Helping You Ride
Fitter, Faster, Further
You can be a better cyclist, here’s how…
Over time, many cyclists find their rides tend to always be at the same average speed, or they ride the same routes to within a few minutes of time, each time.
This is perfectly normal, especially for those that are just discovering, or re-discovering, the benefits that cycling brings. In fact, it’s the result of millions of years of evolution allowing our bodies to adapt to the stresses that we place upon them. However….
As much as we know that it’s nice to feel comfortable when we are out pedalling, rather than wheezing at the effort, we also know that there’s always a little nagging thought at the back of our minds. Do you recognise it too? It’s the one that says “I know I could do a little bit better?” .
If you’re thinking that, Yes, you do want to become a better cyclist then you’ve found the right website!
Please read on!
Here’s how we can help you improve
Structured training plans to improve your biking FFF's - Fitter, Faster, Further
Bike fitting services to remove those painful or tingly toes, pins & needles, achy knees, neck-ache, back-ache, shoulder-ache or other forms of discomfort
Conversational coaching for when your motivation sometimes needs a helping hand
You don't need to live nearby to us to have a training plan. We live in a modern interconnected world, so all you need to be able to do is provide feedback on a regular basis.
That's it - wherever you are located on planet earth, the distance is no barrier to effective coaching!
Please get in touch via Email, Facebook, Online Chat, Strava, Training Peaks or the good old fashioned telephone.
Why Choose Us?
Please have a read of my ‘Chopsticks’ blog, where I discuss why coaching is more prevalent in some sports than others.
You can jump to it by clicking on the button below:
I started this business for two reasons:
I love cycling - always have done and probably always will do! It was a dream come true when I had the opportunity to try to build a business based on my passion.
Over the years from direct experience, I have formed the opinion that cycle coaching is often perceived as being somewhat reserved for the elite and I want to change that misconception.
Like most cyclists, I am also just a normal, everyday person with a wife, kids, house and bills to pay. I’m 85Kg with the aerodynamic properties of a household brick and, yes, I think that a size L jersey from Italy was actually designed for kids. I fully respect triathletes and duathletes but I have absolutely no intent to go for a swim before I ride my bike and certainly no inclination to go for a run afterwards.
These things seem to have conspired against me when I have found myself looking for cycling advice and, yet, I love cycling…
The freedom, the challenge, the experience of wonderful locations, the camaraderie, the coffee, the cake, the friendly competition, the desire to get a little bit better and maintain my health, the glow at the end of a ride, the sense of achievement after a difficult hill climb.
These are the things that are important to me and I have years of experience riding road bikes and mountain bikes from Lands End to John O’Groats, Blackpool to Paris, in the Alps, In the Pyrenees, in Norway, in Sweden and in the USA.
With my on-two-wheels experiences now supplemented with formal coaching qualifications from the Association of British Cycling Coaches and Training Peaks, I can coach people that would like to improve their ability and get more enjoyment from cycling.
I believe that it’s perfectly valid to be coached even if you are a complete cycling novice. In my opinion, achieving your first 50km ride, if you’ve been on the couch for the last 10 years, is just as valid a reason to be coached as trying ride 100 miles in 4 hours. In fact, I’d say it’s probably a better reason.
Fundamentally, Sportive Cycle Coaching is all about making coaching and bike fitting services readily available to those that share our passion for cycling. It is so much easier to enjoy wonderful cycling terrain when you are not wheezing within an inch of your life, or suffering from an avoidable discomfort.
So -
Perhaps you've decided to complete your first 100km ride or take on a full crossing of the Pyrenees, who knows?
Maybe you've signed up for a charity ride or are taking part in your first Sportive.?
It could be that you just want to return to a healthier lifestyle.
Each one of us has different reasons for wanting to improve our cycling but whatever your objective or inspiration, please get in touch and let us help!
What Our Clients Are Saying
“I absolutely recommend Andy in his methodical/logical human approach to helping cyclists of all abilities that want to achieve challenges which they thought might be beyond them. Now I know I will complete the Dragon Ride. The challenge now is in what time!”
