearby who had already done it. I had to figure a lot of it out on my own, and that was intimidating.

I’d love to become someone that newer racers feel comfortable approaching.

Maybe they want advice about racing in Central Park, or they’re thinking about going to Redlands or Tucson for the first time. I’d love to be someone they can ride with, ask questions, and learn from.

Galen’s story is a reminder that progression in cycling is rarely about finding one magical workout or becoming fearless overnight. It’s about learning to trust the process, making thoughtful decisions, and continuing to grow long after the easy gains have disappeared.

As Coach Nick often reminds athletes, success isn’t just about becoming stronger. It’s about becoming more intentional. Galen’s journey is a great example of what can happen when fitness, patience, and purpose all begin working together