turning professional and mileage..

Originally Posted by Columbia

im a 19 year old rider who has been racing on and off for about 4 years. i have always been self-trained as i feel i have a good grasp of how my body reacts to different training stimuli.

recently I have been thinking about trying to join the professional ranks, so i invested in a copy of 'the lance armstrong performance program' as i have heard people recommend it. i did the field test in slightly over 6 minutes (6:04), which is way below the given "advanced" level of under 8 minutes. nevertheless, i turned to the advanced training program and it just seems INCREDIBLY light compared to the training i have been doing for years.

now here are my questions..
can there be any benefit from reducing my mileage so much? i mean an actual training benefit, not a recovery benefit.
since my training load already seems so much higher (about 5-10 hours a week higher) than this book recommends, am i in danger of over-training if i increase it much more?
is it simply a case that the LAPP is too conservative, and i would be better off with some other guide?

finally, and somewhat related to the last point, i have an option to pay 40 euros a month to be coached by a soon-to-be ex professional with one year's experience in training, is this something i should grab with both hands or be wary about?

Originally Posted by Columbia

im a 3rd cat right now. although i could have been a 2, when i transitioned from junior i knew i could only do a couple of races this year so i stayed a 3.
ive been averaging about 3 wins a season, out of about 20-25 races per season. ive been in the top 20 of a few international junior stage races.
no, i havent had the money to invest in a power meter as of yet, i train by heart-rate.
my current weekly schedule is completely unstructured. i basically train according to however i feel in the morning, and none of this is racing.
however, my more normal schedule (that is, last year) would be about 15-16 hours of training a week, usually with 2-3 of those being racing.

Originally Posted by Columbia

im a 19 year old rider who has been racing on and off for about 4 years. i have always been self-trained as i feel i have a good grasp of how my body reacts to different training stimuli.

recently I have been thinking about trying to join the professional ranks, so i invested in a copy of 'the lance armstrong performance program' as i have heard people recommend it. i did the field test in slightly over 6 minutes (6:04), which is way below the given "advanced" level of under 8 minutes. nevertheless, i turned to the advanced training program and it just seems INCREDIBLY light compared to the training i have been doing for years.

now here are my questions..
can there be any benefit from reducing my mileage so much? i mean an actual training benefit, not a recovery benefit.
since my training load already seems so much higher (about 5-10 hours a week higher) than this book recommends, am i in danger of over-training if i increase it much more?
is it simply a case that the LAPP is too conservative, and i would be better off with some other guide?

finally, and somewhat related to the last point, i have an option to pay 40 euros a month to be coached by a soon-to-be ex professional with one year's experience in training, is this something i should grab with both hands or be wary about?

Originally Posted by Bailsibub

Columbia,

If you want to race pro, then I think you should start looking at how the pros race and train(and basically live). Now I'm not saying that you should train like one right now, but what I'm saying is they do pretty much every thing they can in their lives to ride at their maximum potential. That generally means coaching, lots of races(traveling to who knows where), periodization, power meters (these days), dialed-in nutrition, and probably other stuff us pack fodder haven't even heard about yet! It's a 24-hour-a-day job.

It's good you got the book. Keep reading training books and any research you can find. Educate yourself on the sport. And get help from people who know what they are doing. I know that coaches are expensive. I've never had one. And a friend of mine, a strong Cat 1, hasn't either(makes me wonder "what if"). But it might be something worth working a part-time job for at your age....

Making the decision to turn pro is a BIG commitment. I encourage you to go for it. Good luck and stick with it.

Originally Posted by Columbia

im a 19 year old rider who has been racing on and off for about 4 years. i have always been self-trained as i feel i have a good grasp of how my body reacts to different training stimuli.

recently I have been thinking about trying to join the professional ranks, so i invested in a copy of 'the lance armstrong performance program' as i have heard people recommend it. i did the field test in slightly over 6 minutes (6:04), which is way below the given "advanced" level of under 8 minutes. nevertheless, i turned to the advanced training program and it just seems INCREDIBLY light compared to the training i have been doing for years.

now here are my questions..
can there be any benefit from reducing my mileage so much? i mean an actual training benefit, not a recovery benefit.
since my training load already seems so much higher (about 5-10 hours a week higher) than this book recommends, am i in danger of over-training if i increase it much more?
is it simply a case that the LAPP is too conservative, and i would be better off with some other guide?

finally, and somewhat related to the last point, i have an option to pay 40 euros a month to be coached by a soon-to-be ex professional with one year's experience in training, is this something i should grab with both hands or be wary about?

Originally Posted by Ade Merckx

Hi Columbia, first off I wish you all the luck in the world with your dream of being a pro. Just off the top of my head head I think there are a number of things you should be doing;

1. Get in touch with your National Cycling Federation and find out what
programs or club(s) in particular you should be involved with.

2. Don't just get any old coach get someone who's well connected, scientifically knowledgeble and experienced enough to get you where you need to be so you don't end up wasting time.

3. Don't lose focus on your studies coz there's no guarantees you'll make.

4. Like the other fellas have said keep training and loose the Armstrong book its really for weekend warriors and time constrained oldies who aren't seriously competitive.

5. Learn how to win more races and people will start to notice you. Plus it will look good on your Palmares

6. Do your research, find out what good amateur DS's and pro DS's are looking for. Is it just race results, impressive wattage outputs etc etc

Good luck dude

Originally Posted by Bailsibub

Columbia,

Making the decision to turn pro is a BIG commitment. I encourage you to go for it. Good luck and stick with it.