Having a coach doesn't mean it's a full time deal

This is a concept that I want to share with USA Cycling. Much of the USA Cycling coaching information is related to coaching and training bike racers. I see it much differently. I like the Golf Pro model.

Every golf course across the country has a Golf Pro. He's the guy that teaches the local golfers how to get more out of their game. Golfers have simple goals. They want to lower their score or specifically, they want to improve their putts, drives or chip shots. For some people, this means that they meet with the Golf Pro every week on a regimented plan. For others, it means that they only make appointments when they feel the need. Most of all, it's about helping the golfer accomplish his goal. Most Golf Pro's don't coach PGA or LPGA golfers. They coach the hobby athlete.

Cycling has become a huge industry over the last 10 years. Of all the bikes that were purchased, very few were for pro cyclists. Bikes were purchased by people who love the sport. Every cyclist I've met wants to get more out it. The golfer wants to lower his score. The cyclist wants to ride faster.

Do you need a full time cycling coach to help you accomplish your goals, most likely not. Like the golfer, you probably need someone to take a look at what you are doing. You need someone to make some observations and offer some corrective actions and recommendations. That might mean you need one or two training sessions on an infrequent basis. For others, they want something regular and regimented. For them, full time coaching is best.

What are your goals? Are you accomplishing them and how do you know?

iBike update

I talked to the CEO of iBike yesterday. The company is doing it's best to fix all the short comings that have been identified over the couple years. I sent my original unit back and they found that it had some problems. Since receiving the new unit, I still see issues with vibration and drafting.

To account for the vibration issue, I will be testing the new VRK (Vibration Reduction Kit). For me, this is a huge issue. Currently, power readings from rough roads can be as high as 2-3x actual. That destroy's all post ride analysis. I'm hoping that the VRK dampens the and improves accuracy.

iBike software has also improved. They have included some post ride filtering software that analyzes the ride file and makes corrections. This may be good, but I would prefer to have correct power numbers from the beginning.

Power Training

All I want for Christmas is a POWER METER. That should be the song you are singing.

The USA Cycling Power Training Course was great. There is so much information that you can learn about your riding/training and racing with one of these devices.

The course covered all of the basics regarding terminology. As you can imagine with any new technology or implementation, you have a new set of terms and acronyms. Things like Functional Threshold Power, Normalized Power, Intensity Factor etc.

Currently, here's the problem that I see with this new technology.
If you don't have a reasonably structured training plan, the power meter is going to simply give you more information about your schizophrenia. It will help you change and become more structured. But, if that isn't your goal, save your money and enjoy riding.

However, if you want the most precise method of measuring your performance and improvement. And...if you will use the information to change your training habits, it is worth the investment.

In addition, if you are committed to making changes in your training, you will have to make some other concessions as well. Group riding is not conducive to "training". It's a great social environment but you can't focus on your training goals closely enough. I don't recommend abandoning the local group rides but, it has to be limited and you need to be disciplined enough to stay within your overall training plan in spite of what the group may decide to do.

Back to power meters. I guess you need to check you budget before you decide to start shopping. I'll write more about the pro's and con's of each device... or you can search the web. There are plenty of comparisons out there.

It's been a while again

Thanks for being patient while I've been busy with other things. Life's been rather busy and something had to go.

There are so many things that I'm learning in the area of bike fit, training and biomechanics. Just when I think I'm getting a handle on everything, the science and the information gets deeper and more intricate.

Here's the latest info as part of my continued desire to train and study. I'm heading to Atlanta next weekend for USA Cycling Power Training course. This is going to be great because it focuses on using power meters for training. I'll give you more information once I get back.