Well I had a coach back in the 80's when I was a hotshot junior; but ever since I've been self-trained.

To answer the question: I think my strengths and weaknesses are physically the same as they were back then; but mentally I'm smarter and tougher now and more aggressive. I chalk that mostly up to maturity and experience.

I did cough up $200 (oops better update the $ thread) for a local coach this past summer, to do an assessment and just talk a bit about goals etc. He's certified but also a former cat 1 who's now in his 50's and still winning in the 1-2 fields around here.

Anyway, I filled out his form, he looked at me on the bike a bit, we did some rides together, he watched me race a few times, gave me a couple of tips b/c I wanted to lose 10 lbs, but he basically said, "you know what to do, keep doing it"

But, that's just me. Somebody with less experience, especially in their first few years, I think could really benefit from having a coach who's there to ride with you occasionally, watch you race, talk about tactics, etc, and build training plans.