I want to become a faster cyclist. While I love just getting on my bike and riding, that’ll only get me so far. What ends up happening is that you ride at about the same effort level on every ride, and although that’ll help keep you fit, it won’t help you improve. You’ll level off at that place, and won’t see any big gains in performance.
That plateau hit pretty early for me, since I was spending a lot of hours on the bike from the start of my diabetes diagnosis in 2018. I was doing the same kind of workouts over and over. That’s not a bad thing, as cycling is wonderful even if you’re not training, but I wanted to do more than just stay at my current level.
The only way to really improve is to get coaching and do structured workouts. Until recently, that meant getting a coach. Now, there are many ways to get structured training, including via platforms like Zwift and Wahoo SYSTM. But it’s fair to say that the leader in the virtual coaching field is TrainerRoad, which has “Adaptive Training” that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to do much of the type of analysis a private coach does, and tune your training to your specific needs and goals.
A key differentiator in the “hire a private coach” vs. “hire software to coach you” debate is price. Now that I’ve had experience with both types of coaching, I thought I’d weigh in on the debate.
Coach Max
I’ve used TrainerRoad off and on since 2021. It’s been an excellent training partner. But I still wanted to try more personalized training, so this past spring I hired a private coach: Max Shute of Carmichael Training Systems (CTS).
Max trained me through most of this past year. I had weekly chats with him, and he designed my training plans. We also talked the night before some big events (several of my centuries), discussing things like strategy, nutrition, etc.
Max’s guidance and coaching was phenomenal. He understood exactly what my goals were, and knew how to work with my diabetes. He’s extremely easy to talk to, and incredibly responsive anytime I had a question for him via phone or email.
One thing he changed for me was a new emphasis on rest. I had tended to push too hard, too often, and didn’t take enough days off or do enough recovery and endurance (i.e., low effort) riding. He changed that, and it made a significant difference.
In short, Max was everything I wanted in a coach. On top of that, he couldn’t be a nicer guy. Just a pleasure to work with.
My cycling improved a lot under Max, and the events I did exceeded my expectations. I was able to do them faster and with less fatigue than previously. His training was worth every penny.
TrainerRoad
As for TrainerRoad: I’ve also had a great experience with them. The adaptive training has been spot-on, and I’ve made a lot of gains over time. The app is terrific and works well. Many (most?) workouts include text instructions from Chad, the lead trainer. I’ve learned a lot from Chad, including things like good pedaling technique, better breathing methods, and a lot about how the different workouts improve various facets of your riding.
TrainerRoad also has a fantastic podcast that’s my go-to cycling podcast (and one of my favorites of any kind). It’s a very forward-thinking company that’s always adding new features to its cyclists (including the latest one that calculates your FTP without doing the dreaded ramp tests every month.)
Cost
TrainerRoad costs $15 per month, which is a bargain. My coaching with Max cost $200 per month, which was also a bargain. It may not seem like it, but it was.
So, there’s a big cost difference there. Private coaching cost me more than ten times TrainerRoad. The question for me: would training with Max provide ten times the benefit of what I got with TrainerRoad?
No.
Training with Max was superior. Having a live person to bounce ideas off of, learn from, and get a specifically-tuned training plan from is better. If I was doing lots of races, and my goals were different, staying with Max would have been an easy decision.
Or, if I could afford it without sacrificing elsewhere, I’d stay with Max, no doubt.
The Decision
Neither of those situations applies to me at present. I want to get fitter and faster, and do some endurance-length gravel and road events. I don’t think at this point that I’m going to race, although I may change my mind on that. But in my current state, it makes more sense to use TrainerRoad than a private coach—even someone as terrific as Max.
If TrainerRoad didn’t offer Adaptive Training, that calculus might have changed. But the ability to adjust your training based on your feedback offers a degree of personalization that no other virtual training program can touch, and brings it closer to the experience of having a private coach.
That said, I’d love to start training with Max again, and if the opportunity presents itself, I won’t hesitate. But for now, it’s TrainerRoad, and I’m happy with my decision. (Note also that private coaching can be a lot more expensive than that, for even more personalized training.)
For you, it may be that private coaching is the way to go. All things being equal, it’s better to have a private coach. But in life, things are rarely equal.
(Have you had a private coach, or used TrainerRoad? I’d love to hear what you think about this in the comments below.)
I'm a big TrainerRoad fan, David. Can't beat it for the price, in my opinion.
Most of my USCF racing was in the 90’s and early 00’s. I had a CTS coach for a while during that time and like you, mine recommended more rest. I never felt like it made me any better in races that I competed in, though, other than the Missouri Time Trials in Jefferson City one year. I won the 30+ category with a 52:35 in the 40k. It was a great day, for sure. I’m gonna look into Trainer Road. I’ve watched their YouTube channel and thought it was pretty informative.