CanadianBiker32

What type of qualifications one should have to be a personal race director for someone.
More less my services be to direct someone to coaching.
Help them figure out a race schedule
Do travel arrangements
be a cheer leader
figure out with licence and requirements are needed for certain races.

Etc etc.

indyfabz

Hello. What's this thread about?

10speedBill

The first qualification would be to learn how to express a coherent thought in writing. Your post makes no sense.

Rollfast

I personally refuse to hurry much anymore so being a personal race director is out for me.


Do you want to coordinate racing events or be a trainer? That's what I get from your query.

Rollfast

We could exhibit a little more politeness to the thread starter.

Sangetsu

A few years of professional racing experience would help.

Bandera

The International Federation of Personal Races has very strict regulations for the positions of:

Lackey
Flunky
Sycophant
Director

Since Personal Races only involve a single "competitor" in the pseudo-event of their choosing from Strolling to the Mailbox or Driving to the Coffee Shop with an inevitable "Winner" not much is required from the previously mentioned "officials" other than the payment of suitable fees to the FoPR.

Good luck in your new not-so demanding career, a suitable payment to the FoPR is now required immediately, PM me for pay-to details.

-Bandera: FoPR President for Life and Nigerian Prince

FBinNY 

Since you're not talking about coaching, then it's all about organization and managing logistics.

I'd say the keys are an organized, orderly mind, good communication skills, and travel experience. Then plenty of patience, because you'll be the one counted on to deal with the nonsense that will arise.

CanadianBiker32

Thanks for last post
Yes I was asking about to manage logistics. Etc. Is that possible

FBinNY 

Possible?, of course.

But it's about the specifics. Do you already have a client in mind, or do you mean you want to somehow register as a manager then recruit clients?

If the second, it's not something where people hang out shingles like the new dentist in town. Most grew in to the job working for someone else, or through years of association with the racing scene. Then, as I said, it's about having the necessary skills, usually based on experience in related fields, to do the job.

So, without being rude, I suspect that the fact that you're asking this way, means that the answer is going to be No.

CanadianBiker32

What is was thinking is even though i don't belong to any organization
more less what you mentioned "somehow register as a manager then recruit clients?"
more less set up a business and put together a team even that requires members to pay in change to act as an agent and send them the required information
eg to coaching, how to travel etc.
that is what i am getting at
like a middle man organization that helps athletes into a direction, if that makes sense

jbenkert111

To be perfectly honest, I don't think you have the required skills for that (Job).

FBinNY 

What your describing happens based on relationships developed over long term participation in the local cycling community.

Trying to come in as you propose is extremely difficult if not impossible.

Machka 

First, I would recommend going to university and acquiring a degree specialising in sports, kinesiology, nutrition, coaching areas. If you plan to cater to English-speaking Canadians (not just French-speaking) you'll also want to take some classes to improve your English. That should be a 3-4 year degree.

Next, I would recommend taking additional training in Fitness and Personal Training. That is usually a shorter course ... maybe several weeks with a longer practical aspect where you'll lead spinning classes or do some personal training in a gym under the supervision of someone who has worked in a gym environment for some time.

I would also recommend taking a course on bicycle maintenance ... it may not be absolutely necessary, but could help when it comes to things like setting up bicycle fit. Also, although a team will likely have a mechanic, it can be helpful for others on the team to know how to do quick fixes.

Regarding the logistics, you'll want to take something like a quick 6 to 12 month business admin course to learn how to do the day-to-day operations of running a business and deal with whatever logistics come up (travel, etc.)

While you are doing all this ... join an organisation. No one wants a personal trainer who is just out there on his own. There are all sorts of issues regarding insurance and liability when it comes to this sort of thing. Joining an organisation helps a lot because you can get insurance coverage as well as assistance from peers within the organisation.

And while you're doing all this, it wouldn't hurt to be a reasonably successful cyclist. You'll have more credibility if you're out there doing it.

So ... you could put all this together and set up a 6 or 7 year plan for yourself.

pauoos

Honestly, I wouldn't hire you because you don't seem to have any relevant experience. What you are offering your future clients is guidance through the convoluted rules and procedures of the racing business based on your knowledge and experience. Knowledge and experience that you do not have.

What you need to do is get some experience. I suggest you approach some established race teams and try to get a job - any job - and go from there. Think of it as an apprenticeship. You will probably end up with a low level soigneurs job working long hours for little pay doing all the crappy menial tasks that no one else wants to do. But you will be working with the racers, mechanics, coaches, and team directors. You will get to see the racing business from the inside.

Eventually, if you work your butt off, you will begin to move up the ladder. Get to know some people, and then maybe you can move over to one of the big UCI teams. By this time you will know far more about the racing business than anyone on Bikeforums.net. Then you will be able to answer your own question.

You sound like you're young and looking for a career. Go ahead and make the leap into that crappy low level soigneurs job. Now is the time to do it, when you are young and have nothing to lose.

