Basic bike handling coaching in LA?

[Avincent52]

I was talking to a Television publicist yesterday about this and that, and bicycling came up. She's doing a "charity" triathlon, and I gather it's the first time she's been on a bike in years.
She was simply concerned about falling, and if riding in a group, taking others with her.
The shop where she bought her bike didn't seem like much help.

If I had to guess she probably is fit enough, but needs to work on relaxing on the bike, pedaling smoothly, riding in a straight line, and general road/trail awareness.

Any thoughts about where in LA she might get some quality but basic coaching, the sort of "lessons" a low intermediate skier or golfer might take?

[ergott]

Nah, just help her find some quiet roads to put the miles in. 4 miles here, 5 miles there. It will all add up. The body simply needs to get the muscle memory going so there isn't any thought to the process.

Best coaching advice is keep the eyes looking where you want to go. The bike will follow.

[SoCalSteve]

I was talking to a Television publicist yesterday about this and that, and bicycling came up. She's doing a "charity" triathlon, and I gather it's the first time she's been on a bike in years.
She was simply concerned about falling, and if riding in a group, taking others with her.
The shop where she bought her bike didn't seem like much help.

If I had to guess she probably is fit enough, but needs to work on relaxing on the bike, pedaling smoothly, riding in a straight line, and general road/trail awareness.

Any thoughts about where in LA she might get some quality but basic coaching, the sort of "lessons" a low intermediate skier or golfer might take?

If she is doing a charity tri, she may want to consider doing "Team In Training" as well. She will get coaching for a minimum of 12 weeks in all 3 disciplines by professional coaches, paid admission into the event, free schwag, clothing,parties, meals, etc and all she has to do is fundraiser for a great organization ( leukemia and lymphoma society ). It's a win - win!

[false_Aest]

I. Martin bicycle has a Friday ride. It'd be a good place for her to get into riding with a group. It's a slowish ride and people are friendly.

She should contact Jaime De La Cruz (shop mgr) for a bit more info.

[ergott]

Forgot about Team in Training.

I don't know as much as Steve about them, but I do see groups of the riding together. Looks like good camaraderie.

[mg2ride]

Best advise anyone can give her is to stay the h3ll away from aero bars!

[SoCalSteve]

Forgot about Team in Training.

I don't know as much as Steve about them, but I do see groups of the riding together. Looks like good camaraderie.

I was a cycling coach for them on and off for many years. It is truly a great organization for an even better cause ( blood born cancer research ). Some of the greatest experiences I've had as a cyclist have come from leading a group of beginners to do a 100 mile ride in 12 weeks. Seriously.

[Avincent52]

I appreciate the thoughts, but I'm really surprised there isn't a shop that offers coaching at this level.
Someone who'll ride with her for an hour, three or four times, help her build confidence and/or get past bad habits.

That's what a lot of upper level ski lessons were.
"Let's ski together.
No, don't do that.
How about you do what I do?"

I gather she'd be willing to pay a decent amount of money for a relatively easy and fun little gig.
I'd do it myself but she's in LA and I'm near NYC.

[Avincent52]

So Cal Steve, I sent you a PM.

[SoCalSteve]

I appreciate the thoughts, but I'm really surprised there isn't a shop that offers coaching at this level.
Someone who'll ride with her for an hour, three or four times, help her build confidence and/or get past bad habits.

That's what a lot of upper level ski lessons were.
"Let's ski together.
No, don't do that.
How about you do what I do?"

I gather she'd be willing to pay a decent amount of money for a relatively easy and fun little gig.
I'd do it myself but she's in LA and I'm near NYC.

What is her time frame? I'm laid up now for a few weeks still, but I am a professional cycling coach ( not a racing coach, more for basic skills, endurance, etc ) and I have taken on private clients in the past.

I'd be happy to discuss this with her, but...this being the big but....I am still recovering from knee surgery and probably won't be back on a bike on the road for a few more weeks now.

Let me know. My hourly rate is reasonable.

Steve

[velomateo]

A coworkers is involved with the Bicycle Angels in Los Angeles:
http://www.bicycleangels.com/

They loan bikes and work with people, who may have as little zero experience on a bike, to do fund raising rides or triathlons. I know they do organized group rides and may even offer on-on-one training.

[Ti Designs]

I gather she'd be willing to pay a decent amount of money for a relatively easy and fun little gig.

And yet there are so few people who teach riding skills... Pedal stroke and riding skills are what I teach, I consider this to be the fastest way of producing really good riders. When my schedule is full and I can't work with someone the question always comes up - "who else does this?" Well, nobody. There are 8 other coaches in the Boston area who claim to offer coaching on the road, two of whom have actually gone for a ride with clients.

There are a number of reasons for this: First, like teaching any subject, you have to know the subject cold. Clients often judge coaches based on first impression - do they look like a pro on the bike? How well do they ride? It's not a good measure of how well they teach, but that's just how it is. The second reason is that lots of people know how to ride, very few have given much thought to how to relate that to someone else. If you can't explain how balance on a bike works and how bikes really steer, you can't teach someone else. The "just do it" method doesn't work.