Patience Grasshopper

More effective than drugs, just a little less sexy

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The great Miguel Indurain won his first of five Tours de France at his SEVENTH participation.

There are two sides to any coach / athlete relationship and with those sides comes two different perspectives. This is never more relevant (or important) as when the inevitable happens and the athlete's progress stalls, or is simply not moving quickly enough (again "quickly enough" will be matter of perspective). This is why open and regular communication between coach and athlete is vital because coach may well have a plan in place, possibly even be expecting some stalling in performance that is all part of the long game, but all the athlete sees (feels) is a drop in performance. When both parties are on the same page, harmony and co-operation is far more likely.

In order to keep relevance here, most of the references and examples are specific to endurance cycling, sports with different performance parameters are well outside the scope of this blog. So on with endurance cycling. It is also worth keeping in mind that the word "coach" can often be substituted with "training program", as many riders don't in fact use a coach but source and download training plans from a variety of sources.

I have some favourite examples that highlight the importance of year on year progress and building towards reaching the full potential of the rider. Miguel Indurain is a Spanish cyclist that won the Tour de France five years in a row, between 1991 and 1995. Most cycling fans know this but far fewer are aware that 1991 ("Big Mig's" first title) was in fact Indurain's SEVENTH participation in the race, hardly an instant sensation. Obvously many years were spent in diligent and consistent training, no doubt there were many occasions where his progress stalled, or even went backwards. But in the end, year on year progress led Indurain to the very top of the cycling world. Then there is our own Richie Porte, who actually first rode the TDU (for UniSA) in 2008 and placed 7th overall in his first Grand Tour, the Giro in 2010, where he also won the young rider category. It has taken close to a decade of year on year development for Richie to become a genuine contender for the overall title in the Grand Tours

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Richie during his breakout year, riding for Saxobank in 2010.

Whilst the examples of Indurain and Porte highlight the importance of consistency, building and patience, the path of the professional cyclist is always a little different to that of the weekend warrior or even the serious amateur racer. There are however some mistakes worth avoiding for ALL cyclists trying to improve and some foundation principles to keep firmly routed in your approach to training.

1. Keep at it always. Consistency and patience are the most important elements of athletic progression. Down time and stalled progress are completely normal and performance tends to improve in "jumps", yours may be just around the corner.
2. DON'T chop and change your approach every few months (or even weeks). Physiological adaptation is a slow-moving beast and your body needs time. Most training plans are built around achieving results through a long term build of sequential adaptations. Change the focus and training stimulus mid-stream can be the equivalent of knocking over the house of cards, just as you were about to add the chimney.
3. Avoid shifting to your best buddies training plan because you think it looks, seems, or just might be better than yours (the old "grass is greener".....not). This approach tends to result in two steps forward / two steps back, progress for a while with a change in stimulus and then a breakdown of your form because you have "destabilised"  the adaptation process.
4. Trust your coach (training plan) and commit to a specific term or goal. It is important to allow enough time for the science to work and although the time frame cannot be indefinite, it is more than reasonable to commit to at least two years or seasons.
5. Communicate openly and honestly with your coach / or, engage regularly with the system that produces your training plans. It is important to ask questions, seek clarification and feel confident that your are on the right path.
6. Commit to completing the key elements of your training plan, as far as is possible, without compromise. Most plans will have "non-negotiables" (I call them key sessions) that are critical for producing the stimulus required for long term progress. But outside of these, it is very important to keep the energy in your riding, whether that is participating in your favourite bunch ride, heading out to the trails or riding the odd Wednesday crit. Just be sure to communicate this to your coach and I am sure that in 90% of cases, there will be a way to make it work.

Improving your performance in road cycling is a long game, every bike rider who has achieved worthwhile and fulfilling goals will tell you that, that is why it is called endurance sport. It is very easy to commit to training (and stick to a plan) when things are going well. The true test comes when things are not going so well, commitment during the harder weeks / months is what brings true year on year progress, just ask Miguel and Richie.

Stay Safe and Train Smart
​ScyclePro