Why you should have a cycling coach

Paying for a cycling coach might just be the best investment you can make. Here's why:

1) To reach your potential

Firstly, do you even know your potential? As a coach I have a depth of knowledge working with a range of clients and I know what it takes to reach different levels of the sport. It’s very easy to think you have reached your potential and that you are as good as you can be with the time available to you. However, by hiring a coach, I can really motivate you, giving you the confidence to strive for more, not only in races but within day to day training sessions, meaning you will get more out of each individual session.

2) To keep you focused

Once you have worked out your short and long-term goals within the sport, it is my job to keep you focused on the task in hand. It is all too easy to get distracted by smaller things along the way and to feel like your goals are miles away in terms of time and possibility. I will break down the journey into smaller time frames and help you focus on what is important day to day.

3) Accountability

Without another set of eyes looking over your training, it is all too easy to skip or change plans along the way. Moving sessions to "tomorrow" is a slippery slope. You are much more likely to stick to and complete a plan with more effort if you are accountable.

4) Save time and stress

It is so easy to get in from work and then procrastinate about what session you are going to do that evening. Once you have finally decided on one, have you ever stressed over whether it is the right session to be doing? "Will I gain from doing this session?", "Will I be tired come the weekend if I do this session?". If someone else has set the plan it makes life so much easier and I will answer those questions on your behalf. With a coach, you will know exactly what session you are doing and, most importantly, why you are doing it... meaning getting out to do it is so much easier!

5) Gain confidence in training and races

Confidence is so important when it comes to sport. Firstly, you need confidence in your plan and the sessions you are doing. It means you are much more likely to carry them out to a higher standard and to gain more from doing them. Secondly, if you have carried out a plan and a set of sessions you believe in, you will reach race day with more confidence, meaning you will race completely differently. A coach can point out the good things, even from a session that maybe you felt didn’t go that well, or they will help you find the reason for a poor session that on another occasion would have knocked your confidence.

6) Learn for yourself

By being coached by someone who has been there and done it to the highest level, there is a huge bank of knowledge to be picked at. Ask questions about certain race situations and race setups, ask which recovery methods are best and which equipment is most suitable. An impartial voice to give information is so important. By learning along the way, you will become even more invested in training and get the most out of it.

7) Proven and researched sessions

After years of training at the highest level over a number of disciplines, I have a vast array of different sessions to keep things fresh. Getting bored of a session or, worst of all, always repeating the same session, can be detrimental to your performance. If you complete the same sessions over and over again, you will get very good at completing those efforts, but the amount of training effect from that same session will diminish over time.

Do you want to talk about how VELD can help you realise your potential? Have a look at the range of personalised online-coaching plans and contact me on ian@veldcoaching.com or on social media for more information about how we can work together.

Ian Field