To sum it up; “The Coach Who Cares”!  Every thing I read said to find a coach who cares.  Where else will you find a coach who cares about an OLD Masters rookie, has the patience to coach a novice, reads every training note you care to write, provides a weekly one on one personal training review, offers a comprehensive training philosophy and all the training plans, logs, gym workouts, stretching exercises, general health articles etc, etc etc:  It’s a long list.  And; do all of that while having a fantastic 2012 season and becoming the Canadian National Crit Champion — That would be “Coach” Ben Chaddock, Toque Coaching!

 

Three months of landscaping our new home in Greenville SC didn’t leave much time in my schedule for cycling this spring.  Luckily most of that was finished before the brutal South Carolina summer arrived – at the May 2011 US Pro Championship, I believe it was Quinn Keogh who described our beautiful southern weather as “a zillion degrees with a kazillion humidity”.   Since July I am back to 125 / 160 miles a week and enjoying every mile of every ride including the conquering of Paris Mountain.  Not many of those rides go by without a recollection of something the “Coach” said or did, and the habits he engrained are part of everything I do whether on the ride, in the gym, or even reading about or discussing cycling.

 

 

Just to list a few:

  • Did I get enough sleep last night?
  • Am I ready to ride?
  • Have I got the right clothes to be comfortable?
  • Do I have liquid and food to match the ride?
  • Should I ride or take a rest day?
  • It’s OK to do a recovery ride today.
  • How’s the cadence, throw in a couple of HC or LC drills?
  • How’s the heart rate, deep diaphragm breathing to control.
  • Am I going to do a zone ride today?
  • Think form – focus.
  • Do some standing drills.
  • Min-Min / relax; or, crush some tarmac?
  • Record the ride in my training log – not only what I did, but how I felt.
  • Don’t forget “MY After” chocolate milk (from Toque Torque Cycling long before the commercial was chic)
  • Post ride stretch / massage.
  • Maybe cold shower on the quads (sorry Coach – no ice bath for me, it’s an age thing).
  • Repeat 5x – Ah, wind in your face, It’s great to be a teenager again.
  • Take a nap – Age reality and necessity sets in — until the next ride

With Toque Torque Cycling I ride stronger (my coach didn’t want me to talk about speed / pace but it’s about 10-15% improvement), with the right frame of mid, with better form, and most importantly more enjoyment – and “Coach”, not only did I conquer Paris Mountain, I seldom let a week or two go by without a ride to the top, both directions and multiple times on some days.  As I recall, the fear and challenge of climbing is why I called Toque Torque — Thank You!