Coach Carter

I've done a few tests of the mobile lab set up we have been developing for PBscience's athlete testing, but until now, all have been pilot tests: checks of equipment, protocols, the environment, timings etc. Yesterday was the first REAL test - for me, for 'Mobie' and for the set-up of the test. At 7am, I picked up Dan, my assistant - it wasn't a problem for either of us to be motivated, despite the wet and miserable Monday morning - as we knew we were off on a special road trip: to the HQ of the Brawn GP team in Brackley.

You'll have read my posts on the various trips I have made to the wind tunnel since starting PBscience - that facility is in Shrivenham. At Brawn, there is an even more sophisticated wind tunnel, and its now the HQ of 'Drag2zero', the company I work with to get my athletes tested. What took us there? Well, the first client to be tested in the mobile lab was Drag2zero's owner, Simon Smart. Simon was the ideal person to kick off the mobile lab testing, as he appreciates the finer points to getting new systems in place. At both Shrivenham and Brawn, Simon has had to adapt the tunnel rigs for bike testing, and not without teething problems. It allowed Dan and I to be reassured that even if we experienced said 'teething problems' in our testing procedures that Simon would understand. I can happily report though that we didn't have to use his understanding, and the tests went really well.

As well as the business of getting a new PBscience athlete underway, the trip also allowed Dan and I to speak with Simon and his assistant Henry about how our two companies might work together: and there are some exciting developments that I will soon be releasing. One is a joint programme of events where an athlete can be tested across their physiology; their aerodynamics; and their bike fit - the 'one-stop-shop' for a competitive athlete wanting to hone their performance. Simon and I are really excited about the project, watch this space for more news!

(Dan and I were also given a tour of the wind tunnel - but of course, I can't talk about that....all top secret )

My attentions are now turning to the end of season de-briefing process. Someone recently suggested that this must be a quieter time for me....I couldn't help but smile - if anything, October and November are my busiest months, and not just because I am a start-up business. Its time to look back on the season, through the athlete's data, reviewing progress made, and thinking of how these lessons can feed forward to next year. I'll also be reviewing my own performance as a cycling coach. I'm sure those reflections I will share with you in a blog post soon.

October 1st, 2009 – the official start of PBscience run as an independent cycle coaching business.

Sitting here at my desk reminds me of a day back in 2000 – February 14th to be precise, my first day as a researcher at the University of Roehampton. It was my first position outside of the University of Brighton, so it felt odd arriving at work. I did have an office, I did have a desk. But, I didn’t have a computer, and my boss (Jo Doust, who was the person I was ‘following’ from Brighton to continue my research work with) had yet to start. I was very lost, in fact, I felt a fraud, doing very little than shuffling paper and acquiring stationary from the admin office (nothing changes then!)

So, what happens when you open the doors of a business on Day 1? Do you sit at your desk and wait for the phone to ring? Do you send out an email alert saying ‘open for business, recruiting now’ to every athlete in the UK? Not for me – this Thursday is just the next in the series of ‘normal’ days I have been experiencing for a while now. Whilst this is the first day outside of the safety of the University, PBscience has been running for over 2 years now.

On Tuesday, Dan (my assistant cycling coach, who also starts his new job with me today!) and I were putting Mobie, the mobile lab and all his on board equipment through its paces: I have been running some pilot tests, but this was a chance to put everything together as we would with a paying client, or one of the PBscience athletes (who receive lab testing as part of their membership with us). We have two athletes to test next week, so its come together just in time (precision timing ). I happen to mention to Dan how for so long, I had looked at October 1st as being ‘D-day’. And, although in practice it would be no different to any other day, just the fact we had made it the ‘birthday’ somehow added to its importance. My long list of things to do, written in February, was meant to be finished by today – and I have been scheduling my tasks in order of priority, to be ready for this moment.

So, have I succeeded? Well, the very fact I am sitting here reflecting on this means I can’t be too stressed or behind my schedule! I’m pretty much there. I’m also careful to keep in mind something I read and resonated with in the Google story – how they work on the “70:20:10” rule. For me, 70% of my work has to revolve around the core business of PBscience, that being, my athletes. I feel confident I do allocated the appropriate proportion of my time across “core business: other activities: development”... as long as I am servicing the athletes needs, the other 30% is easier to deal with. I’m learning that ‘things to do’ lists never reduce to zero, so as a new business owner, it is about finding the right attitude to ‘things yet done’.

