Orwell will once again be hosting a coaching night for any riders looking to start or improve their riding this year. As well as a talk from a fully qualified coach, there will be an opportunity to form groups for training over the winter. This will happen on Monday next, November 25th, at 7.30pm in the Jesuit Conference Centre, Milltown Institute.
One of last year's coaches and Orwell Wheelers member, Aidan Hammond, will be giving an introduction to training, and sharing some tips to get the most out of the winter. Aidan is a former racing cyclist and national Time Trial Champion, and today is a fully qualified coach, and coach tutor. He is a neuro-muscular therapist and bike fitter, with over 20 years' experience in the cycling industry.
He will cover a variety of topics, such as structuring your training, and goal setting for the season ahead. The talk is free to club members, and those signing up for 2014.
While it will primarily target racers, the talk will benefit any newcomers to the sport - whether racing or leisure. Over the next year, it's expected that Orwell riders will be training for everything from the Rás to the Gorey, or from the Wicklow 200 to L'Étape. Junior and youth riders are also welcome, and racing novices who might not yet have any idea of a particular goal.
Note that there will be other coaching nights aimed specifically at leisure riders in January - on the 13th for logistics and practical preparation, and the 27th for training. If you a complete newcomer however, next Monday will contain some useful info to put into use over Christmas.
Groups will be composed of members with similar abilities who are aiming for the same goal. The club racing co-ordinators then hope to assign coaches for each group, depending on the level of interest and the preferences of the riders. Groups will meet once a month on a specified date to discuss the previous month's training, and to plan for the next month.
The exact details of the training groups will be posted on the website shortly after the coaching night, but attending the talk on the night is your best chance to meet other riders and plan your season. We'll see you there!
