Train like an amateur

'Train like an amateur' sounds unglamorous next to the ‘train like a Pro’ mantra. More so now you can pay for an avatar of a dodgy ex-professional rider to verbalise AI generated coaching wisdom for you.  
  
However, if you are going to train like a Pro, you’ll need, as a minimum, 24 hours a week to ride. This colossal amount of riding would also require the support of a doctor, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a team car, a mechanic and, probably, an ambulance. It would also need a coach of questionable ethics with a mandate to get a performance out of you even if it killed him. Or you.

Maybe I’m being unfair, if you were lucky you might go mad or become chronically fatigued before it killed you. Or him.  

Unless you’re an 18 year old elite category rider who’s been training since they were 8 years old and you’re prepared to gamble on the sub 1% chance of becoming a World Tour Pro, you should train like an amateur. By this I mean adopting a training program that reflects who you are and what you want to achieve.

Pro riders are paid to do a job of which bike racing is only a part. They don’t choose their equipment, training regime or targets. They are cycling advertising boards. They are extrinsically motivated by money, fame and success whilst, at the same time, trying to sell you their sponsors products. There's nothing wrong with this, we just need to be honest about it and apply some critical thinking to what that means for our consumption of the products they sell. 

As an amateur, you don’t get paid, that’s the whole point, it's a choice. This intrinsic motivation to ride a bike for enjoyment means you get to choose your own direction and set your own goals. Motivation comes from the soul, not a sponsors wallet. You've got nothing to sell. As an amateur, cycling is a meaningful, liberating and honourable endeavour.  

Embrace the amateur status, take pride it in and train effectively with cognisance of time limitations from family, work or study. Recognise your age, sex and the hard won experiences that shape who you are and build them into a plan that reflects you.

Ultimately, your success will come from engaging in a training program that helps you achieve your goals, not those conflicted by commercialism. Be an amateur, train for who YOU want to be on your terms.  

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​Rich Smith, MSc, BSc (Hons) Psych is a British Cycling qualified Level 3 Road & Time Trial coach supporting riders nationally and internationally. He established RideFast Coaching in 2015 to deliver top class physiologically and psychologically sustainable training to dedicated amateur riders of all ages and abilities. ​