SOS: Realizing You Need Help
After years of working with various coaches, I recently decided I was ready to fly solo. My racing days were behind me, and I had enough workout plans logged to train for the next two hundred years. By now, I'm knowledgeable and self-motivated enough to keep my edge. Except I wasn’t. Over the winter months, I struggled to get workouts in and then compensated by overtraining. When spring riding season finally came, I simply couldn’t keep up.
There are many reasons people call on a coach's expertise. Without a specific plan and third-party accountability, my training was inconsistent. I was at risk of injury and just wasn’t enjoying myself. It was time to get some help.
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Time to Roll: It All Starts With a Solid Plan
Right from the get-go, it’s important to share realistic, honest, and detailed information with your coach. If you are training for a big race, a gran fondo, or an exotic cycling tour (lucky you), you’ll want to discuss dates, mileage, elevation, and your personal goals. Are you gunning for a podium spot? Do you have a goal pace or finish time? Or perhaps you’re just hoping to get over the line in one piece. Even if you don’t have something specific on the horizon, your coach can set improvement benchmarks to help keep you motivated. Sometimes an all-time 60-second PR on your trainer can feel like you just won a stage of the Tour de France.
To set the training zones for your plan, we need to discuss baseline testing. Go ahead and grab a bucket. I’ll wait. Functional Threshold Power (FTP) testing is a critical way for your coach to see where you’re at right from the start. Regardless of the format, they all involve intervals spent at maximum effort. As painful as they are, these tests are critical to your plan and a great way to gauge improvement over time.
Based on your goals, testing results, and available time per day and week, your coach will create a custom training plan for you. If you are training for an event, they will factor in how much lead time you have and schedule high-intensity and taper periods so you are in peak form on the big day. During maintenance periods, it will be much the same, with blocks of higher intensity for improvement and lower-intensity blocks to allow your body to recover.
The Day-to-Day: When the Rubber Hits the Road
One of the many beauties of having a coach is accountability. If you skip a workout, it’s not just your conscience anymore—they will know. To share workout plans and data, you'll need some tech. How much and how sophisticated it is will be a matter of discussion between you. In very basic terms, your shared platform will allow your coach to create workouts in a calendar, which you can upload to your device of choice, execute, and then share the data for review.
Regardless of what system you use, the real fun happens after you upload a workout. You can share how you felt (good or otherwise), get feedback on your performance, and maybe even celebrate some PRs.
Even the best laid plans will occasionally go sideways. Sometimes life gets in the way, or your willpower is more like won’t power. Most of us hate to miss a workout, but missing one or two won't tank your fitness. My coach once told me, “If you are fighting with the bike, just hop off.” It was a relief to hear, because there have definitely been times I’ve wanted to punch my bike in the face.
A solid combination of workout data and honest discussion will help your coach adapt your training plan—adjusting for missed workouts, cranking things up as you adapt, or down if you’re struggling.
Choosing a Coach: Fit is Everything
Finding a coach is relatively simple. The trick is finding the right one for your budget, training goals, and schedule. First, you need to decide what kind of coaching you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend. There are a range of options out there, from group or club coaching to customized one-on-one programs, or even AI. In general, the more personalized the training, the more you’ll need to pay. AI-driven training platforms may not be managed by a human, but can still adapt your plan based on data and feedback. Personally, I prefer a coach who has the empathy that only comes from riding a bike as hard as you can. AI is certainly a great (and more affordable) option, but it’s never had to pull over and barf after a sprint.
Like any relationship, finding a good match is a process. The first time I used an online service to find a performance cycling coach, I submitted my form and was matched with a coach whose website was full of photos of jacked triathletes in their twenties. I wasn't specific or honest about myself or my goals. I tried again and was matched with someone far more suitable. In a face-to-face video meeting, we discussed his philosophy and process, as well as my cycling history, lifestyle, and expectations. I am pleased to report that after six months, although I am far from jacked, things are going great.
The Athlete’s Role: No Magic Bullets
It might sound cliché, but with coached training, you only get out what you put in. A successful athlete/coach relationship is honest and collaborative. It may feel strange to talk openly about sensitive life stresses or health issues, but they can affect your training. A good coach should be someone you trust to use that information to inform your plans and keep you safely on track.
While it’s OK to take a break from time to time, it’s also important to remember that the best plan in the world won’t work if you’re not consistent. If, for whatever reason, you miss a long stretch, your coach is there to safely guide you back to where you left off.
If you’re lucky enough to have a lifelong fitness journey, it’s important to adapt over time. If things start to feel stale, you’ve lost your mojo, or are just looking for some guidance, maybe it’s time to bring in a pro. Think of a coach as your sherpa, leading you to your chosen destination. Don’t expect shortcuts or to be carried—you still need to put in the work to get there.