Coach Spotlight: Armen Hadjinian

Armen Hadjinian is a former marathoner and high school track/cross-country coach, who found cycling through injury recovery. Armen fell in love with the sport after years of cheering at Wisconsin’s Superweek and Tour of America’s Dairyland. He’s now a Level 3 USA Cycling Certified Coach and the owner of Lakeview Coaching, where his athlete-first approach is grounded in science.

To deepen the “why” behind what works, Armen completed USA Cycling’s Physiology of Training, Training Design, and Athlete Development specialization courses. His goal: to pair strong motivation with evidence-based methods. One lesson he’s already put to work comes from goal-setting: the “A” in SMART goals should mean “Attainable within the athlete’s confidence level.” When athletes believe they can do the work, adherence improves and so do outcomes.

When asked what his favorite part of coaching is he told us it’s rebuilding confidence once athletes realize “it looks a lot easier on TV.” He meets riders where they are, then maps clear, confidence-led progressions that translate knowledge into day-to-day training wins.

His advice to coaches considering a specialization: take great notes and go slow. Treat the coursework as a reference library you’ll return to often as your practice evolves.

Armen’s journey is exactly what our Coach Education pathway is designed to support: curious, committed coaches who blend practical experience with proven frameworks to help athletes thrive.

Want to be featured or learn more about USA Cycling’s specializations? Send your headshot and short bio to ssanchez@usacycling.org.