Best of luck, you can do it.

unterhausen

unfortunately, I think the best person for such a job is a capable racer that didn't have what it takes to make it in the top level. I think that's what you find in football coaches, for the most part. Trainers often come from sports medicine with little relevant experience in the specific sport they work with, but they don't need it as much.

wphamilton

Why so discouraging, if OP has the organizational talent, energy and fresh ideas surely it's possible without having six degrees and working his way from gopher to head mechanic on a pro team!

Maybe, find a few guys that want to race but don't want to or know how to go about it, and as a volunteer organize a team. Hustle up some sponsors, work out all the logistics, ride herd and talk someone into training them, get some races in and some upgrades. Organize and produce some officially sanctioned races as well. if you can do all that, and everyone is thrilled with it, then after a season or two, with success, maybe then he can set up some fee structure.

BobbyG

+1

EnjoyinTheRide

A good way to get started would be to join a cycling club of some sort, get to know the logistics of what they require, how they require etc, Learn from the inside, then work on the outside.... Get to know the riders, develop relationships and network with others...To do what you want to do takes years, years of knowledge gained by being part of it....

wphamilton

@CanadianBiker32 the suggestion by @EnjoyinTheRide to join a club, and become active in it, is a very good one in my humble opinion. And I'm serious about producing your own races, although before that can happen you need to know all about them. Join clubs, enter races, volunteer at races, make yourself known as you learn. Even when the end-game appears insurmountable, take the first, necessary steps first and once you've achieved that the next steps will suggest themselves.

No matter what your idea is, once you air it out you will always have people saying that it's impossible, a bad idea, too much work, or you're not good enough. It's the nature of the beast. But it does provide different perspectives on the challenges, and in the beginning that's extremely valuable. Just take it all with a grain of salt.

fietsbob

Who is the Bicycle Race Sanctioning body In Canada.. ?

You probably need them and their Group Liability Insurance policy, to hold a Race. ..

Machka 

My suggestions are all about credibility. If you want to be a personal race director, you've got to have credibility in some way, shape, or form ... and it will take a lot of work.

We've suggested that the OP join a team and get involved with the local racing scene wherever he is before ... usually in the Training and Nutrition forum ... but he seems reluctant. Joining a team could answer a lot of his training and nutrition questions as well as helping him build credibility.

wphamilton

I guess we all speak from the basis of what we know, and what we'd done or seen in the past. I don't know jack about bicycle racing or races but I can't help but draw parallels with something I did at 17 and 18. Totally different endeavor than bicycling, but like with bike racing there was a national organization, sanctioned competitions, lots of amateurs and some pro's. I didn't have OP's end goals in mind, but in my mind the first steps are similar. Perhaps because that's the extent of what I know, and I know that it's possible.

In a nutshell I did organize a local club and team (not scholastic), I acquired credentials as a Director of sanctioned competitions, and I held a series of events which, at the risk of seeming immodest were far superior to other local competitions in that state at that time. Better facilities, double anyone's turnouts and sometimes more, better prize money, the state's top competitors, and multiple times without a hitch. Credibility wasn't really a factor for a 17 year old doing that, but I think there was likely some credibility built up as a result. So one thing I do know is that this sort of thing is possible for a young person, speaking in general.

One thing I did have was competitive experience, and I guess I was known in those circles at that time, so I'm thinking that those are beneficial ingredients. Get into clubs and the community, compete, and a little competitive success wouldn't hurt. I did it only because I was tired of travelling 200 miles to halfassed competitions that might or might not have strong competitors, and brought it to me instead. Be that as it may, I think that if OP did something similar in bike racing he could parlay it into some kind consultant gig - not necessarily "personal race director" but some other niche may suggest itself.

FBinNY 

Without trying to be snobbish or off putting, I think that we have to be honest and up front with the OP.

There's a big difference between legitimate aspirations and pipe dreams. The OP has to be honest with himself, and decide if he's willing to do the necessary work and follow a reasoned plan to achieve his goal, or if he's kidding himself about a career that sounds exciting.

smarkinson

Have you tried the Canada cycling website?

https://cyclingbc.net/clubs/provincial-trade-team/

Looks like you can setup a trade team if you want. No qualifications necessary. This is where you get people to ride for a team you organise. No rider is going to pay you to do it though. The riders would expecting to get paid (or at least get free bikes/kit) on a trade team. You'd usually get a sponsor to cover the costs or you could do what Tinkoff did and burn your own money to play being a team manager.

If all you are going to do is organise membership, coaches and schedules then you're nothing more than a personal assistant/manager and I don't see anyone paying you to do that as it's not very difficult to do yourself especially for an amatuer rider.

The people who would be in a position to pay you to be a manager (pro riders) would probably already be on a trade team and the team staff would handle all that stuff for them. They might have a sports manager to handle contract negotiations though.