Isn't there an old saying that goes something like, "You never forget how to ride a bike?" Well, if you have ever been on a tour or a large charity ride, you may have noticed there are many people who turn the cranks but don't really know how to ride. They start and stop pedaling, they don't know when to shift or how to shift, they swerve all over the road, and they struggle on the slightest incline. It doesn't have to be that way, because many effective cycling skills are easy to learn.

A coach for a recreational rider can teach a cyclist how to enjoy the ride and not worry about the mechanics of cycling. The coach can prepare the rider for multi-day tours such as the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), or Colorado's "Ride the Rockies." If you want to know more about training for RAGBRAI 2008, click here.

Bike racing is a great sport! Unfortunately, it is a challenging sport to learn and one that demands a great deal of the athlete.

The coaches have worked with a variety of different types of competitors--juniors, seniors, masters--road, triathlete, cyclolcross, mountain bike. All the athletes have been amateurs (some very, very good amatuers), so the coaches are very familiar with the balancing act athletes deal with in trying to find time to train and compete, while at the same time going to school, holding down a job, and maybe taking care of a family.

You should expect the competition-level training to be intense and include interval workouts that will push you to your limits. The coaches will expect you to live life like an athlete, meaning nutrition, health, training, recovery, and competition will be important aspects of your life. Many athletes do both strength training and cross training (eg. weights, pilates, yoga, running, core work), especially in the pre-season, and your coaches can build this into your schedule.

Knowing that most of us are not racing to make a living, or to put food on the table, the idea is to have fun, be competitive, and enjoy the excitement and friendships that come from competition. The coaches will remind the athletes that there has to be a "balance" between training, competition, and all the other important things in life such as family, friends, work and school.