After a cycling coach in Melbourne, Australia

[duz10s]

Guys,

After a cycling coach for mainly road cycling, prefer someone local in Melbourne, Australia.

I hear there are now a lot of online coaches, would be happy to hear your experiences and any recommendations.

I have never been coached before or had any training plans written for me.

Thanks

[Dalai]

Any coaches aligned with your club?

Given the SRM is on its way... I'd read through Training and Racing with a Power Meter first, then test yourself and look into the training plans in the back of the book to start with.

Your main issue will be finding coaches locally that have a good understanding of training with Power...
I've heard good reports about Alex Simmons, but he is based in Sydney. http://www.rstsport.com

[jamespierce]

Check out Marcus Speed - http://speedcyclingsystems.com.au/ - He runs a good studio in Brunswick and has a pretty holistic and realistic approach to his coaching. Has a Watt bike in house for structured testing which is of course uses himself a bunch - he's got his head around power as a result.

Full Disclosure - I train with and occasionally race for Marcus.

[mrfish]

I asked Tapeworm for advice. He clarified a few things for me as I was confused by a lot of the over-complicated mumbo jumbo out there. If you're not about to win the TdF, then some simple rules get you 80% of the way there:

- Set goals
- Specificity - Make your training match or at least break down your goals
- Balance - Train all energy systems by doing a mix of short, medium and long efforts each week, but also spend a good amount of time riding at base levels or resting
- Progression - Simple linear progression is a good start. Once you plateau, some cycles and periodisation might help
- Monitoring - Write down what you did and how you feel

Get the simple stuff right, then it doesn't really matter if you measure progress using a stopwatch, speedo, HR or power meter - all will get you there.

[CulBaire]

Just bumping this thread as I am after a cycling coach in the Melbourne area. Speed Cycling Systems looks good so I will be shooting an email though to them but does anyone else have any experience with anyone else.

I am looking for someone capable of doing MTB plans / coaching.

[grover]

Aaron, definitely talk to Jenny King http://pedallab.com/

[CulBaire]

Aaron, definitely talk to Jenny King http://pedallab.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers John,

I will give her a bell later in the week. Have you used Jenny, or know of someone that does?
I'm getting pretty quick on the roadie, just need to transfer that to the MTB now...

Aaron

[grover]

I've not had a program personally.

I do a bit of riding with people she does coach though and have seen good progress. Whether it be Elite riders wanting to reach the top of the sport, young riders that need some nurturing or those just wanting to get the best out of themselves. She's a podiatrist by trade and is better equipped than most for bike fit which is a benefit. She has links with other health care professionals such as dieticians. She doesn't expect that you utilise all these services but it's good to know all bases are covered if needed. She actually gets out on the bike with you occasionally and with a good pool of riders in Victoria gets a decent bunch mtb ride going where you can pick up some tips/skills from quicker dudes. The service can be very relaxed guidance all the way to daily discussions and personalisation of the program with all facets covered.

[rekemeyer94]

Honestly you can really do a lot on your own! If you read the right books and look at the right blogs/articles/scientific journals you can get a very good understanding of the body and its processes. Having said that, a coach can be a very good investment (assuming you can afford/get along with the individual well). I have been self-coached for roughly 4 years and in this time moved up from a Cat 5 (as a mildly chubby 15 year old) to a Cat 1 (who isn't nearly as chubby and doing National Calendar Races), so self coaching can work! I have found that having a coach (I have had one for brief periods in time) can make your training much less stressful! I always used to second guess everything I would do for myself (which is something I don't do when I have coached some other guys), but it's different when you are in charge of everything. My recommendation is, if you can afford/think you need one, is hire someone to work with you for two months (preferably during the offseason). If you like it/think it is worth the money keep going, if not let your coach know that you will be looking elsewhere.

P.S. I would completely offer my services to you, at a reasonable price, but I am in the US and not meeting someone, ever, makes it hard to coach them! Distance coaching can be super effective however, no actual contact ever isn't the best course of action. The people at speedcyclingsystems.com seem to have their stuff together, but look like mostly off-roaders (also, the guy's last name is speed, so that alone should get you some wins, right?).

[CulBaire]

At the moment I am self coached for lack of a better term, that said I am fairly knowledgeable and still making significant gains. I am finding consistency is the key to improvements however like your self I quite often second guess myself.

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[User Name]

Rob Crowe is pretty good, and he's a monster rider. http://www.ridewiser.com.au/
Here he is smashing everyone (Including a couple of pros) at the St Kilda festival crits a few years ago.
He's got an office/'studio' in St Kilda, but lives bayside, so I think he does the occasional after hours "sit-down" session on his way home from work

[Privateer]

Bumping this one.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good coach in Sydney?

[Dalai]

If you train with a PM, I've heard good things about Alex Simmons. http://www.rstsport.com/event-coaches-coach-alex.htm

[grover]

Mark Fenner?

[lincoln]

Fenner is good. I use Mark Orton at Speedworks Coaching who is in the US and I'm in Sydney. Your coach doesn't need to be local