If you choose to follow a Wenzel Coaching training program, we want you to be satisfied with your decision. Below are things to take into consideration when choosing a coach....             What are your goals? This is by far the most important consideration. If you have a realistic idea of what you want to accomplish in your cycling, most good coaches should be able to outline how they plan to bring you to that goal. Having a solid reachable goals throughout your season will give you a better measurement of your progress. Whether your goal is to reach the next Olympics or hang in on the weekend group ride, you will want a coach who is as committed in time and attitude to reaching your goals as you are. What kind of expectations do you have and how much time do you have to devote to racing and training? How much time are you willing to give yourself to accomplish your goals? In addition, how much time can you devote each week and roughly throughout the year to training and racing? Be sure to outline this for a coach when he or she makes your program. It doesn't do a rider any good to try and follow a program that they don't have time enough to complete the training. Your coach should be willing to work with you and the time you have. Does distance from your coach matter to you? At Wenzel Coaching we offer programs that provide both local and long distance coaching, including telephone and email. If you live in Oregon, in the Bay Area of California, in Southern California, or Maine it is likely that we can provide hands on coaching with you on a fairly regular basis. However, the majority of our riders are long distance clients. We are accustomed to this as most of our elite athletes have been long distance coachees. However, some riders prefer more in-person attention. The amount of personal attention that each rider desires can be very individual. We can provide you with as much personal attention as you require. Make sure when shopping for a coach that you find someone who can supply you with the amount of coaching attention you desire. What kind of training and racing background do you have? Having an idea of what you have done in the past will give a coach a better idea of where to start you in your future training. Any program should be configured for your experience and development level. Do you like following a program written by a coach or would you rather write your own program? Our programs at Wenzel Coaching are complete programs that outline what you should do each day. You feedback is an important factor in your program. However, some riders like to take that step further and write their own program and simply have us guide them in that to ensure that they are on the right track. We offer program critiquing services that include a written evaluation and suggestions. Can you maintain motivation if your training program calls for you to do training that your local club ride may not fit into at times? Training as an individual may mean just that at times. Sometimes your training will fit into the club ride, other times it won't. (We often encourage riders to join our coaching program as a group in order to have riders in the same area who are following a somewhat similar structure.) On the other hand, most racers race because it's fun! If local training rides are part of the reason that you ride, your coach will make every effort to fit them reasonably into your schedule as long as you both feel you are making progress toward your goals. What style of coach might best suite you? If you are a rider who enjoys keeping track of the most minute data in your training, you may want to look for a coach who is more focused on scientific training and data. If you are someone who is more flexible in your training, who isn't that interested in all the data and enjoys the game of cycling more than the science, you may want to seek a coach who reflects that. Even within Wenzel Coaching we offer coaches who are more focused on one aspect than the other. While we believe a combination of both scientific and experienced based training is ideal, each coach will usually learn toward one or the other end of the spectrum. When you are shopping for a coach, be sure to ask each coach you interview which direction they tend toward. How much follow-up time do you think you'll require? This is a common price structuring point for coaches. If you are fairly self regulating in your training and rarely have questions, you may do better with a program where you confer with the coach only once or twice a month. If you like more feedback from your coach you may desire a more customized program where weekly (or even more regular) follow-ups are included each month. All Wenzel Coaching programs provide consultation time for follow-up and feedback.