Cycling coaching with Grit: the 5 pros and cons
It’s definitely the season where many athletes are thinking about taking on structured training ahead of upcoming marathons and summer cycling events.
I find myself having new athlete conversations and discussing the pros and cons of coaching. Yes that’s right, I am open and upfront about the non-fluffy-good-vibes parts of cycling and working with a coach. Having been musing on these recently, I have provided my 5 pros and cons of undertaking cycling coaching.
PROS
Set and forget
I am lucky to work with a broad variety of athletes; some are coaches themselves that find they need the ability for someone to oversee their decisions. While these athletes have the ability to understand what they need to do (and many people get the gist of the basics!) there is a distinct lack of objectivity when you’re assessing yourself. An outside view gives you confidence and perspective you may otherwise lack!
Feedback
Motivation can be a fickle mistress and it can be hard to tell if you’re on the right track. If you’re an experienced cyclist and you’re not seeing growth, for example in your FTP, are you even progressing? Having a coach allows a 360-degree view of the athlete, and an outsider view that hey—you’ve been training hard for ten years what is a realistic change to FTP; are you measuring it correctly, and perhaps there is something more salient to measure if working on a specific physiological attribute. A good coach can look at the big picture in the context of discipline goals, and place workouts and performances within that context to aid future interventions and progression!
Someone’s got your back
One of the hardest bits of trying to elicit race performance when flying solo is the ability to back yourself when it matters, self doubt can creep in if we aren’t sure of the process. When you have a coach and you know they’re invested in you and your performance, you have a person that is along for the ride with you, and has faith in your ability to do that big thing (insert group hug!).
openness
We like to be open to all sorts of conversation from ‘do you have any ideas about what chamois cream I should use for this stage race?’ to ‘i’ve been tracking my menstrual cycle and can we deload in the luteal phase, I feel pretty rubbish for the last week?’. Not everyone is natural with this kind of communication and it can take time, but it truly is key to a good ongoing coaching relationship. This directly relates to both the pro and con version of feedback!
Community
During COVID, we did weekly Grit Coaching group workouts for about a year, plus some extra athlete catch ups on the platform. I tell you what, I was a bit over Zwift by the end of that year but in a time of uncertainty it was a great way to catch up and connect with people near and far who were also stuck at home. Now we don’t have much group Zwift but have an ongoing online and IRL community that offers support to all athletes, aided by our patented “no d$(%#ead rule'“ which has facilitates sportsmanship and support without poor behaviour, and prioritises the value of radical ownership!
CONS
Feedback
Some of the pros will have cons as well, for example feedback. While I am definitely not the type of coach to ignore an athlete that’s not doing the work, or shame or dismiss the struggle, sometimes feedback isn’t always positive and as such, requires communication to put into context. For example “hey I saw that last week all your Z2 rides were done at about 200w, your target was 140-160 what’s going on?” if the answer is ‘I just need to feel good’ then there needs to be a discussion about that, and why specific things have been targeted. Often in this case it results in latent fatigue that presents in the upcoming week/s. Likewise if an athlete isn’t doing the work it’s important to chat and understand why: is it a logistical issue? Planning issue? Something with the program? If all avenues have been looked at and an athlete can’t be compliant (>70% of the time) it may be time to have a hard conversation.
You’re not guaranteed the win
Sometimes I have athletes that sign up and want to be the next Nino Schurter, that’s awesome if it’s motivating! But can become very demotivating if the goal is far beyond the realm of possibility. This is the benefit of goal setting with a coach: looking at small stepping stones to big things! Engaging in coaching is as much about being your own best competitor and reaching your potential as it is standing on the top step every weekend. Having a coach can help you put this into perspective while on this journey.
everything is a tradeoff
A sage savant once said ‘he who sacrifices the most, wins’ and in some ways this is true. To be at the pinnacle of sport an amateur athlete has to figure out how to manage work, family and training. Other big exciting hobbies? Yeah you can definitely have them but it’s in the spirit of balance and knowing that it’s potentially at the detriment of your absolute performance. For others, a single minded focus on the sport can lead to eroded relationships and burnout: it’s always a balance and a tradeoff. It may mean missing out on your kid’s soccer to attend a race, knowing that you’re on for the afternoon activities instead of recovery. Sometimes, that can be a tough decision to make (and sometimes it may not be the right one to make!).
training is hard
In the daily sense, training is only really hard a few times a week. The foundation of mountain biking and cycling means that aerobic engines are key before everything else, and building them actually isn’t ‘hard’, but takes time and application: dare I say it can be a bit repetitive (thank goodness for adventure rides and podcasts!). Despite this, there will be days where rides really stretch you, and occasionally days where you feel like you’re touching the void. In the broader context of a season though, the hardness is mainly in the consistency. It’s the difficulty in setting the alarm early to fit it in, it’s asking yourself why you should leave your warm bed and instead ride in the cold to achieve your goals. It’s not an ‘easy’ pursuit, and I commend everyone for taking up the mantle!
You can do the physical work but…
Without addressing any mental and skill deficits you can remain stale and struggle to progress. The best thing about this, is that there are many ways to address mental limiters in sport, but they all require that openness we discussed earlier, and the ability to develop self awareness of what’s going on. We try to guide open conversations about mental game, but as an athlete its up to you to engage with it (which can be hard!).
So, that’s my list. In the interests of fairness and accountability that’s the warts and all version of cycling coaching pros and cons. The best bit, though, is when you develop a coaching relationship, overcoming some of the hard things on the Cons list becomes much easier. If you’re interested in opening a dialogue, reach out using the Athlete Information form at the bottom of the page, and happy riding!