A coach needs to understand the riding you are trying to improve. Getting round the Fred Whitton with something left for the final climbs, riding a faster club ten and staying in contention in a road race are different jobs. Start by naming yours.
Then put it against the week you can actually train. Two evenings on the turbo and a Sunday ride give a coach a different problem from five free mornings. The first conversation should deal with that gap between your ambition and your diary.
Roadman sells coaching. This is our buying advice, not an independent ranking of UK providers. You can compare our coaching for UK riders with the same questions below.
Give each coach the same brief
Send your target event or type of riding, your recent training and the days you can reliably protect. Include the constraints that disappear from an ideal training week: school collection, shifts, travel, a club ride you want to keep and whether you can ride indoors.
For example, a rider preparing for the Fred Whitton might write:
I can train on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sunday morning. Saturday is a family day. I ride the turbo during the week and have access to steep roads at the weekend. On my last long sportive, I walked a late climb. I want help with the preparation and with choosing a gear I can still turn near the finish.
This is an illustrative enquiry, not a prescribed week. It gives the coach something to respond to: available time, terrain, equipment and a specific difficulty. Ask what else they need to know before proposing a programme. Recent ride files, the length of that Sunday window and what happened before the late climb would all be relevant follow-ups.
Check the qualification and what it covers
The British Cycling coaching and instructor directory is one place to build a shortlist. Read the qualification attached to the individual. British Cycling also publishes information about recognised qualifications.
Ask for the full qualification name, its discipline and the kind of coaching it covers. If a coach advertises a platform certification, ask what was assessed. If they cite a degree, ask how that study informs the work they would do with you.
The practical follow-up is a rider example. Look for someone with a similar starting point and training window, then ask what changed: the programme, the rider's habits, their available hours and the result. An anonymised case with permission can be useful. A client should not have to surrender their private training history to help a coach sell a service.
Match the experience to your riding
For time trials, ask how the coach will assess pacing and your ability to hold the intended position. Establish who handles any on-bike position work, where it happens and whether it is included in the fee.
For road racing, describe the moment you lose contact or miss the move. Ask how the coach would investigate it using the file and your account of the race. Check whether tactical or bunch-skills work is available locally if that is part of the problem.
For hilly sportives, discuss your current long ride, the terrain you can train on, gearing, eating and the time you expect to spend on the bike. Our Dragon Ride preparation guide shows the sort of route-specific decisions worth discussing.
For an overseas event, put travel dates into the brief. Ask how the final training days, bike transport and opportunities to ride at the destination fit together. Use the organiser's current route and rider information; an event name alone is not enough detail to build around.
Find out what happens when the week changes
Ask a prospective coach to explain how they would handle a cancelled weekend ride or an unexpected work trip. You are checking who makes the decision, how quickly it can happen and how you receive the change.
For a UK winter, be explicit about daylight and the roads you are prepared to ride. A useful discussion should cover which sessions can move indoors and what happens when your available outdoor route cannot accommodate the planned effort. "Flexible coaching" needs an actual process behind it.
Confirm these details before paying:
- Plan ownership: who writes your programme and who reviews your completed rides?
- Contact: which channel do you use, and what response window is included?
- Calls: are they individual or shared, how often do they happen, and when?
- Changes: can the programme be adjusted between scheduled reviews?
- Absence: who covers the coach's holidays, and how do you pause or leave?
Decide where being local helps
If you need someone beside you to work on cornering, bunch riding or gym technique, proximity matters. Ask where those sessions take place and what they cost. A local club may also help you find the right practical support.
For remote planning and ride review, test the service at the times you will use it. Book a conversation in an ordinary working week. Check that the proposed call time fits your life and that you know what support is available between calls. This is more useful than assuming either a nearby postcode or an overseas address tells you how accessible a coach will be.
Compare the full monthly commitment
Ask for a written quote in the currency you will be charged. Record any setup fee, minimum term, required software, separate testing and paid face-to-face sessions. If the price is in dollars or euros, check the conversion and fees with your payment provider.
Compare what is included before comparing the number. A training plan, a programme with weekly team review and a private coaching relationship involve different amounts and types of contact. Our dated coaching-price audit explains the offers sampled and when their prices were checked. Use a provider's current quote when making the decision.
What Roadman offers
Not Done Yet costs US$195 per month. It includes an individual TrainingPeaks plan, weekly review by the Roadman coaching team and live group coaching led by Anthony Walsh, with nutrition, strength and recovery guidance. Roadman Inner Circle is the US$525 per month option for individual coaching with Anthony.
Before applying, decide which kind of contact you want. If you are considering Not Done Yet, ask about the group-call schedule and how your own training is reviewed. If individual access to Anthony is the priority, read the Inner Circle offer.
You can send Roadman your goals and available training time. Bring the same brief you would send another coach; it gives both sides a useful starting point.