Each year, British Time Triallists flock over the English Channel to a small town in Normandy to race in the Duo Normande team time trial. I've been going 3 years now: the first as an athlete, and the second two as cycle coach. There is something very special about the event: the closed roads, the excitement in the town square the day before, the French families that watch along the length of the course, the following cars behind each team - nothing in the UK compares...although the Blenheim Palace event is one that might rival it in years to come. I do hope so, we need more of these big events to inspire generations ahead.

The riders I coach were definitely inspired this weekend. Lesley rode in the ladies category with ex-SIS team mate Annie - they collected 2nd place (to the same pairing Lesley and I came 2nd to in 2007, drat!); Dani rode with a3crg team mate Jo, and they set about improving on their time from last year - in fact, all the a3crg riders (a team I have worked closely with for 2 seasons now) had good performances. My new athlete Chris also experienced his first Duo and is adamant to return faster in 2010!

The "Pièce de résistance" was the ride given by Paddy and Seb. Both had targeted the Duo since the early stages of the season. Last year, Seb had ridden with another rider, as had Paddy. So, it was one challenge to cement this team and have them operating smoothly together: a shared desire to target this event, and the practise sessions / races together were planned to allow it to come together in time. Our biggest obstacle was the 'gap' in form between the two: Paddy had a late start to the year due to illness, while Seb has been flying since April. Its been exciting watching both riders improving in the latter stage of the season; PB after PB in fact, but also to see the confidence rising too.

I had asked both riders, as I always do before a big event, what they wanted from the Duo. Paddy was very straight in his answer - he wanted a 1:13 ride - that was a full 5 minutes faster than the ride he and his partner did last year. Even Seb looked a little unsure, and he had ridden 1:15 last year! So, I spent some time last week analysing the 2008 race files, working out where time could be won, where their efforts were worth upping. This is a major benefit gained from having power measuring and GPS technology - I can look at power used to go a given speed and work out where they might get better 'return from their investment' over the course. The 3 of us then spent an hour discussing the strategy the day before: I wonder how many riders take time to 'perfect' the detail - Seb and Paddy knew race day what they had to do in order to hit their goal time.

It helped that I was then in the following car with Team Manager David, calling out their splits over the speaker every 5km or so. I had asked them to go out conservatively early on, given most of the course to 28km was flat or downhill. I wanted them to then put the hammer down over the second, hillier section.It sounds easy, but when they were 30s down on schedule after 16km, concerns started to surface...were they going a little TOO cautiously? At 30km, I called out "Allez, come on guys, its time to put the hammer down" - Seb told me later, that it went through his head "What do you mean, we are!". But, they started to reel time back in as they climbed and descended each hill. But, was it too late?

With each of the climbs and descents, the guys demonstrated the perfect time trialling tactic: aim to minimise the variation in speed by working harder on the climbs, easing off on the descents. Each time there speed reached in excess of 60kph, I reminded them to tuck in small, pushing the aerodynamic gains to the full. They worked well together, but with around 6km to go, I knew they needed to average 60kph to hit target. When Paddy motioned to us to call out to Seb and get him to slow down, I feared the worst: had the performance gap between the two of them been a little too much? Had Paddy burnt out?

At 53km, the following cars have to peel off. The time was 1:12 and 15s on my clock - Paddy had clung on, and the paired had clawed back the deficit of the first half: a deficit that had reached nearly 3 minutes at one point! As we left the course, David and I went from screaming to near silence - all that adrenalin, and no outlet - it was a tough 15 minute drive back to Marigny! Sure enough, they did it: 1 hour 13 minutes and 28 seconds. They broke the course record for their category by 1 min and 24 s (“Chez les troisiemes categories domination de Brennan – Ader” to quote the local newspaper), but had they done enough to win this year and claim that 150 Euro bonus? It was a long wait....filled by copious coffee consumption on my part! Finally, the result came through, they had indeed done it - and not only that, they beat all teams but one in the category above; and would have placed well in the elite field...next year guys ;-)

I confess, its agonising watching, but I wouldn't miss the chance to be that close to the action. In many ways, the Duo Normande is less stressful as a rider - but I've no plans to swap roles, even if Lesley is convinced we could get the upperhand on the two French pros she has a habit of trailing in this event. For me, it was a hugely satisfying event: not just the weekend itself, but seeing how the rider plans and prep have come together with perfect timing - I would like to say its due to the science, but I for one, know that cycle coaching is just as much an art - and I think we drew a pretty nice picture this time around.

No, this blog post is not going to break into the 1990s hit song by the Proclaimers (!) but it was apt for describing my weekend...

