Originally Posted by
mike868y
no i would argue that pedaling a lot would lead to better results for a newbie than a coach. the op is probably at a point where anything he does is going to make huge differences. there's so much info available in books/online that imo he's not in a position where he needs a coach.
I'll use myself as an example. Now I realize some of you guys think I'm hella fast, but I'm still old. When I was your age I had some bad ideas in my head, and as a result I ended up burying myself and given the introduction of some life stress I took it as an opportunity to quit. Had I had the kind of guidance I have now I would have been a pretty incredible cyclist. I doubt good enough to race on the highest levels, but really pretty good.
Yes you can and will make gains no matter what you do. But certain mistakes can be quite debilitating. And the question is more like 'I have money to spend…how should I spend it," than anything else.