— Andy C
“The plan is clear and tailored exactly to me and whilst Andy can’t do the training for me or be on every ride with me, it’s already feeling like having a personal coach is going to get me to where I want to be”
— Tim L
“Andy took to time to understand me as a cyclist, explain everything clearly and didn’t stop until I was happy with the bike fit. Indeed, he is still in touch and checking whether the fit is standing up to the miles.”
— Sarah G
“I have had the pleasure (and sometimes pain) of riding with Andy on many occasions. He’s super passionate about cycling and has roped me into many glorious rides all over Europe. Together we’ve completed Paris-Roubaix, several Tour de France mountain stages, a 300km one day epic (Vatternrundan), some of the major climbs and much of the Alps and Pyrenees”
— Martin G
Don’t just take our clients’ words for it!
Sportive Cycle Coaching has been published in the January 2020 edition of Cyclist magazine (Issue #95), which is the World's biggest Road Cycling Magazine.
Our article entitled 'How should I plan my training for next year?' is recognition of our ability to help cyclists of all ages and abilities.
It's also available online on the Cyclist magazine website by clicking on the button below
Please email andy@sportivecyclecoaching.co.uk if you've read the report - we'd really like to hear from you!
Training Plans
There are three main areas where a training plan would be beneficial to a cyclist and we refer to them as the three F's
'Fitter' could mean everything from riding your first 30km, using cycling as part of a health improvement programme or breaking your personal best time on the Alpe d'Huez
'Faster' could mean completing a 25mile time trial in less than an hour, or keeping up with the front riders in a local cycling group. It could mean being confident that you can 'keep up' with a group and thus have the courage to join a club.
'Further' could be riding the Trans American race, reaching your first 100km or just riding for 40 minutes rather than 30.
The 3F's are relevant to everyone who enjoys cycling and they can be improved by following structured training plans.
Bike Fittings.
If you suffer from pins & needles in your hands or feet, or you get a lot of neck ache, back ache, saddle soreness or twinges in your knees then the chances are that the discomfort will put you off riding.
Fear not though, our bike fitting services will address those niggles that you really don’t need to put up with!
Our fittings are available on a mobile, come-to-you basis and can be conducted at your home, place of work or other agreed location**, at a time to suit you.
Irrespective of whether you opt for an at home fitting or a an agreed location, we always aim to make you feel as comfortable as possible on your bike.
** You must have the owner’s permission of course!
Turbo Trainer / Smart App Integration Services
We believe that the best way to conduct a workout on your bike is for your bike computer, or your smart app, to tell you what to do and when to do it.
So, for example, you would be instructed by the app/computer when to finish your warm up, when to finish your intervals, when to cool down, as well as the relative intensities for the different phases.
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We use Training Peaks to either reproduce your existing workouts, or construct new ones for you and then export them to a number of bike computers / smart apps including:
Garmin device
Kinetic Fit App
Racermate / Computrainer
Trainer Road
Wahoo Elemnt or Bolt
Zwift
If your specific type of indoor trainer is not on the above list, then please drop an email to andy@sportivecyclecoaching.co.uk, as the list is not exhaustive. Each workout usually only needs to be loaded once as they can generally be built to automatically adjust to changes in your Heart Rate or Power Zones. All you have to do is ensure that your personal 'profile' in the smart app / smart trainer accurately reflects your personal metrics and then it's off you go to the workout!
The advantage of this approach is that we do the time consuming (tech) work so you get to focus on the hard (cycling) work!
Conversational Coaching
When you think your body has completely "had it", there's a least 100 miles in the reserve tank - you just need to know how to tap in to those reserves.
That's really easy for me to say, of course, but how can it be done it reality?
Our Partners
We have Charity Partners and Lifestyle Partners that we are very proud to work with.
Meet your coach
Cycling has been my passion since the earliest days when it first provided me with freedom to roam at the age of 10 or 11!
Following a voluntary redundancy in 2018, I retrained as a cycle coach with the Association of British Cycling Coaches (ABCC).
With my hands-on experience of riding many events and formal qualifications from ABCC and Training Peaks, I know I can help others experience the pleasures of completing their cycling challenges
Please get in touch!
We’d love to hear from you, no matter what the [biking] subject you have in mind!