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NEW YEAR NEW YOU COACH CLASS THE ROLE OF THE CYCLIST’S COACH IS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. THEIR INFLUENCE, WISDOM, TACTICS AND MOTIVATIONAL QUALITIES CAN TRANSFORM ASPIRING AMATEURS INTO TITLE-TAKING PROFESSIONALS, BUT THEIR METHODS CAN MAKE OR BREAK AN ATHLETE. TO DISCOVER EXACTLY WHO THEY ARE AND HOW THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE, WE WENT IN SEARCH OF THE MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SHADOWS WHO SET RIDERS ON THEIR WAY…
WORDS ROB KEMP
FAST-FORWARD “HAVE DIFFERENT THINKING TRAINING WORKOUTS, An exercise physiologist, sports DIFFERENT ROUTES, medicine student and coach for more than 20 years, including DIFFERENT FRIENDS – several years as a GB Cycling Team national coach, Ken Matheson ALL WILL HELP YOU pioneered remote coaching – using heart rate and power data for long- term monitoring. “I established an STAY MOTIVATED” athlete-centred cycling coaching
unit which was well ahead of its Russell Burton time and, I believe, an early model for the GB Cycling Team,” he says. protein if the metabolic rate is raised – for building a ‘big engine’, fundamental One of his protégés, Dean Downing a short, easy cafe ride in good weather to good aerobic endurance.” (NFTO), believes Ken set a trend if you’re not too fatigued is ample many successful coaches now ‘active recovery’, but I would always Beware big HIITs “Interval follow. “His ability to look at the recommend one complete day a week training is usually seen as an essential bigger picture was key to his work off the bike.” component of a balanced training with me,” says Downing. “Ken programme, but such sessions should wasn’t just about establishing data, Build a big engine “A staple in only be undertaken in a well recovered recording power output, working Bradley Wiggins’ regimen is training state. There are times when a rider in zones – though he mastered within a narrow power or heart rate feels lacking in ‘top end’ performance those – he was also able to structure band at a moderate intensity. I describe and HIIT – high intensity interval training around busy lives. I’m now it as ‘slow motion time trialling’ [Zone training – seems to offer the solution. coaching myself and I find myself 3 in British Cycling terminology But if that lack of condition results from referring to Ken all the time.” tinyurl.com/britishcycling-zones] – accumulated fatigue, HIIT will just done between 75 and 82% of cause a further decline. Even if HIIT MATHESON’S WISDOM maximum heart rate and 54-63% of sessions prove to be effective, any maximum aerobic power – alone, for improvement is likely to plateau after Relish your recovery “Proper one to two hours on flat to rolling six to eight weeks and riders should recovery is only achieved by rest. terrain. It requires real concentration revert to lower intensity, higher The body does not lay down new but is probably the most powerful tool volume training.”
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Take the time to understand how power meters work and you’ll realise they’re not that complicated, says Hunter Allen
actual training dose needed to create those improvements and we clearly understand the demands of the events.”
Add variety “Have different training workouts, different routes, different friends – all of them will help you stay motivated.”
HIDDEN GEM ME AND MY POLISHER COACH… “Wendy Houvenaghel [Olympic JON ARCHDEACON, medallist and three-time World 44, FROM LONDON, Champion team pursuit rider] EMPLOYED PAUL MILL’S COACHING couldn’t ride a track bike when I SERVICES first met her,” says Dave Lloyd, “I’d hit a plateau and asked Paul if he could founder of davelloydcoaching. help me. In 12 months com and once one of Britain’s most he’s taken me from a rider who regularly prolific road racers. “We met at finished in the top 20 Newport and I taught her how to of the time trials I do POWER ARRANGER to one who regularly be comfortable and relaxed on the features in the top 10. track – her previous ‘coach’ had “Having a coach helped me identify put her off by over-pressuring her. Hunter Allen is the founder of joy to help every cyclist I coach achieve goals through the She soon got into it; she has an season. In the past I’d renowned coaching service Peaks their goals, no matter how big or small.” complete a full year incredible power-to-weight ratio.” Coaching Group (www.peaks but would have waned Houvenaghel praises Lloyd for in performance and coachinggroup.com) and a former pro. ALLEN’S WISDOM satisfaction towards helping her rapid progression. “He He’s a long-term – and consequently the end. I’m consistent got me internationally competitive through the year now. leading – exponent of training with Don’t blaze it “Athletes try to have “A coach helps you not just in time trialling but in power meters. a personal best on every ride. It’s just to see events as road racing and track pursuit as stepping stones “I coached top British riders Daniel not realistic and then when they begin towards a greater goal well,” she says. Lloyd also coached Lloyd (CervéloTest team) and Dan to realise this, they tend to get too, and motivates you Andy Fenn to four national titles to meet up on cold Fleeman (World Mountain Bike 24 bummed out.” days because of that and trained Kara Chesworth, Champion) for a number of years and sense of a a mother of three who took up commitment and helped both achieve a greater peak Feel the power “Some riders think responsibility. cycling to get fit, from a novice to of fitness when they wanted it,” Allen power meters are too complicated to “They take you out Commonwealth Games competitor. of your comfort zone, says. “Through managing their training understand therefore won’t give it and I’ve learned that “He understands what range of stress, I was able to ensure they would enough time to really learn how best to sometimes less is emotions the athlete goes through more and it pays to peak right on time.” There have been use them. With them we’re able to pick your events because he has been there and done many more successes for Allen. “It’s a quantify fitness improvements, the through the season.” it all before,” adds Houvenaghel.
