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Youths Training Programme

Can anyone offer some advice about putting together a training programme for my 14 yo daughter. She is very keen, wants to get faster, does a fair mix of sports - core training, road, mtb, but her trainng is rather unstructured.

Unfortunatly I am not sure where to start! (and being her dad what would I know anyway!)

Thanks

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6 comments

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kitebikeski | 11 years ago
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Thanks for those comments - I totally agree that it has to be fun. She has just moved up from Youth B to Youth A and has gone from being well up the field to well down it. I guess I was thinking that something more structured might help her - but I don't want it to feel like a chore for her. I tink the social aspect of being with her peers at events is just as important to her as the race itself. When I see some of her competitors I do have to wonder where the motivation comes from - the child or the parent!

The time spent getting to and from events for what ends up being a very small amount of cycling could arguably be better spent just riding somewhere too.

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Old Cranky | 11 years ago
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My son was getting great coaching from our local club and he enjoyed the closed road races and time trials. I totally recommend the Go Ride coaches, however be careful with pushing your child into competitive racing.

The problem with the Youth racing is the 2 year age brackets. My son went from consistently being on the podium in races to being completely mullered by kids potentially 2 years older than him. Two years makes a big difference and kids develop exponentially between the Youth E-D-etc groups.

Last year my son and I decided to go for a different approach, skipping the racing and focusing on endurance. We ticked off a few Pyrenean Cols and then entered some UK sportives. He loved it and his confidence on the road is building.

The lesson I learned is not to pile on the pressure and to look at the fun aspects.

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Simon E | 11 years ago
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Being a Go-Ride accredited club, we've had support from BC development coach, Tim Buckle. His work is mentioned here:

http://kirklandcoaching.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/training-made-simple-th...

He discussed the Snickers analogy cited in the above link - that a good rider requires a combination of skills, speed, fitness, brains and work ethic.

IIRC for 14 year olds he recommended doing a mix of things, up to four different sessions per week: a road ride, turbo for intensity, rollers for skills and track/circuit for improving close quarters group riding. Don't overcomplicate or overdo it.

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that kids need to develop at an appropriate rate, Rome wasn't built in a day. If there's a positive, encouraging and healthily competitive group that will help enormously. It's a great time for girls and women to take up cycle racing, I hope she enjoys herself.

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Raleigh | 11 years ago
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1-2.5 hour rides.

UT1 two times a week, UT2 two times a week.

Come back to me in a year.

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kitebikeski | 11 years ago
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Thanks - yes she is in both road & mtb clubs. I will try to get something more structured from them.

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othello | 11 years ago
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Do you have any junior cycling clubs near you and is your daughter a member? That would be the first point if call as the coaches should be BC trained and have an understanding of training suitable for her age.

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