I've been cycling seriously for the last 6 months. I have been riding with my local bike shops race team on group rides for the last few months. They have encouraged me to start racing at some point next season, I am really motivated to try it and I've been putting in the training time. I can maintain pack pace yet still get dropped at the end of harder rides on bigger climbs (as expected with my experience). My question is, are the out of town riding coaches recommended by anyone? Is it a common method to use a out of state coach and do weekly phone/ email consults? I really feel I need some direction in the training department and I've learned a lot just be reading articles and forum threads about SST & FTP training. Am I overthinking this being that I'm starting as a cat 5 and should I just keep riding hard with the knowledge I can research or is it advised seeking coaching help? The LBS guys are great and answer any questions I have but I don't expect them to lay out a full training plan for me. Thanks as always for any advice, Mike