John setting course record at Boston-Montreal-Boston.
John has ridden seven 1200 kms: Paris-Brest-Paris ’79, ’87, ’91, ’95, ’99, B-M-B ’92, & the Rocky Mountain ’04.

Programs

I work with riders ranging from beginning endurance riders to ultra racers. This season I am coaching men and women, age 30s to 70s, training for first brevets, double centuries and 12-hour races, road and MTB racing, 1200 kms, qualifiers for the Race Across AMerica (RAAM) and RAAM. I am coaching cyclists by e-mail in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. I offer three different coaching programs:
	Weekly	Assessment, macro-cycle design, and weekly coaching and interaction with the athlete. Cost is $250 for the assessment, macro-cycle and copy of our new book Distance Cycling and then $150 / month for the coaching.
	Monthly	Assessment, macro-cycle design, and monthly coaching and interaction with the athlete. Cost is $250 for the assessment, macro-cycle and copy of our new book Distance Cycling and then $100 / month for the coaching.
	Annual	Assessment, macro-cycle design, and annual training schedule for the athlete to follow. Cost is $250 for the assessment, macro-cycle and copy of our new book Distance Cycling and $175 for the training schedule with no regular interaction with the coach after the assessment and program design and no monthly fee.

Assessment
For the weekly, monthly and annual programs I start by assessing each athlete, which includes:

• reviewing the person’s medical and training history
• testing current aerobic fitness, anaerobic threshold, strength and flexibility
• discussing his/her goals for the season and the planned events
• talking about strengths and weaknesses
• identifying any significant time constraints

Macrocycle
For each of the three coaching programs I then develop the macro-cycle (annual plan) leading up to the key event, e.g., Race Across Oregon. The macro-cycle is divided into phases:

• off-season preparation
• base training
• intensity
• taper
• key event(s)

For each phase we determine the goals, any key events, the duration and the training volume (total hours for the phase and average hours per week). I also provide strength training exercises and a daily stretching program.

Cost of the assessment and macro-cycle is $250.

Weekly/Monthly
Once the macro-cycle is finished then I either work with the athlete on a weekly or a monthly basis.

If I’m coaching weekly, I review the athlete’s workouts every week, answer questions, and then write new workouts. If I’m coaching monthly, I review monthly reports, answer questions, and write four weeks of workouts.

The workouts are based on the macro cycle and the athlete’s current fitness. Each plan specifies for each day:

• purpose of the training
• modality (road bike, mountain bike, cross-training, weights, etc.)
• duration (hours and minutes)
• the workout (endurance ride, hill climbs, intervals, etc.)
• the intensity (measured as a percent of the athlete’s anaerobic threshold or perceived exertion)

The workouts are sent each week/month by e-mail or fax.

The athlete keeps a training log and sends weekly/monthly copies to me by e-mail or fax. I review each log before writing the next workouts. As appropriate, we also talk by e-mail or phone about the athlete’s progress.

At the end of each month I re-test the athlete’s fitness to gauge progress and adjust the program as necessary. We re-test:

• aerobic fitness
• strength
• flexibility

The cost for the weekly coaching is $150 / month. The cost for the monthly coaching is $100 / month. Also, the athlete pays for any long-distance calls.

Annual Training Schedule
For the annual training plan, in addition to the assessment and macro-cycle, I write a typical weekly workout for each month along with notes on how to vary it week by week. I also provide a strength training and daily stretching program. For example, in base training the program might be:

• three 1 hour weight lifting sessions (I’ll specify the exercises)
• two 1.5 to 2.5 hour rides in HR zones 2 & 3
• one 3 - 5 hour endurance workout in HR zones 1 - 3
• four 30 min sessions of stretching, abs, and back exercises (I’ll specify the exercises)
• total: 11 - 15 hours