I would like to think that one thing my athletes appreciate about me as a cycling coach is my ‘hands on’ approach. That included daily communication via email, phone calls each week, face to face meetings, and time together on training rides. One further opportunity to spend time building that all important coach-athlete relationship is at races. For me, its THE moment my coaching work comes to life. Odd as it may sound to my friends and family outside of the sport, getting up at the crack of dawn, driving miles and miles on motorways, and standing my a dual carriageway in the mist at 6am in the morning IS living my dream. Being present brings my job to life, it animates the time I spend behind my desk interpreting training data, analysing laboratory test data or planning training programmes.

I read last week that Dr Aldo Sassi, the trainer of riders like Cadel Evans and Ivan Basso consider their work is done once the race begins: citing this as the way he copes with working with two riders in opposition. Our different opinions might be that a lot of my athletes are out to compete against themselves rather than eachother, but its not uncommon to be at a race where I coach 5 or 6 of the riders. The challenge becomes being at the right place on the course at the right time, and keeping tabs on split times for all of them – I must look like the stereotypical cycling coach, clipboard in hand, stopwatch around neck...only thing missing is the whistle (watch out riders!). It also leads to a busy time in the race HQ afterwards, as I want to talk with everyone about how their races went. I think I have found myself saying a lot this season that being a rider was a lot less stressful!!

SO, this weekend, I have spent an awful lot of time in the car: along the A27, up the M3, down the A3, up the M3 again, and then further up the M3, down the A3...its Monday, and I have driven 480 miles in the space of 2 days watching athletes across 4 races. Yes, its worth it, and this weekend has been ‘profitable’ for many of the athletes I have been at the roadside reporting: 4 personal bests for ‘PB’ athletes; and a 3^rd place in the London Duathlon. Maybe I should calculate ‘success per mile’?

Watching Stewart in the London Duathlon was a nice change for me, as the setting of Richmond Park was slightly different to standing road side on the A3 and A303! The London Duathlon is a race for many different types of athletes: from recreational to elites, thousands of people all trying to express their personal bests – it was a great reminder of why I love sport, and what we as humans get from setting goals, all those hard training efforts, and the challenge of pushing our limits. With Stewart, we are looking at all sorts of angles to improve his running and cycling. Its paying off, and it doesn’t really ever stop. Take tomorrow, I’m going to the wind tunnel with him and two other PB athletes Sara and Oli. Its not quite another 500 mile drive to Swindon, but not far short!

Hot off the press....this morning, I ran lab test #1 in "Mobie", the mobile lab...and everything worked. Although Jeanne, my volunteer for the pilot test, may not agree her legs worked as she had wanted!

Jeanne patiently read a book whilie I got all the kit ready - as always, these things take longer to prepare the first time around. Its been just under a week since Stuart from Cranlea delivered and demonstrated all the equipment, so a little dust had settled on the memory in that time! But, following two gas calibrations of the oxygen uptake analyser, and a run through of the protocol on the Wattbike we were to use, and we were ready.

Its important when using new kit to be confident that the measures are as you would expect. So, first off, we did a check of the gas analyser, looking at oxygen uptake against sub-maximal steady state power outputs. Broadly, humans are very similar in the amount of oxygen they need to perform work (with a few % differences due to cycling efficiency), so having Jeanne pedal at various combinations of cadence and gear resistance on the Wattbike, we obtained a range of power outputs. Working for 3 minutes at a time, I could gauge if she was using the amount of oxygen I would precict: and she did, so the Metamax gas analyser passed its first test (and so did my calibration technique!). Then we tried a ramp test to VO2max: this gave me a real first chance to see if the Watbbike could provide a suitable ramp to increase intensity over a period of 10 to 12 minutes. By asking Jeanne to stay at a fixed cadence (she watched the PC display for this), and with me moving the gear every minute, I was able to set a ramp of ~20W per minute: right on cue, and very comparable to the SRM bike I have been used to at the University.

So, all in all, a very successful morning 'in the lab'. Now its time to download all the data: power, heart rate, cadence, oxygen uptake, and see what kind of output I have. You could say, this is where te hard work begins...i'd better grab a coffee ;-)

I've been back to my roots this past week; re-visiting the lab experience in two ways...

Dan, my soon to be cycle coaching assistant at PBscience, is finishing his MSc with a dissertation project looking at how anaerobic work capacity is used up during cycling exercise. "AWC" is the capacity we have to dig that little bit extra above what we would call a sustainable pace. Imagine a sharp hill climb where we have to get out of the saddle and try and conquer that hill as soon as we can. Chances are ,we would use our AWC to do so. Needless to say, his experiment is a little 'challenging' - and having volunteered to take part, its reminded how much commitment it takes for athletes to be participants in these studies. Its been fun though, learning more about where my body is right now: and despite my lowered training time since cessation of competition last summer, I'm not too far off the boil!

