What our athletes say.

  • Woman in cycling gear, wearing a black helmet and pink-tinted sunglasses, smiling at the camera with a mountain bike terrain and ski lift visible in the background.

    Aimee Vasse

    Sophie & James have finally brought me back from a 3-year-long nadir, fraught with nutritional issues, medical issues, and psychological issues.

    For the first time in 3 years, at the age of 44, I am improving, and longtime goals seem attainable.

  • A woman standing outdoors on a city sidewalk, holding a blue Specialized road bike. She is wearing a white and red GB cycling jersey, a red and white visor, sunglasses, and black cycling shorts. There is a traffic light and historic beige stone buildings in the background.

    Caroline Willis

    I have worked with Sophie and James for nearly a year.

    They have helped me return from surgery and gave me the confidence to achieve my biggest goal of the year - racing in my age category at the World championships in Denmark.

  • A cyclist performing a wheelie on a mountain bike during a race, with cheering spectators behind the barriers on a sunny day.

    Todd Murray

    What I liked most about DEEKA was the daily feedback that James provided which helped keep me on track during the season, and his advice prior to hard workouts and races.  I really enjoyed the balance of a structured plan that included easy days and hard days, all while building my fitness and leading up to my races.

Smiling woman wearing a bike helmet and sunglasses, taking a selfie outdoors with a background of ski lift chairs and a mountain landscape.

Aimee Vasse

USA Full Version

DEEKA = two absolutely brilliant people at the pinnacle of their respective fields.

Sophie has taken a deep dive into sports nutrition. She's not just recommending recipes; she knows the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition by rote, so she can not only formulate a race nutrition plan, but troubleshoot on the fly when something isn't quite right. She even looks at labs pertinent to nutrition! And yes, she is an expert on nutritional needs of women vs men!

James has a tantamount grasp on sports physiology and psychology, and he seems to know exactly how how hard to push and when to back off. He understands the needs of athletes by age and gender, and his program is very individualized - never cookie-cutter! And if something doesn't feel quite right, he takes your feedback and redesigns his program around it, rendering it even better than you thought it could possibly be.

These two folks have finally brought me back from a 3-year-long nadir, fraught with nutritional issues, medical issues, and psychological issues, and for the first time in 3 years, at the age of 44, I am improving, and longtime goals seem attainable. I only wish they had started coaching sooner!

Caroline Willis cyclist, representing team GB cycling team jersey standing on sidewalk with a blue Specialized road bike and a water bottle, wearing sunglasses, a red headband, and a yellow identification tag, in an urban setting.

Caroline Willis UK Full Version

I have worked with Sophie and James for nearly a year.

They have helped me return from surgery and gave me the confidence to achieve my biggest goal of the year - racing in my age category at the World Championships in Denmark.

They have demonstrated their knowledge on all things training and nutrition. They have been supportive every day, flexible in their approach to my time available to train, encouraging me to understand “why” we are doing each session and have celebrated each small step up the training ladder.

They are a complete joy to train with!

Todd Murray, DEEKA athlete and cyclist in a blue and white team uniform and helmet performs a wheelie on a mountain Leadville 100, with a crowd of spectators watching behind barriers.

Todd Murray USA Full Version

This year (2025) I had several goals.  Three big races ("A" races) I wanted to do well at included; the Leadville Mountain Bike Stage Race, the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike race and Gravel Worlds Long Voyage gravel race.  I wanted to get in the best shape possible to see if I could reach the podium in my age group in each of those races.  I learned about DEEKA through my son-in-law who had been coached by James and Sophie and who highly recommended them.  

James created a training plan that worked perfectly with the amount of time I had available to train, while helping me to not over-train.  What I liked most about DEEKA was the daily feedback that James provided from the previous day's workout, which helped keep me on track during the season, and his advice prior to hard workouts and races.  I really enjoyed the balance of a structured plan that included easy days and hard days, all while building my fitness and leading up to my races.  

It was exciting to see my power numbers increase throughout the year while my heart rate decreased for the same amount of effort.  By the end of my season James helped me accomplish my goals by placing well enough to win my age group at two of my "A" races and by placing third at my other.  I would highly recommend DEEKA for any cyclist looking to improve their fitness, whether it be for competition or just overall fitness.  I really enjoyed working closely with James throughout the year.