This is a common question. There is a lot of elitism in the cycling world, and many riders don’t feel confident even asking this question. It’s actually a very important question, and there are two pieces to it that are particularly important.

  1. Am I good enough to need coaching? Many riders feel like having a coach and being on a training plan is something for elite athletes only. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. In actuality, riders new to the sport or new to wanting to improve are in many ways the ones most in need of coaching. Why? There are many common pitfalls to training and lots of bad advice available on the internet. It’s incredibly useful to have someone you trust that can provide objective information and support. Additionally, less experienced riders are much less likely to identify symptoms of overtraining and can easily get discouraged by poor progress. With a little guidance, less experienced riders can realise very large gains that are motivating and help keep you riding.
  2. What do you offer that I can’t do myself? More experienced riders may feel like they already have a good plan that works for them and that they are happy with. There are also many great tools on the internet that provide guidance–in fact we use many of these at objective.bike. I’m not here to tell you that you don’t know how to work with your own data and make a good plan. However, even experienced riders can benefit from having a third party to discuss their plans and progress with. Often times we become blind to our own bad habits. A coach can challenge you and work with you to decide if you are using your training time efficiently. If you find your performance and fitness plateauing a coach can work with you to identify why this is happening. If you know that someone else is going to be reviewing your rides, it helps motivate you. For riders like this, the democratic approach we take at objective.bike works really well. Your training plan is a collaborative project, and your input is vital.

In general, riders looking to improve their riding would be well advised to find and work with a coach with a training philosophy that is a good fit for them. The sport of cycling is becoming increasingly diverse, and while once it was only ‘racers’ that might hire a coach, this is changing. Many riders are now more interested in achieving lifelong fitness or enjoying group gravel rides and Gran Fondos rather than specifically racing. This diversification of the cycling world is a positive step towards making the sport more inclusive. Your goals might be to consistently podium at races, complete the MS 150, or complete a difficult bikepacking route. I’m happy to help riders achieve any of these.

There is, of course, a third pertinent question: “What makes objective.bike a qualified source of cycling coaching?” My answer to that can be found here.