# College Student looking for a Coach



## marquinhos (Nov 22, 2007)

Hey all, 

I've come to realize that it's rather hard to structure my workouts in a way to optimize my performance while not neglecting my school, work, family etc. I decided I want to go one step further and hire a coach who can give me feedback and orientation on how to use my time as effectively as possible. 

I'm a college student at the University of Virginia, we do have a cycling team, but currently don't have a coach. I've been riding bikes for at least 5 years, but have a background in long-distance, slow pace, mountain biking. I started riding road bikes a couple years ago and got more into it last year. I trained rather consistently (probably 8-10h a week) last fall, but a crash in early January kept me from riding for a couple weeks and from riding confidently for at least a month. I got back into it and started racing as a Category C in early march. I hit the pole a few times, but didn't win any races. 

This year I started to commit some more, I have been training on average 10 hours a week, working on my endurance and speed skills - as well integrating some tempo/LT in the mix. I've been hitting the gym and doing mostly squats and core strength exercises with 5 x 15 three times a week.

I'm somewhat confident that I'm doing some of the right things, but I have a few ambitious goals that need more than just "somewhat confident" to be achieved:

1) Do B category races and win at least 1/2. Road races are about 50 miles long with climbs between 1/3 miles that are climbed 3-4 times. Criteriums are 45 minutes long. Most races seem to have breakaways with smaller sprints. While racing Cs I could usually go with the breakaways, but rarely had the legs to sprint. 

2) In May/June/July I will be in Brazil and plan to race in the Junior category. Races there have a similar profile as far as distance is concerned, but all categories start together, which makes them a "race for your life" effort. Whoever can stick to the Elite's wheels has the chance to take the race without even having to sprint. Races are rather flat.

I'm looking for a coach who can help me develop a training plan that helps me achieve that goal as well as change it as I go as school and work tend to get on the way of training every now and then. I'm confident I will be able to commit 10-12 hours a week except for maybe a couple weeks spread out throughout the winter (maybe early December and late December).

I've been keeping a training log on trainingpeaks.com and I train with a HRM. I do not have a powermeter on the bike, but I do have a trainer that provides me consistent (though the readings may not be precise) readings of power. 

If you guys can recommend me some coaches who you trust and who seem to fit my profile, please do so! Once again, college student (limited budget), committed to cycling, 10-12 hours a week on average (may very well have 15 hour weeks and 4-6h recovery weeks).

Thank you for your attention and sorry for the long post!
Best, 
Marcos


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2009)

Probably a good idea to get a coach, I wish I would've done something like that when I was younger. Have you looked at the listings on usacycling? You can see who is in your area and what level they are certified to by the organization, many also have links to websites or email addresses. As a college student you might be able to get a pretty good deal.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

You're at UVA? Talk to the 3 guys who dominated collegiate nationals this year. One of them signed to Rock...


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## marquinhos (Nov 22, 2007)

kytyree said:


> Probably a good idea to get a coach, I wish I would've done something like that when I was younger. Have you looked at the listings on usacycling? You can see who is in your area and what level they are certified to by the organization, many also have links to websites or email addresses. As a college student you might be able to get a pretty good deal.


Thank you for your input, I will indeed look into the listings on usacycling website. I feel like the rankings are a bit tricky as it seems very very easy to become a Level 2 coach (only a weekend-long seminar and exam). There are not many Level 1 coaches listed for Virginia and they all seem rather expensive. $150 - $200 a month plus initial fee and possibly a power meter is more than I'm willing to put down if I'm simply picking a coach from a list...


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## marquinhos (Nov 22, 2007)

iliveonnitro said:


> You're at UVA? Talk to the 3 guys who dominated collegiate nationals this year. One of them signed to Rock...


Maybe you're mistaken...?

We had only 2 cyclists racing in nationals this year and one of them is currently in Germany... The other one was women's national champion a few years back and can support the team in terms of advise, but not individual coaching.

If I'm missing something crucial let me know, but I don't think you're thinking about the University of Virginia in 2009's season.

Anyhow, I'm already trying to get the team to get a coach and start a more serious program, but that will probably take a while and I was trying to get myself a coach to start a work focusing on next season. 

If you guys could recommend me coaches/resources to look into, please do! Also, if I'm doing anything inherently wrong and that's rather obvious, feel free to point it out!

Thank you all for your input!
Best, 
Marcos


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

marquinhos said:


> Maybe you're mistaken...?
> 
> We had only 2 cyclists racing in nationals this year and one of them is currently in Germany... The other one was women's national champion a few years back and can support the team in terms of advise, but not individual coaching.
> 
> ...


Yes, I was mistaken. It was Univ. of Vermont (not Virginia) that swept it.

I would look at local racing clubs and ask if they have suggestions for a coach. Make sure they are at least level 2 certified, preferably level 1. A degree would be good -- especially with L2 certification.


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## marquinhos (Nov 22, 2007)

Thank you, I'm looking through as many sources as I can before I decide to actually put down that much money a month. 

Any comments on what I've been currently doing? I obviously don't want to be standing still while other people are training - I couldn't...

I've been doing at least 1 3h endurance ride a week and a couple 2h rides with some tempo and LT work. I've also been doing some speed skills (one legged intervals and high cadence intervals) and hitting the gym for squats and core strength 3 times a week with improving my sprint as a goal.

Any comments on what I've been doing?


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## marquinhos (Nov 22, 2007)

I read your posts every now and then and see that you just upgraded from Cat3 to Cat2, without going into the intricacies of how you got there, do you think a coach is essential or just helpful?


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## BryanSayer (Sep 22, 2009)

You might check with teams in the NoVA area. I hear NCVC is still racing, and NoVA isn't that far from you. Anyway, they might be able to give a personal recommendation. They had a pretty good juniors program in the recent past.

BTW, not being able to sprint at the end of the race might just be 'not able to sprint'. I never could and it didn't matter whether it was the beginning, middle, or end. This is one of the things you should try to figure out. Because if you don't have the fast twitch muscle fiber, you will have to learn other ways to win races.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

marquinhos said:


> I read your posts every now and then and see that you just upgraded from Cat3 to Cat2, without going into the intricacies of how you got there, do you think a coach is essential or just helpful?


It depends on your personality. I coach myself, as I have experience with coaching. I probably could have gotten to cat2 faster with a coach, but only because I would be held accountable for my riding and training. That is, I wouldn't skip as many rides because I "didn't feel like riding."

It not depends on your personality/drive, but also your knowledge of coaching, genetic ability, and how good the coach is.


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