I began Big Wheel Coaching in the summer of 2009. I was a high school Physical Education Teacher and team sports coach at the time. I observed parents who, as adults, had aged out of fitness, teams, and the opportunity to have a coach as their guide and advocate. I was racing professional mountain bikes at the time and a new subscriber to TrainingPeaks. I decided to blend my passion for coaching and cycling into a form of “PE for Adults” and created Big Wheel Coaching. As the business grew, I stepped out of the high school gym in 2010 to focus entirely on coaching endurance athletes.
我有两名来自那个时代的运动员，他们仍然是BWC家族的一部分。肯·亚当斯（Ken Adams）在2012年通过SocalCycling.com找到了我的服务，这是一种在线资源，用于教练，路线，活动等。vwin国际在线平台当时，他今年54岁，是一个狂热的休闲骑自行车者寻求指导。肯在运动中没有悠久的历史，生活挑战的遍历使他带到了史诗般的游乐设施和冒险等待的自行车上。但是他缺乏从自行车处理到加油的基本技能，我们的教练运动员的关系就开始了。
他本月作为一名运动员与我一起成立10周年一直取得了巨大的成功，创伤，令人心碎和胜利。当肯了解到骑自行车提供什么时，他在山脉中寻找史诗般的游乐设施和路线。解决疯狂的双世纪，在山上独自骑自行车骑行15个小时 - 如果这是一个疯狂的主意，肯可能会想起它。有了这些冒险，他平均每年达到10,000英里。不过，在自行车上，所有这些小时都带来了几次灾难性的崩溃和挫折。
Adjusting Mind and Body
We worked tirelessly on his skills, finding a great bike fitter — who has changed over the years to ensure we are using cutting-edge methods and equipment to meet him where he is at today. We have focused heavily on his fueling strategies and pacing – specifically on double centuries where these two aspects of the event can make or break it for any athlete.
我们还严重依赖有关训练峰的历史数据。我最喜欢的功能之一是“活动后评论”部分，肯宗教上就骑行的各个方面都留下了反馈。从他的营养，天气状况，机械问题等等来看，我们可以回顾任何给定的事件或骑行，并且比原始数据更了解。除了在功率/心率和路线配置文件外，比较他关于以前骑行的笔记，我们还可以更准确地计划和策略为下一个事件或大型骑行。我们可以看到他的TSS是该路线的特定部分，并燃烧了KJ，以帮助确保他的步调良好，并有足够的燃料直接使用。我们使用鸟的眼景，然后用放大镜放大，看看我们对与错了。我们的失误一直是我们最令人难以置信的学习工具，可以帮助他在下一个活动中取得成功。
With this data and context, we have grown to understand that rest is the most crucial aspect of his training. He can crank out epic adventures, but the key to making sure he can do them is getting adequate rest and quality reboot before doing it again.
Although Ken continues to tack on years, the biggest interference to his routine and fitness have been surgeries resulting from crashes and, more recently, the need to have two spinal fusions. These have been challenging, but Ken has fully embraced Zwift and the online training options with smart trainers. These tools have been a game-changer and key to keeping him moving, having high-quality training sessions without worrying about traffic, neck mobility, etc. He upgraded to a 55” TV screen for a complete immersion Zwift experience. He is thriving with the challenge and new way of doing focused training, and, we agree, without his great indoor setup, he most likely would not have continued with his cycling at the same level.
运动员与教练之间的清晰沟通
对我们的伙伴关系的关键是我们的合作伙伴in his training. I enjoy collaborating with him on what he wants to do and listening to what fills his cup. Those needs have changed over the years, so as a coach being attentive to what he really wants to do – even if it’s a bit wild and not the ‘best’ option – I understand that ultimately, he is the captain of his ship. I am a guide and adviser. I see myself as the bumpers for bowling — he won’t roll a gutter ball. I will help put the pins back up and give it a try again. This freedom for him, I believe, has been paramount to the longevity of our partnership. A 200-mile ride is not in the cards anymore for Ken, but he can still enjoy a great 5+ hour ride with friends gaining quality elevation outside.
Our partnership has been a valuable learning experience in how I interact with the rest of my athletes after spending over a decade helping him. Listening is the best tool a coach can have, and validating what the client wants, and believes is extremely important. Coach-athlete collaboration is a potent tool that empowers an athlete to have a say in their trajectory. This collaboration has helped me, as a coach, be mindful to keep rides and activities on their schedule that, by the numbers, may not be the most advantageous, but keep training delightful to some extent. And they are thankful for that leeway and more open to circling back around to learn more, grow and develop since the platform for me to teach from has been built solid through collaboration and mutual respect.
重新访问先前的活动数据
肯很难回顾一下他从2014年开始的CTL和FTP，并将它们与今天的状况进行比较。老实说，我也很难在个人数据上进行比较 - 每个人都以不同的方式变化！我们进行了一些很棒的对话，我们可以挖掘数据，并看到一些来自不同的电量表，这些电量表与我们的FTP过于客气，或者我们处于不再是我们目标集的竞争季节中。有机会分享我的旅程是有帮助的，并鼓励他看看他的同伴团体在做什么！当您看一个有多个脊柱融合，挫折和挑战的64岁男子时，他实际上是该小组的顶端！然后，我们努力寻找让他与他的同龄人在一起的场景，他可以获得“胜利”，以便说话并看到他的辛勤工作和勤奋还清了。
作为运动员和教练以及整个生活的重大精神障碍，就是将我们现在的生活与我们曾经的事物进行比较。但是哇，未来是如此的棒极了，并且有机会开放。成为教练并帮助各个年龄段的运动员找到未来的机会，这是一个真正的宝藏。
在Big Wheel教练中，我们很荣幸能与75多名具有不同才能和能力的运动员合作。我们的客户通常与我们在一起三年或更长时间。当肯（Ken）与我们一起庆祝他的10年时，我希望能与他合作，在他70年代的骑自行车和健身之旅中与他合作。
