How do coaches support the club?
The club has a small number of qualified cycling coaches with many years of experience in riding, competing and coaching.
Post-pandemic, the club coaches have not run any form of in-person group coaching for club members.
Whilst the pre-covid annual indoor winter training was top-rated (and usually over-subscribed), we are uncertain in the post-pandemic world whether there would now be both the demand and a suitable venue for these to be re-established.
The growth and increase in availability of online training plans, group online fitness sessions, etc, means that increasingly, riders and club members who are looking to develop their cycling are “doing it for themselves”. This may well be appropriate depending on the rider’s knowledge, where the rider is on their own personal development pathway and their understanding of where they would like to get to. However, as with most DIY, the rider needs to be prepared to learn by their mistakes and accept that the finished product might not be optimal.
Coaching
The coaches cannot provide tailored coaching to individual club members on a voluntary/free basis, although we can support and help as follows:
If you have any questions on coaching/performance [whether fitness, nutrition, conditioning, event preparation], contact us. We are happy to have a call or email with you with no strings attached and at no cost. In effect, use us as your coaching resource or library. Coaches are a qualified resource of evidence-based knowledge and experience;
We can host online or “in person” presentations and discussions on topics of wide interest;
If there is interest or demand for group “skills” training sessions, then gather together a quorum of riders who would be willing and able to i) attend for, say, 4-6 weeks, ii) contribute to the cost of any venue (e.g. cyclopark) iii) work with us to agree a suitable time and place and then let’s talk about the options.
Our club coaches (and most that I know) have a genuine interest in what riders are doing, and they would be interested in hearing from members about what support and guidance they would appreciate.
Contact Kevin Charlton, Senior Coach And Training Manager, or see “Club Officials” for the contact details of the club’s three qualified BC coaches
How can a club member benefit from coaching?
The coaches and committee members have occasionally discussed the role of coaches and coaching within the club. You can see elsewhere on the website the section on what support the coaches currently provide to the club.
Club members may ask themselves (and the coaches!) whether they would benefit from coaching at all.
The rider development pathway
Considering the development pathway for cyclists and the British Cycling coaching programme can help club members decide whether they would like some form of coaching.
The development pathway for riders is tabulated below
Add table
In practice, as illustrated in the table, there is not a clear delineation between cycling for recreation and sport or between non-competitive and competitive cycle sports. Any cyclist/rider may feel that at different times and in different cycling disciplines (e.g., road, MTB, cyclocross), they would be in one or more boxes within the pathway.
For example, a club member who mainly participates in club and social rides would fall under “Leisure” and cycling for recreation. However, a member who also takes part in sportives and audax events or is preparing for their first significant charity event also has at least one wheel in the “sport” pathway and, if training for a particular time or standard in sportives, is moving into the “competitive” segment of the pathway.
Whilst qualified coaches can help any rider at any point on the Pathway, I would suggest that those who are moving closer to or further into the “sport” section would find the cost versus benefit considerations attractive.
Depending on their qualifications and experiences, coaches can help riders with respect if any or all of the following:
Techniques and skills
Preparation for events (including tactics and race-craft)
Nutrition
Physiology and mind
Fitness, strength and conditioning (on and off the bike)
Regardless of where they are on the pathway, any rider can benefit from working with a coach, whether for one or more seasons or for a period leading up to a single event. However, there is a commitment and cost, which may mean that it does not appeal to many.
Each coach can provide one-on-one coaching within the scope of their qualifications and coaching insurance and under terms agreed upon with the individual. As a matter of principle, the coaches, in their capacity as club members and/or officials, will not actively promote their own personal coaching services.