Its also been valuable having two of my athletes, Paddy and Juliette, going through the testing too. These kind of experiments can tell you SO much about the physiology behind performance. The three of us have learnt a lot in the past fortnight about why they race the way they do; where there are aspects to exploit for next season. Measuring AWC is very useful to the time triallist, as understanding more about the rate at which it can be 'burnt' (and then recovered) enables us to optimise cycling race pace strategies. I've also enjoyed having them both work with Dan, as building that rapport between him and PBscience athletes is important for me as the business develops.

Not only have I been witnessing lab life from the 'guinea pig' side of the fence this week, but also from the 'lab director' side. On Thursday, I took delivery of my lab equipment for 'Mobie' the mobile lab. It looked like a cardboard jungle in there, so a busy two days on Thursday and Friday unpacking and installing the various items of scientific kit. I've invested heavily in this area of the business, as the sport science behind my cycle coaching is vital to what makes PBscience different to other coaching provision. I'm proud of that difference, and I think my athletes share (and benefit from) that perspective. I've ensured we have everything a sport science lab should have: a top class cycle ergometer (in the Wattbike); a state of the are gas analyser (the Metamax Sport system); the latest in portable blood sampling (systems such as the Accucheck for lactate, glucose, cholesterol, and the Hemocue for haemoglobin); and everything I need for body composition analysis. After a Friday afternoon of installation, Mobie is now an exercise testing lab, not a motorhome!

With a change in ownership, PBscience needed a change in identity: nothing too drastic, but certainly the move out of the University of Brighton needed to be reflected. So, its meant the best part of 10 days being driven 'underground'. working away in my office, avoiding temptation of sunny days outside, and keeping motivation even when it does take an hour to work on website detail that only I can see!

As a child growing up, there were two things that I remember my Mum conveying (okay, 3 if you count "don't go out with your hair wet"): Firstly, that "patience is a virtue", and secondly, that "discipline" is a necessity to get anywhere in life. People who know me well understand that the second factor isn't something I struggle with....needless to say, that means the first is something I have to work on! In the past fortnight, my patience has been tested - the whole process of building the business has shone a light on my "I want it now" attitude. As an athlete, I learnt to curb that; understanding that being patient, being gentle on myself would lead to greater rewards and ultimately a less stressful existence. Seems like I am learning that lesson all over again.

Take the weekend: another part of my re-branding work is to get my two vehicles ready - stripping the car down of its old logos and applying the new ones; and readying "Mobie", the mobile lab for his new 'coat'. I anticipated an hour's worth of work Sunday afternoon - so when that became 4 hours of peeling, I wondered what on Earth I had let myself in for!

Likewise, having never washed a motorhome before, I did not contemplate the hassle of doing so: finding a car wash is not an option for a vehicle of that size! Thankfully, the DIY hose and brushs at Tesco did the job, but again, another hour - I didn't think this was in the job spec of a sport scientist / cycle coach? Every day it dawns on me how being an entrepreneur in the early stages is about doing everything yourself....

Not entirely true, as I have had great fortune in establishing some great support. I have to say a BIG thank you this week to two of my athletes: Juliette for her time investment in making sure the PBscience cycling kit will boost my marketing efforts; and to Paddy for HIS patience during the application of Mobie's new coat.

Just about 5 weeks until the official launch of the new PBscience - I know I have to be patient and get into the day to day process: if nothing else, I see an awful lot of things to do on my list so I can't wish time away!

Yesterday was my last official day at the University as a full time academic. A little sentimental, but given my decision to leave and set up PBscience independently was made back at Christmas, I think I left then in my heart.

My last day was spent as I intend to go on: interacting with athletes. New PBscience athlete Oli takes the honour of being the last lab test I perform at the University - with all tests now planned for the mobile lab. We then spent some time talking through his cycling objectives over lunch. Then, after lunch, I spent time with another new athlete, Rachel. Like Oli, Rachel still has race objectives for this year, yet the excitement is already building for next season!

As I explained to one of my University colleagues, Jeanne, last night over a celebratory curry (!), my passion lies in each coach - athlete relationship now - its outward connection rather than an introspective, often insular approach that life as a research scientist entails. Undoubtedly this realisation that I was living in isolation contributed to my  shift in career path. Now I feel creation of a community: currently coaching 18 athletes, each relationship is one I value deeply. I love learning about others, deepening the connection through the project of performance that we share.

Each day I spend as a entrpreneur cycle coach, I know that is the right path for me. People have told me I have courage - may be, but all I have done is listen to that voice within. Perhaps as humans we don't do that enough? If that is being brave, then let us all be warriors!

