king-tony

I guess first question would be - do you use a powermeter. A lot of coaches today won't coach otherwise. My coach has amateur racing experience, but I'm not sure how relevant that is. I know a local coach who raced domestically for years as a Pro/1 and honestly I think he over trains a lot of his clients.

I would ask a lot about philosophy, but as important as anything is to just talk with them. My coach is over 1,000 miles away and one of those disgusting Yankees, while I am a hick from the mountains of the south, but I really enjoy talking with my coach about a million things outside of cycling. If I decide to quit using a coach I am certain we will remain friends.

For me the biggest benefit of having a coach is objectivity and the ability to help me see the bigger picture. Other than simply giving me training plans, he helps me make decisions on my season goals, other health concerns, equipment and most importantly, cares about my success every bit as much as I do. At this point I am experienced enough to develop my own plans, but I know that I will not hit the level without my coach that I attain with him. The internet is in now way a limiter. If he needs to see something, my wife shoots video of me riding and we post it to youtube.

That being said, while there are tons of good coaches out there, there are also tons of terrible ones. Talk to as many coaches as possible. I'm hiring a contractor to work on my house and I know little about it, but I can tell you after sitting down and talking with 20 to this point, I have learned which ones I think I can trust versus those that only care about turning a prof fit.