Racing Cyclists
 Which
competitive cyclist doesn’t agonise about the optimum
mix of effort, recovery, intensive effort and easy riding?
It’s so hard to know what to do for the best, even if
you’ve been cycling for a while and you’re already
competing regularly. The fact of the matter is that the biggest
determinant of performance for competitive cyclists is exactly
that mix of training volume and training quality – arguably
more important even than experience, equipment or tactics.
So how many racing cyclists are confident
that they are getting the best out of themselves? Time constraints,
work and family commitments have to be thrown into the equation
and because these are different for everyone, no two cyclists’ training
regimes will be the same. Cyclists also respond uniquely to
any given training – one cyclist’s training would
be too much for another whereas for a third cyclist it would
not be enough. And what are the critical differences between
the best training for different kinds of events?
But competitive cyclists don’t only
benefit from help with training plans. Even enthusiastic racers
can find their motivation flagging or their self-discipline
going awry. It’s all too easy to lose perspective and
struggle to see performances or results in a cool-headed, rational
way. This is where it can be invaluable to bounce thoughts
and ideas off a personal coach who knows you as a rider. Sometimes
what is needed is an objective opinion from someone who has
been through similar situations and who takes your racing as
seriously as you do. |