Speaking of which, congratulations to the a3crg men's 4-up team who broke the 30mph barrier at the weekend!

Another busy week as I move forward with moving PBscience out of the University. The main job this week was sorting out my office at the University, and shifting the boxes back home. Its amazing how much stuff you collect over the years - as my Mum said to me on the phone this morning "well, you have always been a hoarder"!

It was chance to really reflect on my career path thus far - mainly because the biggest job was sifting through over 1500 research articles I had in my filing cabinets. On attempt 1, I managed to throw out a grand total of 1 article in the first draw (~600 photocopies)...not too impressive, and I left work that day wondering how I could be more strict on the selection, just knowing I did not have the same filing space in my office to be here at home. I knew I had to turn my back on some of the 'purist' research, focusing on where I am going, not where I had been in my career. An interesting parallel with cycling performance I thought - how we must look ahead, and live by "you are only as good as your next race". I resolved to do better the next day, with my new selection criteria in place!

Day 2 I faired better. It was quite stirring as I moved through each hanging file. In the early papers, there was a great deal of research I used in my undergraduate degree course (I laughed at some of the photocopies, as I could see my arms on the copies, even to the detail of knowing what top I was wearing!): papers on tennis performance, moving through papers I had used in my undergraduate modules in psychology and biomechanics. Then, more in depth (as we would call 'primary source') articles from original research in the area of the lactate threshold (in which I did my undergraduate dissertation). The papers then went deeper, looking at mainly work on lactate metabolism (quite easy to throw out some articles - don't think I will be training many rats!). I could even plot the course of my 5 experimental emphases in my PhD thesis, ending with a training study (so most of my collection at that time was on training research).

Following the PhD work, my post-doc research career: at this moment, I thought about my 2 year stint at Roehampton, and all the people I met there. I worked in a similar research area, but again it got more theoretical, and it was at this time I started to get more interested in the genetics of exercise. So started my collection of genetics and the biochemical analyses of muscle tissue. Fascinating stuff, and if it were not for a few 'brick walls' I encountered at that time, I may well still be in that area now and not be re-inventing myself as an entrepreneur! I paused for a moment whilst in this drawer of articles: as it was then I realised how this filing cabinet was like a potted history of my path: how each turn was important, a map of my progression as a sport scientist, and my evolution as a cycling coach. I could even pinpoint the moment I started thinking about a 2 year sabatical as a cyclist; going part time at work to focus on my competition career: the articles I was reading were SO directed towards cycling performance.

My boss, Jo, always said to me that he used each office move as a 'cleansing' exercise - I think he meant that more in a way that it allowed him to 'de-hoard'. Humans need watersheds and I think last week enabled me to re-focus and move on.

Firstly, a big thank you to all of the well wishers - moving PBscience out of the University is an exciting, but also a scary step for me.  So, knowing I am supported is incredibly valuable for me.

As you can imagine, once you make a decision like this, life becomes a bit of a whirlwind. Not a day passes without a decision to be made, an order to make, a strategy to be planned, a meeting to discuss ideas....its been all go! This week for example, I took delivery of my cycle ergometer: the first step in making an ordinary leisure motorhome into a state of the are mobile laboratory!

I have selected the Wattbike as the bike on which to conduct my fitness testing. The bike is endorsed by British Cycling, being used in the main for their talent ID programme. I have spent a few mornings getting familiar with it, and its software, and in the main, I like what I see. Most importantly, it rides like a REAL bike - very smooth and 'on the road' like. Cyclists are very sensitive to that road feel - indeed, one of the persistent problems encountered in training is when turbo trainers are used and the rider is exposed to a very big 'dead spot' in the pedalling cycle. You don't get this with the Wattbike.

I also ordered the laboratory equipment this week: the gas analyser to measure oxygen uptake during the tests; the blood sample equipment to monitor chemicals such as lactate, glucose, and haemoglobin; the pulse oximeter to measure oxygen saturation in the blood; and various bits of kit to help me monitor body composition of the athletes. One issue I have had to overcome is the electrical supply - so another visit to specialists was needed to pick our way through this.  I now know a lot about motorhomes, leisure batteries, inverters....

Its very rewarding to get this far: each time I return home from a bike ride, I pass the motorhome, and I smile - a crazy smile at first, as I wonder "what on Earth have I done!" but, it feels very right. I know this is an incredibly unique idea, and can't wait to get the show on the road - literally. My hope is to have the mobile lab fully functional by September. I'm sure I will be keeping you all updated through the blog!