Coaching: The Key to Racing Success part 3

By Giana Roberge- World Champion at Master’s Time Trial Championships, US National Time Trial Champion, Winner of the Etape Du Tour, record setter at the Presque Isle Time Trial, First Place Midi Pyrenees Time Trial Championships and winner of the Lance Armstrong Time Trial.
This is the second in a series of posts that will look at everything from whether a coach is needed, to finding a coach and coach/athlete roles.

This is the third in a series of posts that will look at everything from whether a coach is needed, to finding a coach and coach/athlete roles.


What your role is as athlete?

Once you have some names of coaches, you should begin the interview process. A coach will only take you as seriously as you take him or her. When you call to introduce yourself, tell the coach what you are looking to accomplish in the sport, in the coming year as well as in your career. Ask to schedule a meeting either live or on the phone.

When you meet with your coach have a list of specific goals. Do you want to race or compete locally, regionally or nationally? Do you want to become a certain category or finish a century in your area in a certain time or be competitive in a certain race or race for a certain team? These goals should be well thought out and only limited in scope by the amount of time you have to spend on your cycling.

You should be prepared to give a realistic estimate of the time per week you can spend training. This includes riding, stretching, eating, sleeping and possibly visualization. It may also include things like working out in the gym, pilates, and/or massage and chiropractic care. It is not fair to ask a coach to commit a large amount of time to thinking about, planning and discussing your training when you are not able to sleep enough at night to recover. You should also be ready to give an honest estimate of the amount of money you can spend (on coaching fees, entry fees and equipment costs) and whether a coach is willing to work within your budget and with the equipment that you have.

Being fully prepared will show your coach your level of commitment. Your coach can only take you as seriously as you present yourself.


The coach’s role

Once you have shared your goals with your perspective coach, listen to how s/he responds. The coach should have a basic theory or philosophy about how to coach and should be comfortable with this theory as the backbone of your training program.

My coach’s theory focuses on encouragement from him, self-confidence, rest and is wattage based. Every coach will have different ideas or theories. Don’t be surprised if it seems like you will be taking a step back before moving forward. Cycling is a very technique oriented and many coaches teach pedaling by having you ride in small gears and learn to spin before focusing on power. At first this might seem slower and it may be frustrating but trusting your coach is your key to going faster.

A good coach will set up a year-long program. It should have different phases, all of which should be explained to you in a way that makes sense and helps you incorporate this plan into your daily training. If it does not make sense, you should feel comfortable asking the coach to explain it again. You should be able to discuss alternative means of training you have heard about or read about with your coach without your coach feeling threatened. Your coach should be able to explain merits or lack thereof of these alternatives logically even if it is different from her/his theory or program. You will need to ask many questions throughout the year so you may as well begin to find out if both of you are comfortable with this now.


Your Program’s Focus

A good coach will customize the basic program used for all clients specifically for you. It should be blocked off on a calendar with the specific events you are focused on and what specific peaks you will need throughout the year.

You should have a basic idea of what the focus of your training will be at any point during the year. For instance, in February, I will focus on specific power intervals in preparation for the World Cups I will race in March. In July, I will focus on my foot speed in the form of one minute intervals, because it will most likely be lacking after many months of climbing and time-trialing. Your program should also have down times scheduled into the weeks, months and transition phases of the year. Remember – a coach who does not schedule rest is not a reasonable coach.


What are a coach’s expectations?

After you have selected a coach there are some things a coach will expect of from you. Your coach will expect a year of your time and will also expect you to train exclusively according to her/his program. You coach will spend a lot of time considering your training, racing and progress; but an accurate assessment can only be made if you follow the program. Trying something you read about or something your friend is trying is counter productive in assessing your progress. Trust your decision in selecting the proper coach and then trust the coach you have chosen.


Don’t forget to thank your coach when you feel improvement, and depend on your coach when you need to.