Road Cycling - Want to be a racer. What would a coach do?

I'm interested in getting serious about racing. Never have before and I'd like to start out right. I've been reading a little about getting a coach. Do they really help or are they more of an interactive book on tape (meaning lots of "tailored" phone calls but no real individual face-to-face stuff). Would they guide me through my first races and logistics, just physical capability, riding technique, or all three. Obviously this depends on how good of a coach I get, but in general, is that the best way to start my racing "career"?

Thanks
Ross

I'm looking for the same answer.

my advice is not to spend massive amoutns of money on a personal coach, but go join a club and make your way in the "classes of racers" First start of going with the medium pase/distance, the join the faster pase/longer "class". It would help you a lot so you can learn how to pase yourself better and get more endurace byt sticking with the fadter people. OR another way you can ready without getting a coach is to get like 2 to 5 buddies that are faster and have more eundurace then you and ride with them. Just stay in the middle fo the group so the guy behind you keeps on encouraging you to go faster becuase he is. Well, i found these 2 methods much better then hiring a coach, all they will teach you is how to be areo, how to take advantage of other racers. That about it. sorry if this is confussing..

the more you pay, the more personal it will be.
but dont worry about a coach untill you get a few years (and progress) in racing.

my advice is not to spend massive amoutns of money on a personal coach, but go join a club and make your way in the "classes of racers" First start of going with the medium pase/distance, the join the faster pase/longer "class". It would help you a lot so you can learn how to pase yourself better and get more endurace byt sticking with the fadter people. OR another way you can ready without getting a coach is to get like 2 to 5 buddies that are faster and have more eundurace then you and ride with them. Just stay in the middle fo the group so the guy behind you keeps on encouraging you to go faster becuase he is. Well, i found these 2 methods much better then hiring a coach, all they will teach you is how to be areo, how to take advantage of other racers. That about it. sorry if this is confussing..


This is exactly what a coach will stop you from doing. What he will do is establish what your goals are and establish a program to help you attain them.

Mosy likely this will mean that you will be doing many slower rides at a lower intensity. He will have you doing more intervals and more target specific workouts. He will not help you get more aero but he might ensure the fit of your equipment if you ever actually have any face to face time.

An initial assessment may include establishing your LT/AT if you go in for a stress test at a performance lab. Most coaching now is done through phone/e-mail contact only, depending on what you spend. Your coach may encourage you to invest in a power meter so that you can upload your workout data to ensure that you are following the established routine and to monitor progress.

something like www.visionquest.com

One of my regrets is that, during my marathon running days, I didn't have a coach. I know now that I was training more than most of the people I was running with but, at my best, I was only a mid-pack runner. Today I attribute that to a really crummy training program. I was working way too hard on most days and not nearly hard enough on others. Tore up my achilles tendons too.

My advice would be to find a club that has someone to guide your week-to-week program and someone that you can call on the telephone if you feel the need. I think that you'll find yourself doing less and getting MUCH better results.

good coaches will get you on the correct mental path as well> after the steady diet of tempo rides, intervals, fast rides, long rides then a good winter weight program, they can definitely help you not only race your best, but how to conserve and do well even when you don't have your best on any given day.

in other words they can help you work smarter instead of longer. robbie ventura from USPS trains people under the company name of Vision Quest Cycling. he's got a website and has weekly and monthly and season contracts with riders/students.

Remember that line- the person who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer?

Think of that as to why you should get a coach.

Clubs care little about the individual progress of the client. Club rides are just that- rides. You get the opportunity to ride in big groups, and you can ride with others your speed or progress by riding with faster people who will most likely drop you in the beginning, but help you learn to pick up the pace. You also get an idea of what it is like to ride in a big group. But that's about where it ends. A good coach will test you, set you on a good periodization program, constantly retest you to see how your progress is, chart your progress, retool your program according to how you're progressing, keep you motivated, and give you valuable insight into your training progress. You won't get that from a club.

Much as I like Robbie Ventura, he is in Illinois, so unless you travel to attend a seminar, or you attend one of his training camps in other states or abroad, you won't have as much of an opportunity for that one on one interaction you won't get. If you're looking for more, and you want that personal contact, try the official coaches of USA Cycling: http://www.bicyclecoach.com/. Robbie is also part of that organization, but if you're looking for more interaction, you can find plenty of good quality coaches close by, and you'll be able to compare rates and see which coach you can bond with best.

Koffee

g'day,

a hard question to answer, without knowing how much cycling you have done. In general, a coach is a good idea, (but don't spend to much money at this stage). In Oz, most clubs will have a coach amongest its members who will be able to help you at minimal cost, (I don't know if it works the same in the states?), enquire at one of your local clubs as to what is available. In general, a coach will first find out what your cycling goals are, Ie: are you content to be a cat 4 racer?, or do you want to be something higher? The coach will look at your background, make assesments of your fitness level, skill level etc etc & then probably give you an idea of the level of comittment you will need to make to reach your goal. Short term goals are good to keep you 'mentally' motivated. A coach will design a program for you that 'builds' you toward your goal.If you are a cycling 'newbie' I would steer clear of coaching systems that charge amounts for certain amounts of 'feedback' & contact, until you get a little more experienced. As a newbie you will require constant feedback until you have some idea about what the coach is trying to achieve & why....goodluck,

cheers,

Hitchy