Going back to January or even a week or two before I first started training I set a couple of goals that I wanted to achieve for myself.
- Join a cycling team/club
- Draft up and follow a training program
- Learn what it takes to be self coached and self sufficient as an athlete.
- Start the National Time Trial Championships
- Enjoy it!
Joining a Club/Team
The Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) has a very comprehensive site with guidelines for beginners, including a database of all cycling clubs/teams in the country. With a couple of mouse clicks I was able to find a local cycling club, based within a 10min bike ride from my apartment.
I got in touch via e-mail with the club secretary and in no time I was a member of WTC de Amstel. The first training of the racing team was scheduled for the same week so I showed up ready to go. Honestly that was probably the hardest 2 hours of my entire season. I got dropped like a stone in about 20kms. Needless to say I was hooked. I was back next week and didn’t miss a single group ride ever since. As the season rolled on it only got better. It is a very friendly group of people, that answered all my questions and introduced me to the world of bicycle racing. Being a foreigner who spoke the local language, albeit with an accent, was always a good conversation starter.
Training Schedule
Before cycling I spent a good 6 seasons of rowing, last 3 at a very competitive national level so I was aware that success and having a structured training plan go hand in hand. I did some research on the internet and familiarized myself with basic training principles and got a template cycling program as a starting point. Most importantly I did not view the training plan as set in stone. I knew following it blindly would only get my halfway so wanted to see what works for me and what didn’t. I am happy to say I got a good grip of what kind of abuse my body can take and what I can improve on for next season. For the power number oriented crowd, my detailed training analysis is coming in a future post. Sooo I had joined a team and had a plan? Now what?
Being Self-coached
I have to set a standard. If I ask you to do something and I don’t do it myself, your respect for me drops immediately. If am telling you to be here at 7am and I don’t get here till 7:45, then immediately your respect for me takes a tumble. By being here every session the standard rises. I am able to watch everybody, to adjust the program, to help the program, it’s an important part of the process…to the point I don’t wan to miss a session because of those factors.
-Mike Spracklen (Multiple gold medal winning rowing coach)
The athlete coach relationship can be a love and hate demeanor. Having a bad coach is worse than no coach. I have always had a coach. The hardest part of being self coached is that you need to take care of EVERYTHING by yourself. Creating a training plan and staying on track and motivated is a significant part. On the other hand you need to be in charge of your racing calendar. You need to sign up for races on time; if it is an out of town competition, arrange hotels, transportation etc. I didn’t own a car at the beginning of season, so I had to borrow one from friends or rent which involved extra driving or somebody cancelling on me in the last possible moment. Making sure your equipment is ready, every little thing is your own responsibility and more or less it costs extra stress. However, this is the most rewarding. The only person you have to answer to is yourself. You are in charge and although it requires some additional energy, it is very empowering and gives you an extra confidence boost on race day. Think of it as the opposite of the high ranking CEO that cannot order an espresso without his/her personal assistant.
Start the National Time Trial Championships
Having something to look forward to is one of the proven methods to keep your motivation during long months of training. Although my schedule wasn’t completely set in stone I had one vision – 29 June 2012: the date of the Bulgarian National Time Trial Championships. It took me some phone calls, forms, and 3 straight days of driving by myself after a 6 year hiatus since i got my driver’s license. Daunting task, but i did it! I also placed in the top half of the field!
Have fun with it!
Honestly with few minor hiccups, related to my job I have forgotten the thrill of actually learning something new. Whether it was an official race or just a local criterium at the start I was excited to do something new and come out a better bicycle racer at the finish. Oh yes and I got dropped a LOT.
A lot of my friends who are distanced from sports continuously ask me: “So do you win anything?” Without having to think about I answer: “No. I have fun with it.” At this moment I got a lot to learn. I would get better. Whether I win or not, I have promised to myself I would not get hung up on small things like podium finishes or pure numbers.
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