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LLOYD’S WISDOM
Do the descents “Get out of the habit of descending on the hoods and sitting too high in the saddle – that’s where back and shoulder problems start.”
Win mind games “Coaching is 65 per cent psychological, 35 per cent physiological; I stay in touch with clients all the time to embed the message, to make feedback free- flowing. If your rider knows you Find a coach who’ll well they’ll want to do well for you lead by example, as well as for them.” out on the road with their riders Coach drivers “Don’t try to change your riders but work on their strengths. As a coach the best thing you can do is to be on the road with riders whenever possible – be a mentor and lead by example.”
TEACH YOURSELF NEW TRICKS 02 04 Ruth Eyles (www.rutheyles.co.uk) raced road, track and time trial and also rode some big tours in the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites before coaching herself to three National TT Championship titles. “People started asking me for advice and I realised helping others to achieve their ambitions was something I really enjoy,” she explains. “A brilliant moment for me was when a rider sent me a photo of himself completing the Etape du Tour – just 10 months earlier he’d been overweight and knew nothing about cycling.”
Another of her protégés is Steve Smith Paul Berry (Team Swift). “Ruth set me a basic training plan that has developed as I have,” says Swift. “In three years I’ve seen a massive Cut to the chase “There are so Be honest about yourself improvement in all my TT times. many contradictory ideas about and your goals – are you I surpassed all my goals and have training that confused riders just don’t really the next Wiggo? won national titles.” know where to start. Invest in a personal training plan, adapted with EYLES’ WISDOM your time commitments in mind – you’ll find your enthusiasm for training Tune-in to tempo “Riders don’t is transformed.” realise the importance of good- quality tempo riding. Most Feel challenged “It’s the job of the recreational riders can improve coach to ask the right questions, and immeasurably by doing plenty of knowing when to tell a rider to ease off riding at a brisk, even tempo pace – is as crucial as knowing when to push a but instead, they think they have to rider. It’s part of my job to raise the do gruelling sprint intervals and hill confidence and self-belief in those that reps. Many people who are poor on need it, but the individual needs to be hills are just too heavy and don’t honest about themselves and their goals have enough basic fitness.” from the start.”
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MIL L’S W I S D OM
Take on fuel “Riders don’t pay enough attention to their nutrition. Riding hard in short bursts and not replacing carbohydrate and electrolytes plays a huge part in depleting energy levels.” COACH TRIP Pick the pace “Erratic pacing is a common error and leads to erratic BRITISH CYCLING’S output. Riders who ride like this COACHING AND EDUCATION generally never seem to peak and MANAGER ANDREW hit a plateau which then gets lower GILLOTT ON THE RIGHT TRACK TO and lower due to overtraining.” FINDING A COACH NATIONAL EXPRESS Shape your rides “Give your “The UK Coaching training structure – have set Directory is a national database of 3500 performance goals and benchmarks. coaches for riders of all Also establish short- and long-term standards and disciplines” says performance tests to check your Gillott. “In order for condition and plan fitness goals.” coaches to be registered in the directory they must have successfully completed a BC Level 2 CELEBRITY and above.” SHARES KNOW YOUR GOAL “Meet the coach first. Sports scientist Professor Greg Discuss your ambitions and ask yourself what Whyte is a former international you’re aiming to get modern pentathlete who competed out of the sessions – have clear goals for in two Olympic Games. He also progression. You’re trained celebrities David Walliams looking for someone who can be flexible and Davina McCall to compete around your time too – in some of the world’s toughest “MOST RECREATIONAL and who’s not inundated with clients SportRelief challenges. either – and who you RIDERS CAN IMPROVE feel shares the same values as you.” WHYTE’S WISDOM BY DOING PLENTY OF DISCUSS STANDARDS “Measuring your Go off on one “Before new progress is something riders even hit the road they should RIDING AT A BRISK, you should be doing together – if you’re not boost their confidence and noticing the results competence in the saddle by going EVEN TEMPO PACE” you’re after or find that the challenges are too off-road. I take the celebrities and hard for the level sportsmen I train to an off-road you’re riding at then a good coach will be track to work on their technique – able to quickly adapt they became more confident which your plan.” www.britishcycling. helps nurture the belief they need org.uk/coaching to achieve their goal.” TEAM MACHINE directory Build your own bike “You A semi-professional footballer until wouldn’t run a marathon in your injury forced him to quit at 22, Paul dad’s trainers. The same goes with Mill took up triathlon training, bikes. Take the time to find a bike eventually focusing on cycling under that you’re comfortable with – that the guidance of pro riders Tim Stevens can mean shelling out on a bespoke and Simon Cope. “They showed me fitting, or just trying bikes until you how to develop tactics and soon I was find that one that ‘fits’.” riding with Olympia Sport Condor in a great team that included Bradley Fast-track physiology “To boost Wiggins,” says Mill. endurance levels I tell riders to get a He established elitecycling.co.uk to turbo trainer for high intensity – consult cycling clubs – initially doing especially busy types who can’t get rider screening for the likes of the out. But ride in groups at weekends London Ambulance Cycle Response – you learn to ride better, you’re Unit and most recently working with better protected and it’s more fun so the USA Women’s Olympic team. you’re motivated to do it more.”
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